King Hippo Returns to Punch-Out!!

I'm a big fan of classic video games. Hey, I still have a working 3DO, Nintendo, Super Nintendo, and Turbo-Grafx 16 console... if you by chance even know what those are. But yes... I still play all the newer systems too.   (And yes, unfortunately my original Atari 2600 is kaput.)   But, some how these older games appeal to a different part of my enjoyment than the newer systems. Vintage games are the kind of things that have instilled in me memories that were unshaken by more modern technologies. Bridging the gap between the old and new is by far the most exciting thrill of all. Just as some people get thrilled by the newest Mario, I recently started playing Mortal Kombat Vs. DCU on PS3. This takes me back to high school in just a flash... except my hand-eye coordination isn't what it used to be. Now doing a Fatality is not very likely... even with a player's guide and the internet hints.

Maybe that's part of the reason I love the old games so much... when you conquered a NES game back in the day... you earned it. If you didn't know someone that knew a cheat code or special sequence to beat certain levels, well then you're either going to spend two years of your live playing the game or get mad enough to chunk it out the window. I was always jealous of people who got hints from the magazine Nintendo Power in the early days.  Hell, it took like 2 or 3 years after conquering Legend of Zelda before I realized that there was a second adventure inside the original game (and that was only because Greg and I read it in Nintendo Power).

One of the only games I ever conquered on my own (with absolutely NO HELP) was the TG16 game Splatterhouse. I didn't even know anyone that owned another TG16 and none of my friends had even heard of this game.  I loved it. It was the first game I had ever seen that was designed as a slasher style horror game (of course I don't count NES Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm St. - they were both lame). This game was actually so graphically violent that it sparked a reaction from my grandmother as a "satanic" game... sweet!! You know anything that gets that reaction is going to be good. Well guess what? Coming April 2009 - the remake to Splatterhouse on XBOX 360 and PS3 arrives.  This will translate the psuedo-heoric character Rick and his evil cursed mask from...

this...

...into THIS!

Now for another nostalgic lead-in... I fondly remember in 1988 waiting outside the weight-room at Summer Pride training and my friend Terry telling me how to beat King Hippo on Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! It was such bittersweet agony.  I had been trying to beat that level for months.  I then had to wait another three hours before I could get home and put this knowledge into action. It was exciting. Then of course I'm sure Great Tiger kicked my ass in record time right after, but still King Hippo was no longer a threat. So imagine my thrill when I realized that I was going to get another shot at all new revamped King Hippo for the Wii. King Hippo was absent from the game Super Punch-Out!! that was released for the SNES system 1995.  So this has been along time coming... releasing 2009, there will be another Punch-Out!! ... with KING HIPPO!

What seemed like a monster of an opponent, the NES 8 bit King Hippo below.

And the all new Wii version of King Hippo in all of his glory - below.

So far the date's not officially set for this release.  Until then we'll have to settle for old 8-bit action if we want to fight King Hippo.  Or if you are one of those people who really played this game but could never beat Mike Tyson... like me.  Then maybe you can get some satisfaction from knocking-out another Mike... enjoy.