Okay, I know some people will cry foul, saying this boss battle actually succumbs to my “repeat patterns” complaint, but there is little else you could do with a boxing game programmed on an NES. What was he supposed to do, dip and move and adapt realistically to each player? No, the whole game was pretty much a series of boss fights, each carrying a different element, and with the difficulty spiking just right on each one (minus Bald Bull, whose charge ALWAYS messed me up). There was just something SO intense to facing off with Mike Tyson in this game and I had to include it on this list.
Maybe it was because he could knock you out with one punch in the game. Maybe it was because it was Mike Tyson, and anyone who grew up in the 80’s and early 90’s knew that Tyson was a pitbull off his chain. A genuinely scary, unhinged man, and even though I was only facing off against him in 8 bits, anytime I dodged one of those super fast punches, I felt like it was a little victory.
The other thing is, I will NEVER forget the one time I beat him. My hands were shaking from the adrenaline coursing through me after hours of attempts, but I did it. I knocked Mike Tyson ONCE in this game, and it gave me such a sense of accomplishment that I will never forget it. Got an NES and wanna try it out for yourself? Put in the code 007-373-5963.
THAT is how etched into my brain that game is.