Punch-Out!! The Rocky Circuit

“LLLLLLADIES AND GENTLEMEN………!!!“

Presenting the WVBA Punch-Out!! circuit we always wanted and deserved (although we still probably deserve better artwork… sorry about that part).

Punch your way through the Rocky Circuit rankings from crybaby Tommy Gunn all the way up through the Siberian Express, Ivan Drago. Take advice from managers Mick, Apollo and Duke. This is your whole life here! All your strength, all your power, all your love! There is no tomorrow! You get the idea.

Having trouble getting past Drago? Clubber Lang? Thunderlips? Maybe a little emulator lag got you down or you’ve lost that eye of the tiger? Don’t give up. Just turn on ROCKY MODE and feel the movies come to life.

“What is ROCKY MODE?” I’m glad you asked. On the ‘CONTINUE’ fighter select screen (yes, a fighter select screen – passcodes are so 1980’s), simply toggle ROCKY MODE from OFF to ON to enter the following cheat codes, then select your starting opponent:

Rounds 1-2: No TKO’s, and Rocky keeps getting up with just one push of the button. He’s not a man. He’s like a piece of iron.

Round 3: Rocky gets his second wind and is locked in with full hearts, full stars, full health, double power and limited defense from his opponent. Go to work and finish this thing like there is no tomorrow.

Pressing ‘select’ still replenishes a random amount of health between rounds one time – so if you’re in Rocky Mode, use it between rounds 1-2 if necessary because he’ll fill up for round 3 already. Other than Rocky Mode, the circuit ladder and fighter select screen, the remaining changes are cosmetic. Punch-Out!! fans will recognize the fighting styles and body types.

Here is the full cast:

* Tommy Gunn (heavily modeled from Glass Joe, in fact I’ve convinced myself one of the characters was modeled after the other)

* Mason Dixon (Piston Honda)

* Clubber Lang (Bald Bull)

* Apollo Creed (Mr. Sandman)

* Thunderlips (Super Macho Man)

* Ivan Drago (Mike Tyson)

* Featuring managers Mick (vs. Apollo and Thunderlips), Apollo (vs. Lang), and Duke (vs. Gunn, Dixon and Drago)

* And as Rocky Balboa, it’s you!

Hey. I didn’t hear no bell. So download (it’s free!), enjoy, and let me know if you run into any issues. And if you love Rocky Mode, sing it loud and put another dime in the jukebox, baby.

Special thanks to Sly Stallone and the entire casts, especially of Rocky 1 through 4. To Nintendo for adapting one of my favorite cabinet games to their console and providing me with endless hours of boxing joy. To Iron Mike, the baddest man on the planet and a pleasure to watch in the ring. May you never fade into Bolivian. Thanks to DirtyMcDingus (man, I hope that’s right) for the disassembly on github (and to github in general). Thanks to Claude for all its help with the basic structure of this game and figuring out how to overlay graphics. To TBORG, for giving me hacking inspiration and a place to share with the community. Also thanks to anyone who kept the spirit of a Rocky Punch-Out!! alive over the years, the latest example being 8 Bits Thick’s YouTube videos. This game has been a dream of mine since I was a kid, but those carrots helped ignite the effort. Yo Adrian! We did it!