Racketboy

Anybody giving these a spin?
Wish I could find an original cabinet nearby. I put a lot of quarters into that dual-screened beauty

Long time reader, first time poster.

I gave these a spin a long time ago...I don't remember them being that much fun. (They are certainly not as good as the home versions.)

Anyway, if you are close to the Charlotte, North Carolina area, there is a cabinet for sale on Craigslist:

http://charlotte.craigslist.org/tag/1199337082.html

(I am not the seller, and I have never dealt with this guy, but he always has great looking arcade cabinets for sale...)

Glad to have you aboard!
I actually started out on the arcade versions, so I have fond memories, but most people would probably prefer the console versions

I'm also fond of the arcade Punch-Out!. At my old arcade, Punch-Out! was sandwiched between a Golden Axe cabinet, and a Spy Hunter cabinet. Pretty good company.
I thought the game was really entertaining, and had a pretty good learning curve as far as the controls go. I remember that Soda Popinski was actually called Vodka Drunkinski on the arcade. He was just as annoying at the arcade as he was on the NES.

I fired up mame on the bus today and played a little of the old school punch out. This was always an arcade favorite for me. I don't like the controls as much on the arcade as the NES/SNES versions. The arcade doesn't use the body blow as default. It sticks to whatever your last hand position was. If you had it up high last punch, you uppercut even if you let go of the joystick; likewise, if you had it down low, you body blow. This worked a little better for defense though. I occassional had my guard up and forgot to block a high jab, but I was fine because my boxer still left his gloves up after I released the joystick.

I find the arcade Punch Out to be perhaps the most difficult because of these controls and the fact that when you dodge and swing, the characters don't stay stunned quite as long as they do on NES or SNES. I have passed both the NES/SNES, but I can rarely beat Bald Bull in the arcade (he's only the third character).

Anyway, this game is still enjoyable and its surprising how well all of the Punch Out games have held up over time. I still enjoy playing all of them.