Editor’s Note: Funny, I also can’t beat Mike Tyson either. But unlike Michael, I gave up a long-ass time ago. I mean, he’s just so hard to beat. It’s like he’s made of iron or something. Y’know what? They should call him that:”Iron” Mike Tyson. What’s that? They do? It’s official: I’m a genius. -Michael
I am nearly twenty six years old and have been playing videogames as long as I can remember. One of my earliest memories is playing Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!; another is grabbing the lit end of a sparkler on the 4th of July. I have played Punch-Out!! on and off over the years and have always been thwarted by Super Macho Man.
I have never made it to the titular heavyweight champ in my life. I have never used a cheat to fight Tyson. To me, the game will end when I have beaten Super Macho Man. The closest to victory over him I’ve had was knocking him down twice a few years ago. He is always where my play session ends — once I lose I throw in the towel. Even if I start playing an hour later, I start over at Glass Joe. I suspect I do this to reassure my ego that I don’t suck at the game.
This mental or hand-eye coordination block only applies to the original Punch-Out. I became rather adept at Super Punch-Out!! when that was released on the SNES later in my life. I can easily beat all opponents in that game, including my rival Super Macho Man. I relished beating him repeatedly, although the feeling wasn’t without tarnish. I may be able to beat him in Super Punch-Out!!, but his unquestioned dominance over me in the first game still gnaws at my player’s senses of self-competitiveness, achievement, and completionism.
I believe my experiences with Punch-Out!! early in my life formed the foundation of my mentality as a player. Be patient; do not dismiss a game until you understand its rules. It can take multiple play attempts before you understand the game and you start having fun. Do not obsess over beating a game, or others in multiplayer, so that playing it is no longer fun.
Mostly, I’m just glad to have played Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! — it’s one of the milestones of my life and my hobby of gaming. It caught me at a young age and amazed, amused, and intrigued me so much that it almost single-handedly cemented in my psyche that I would play games my entire life.
