Boxing

Voices of: N/A
Developer: Nintendo
Rating: E
Genre: Sports
System: Game & Watch
1984

Times Completed:
Tim: 1

Summary: Two competitors battle each other in the boxing ring.

Review:
Tim: It's always a bit difficult to review these early video games. I spent some time playing the Game & Watch boxing game, but honestly, I don't have a lot to say about it. These early games give players a peek into the origins of the video game world, but they don't have a ton of replay value. When I played this game, it was mostly to experience it, to try and learn the controls a bit, and (hopefully) to have a tiny bit of fun. These G&W games always feel like little experiments to me. They are so simplistic and straightforward. This game is just like others in this genre- limited movement, lots of repetition, and you are simply memorizing moves.

I didn't invest a ton of time in this game, trying to get "good". It wasn't worth it. I played Game A and my best was 15 points. The game itself is so simple, but it was fun to see how Nintendo tried to recreate a boxing arena around the two central competitors. It looks so minimalistic, but there's no question about what was being displayed on the screen. You are the player on the right and you're throwing punches against the player on the left. Simple to pick up, but the controls were understandably limited and rigid. Interestingly, this game was released in the U.S. as Punch-Out!!, so it's arguably the origin of that franchise.

And, that's about all I have to say. It was fun being exposed to this game and learning about it. I had no intention of sinking dozens of hours just to run up a good score. I kind of got the mechanics down, heard the beeping, and felt content that I'd gotten the gist of the game. I played for understanding, verses trying to be really good at it.



Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: N/A



If You Enjoyed This Game, We Recommend: Donkey Kong Circus, Donkey Kong II, Fire