Mr. Sandman (Punch-Out!!)

Mr. Sandman
[[Punch-Out		]] series
Mr. Sandman, as depicted in Punch-Out!! for the Wii.
First appearance	Punch-Out!! (arcades)
Designed by	Shigeru Miyamoto (Punch-Out!!, 1984) Makoto Wada (Punch-Out!!, 1987) Eddie Viser (Punch-Out!!, 2009)
Voiced by (English)	Riley Inge (Punch-Out!! (Wii))

Mr. Sandman (ミスター・サンドマン, Misutā Sandoman) is a fictional character in the Punch-Out!! video game series. He is an African American boxer hailing from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States. He was first created by Shigeru Miyamoto in the Punch-Out!! game for the arcades, and then by Makoto Wada in the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) Punch-Out!!. He appeared in Super Punch-Out!! as one of the three boxers returning from the NES Punch-Out!!. His most recent appearance was in the Wii Punch-Out!!, where he was drawn by Eddie Viser and voiced by Riley Inge. His design was noted as similar by GamePro Germany as being similar to real life boxer Joe Frazier, who also hails from Philadelphia.

Since appearing in Punch-Out!! for the arcades, Mr. Sandman has received generally positive reception. He has been noted as a favourite of the series by UGO Networks. While The Escapist editor Sumantra Lahiri described him as a stereotype of black people, describing him as "ruthless and a bit ignorant," GamesRadar felt that he lacked any ethnic stereotypes. He has also been described as a difficult opponent, with IGN describing him as "nigh-impossible," while Paul Vale at the Daily Star called him a "big, ugly brawler who’ll have you on toast." However, Operation Sports editor Christian McLeod felt that he was not the toughest opponent in Punch-Out!!, giving that award to Great Tiger.

Concept and appearances

Mr. Sandman is a black boxer hailing from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States. He was first created by Shigeru Miyamoto in the Punch-Out!! game for the arcades, and then by Makoto Wada in the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) Punch-Out!!. He appeared in Super Punch-Out!! as one of the three boxers returning from the NES Punch-Out!!. His most recent appearance was in the Wii Punch-Out!!, where he was drawn by Eddie Viser and voiced by Riley Inge. Whereas most characters in Punch-Out!! are noted for being ethnic or region stereotypes, Sandman is noted as having no major stereotypes. His appearance has been noted as similar to real life boxer Joe Frazier, who also hails from Philadelphia.

Reception

Since appearing in Punch-Out for the arcades, Mr. Sandman has received generally positive reception. He was featured as part of a series of Punch-Out!! Topps trading cards. UGO Networks editor called him an "old favorite." GamePro Germany commented that he appeared to be based on boxer Joe Frazier, who also comes from Philadelphia. GameDaily editor Chris Buffa described him as an "off the wall character." Writer Sumantra Lahiri, in discussing racial stereotypes in Punch-Out!!, cited the stereotype of black people being "ruthless and a bit ignorant." However, GamesRadar editor Brett Elston noted that Mr. Sandman acts as a counter to Disco Kid, a fellow black Punch-Out!! character, stating that he lacks any ethnic stereotypes. Before the release of Punch-Out!! for the Wii Sarcastic Gamer editor Havok Saunders commented that Mr. Sandman would have to appear in it for him to validate purchasing it. Humour web site The Onion wrote an article about a series of interviews with Mike Tyson and other Punch-Out!! characters. Of Tyson's fictional exploits, the author suggests that Tyson defeated Mr. Sandman "even though all his friends said it was the most impossible thing ever." In a humour article, ESPN created several parodies of Punch-Out!! characters based on real-life "punch-worthy palookas", including one of Mr. Sandman called "Mr. Rocketman."

Difficulty

Mr. Sandman has been noted as a difficult opponent in the series. IGN editor Jesse Schedeen described Mr. Sandman as "nigh-impossible." MeriStation called him the toughest fighter in the game. GameSpot echoed these sentiments, citing his quick and powerful attacks. However, Operation Sports editor Christian McLeod felt that Sandman was not the strongest, adding that he found Great Tiger to be the most difficult. Fellow Operation Sports editor Matt Gagnon commented that he was a "beast and a pain in the backside to beat," adding that it brought satisfaction when Sandman was defeated. Nintendo World Report editor Neal Ronaghan described him as "strong" and "punishingly tough." Video game developer Ron Alpert described him as a "big truck of a dude," stating that he and Mike Tyson were the only characters he couldn't beat. Times & Transcript described showing the power of Little Mac's super uppercuts to Mr. Sandman as "satisfying." Daily Star described him as a difficult opponent, commenting that he is a "big, ugly brawler who’ll have you on toast." In discussing the loss of reflex in video games with age, Dan Hsu referenced fellow video game journalist Michael Donahoe's troubles with Mr. Sandman; Donahoe commented that after the fight, his hands were "all sweaty and shaking." Giant Bomb editor Ryan Davis stated that while Mr. Sandman was a "fine opponent," fighting Mike Tyson in the Wii Punch-Out!! for the belt instead would have been "one of the few improvements that could have been made."

See also

• Joe Frazier