Power Punch II

"Power Punch II" was an NES boxing game released in 1992. Originally conceived as a sequel to the 1987 NES game "Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!" (hence the "II" Roman numeral), the game was developed by Beam Software under supervision from Nintendo, until the latter disowned the production of the game, and as a result, it was published by American Softworks Corp. Due to limited distribution and multiple issues with putting the game together, the release of the game was rather silent. It is largely considered to be an inferior follow up to the "Punch-Out!!" series with poor mechanics and an outlandish plot.

Storyline

“Tough Guy” Mark Tyler is the undefeated heavyweight champion of the world, with an Olympic gold medal and a 33-0 (30 KO) record to his claim. After knocking out another opponent with ease, Tyler and his manager taunt the world by saying that no one can stop him. However, the broadcast is picked up far from earth in the outer reaches of the universe by an alien boxing promoter for the Intergalactic Boxing Federation (IGBF). The promoter decides to accept Tyler’s challenge that he can beat “anyone”. Thus Tyler is brought into the throes of the universe to compete against the best boxers in the universe and defend his earthly title.

History

The game was originally to be titled "Mike Tyson’s Intergalactic Power Punch" and was to follow the "Punch-Out!!" formula, only this time the player would control former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson instead of competing against him. Also to be included in the game was boxing promoter and Tyson’s career manager Don King, as both signed on to be a part of the videogame.

However, while the game was in production Tyson was tried for the rape of Desiree Washington and the project started to fall apart. In order to not promote Tyson’s questionable character, the designers changed the name of the boxer in the game to “Tough Guy” Mark Tyler and slightly altered his appearance, even though his face is still distinctly styled after Tyson. His attire in the game was also changed from Tyson’s traditional all black with red gloves gear to an all pink motif. Any references to Don King were also cut from the game. There is a manager bearing resemblance to King in the game, but Don King’s infamous hairstyle was removed from the character to try to dispel the association.

Gameplay

The game is similar to "Punch-Out!!" but includes some new additions, such as training, cut scenes, and a new scoring system based on punch percentages as well as knockdowns. However, while the boxing in the original game was slightly unorthodox, "Power Punch II" is seemingly even more outlandish as opponents do not wear any sort of boxing gear, the fights take place in a strange room instead of a ring, rounds are only 1 minute long, and some opponents even use vehicles while fighting.

Critical response

The game received little fanfare and the few reviews of it by critics and fans are generally very poor. The graphics and sound are universally panned. Other complaints entail the choppy gameplay and the game’s difficulty. Aesthetic complaints however mire the game more so than its mechanics, as critics of the game insult its absurdity, differences from the original, and the changes made to turn Mike Tyson into Mark Tyler.

Trivia

* In the arena where the fights take place, there are only 4 spectators who are very prominent. One is Tyler’s trainer but the other three appear to be Don King, Mike Tyson’s ex-wife Robin Givens, and Tyson’s original trainer the late Cus D'Amato. When Tyler is knocked down the Robin Givens character is shown crying and when Tyler knocks an opponent down the Don King character is shown bobbing up and down with a smile.

External links

* [http://www.screwattack.com/Europe/GLRC/PunchOut2 ScrewAttack's Video Retrospective on "Power Punch II" & its lineage]
* [http://hg101.classicgaming.gamespy.com/punchout/punchout.htm HG101's Retrospective of "Punch-Out!!" and "Power Punch II"]