Skip to main content

Mike Tyson makes video game comeback

Mike Tyson returns to the video game ring with a new iPhone game coming to the App Store next month for $0.99.
Mike Tyson returns to the video game ring with a new iPhone game coming to the App Store next month for $0.99.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Mike Tyson boxing iPhone game will be availabe next month for 99 cents from Rock Software
  • Game's creator says he used his own high school buddies as inspiration for these fighters
  • iPhone and iPad are home to over 40,000 titles

RELATED TOPICS

Editor's note: Scott Steinberg is the head of technology and video game consulting firm TechSavvy Global, as well as the founder of GameExec magazine and Game Industry TV. The creator and host of online video series Game Theory, he frequently appears as an on-air technology analyst for ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX and CNN.

(CNN) -- Two decades after pummeling Nintendo Entertainment System owners into submission with classic boxing title "Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!," former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson is returning to the video game ring.

A new Tyson boxing game for the iPhone is coming to Apple's App Store next month from Rock Software, and veteran players will note it bears more than a passing resemblance to the helium-voiced bruiser's original interactive debut.

The new arcade sports simulation stars a fictional scrapper named "Little Sammy," who must battle his way past 10 fighters to earn a shot at socking it to Tyson himself. Rock Software CEO John Shahidi recently told Mashable.com that he used his own high school buddies as inspiration for these fighters.

"Tyler is a friend who was a bully," he said. "Luke is another friend who was the first of my friends to have kids; Franco [Italian boxer] is my best friend and lawyer."

Additional sports celebrities you can box with will also be available for purchase from Rock Software, which creates custom apps for such personalities as NBA star Carmelo Anthony, Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco and his new teammate Terrell Owens.

Some may find the as-yet-untitled game, which will cost 99 cents, a welcome waltz down memory lane. Others might simply view it as a clever novelty.

We can't help but wonder whether it underscores the app store's brilliance or a fundamental tragic flaw.

Fans of the 1987 original may appreciate the ability to quickly recreate similar thrills anytime, anywhere on a portable device. Some might even view the inclusion of Shahidi's friends as one man's realization of a childhood dream. But game developers aren't as likely to be pleased by the principle it illustrates.

Today anyone can quickly and cheaply clone popular game titles on mobile handsets. These digital diversions can also be made much more convenient to access and less expensive to buy than official updates and remakes -- for example the recent "Punch-Out!!" for Wii.

The knock-offs aren't always as polished or enjoyable as proper updates. These quickie games also help drive prices down in a field where margins are already razor-thin, making it harder for actual license-holders to compete and invest in higher-quality game experiences.

Worse, such "homages" only add to the confusing glut of titles already available on the iPhone and iPad, which are currently home to over 40,000 game titles. No matter how good or innovative an original game may be, it's difficult for fans to discover it amid suffocating competition. This offers less incentive for game creators to raise the bar.

Rock Software's game will naturally benefit from Tyson's celebrity in addition to its bargain-bin price and nostalgic boxing action. But will the game really add to the boxer's legacy? Or is it simply a novelty act designed to cash in on Tyson's recent resurgence in fame?

Only time will tell. In fairness, we admit to being intrigued at the prospect of lacing up the old virtual gloves again and delivering flying uppercuts to the face of a certain ear-biting pugilist.

[TECH: NEWSPULSE]

Most popular Tech stories right now