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Arm Wrestling is an arcade game by Nintendo released exclusively in America in 1985. It is a spiritual successor to the Punch-Out!! series, and is considered a spin-off, even featuring one of the characters of the series, Bald Bull, as one of the opponents (under the title "Mask X").

Gameplay[]

The goal of the game is to become the World Arm Wrestling Champion by defeating as many opponents in arm wrestling as possible. In order to achieve this title the player must compete against five different computer opponents and pin them in a timed match.

Development[]

The game was developed by Nintendo Integrated Research & Development, the same team that created the Punch-Out!! series. It is the final dedicated arcade game Nintendo both developed and distributed. The game's announcer uses some voice samples of Han (Shih Kien) from the 1973 film Enter the Dragon, as well as original ones.[citation needed] It shares multiple similarities to the Punch-Out!! arcade games, including the use of multiple screens and visuals, utilizing the same graphics engine.

Reception[]

Arm Wrestling was neither as popular or as well-received as the Punch-Out!! arcade games. JC Fletcher of Joystiq expressed hope that Arm Wrestling would see release on the Wii's Virtual Console service, due to it not being a game many have played. Anthony Burch of Destructoid felt it was strange due to it not representing what arm wrestling actually feels like, though notes that the strange controls and visual similarity to Punch-Out!! makes it an intriguing game. He ultimately enjoyed the game, expressing that it may be due to the speed of the game and the fact that he felt soreness in his arm after playing, finding it interesting that it reproduced that aspect in the way it did. However, he found it too shallow and short. Jeremy Parish of USgamer felt its obscurity was due to it being too visually impressive to be reproduced on the NES, and that adapting it would be difficult as a result of the gameplay not being deep enough. He also noted that Arm Wrestling cabinets were likely hard to find and expensive.

Legacy[]

  • In Punch-Out!! for the Wii, Doc Louis will give Little Mac tips in between fights. One of the tips he gives Little Mac during his fight with Bald Bull (the sole Punch-Out!! character to appear in Arm Wrestling) is to try and arm wrestle with him. This is an obvious reference to the character's appearance in Arm Wrestling.

External links[]

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