The Nintendo Entertainment System was the original king of sports video games. Prior to the NES, most home console sports games were, at best, very forgettable. However, the launch of the powerful (for the time) NES allowed programmers and game designers to better capture what made sports fun. A few of those games are still talked about fondly by retro gamers. Games like Tecmo Super Bowl, Blades of Steel, and Baseball Stars. For many, at the very top of that list is Punch-Out (originally Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out). Adapted from a popular arcade game of the same name, Punch-Out was one of the easiest games to pick up and play for the NES, but one that proved extremely challenging as the game progressed. The Punch-Out brand is one that endures to this day, with numerous follow-ups for many of Nintendo’s consoles, as well as re-releases on their eShop.
Today I take a look at Punch-Out for my latest “Figures Wanted” article. For newer readers, in “Figures Wanted”, I take a look back at popular entertainment franchises that are desperately in need of modern collectibles. In previous articles, I have covered the 1995 film Mortal Kombat, the classic video game franchise Double Dragon, the iconic NES game Battletoads (which are tentatively set to receive a figure line), and John Carpenter’s classic 1982 film; The Thing.
In the article, I’ll give an overview of the games history, any previous collectibles, and who can and should produce toys based on Punch-Out.
