Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! (e)

From: 
Date: Tue, 23 Jun 1998 18:28:24 EDT

The first (at least that I know of...)

MIKE TYSON'S

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FAQ 1.0

Painstakingly (not really) researched, written, and therefore copyright (c) 1998 
by Chris Kohler (chrisk2018@aol.com), who even did the title artwork, which was 
based on a technique used by Tat Nakao, who did the title art (and a LOT more) 
for the FFV FAQ, also found at gamefaqs.com.

This FAQ was designed with www.gamefaqs.com in mind as its primary place of 
existence.  You can pretty much distribute this FAQ as much as you want as long 
as it is left just the way you found it.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction
Things You Should Know
Codes
Discussion
Weird Miscellaneous Crap
Conclusion

INTRODUCTION

Hi.  This FAQ was researched and written in one day, not counting the countless 
(ten or so) years that I've been playing my NES version of Mike Tyson's Punch-
Out, and was born because 1) I was bored today, 2) I could not find a MTPO FAQ 
on gamefaqs.com, and 3)I wanted to test my new miniature tape recorder.  So I 
sat down and played a game of MTPO [the original NES cart that at I bought when 
I was 10, on the original NES that I got when I was 8, but with a Hudson Soft 
Joycard Sansui SSS that I bought very recently, not because my original pads 
were broken (far from it!) but because it kicks ass].  Much to my surprise, Mr. 
Sandman kicked my ass, but he let me rematch and I promptly fought my way to 
Tyson.  Anyway, I recorded my own sarcastic comments and fight tips while 
playing, and I am preparing to transcribe them into random strategies below.  
But first, the preliminary sections:  Things You Should Know is for the 
beginner, or the eight year old who just downloaded the ROM, and explains the 
limited maneuvers of Little Mac.  Codes is an incomplete list of the telephone-
style passwords of MTPO.  Discussion is where I ramble on about each fighter's 
various strengths and weaknesses.  Weird Miscellaneous Crap is just that.  So, 
read on and enjoy.  And hey, if you like this (not really a) FAQ, e-mail me.  
Hopefully, even expert Punch-Out fanatics will enjoy reading this...

Things You Should Know

Okay, here's the basics.  You are Little Mac, a little tiny boxer who faces off 
against huge gigantic monster-sized boxers.  Your repertoire of moves is limited 
(necessarily so) by the NES' button layout.  B throws a left body blow.  A 
throws a right body blow.  Holding Up while pressing either throws a blow to the 
head (your main weapon).  Hitting Start throws an uppercut, your most powerful 
move.  However, you have to earn a Star before you can throw one.  Pressing Left 
dodges to the left, and you can draw your own conclusions as to what pressing 
Right does.  Pressing Down raises your guard for a second, and pressing Down 
twice in rapid succession makes Little Mac duck, which is by all means a useless 
move - you can beat the game in short order without ducking once.  The object of 
the game is to hit the opponent and avoid being hit by him. There are only three 
rounds per fight... if there is no winner, you may win by decision depending on 
how many points you rack up.  Between rounds, press Select to regain energy... 
but you can only do it once per fight.

Codes

Some codes are useful, some are not, but they're all real...

Nintendo's Official Level-Skipping Passwords:
Major Circuit				005 737 5423
World Circuit				777 807 3454
Super Macho Man				940 861 8538
Mike Tyson					007 373 5963

Other Level-Skipping Passwords - Win/Loss Record varies
Major Circuit				005 373 5423
World Circuit				032 730 8442
Super Macho Man (23 wins)		267 913 7638

Other Passwords
Nintendo's Old Phone Number		800 422 2602

Weird Passwords
For these passwords, you must enter the first nine digits, then leave the cursor 
on zero and hit A, B, and Select at the same time to get them to work.
Another World Circuit			135 792 4680
Credits					106 113 0120

Discussion

The reason Mike Tyson's Punch-Out retains its appeal to us grown-ups who were 
weaned on the NES is not because of its fast action, funny characters, or large 
sprites (although they helped).  It is because the secrets of the character 
designs of MTPO were never revealed by Nintendo.  All of the strategies herein 
were developed by players and spread around by word of mouth.  Nintendo 
"covered" the game in both their original 1987 Nintendo Player's Guide and their 
1992 Top Secret Passwords Players' Guide, however, the 1987 version only 
presented basic strategies (if you can call them that) for the first few 
fighters, and the 1992 one only a few passwords.  Yes, MTPO was released in the 
age where Nintendo guarded its secrets heavily, not like today where you can buy 
a Player's Guide detailing every last secret of every last game, usually 
released by Nintendo themselves.  But I digress.  These strategies have not been 
culled from a book or a call to Nintendo's Customer Service.  They have been 
formulated from discussion with other players and ten years of practice.  
Therefore, if you have played this game before, your strategies will undoubtedly 
be vastly different from mine.

