Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! (NES) Playthrough

A playthrough of Nintendo's 1987 boxing game for the NES, Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!

Following up on the massive success of earlier hits like Donkey Kong, Mario Bros., and Popeye, Nintendo released the first Punch-Out!! in arcades in 1984. It was an upright, dual-monitor machine that pitted the player's wire-frame avatar against six ranked boxers in pursuit of the title. The success of the game - largely attributable to the huge character graphics, synthesized voices, and unique controls - guaranteed a sequel, and Super Punch-Out!! was released later the same year.

But Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! isn't a port of either of those games. It's a fleshed out reimagining of those games' ideas, and it was built from the ground up specifically with the NES hardware in mind.

You play as Little Mac, a seventeen-year-old boxer from the Bronx who dreams of rising through the ranks to become the world champion, but it's a long and difficult road to the top. Fourteen bouts stand between Mac and the belt.

Punch-Out!! plays more like an action-based puzzle game than it does a traditional arcade boxing title. These guys require a carefully considered, reactive approach. The quickest way to find yourself eating the mat is to exhaust yourself by throwing punches in a blind frenzy, so you'll instead want to study their movement patterns, learn the ways in which they telegraph their moves, and work out strategies to exploit their weaknesses.

It's a difficult game, but it's an addictive one, and the flamboyant, stereotype-chewing cast of fighters give it a flavor all of its own. Who could forget Glass Joe's begging you to let him win, or Soda Popinski laughing with his hands on his hips as you struggle to get back on your feet? And Mario even moonlights as the referee!

Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! has always reminded me of Rocky, and since I think of Rocky IV as a Christmas movie, I figured that revisiting this classic NES cart would be a fun way to kick off the holiday weekend.
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No cheats were used during the recording of this video.

[fleendarthemagnificent]

Time travel back to a great time and era in life.

[RoddaleWynn]

Man, as a kid in the late 80s, I remember staying up all night in the summertime playing this game, trying to beat it. Now, at 45 years of age, I can't remember if I beat it or not! 😂😂😂!! It's time to finish what I started 35 years ago!

[ZillaMesh]

I actually beat Tyson as a teenager. Greatest accomplishment in a video game I've ever had. None of my friends could do it. The feeling I got was immeasurable.

[JenMistress]

When I was a little girl, playing this on dad's old NES, I got good enough that I was able to beat everyone else, no problem, but could never beat Tyson. No matter how hard I tried, couldn't get the pattern down on him, so seeing this, at least now I see what I wasn't able to do as a kid. Thank you so very much for this.

[Lewythefly]

Holy Shit, when that music started I was taken back to my childhood. This game was so god damn cool as a kid.

[VahanNisanian]

Fun fact: Mike Tyson's stats, as of the game's release date of October 18, 1987, are indeed true to life. He did indeed have 31 wins (27 KO's and 4 UD's) when the game was released. According to Wikipedia, at that time, his most recent match was against Tony Tucker on August 1, 1987 at the Las Vegas Hilton, of which he won by Unanimous Decision.

[MrDRoseu]

Omg 😆 I’m 42 so I had to be 5 or 6 watching my big brother play this & we never even seen Tyson 🤣 I can’t wait to show him this video… took me back to a place when life was good 😂 you are a legend for this video

[richardbullwood]

I will never forget going to college in the fall of 1989. We were all moving into an on-campus townhouse, and someone plugged in their NES downstairs and we all took turns playing punch out. That's how all the guys met each other, we kidded my roommate because he got beaten by glass joe, and we all bonded that first night over this dumb game! I dropped out after 1 year, and I have no idea what happened to any of those guys. But for that one night, we were all high on life and all giddy because we had moved away from home to school. I had an Atari when I was a kid, but I was not playing video games and had never played nintendo. We had great times and it's a fantastic dear old memory

[Solo-Road]

I was born in the70s, grew up playing video games in the 80s. I still play NES and it eats me up inside that I have never beaten Mike Tyson and I have never landed the plane on the god damned aircraft carrier in Top Gun.

[volvoguy]

Got this for Christmas in '87. I never could beat Mr. Sandman.

[rjcupid]

It doesn’t get much better than Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out. This game was so popular that I could never even buy it as a kid as it was always sold out at Toys R Us. Getting a star and then doing an uppercut is one of the most satisfying dynamics in any video game I’ve ever played. Also, I would say that Mike Tyson is one of the best final bosses of all time.

[alcidesrios]

Nostalgic feeling when hearing the music in this game.

[Derdan]

OMG !!!!
I GOT CHILLS WHEN SAW THIS.
GREAT MEMORIES OF MY CHILDHOOD

[Victor-itbv]

4 decades later and he's boxing someone half his age.

[Dorian_Scott]

I've only ever played the Mr. Dream version, but this is the one that most people will refer to.
Punch-Out!! is a classic. It sets itself apart from most other fighting games because of how it punishes you for carelessly spamming punches and not learning everyone's attack patterns. And you can't forget that soundtrack or Doc Louis riding that bicycle.

[brianfrydl]

Man. This takes me back! So many memories of sights and sounds of my childhood. I am 50 now. It took me less than a year to master every fighters patterns and defeat Tyson! I used to play it over and over. I honestly think it was the only NES game I ever won/completed! Thanks for the walk down memory lane.❤

[bigduke]

We all remember Tyson as one of if not THE greatest final bosses in gaming history because he tested your every ability learned up to then to the max. If anything even close to as challenging ended a game today we'd all cry foul and use every term in the critics book to dismiss it.

[BobbyBoca]

Listening the the music takes me right back to my childhood 😢 damn I miss those days …

[collinhorsey]

THAT DANCE THAT DON FLAMENCO DOES BEFORE HE GOES DOWN IS HILARIOUS‼️ 🤣

[jasonmaclean]

The opening dings of the bell at the startup is SO iconic