Super Punch-Out!! (1994)

Following up to the first Punch-Out, Super Punch-Out iterates upon the original and comes up with a sharper and more detailed system to help memorizing these battles be a lot more fun.

The player is a nameless boxer (who looks a lot like Luke from Street Fighter...) as he fights his way across four circuit championships to become the W.V.B.A. champ. The player is a boxer from a behind the back third person perspective, with transparency that allows full view of the opponent's actions. The player can punch or body blow on either side, guard the face or body, or dodge and duck. The player will often be moving between head/body stances to avoid attacks (or guard on faster sequences), practicing tells from opponents until avoiding them (and getting a good punch in) is second nature. A power-up meter rewards hits and punishes getting hit, with special knockout punches that can hit enemies harder and make it harder for them to get back up for another round.

The opponent lineup is still vicious near the end but is more widely spread out to allow practicing similar movesets on gentler starting foes. Punches, uppercuts, and body blows are standard and with varying speed, but with special moves on each character that require some studying and memorization. It might be a bit of a hassle (especially if you're aiming for 4-0 to unlock the special circuit and beat the game) but it feels good to finally figure out how to take down a tough bruiser. Data and records can also be saved for future play, and the player can always continue and practice a rematch if they don't mind taking the extra loss.

The animations are the star of the show - the music is exciting fare but not particularly memorable, but the sound effects of each punch and blow is burned into the brain of the player as sound cues are nearly essential to combat. A variety of crazy characters (Japanese dancers, Italian clowns, macho men) with ridiculous animations and out-of-ring chatter that helps foretell future moves adds a lot of flavor and charm to help this entry stand out from the first one.

When it comes down to it, this game is a battle of memorization and attrition - while it can get particularly frustrating later on, Super Punch-Out rewards players who really get to know their opponent and want to enjoy some heart-pounding battles.

Gameplay, Story and Value:

One of the greatest strengths of the Super Nintendo was taking games that were already great on the NES and improving on them in the new 16-bit era, often to the apex of their respective series. The Zelda franchise got Link to the Past, Metroid got Super Metroid, Super Mario 3 got Super Mario World and so on. Super Punch-Out!! is no exception, as while its original game was fantastic, the SNES iteration manages to exceed it in nearly every way!

Controls remain largely the same, with the ability to reconfigure them as you like. By default, Y will throw a right punch and B a left. A will initiate a KO Punch provided your meter is full, though I changed this to X as I found it more comfortable. Pressing left or right on the D-pad will dodge in either direction, while pressing down will cause you to duck. Holding up allows you to block high while not pressing anything will automatically block low. You can press up and punch to throw a jab instead of a body blow, and using your KO Punch in different ways will cause you to either throw a single, heavy punch, or a rapid barrage.

Just like in the original game, success and survival depend entirely on your knack for memorization and pattern recognition, as we as having the reflexes necessary to carry out the required maneuvers. Learning the fights, even while getting the crap punched out of you, is as addicting as it is rewarding. Few games offer the same level of satisfaction as Punch-Out!! does when you manage to take out a tricky opponent without taking a single hit. With enough skill, the entire game can actually be beaten without so much as a scratch, in fact.

There are a total of 20 boxers to face off against across five different circuits, the fifth requiring perfect 4-0 records across the first four. This is perfectly manageable as Super Punch-Out!! allows for up to eight save slots! Add in a time attack mode and you have an excellent little package.

Presentation, Music and Sound:

While you're not going to find much diversity in the game's environments, there's a lot to love when it comes to the large, animated sprites! All, well most, of the opposing boxers have a unique look and feel to them, and liquid smooth animations go a long way in providing subtle tells before their attacks. All the action looks just fantastic, on the level of something you might find in a 90's arcade.

The music is serviceable and helps set the mood for each fight, but it's really nothing remarkable. On the other hand, the sound effects are top notch. Not only do you have some surprisingly clean voice samples, but the thwaps and smacks of blocks and jabs are downright satisfying.

Afterthoughts:

So it turns out I wasn't as close to beating this game as I had thought, but I still had a great time with it regardless! When I played Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! on the NES for the first time I was pleasantly surprised, and that's still the case here. I was hoping for a similarly fun experience and what I got exceeded my expectations!

This is definitely one I'd like to come back to from time to time, maybe even pretty soon. Not sure I'll be able to rest easy until I've floored Super Machoman...

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