MINOR CIRCUIT

#2
Glass Joe
Glass Jaw of France
1-99 1 KO
Age: 38
Wt: 110
From: Paris, France
Win By Decision: 5000 points

Glass Joe is a human punching bag. When he raises his guard, hit him in the gut, 
when he lowers it, hit him in the face.  Repeat until he hits the mat.  At some 
point, he will jump up to the top of the ring and taunt you.  While he is on his 
way back down, hit him high to knock him down.  After he gets knocked down once, 
he'll actually start throwing punches (heaven forbid!)  Dodge them and counter-
punch with rapid blows to the head.  Glass Joe will go down like a cheap whore 
in no time.

There are methods of defeating Glass Joe in seconds, but it's not even worth it 
to talk about them because, well, he's so pathetically easy.

#1
Von Kaiser
German Steel Machine
23-13 10 KO
Age: 28
Wt: 144
From: Berlin, Germany
8000 points

Von Kaiser isn't as easy as Glass Joe, but he's not that difficult either.  Let 
him lead off.  He'll bounce his head back and forth, which telegraphs a jab.  
Dodge it and hit him in the face.  Do this over and over to knock him down.  
When he gets up, he'll start ducking and throwing uppercuts.  When he ducks, 
throw a body blow and get a star.  He'll duck again. Dodge the uppercut, hit him 
once in the face, and then unleash the uppercut.  Von Kaiser will start to cry 
just before hitting the mat.  He'll get up and throw more uppercuts.  Repeat the 
process to knock him down again.

Champ
Piston Honda
Kamikaze
26-1 18 KO
Age: 28
Wt: 174
From: Tokyo, Japan
No win by decision

Piston Honda is relatively difficult compared to Von Kaiser.  He telegraphs his 
short Jabs with a twitch of his eyebrows.  Dodge the jab and retaliate with two 
hits to the face.  Eventually, he'll throw right hooks.  Dodge them and hit him 
in the face five times afterwards.  He'll throw uppercuts:  he'll duck and toss 
them out.  Dodge, then hit him in the face eleven times.  Eventually, he'll whip 
out his Piston Punch, where he jumps backwards, dances around, and bounces 
forward.  If you hit him in the face as soon as he gets back in range, he'll 
head for the mat.  If you miss or don't try, he'll throw four jabs to the face.  
Block them.

Defeating Piston Honda is simply a matter of learning when to retaliate to his 
punches.  Just keep plugging away at him and eventually you'll TKO him.  If you 
can knock him out of his Piston Punch, you can defeat him late in Round One.

MAJOR CIRCUIT

#3
Don Flamenco
Red Rose of France
22-3 9 KO
Age: 23
Wt: 152
From: Madrid, Spain
10,000 points

Don Flamenco is certainly the most interesting fighter you've faced so far.  
With a repertoire even more limited than Glass Joe's, Don's strategy is to block 
whatever you throw at him and retaliate with his Flamenco Punch, a highly 
telegraphed (and very damaging!) uppercut.  He'll raise his arm high into the 
air and swing away.  If Don can wear all your hearts down, he'll start in with 
right hooks which you must dodge until you've recovered.

The best way to beat Don is this.  Hit him right at the start of the match.  
He'll block it and try a Flamenco Punch.  Dodge it and start hitting him in the 
face with a left, then a right, then a left, etc.  He will sit there like the 
retard that he is and get his ass kicked.  He'll hit the mat, get up with no 
energy, and try an instant Flamenco Punch.  Repeat until he's hit the mat for 
good (under a minute or so).

#2
King Hippo
Great Chief of the South Island 
18-9 18 KO
Age: ?? (looks to be about 29)
Weight: ?? (maybe half a ton)
From: Hippo Island, South Pacific
No win by decision

The big man will start throwing left and right crosses at you.  Just dodge them 
and don't try to hit him.  Eventually, he will raise his arm over his head and 
open his giant mouth.  He telegraphs this punch by vibrating for a while.  This 
is your cue to punch him in the face.  Miraculously, Mac's small fist will not 
enter King Hippo's mouth.  However, for some odd reason, the King's size 89 
boxers will hit the mat.  Take advantage of this display of partial nudity and 
whack him multiple times on his bandaged navel.  Apparently, he recently had his 
umbilical cord removed, or he's been injecting food directly into his stomach.  
Or something.  Eventually, his bellybutton will have taken too much punishment 
and the King will be dethroned, heading for a night on the canvas.

