Originally posted by KaijyuuLet's not forget DK64 either.
You said it!
12 rounds? More like FIVE! You see, in each phase, you're on a time limit. If you're on Round 2 and the time runs out, you start Round 2 over. If you're on Round 8, on Phases 1 through 4, and you beat the boss, you go on to Round 9, switch characters, refill your health, and go to the next phase. Although the game gives you up to 12 rounds to beat the boss, you really only have 5, which is the same as the number of phases.
See, the frustrating thing is, if the time limit runs out, you keep whatever health you have left, but the boss completely restores his health! You then have to start the phase over with less maximum health! There are no health pickups during the battle. Considering how long the battle is, you do NOT feel good when that time runs. What makes it even more frustrating is that, in a real life boxing match, both fighters get water and recovery aids between rounds. You should be able recover, like, 1 melon or so if the time runs out if they really want to emulate a real boxing match. That would probably reduce player frustration levels sharply. The Tiny phase was extremely difficult for me.