#1
Great Tiger
Great Magician of India
24-5 3 KO
Age: 29
Wt: 132
From: Bombay, India
10,000 points

Great Tiger will begin by throwing telegraphed jabs.  The jewel on his head will 
flash briefly - you can try to hit him for a Star, or wait until he throws the 
Jab, dodge, and retaliate with a blow to the head. If you feel like using up 
hearts, you can block the jabs and retaliate with five blows to the head. You 
won't do much damage until Tiger starts throwing uppercuts.  At that point, 
you'll want to use the strategy you used against Von Kaiser - hit him when he 
ducks for a Star, then hit him when he's stunned with the uppercut.  At two 
minutes and thirty seconds,  he'll try his Magic Punch.  He'll jump backwards 
and start spinning towards you in a circle.  He'll spin around and punch you 
repeatedly.  Learn the rhythm of the hits and block five of them in a row.  
He'll get dizzy.  Hit him when he's stunned and send him down to the mat.

Champ
Bald Bull
Bald Bucking Bull
34-4 29 KO
Age: 36
Wt: 298
From: Istanbul, Turkey
No win by decision

Bald Bull will begin by throwing jabs.  He telegraphs them by rotating his fists 
right before he does. Dodge and hit his face. When he's about to throw a right 
hook, he'll make a motion as if he's rubbing his ears.  Dodge when he throws the 
punch and retaliate with five head blows.  Eventually, he'll do his Bull Charge.  
He hops up to the top of the ring and bounces down at you.  Hit him in the 
stomach when he bounces into range (a split second after he starts bouncing, 
after three jumps) and he'll hit the mat.

WORLD CIRCUIT

#5
Piston Honda
Honda Turbo
26-2 18 KO
Age: 28
Wt: 174
From: Tokyo, Japan
3000 points

Honda's jabs have been modified.  If you dodge when he wrinkles his brow, he 
will throw three jabs, so you'll have to dodge three times.  He'll start the 
hooks and uppercuts again.   Every now and again, he'll duck to start his 
uppercut and bounce around a couple of times before delivering.  This is your 
chance to smack him in the head and earn a star.  If you don't really want to 
fight him, hit him in the gut as he bounces down and chances are you'll earn a 
KO.  The Piston Punch has been modified.  He no longer dances like a retard 
before charging.  You can hit him out of it like the first time, but you won't 
send him to the mat:  you'll simply earn a star and you'll have to block the 
four punches afterwards. After he tries the three jabs, he'll usually follow up 
with an uppercut.  Otherwise, there's really no trick to beating Honda's second 
incarnation.  Just keep plugging at him.

#4
Soda Popinski
Russian Monster
33-2 24 KO
Age: 35
Wt: 237
From: Moscow, USSR
10,000 points

Soda Popinski was altered from the arcade's Vodka Drunkinski.  He literally has 
no defining punches.  All he really does is throw a lot of basic maneuvers, so 
strategy is to simply dodge and counterattack.  He'll start with a left hook and 
left and right uppercuts.  Dodge and retaliate to his face. If you pause a split 
second before retaliating to his uppercuts, you'll get a star. He'll throw jabs 
with no telegraphing and you'll have to absorb them.  When you see him dancing 
for a second, he'll toss out a series of three jabs.  Popinski has few real 
moves.  His basic maneuvers can really hurt, but they're so telegraphed that 
losing to him is difficult.  After an uppercut, you can deliver seven hits to 
his face.  After a left cross, you can get in four punches to the face.  

#3
Bald Bull
Crazy Bucking Bull
34-5 29 KO
Age: 36
Wt: 298
From:  Istanbul, Turkey
7000 points

The second incarnation of Bald Bull is invincible.  You can only send him to the 
mat with an uppercut or by defeating his Bull Charge.  Bald Bull may block your 
counter punches.  If he does, dodge immediately (he'll throw a jab) and punch 
him in the face one final time.  When Bald Bull rubs his ears slowly, hit him in 
the face to earn a star.  Hit him with the uppercut when his energy has dropped 
to send him to the mat.  When he tries the Bull Charge, dodge his first attempt.  
Then, he'll only go back halfway the second time.  RIGHT after he starts the 
charge, stick out a body blow and he'll go down.  The trick is to recognize when 
Bald Bull is telegraphing a punch and when he's feigning a telegraph.

#2
Don Flamenco
Flamenco's Counterattack
22-4 9 KO
Age: 23
Wt: 152
From: Madrid, Spain
5000 points

Flamenco, like his previous incarnation, will taunt you, but he won't always 
throw a Flamenco Punch afterwards.  If he blocks and leans to the right, he's 
going to keep blocking.  If he blocks and stays straight, he's going to throw a 
Flamenco Punch.  Dodge and hit him.  He won't go down as fast as his 
doppelganger, but you can really beat on him.  An important thing to remember 
about this version is to wait for him to take the lead.  He adds a left cross to 
his repertoire, which, in addition to his right hook, can be devastating.  So 
remember to wait and see what he's going to do rather than assuming he's going 
to taunt you.  Eventually, you will run out of hearts and he'll begin to throw 
repeated right hooks.  Dodge and wait until you've recovered, then start hitting 
him again.  Flamenco's timing can throw you off, so be on guard.

#1
Mr. Sandman
Black Heavy Tank
27-2 21 KO
Age: 31
Wt: 284
From: Philadelphia, PA
No win by decision

Sandman will toss you some jabs to start.  Hit him in the face once to 
retaliate.  He'll then start with some Bald Bull - type hooks from the left and 
the right.  At this point, whenever you counter punch him, you'll have to hit 
him in the head once and then in the stomach each time after that.  If you 
accidentally hit him in the head while he's guarding it, he'll toss out a jab 
similar to Bald Bull's retaliatory one.  Dodge it and hit him in the face once 
more.  He'll toss a few more uppercuts before turning to his super punch - a 
succession of three uppercuts similar to the ones he throws before the fight 
begins.  He telegraphs them by dancing for a few seconds and finally glowing 
right before he tosses the punches.  Dodge the three of them in rhythm and 
retaliate, but don't forget that he'll still block his face after the first hit.  
Sandman has no other moves - just anticipate, dodge, counterattack and you'll be 
fine.  

Champ
Super Macho Man
Hollywood Muscle Man
35-0 29 KO
Age: 27 
Wt: 242
From:  Hollywood, California
No win by decision

Super Macho Man is much easier than Mr. Sandman.  He'll start out with Soda 
Popinski-esque hooks and uppercuts, which are fairly easy to dodge and counter. 
Macho Man's specialty punches are his Super Spin Punches, of which there are two 
kinds.  Both are originally telegraphed by a short burst of inactivity by Macho.  
If he pulls back and vibrates, his Spin Punch will only be once and you can hit 
him afterwards.  If he steps back and grunts, he'll punch anywhere from one to 
ten times and you'll have to dodge anywhere from one to ten times.  After the 
last, hit him in the face for a while.  After he is knocked down, he'll get up 
and throw a multiple Spin Punch.  All his punches are highly telegraphed, so you 
shouldn't have to worry much about him - just keep plugging away.

The Dream Fight
Mike Tyson
Kid Dynamite
99-0 99 KO
From: Catskills, NY
5,000 points

Beating Mike relies on not getting knocked down in the first 1:30 of the first 
round, when he throws his one-hit-knockdown Dynamite Punches.  You can dodge 
these and counter with two blows to the face.  They are telegraphed with a short 
blue flash.  Afterwards, Mike will begin to throw left and right hooks which are 
more easily dodged.  He winks before throwing them.  At the beginning of the 
second and thrid rounds, he will toss some non-telegraphed jabs, so be ready and 
keep your guard up.  He'll throw Dynamite Punches again, but they're much weaker 
this time.  The only other move Mike might try is to sit and blink for a while.  
This is a good time to punch him in the face and earn a Star, but be ready to 
dodge the oncoming barrage of jabs.  Otherwise, Mike Tyson can be beaten, but it 
takes skill, reflexes, and luck.

Weird Miscellaneous Crap

If you try to play MTPO with the Power Glove the way the guy in the commercial 
did, you will get your ass kicked so hard it won't even be funny.

Wouldn't it have been funny if Glass Joe had come back in the World Circuit?

If any fighter gets up on the count of 1, one uppercut will send them back.

A lot of the later fighters will start to dodge your uppercuts after a few hits, 
so learn to save them.

Don't try to cheat the Select button energy fill-up.  If you energy bar is 
already full, it'll go DOWN.

The newspaper you get after beating Super Macho Man...

KO News
April 1, 1987
New Champ!
The WVBA World Circuit
Last night, we found a small but great champ.  His name is Little Mac.  Puch 
Start for the Dream Fight.  

Daddy, Come Back Home!

I lost my belt!  Macho

I found a key: -- -- ---

Conclusion

Thanks for reading this FAQ, which actually was completed in a day.  Thanks to 
Al Riccitelli (gatekeepertds@juno.com) for his input on the various strategies 
for each fighter.  And if you have secret hints, be sure to send them to 
chrisk2018@aol.com.  Thanks again!