Punch-Out!! (Review)

Punch-Out!! (Nintendo Wii)

Rated “E” For “Everyone”

Do you remember boxing against the likes of Glass Joe, King Hippo, and Super Macho Man? Well, Little Mac is back and he wants his title. Does he still have what it takes to once again be a boxing champion?

=====Story=====

Do you remember Little Mac? Little Mac, a young up-and-coming boxer, works his way to become the WVBA Champion. Just like any amateur, he must start from the bottom and rise through the ranks going up against increasingly tougher boxers. With the training and wisdom from Doc Louis, Little Mac takes on the contenders and goes for his boxing championship.

Okay, there really isn’t a story. Your job is to just make Little Mac the best boxer in the world and to knock down everyone in his way.

=====Gameplay=====

Do you remember how the previous Punch-Out games played? You had left punches to the head/stomach, right punches to the head/stomach, and super punches. You still have all that good stuff here and you use that good stuff to deliver the bad pain to your opponents. And fighting opponents is just like it used to be. Learn attack patterns the duck/block/dodge and counter. Of course there are other ways to just take the fight to them, but the standard pattern learning is what most players will go for.

=====Difficulty=====

Do you remember getting your @$$ whooped in previous Punch-Out games? Well, it’s going to happen again. While the nostalgia of old characters returning along with familiar attack patterns are great, perhaps some of you may have forgotten that those very same things are what knocked you out over and over on your NES. And these fighters didn’t just sit around doing nothing all these years. They learned a few more tricks to make sure you stay in the amateur ranks. The difficulty gets tougher the more you win and don’t think it stops once you win your boxing title. More on that later.

=====Content=====

Do you remember Disco Kid, defending your title, playing against a friend, and two different control schemes? Well…you shouldn’t. Those are all new.

Disco Kid is the only newest fighter on the roster to this game (or is he?). With a ton of charisma, this kid has what it takes to boogey all over your face with his fists.

Title Defense Mode appears once you become the best boxer in the world. All your opponents are back and they’re better than their previous incarnation a few punches ago. Some will have better defenses, some will look different, and some will just bring the pain and bring it hard. Expect to lose your title and win it back and lose it again and win it back again over and over and over.

Versus mode is also new. Little Mac VS Little Mac. It starts off split screen, but once one of you has attained enough “giga juice,” you grow into the size of the opponents of the main game and have tons of power behind your punches. That does, however, make you slow to recover missed punches and you leave yourself open to combos from your friend.

The Wiimote and Nunchuk combo is a new fun way to play. Swing the Nunchuk for a left hand to the stomach or swing the Wiimote for a right hook to the stomach. Hold Up on the Nunchuk and shake your corresponding hand to throw a punch to the head. The controls register well as long as you just don’t get lazy and waggle your way to victory.

You can play classic style by holding the Wiimote horizontally. Your 1 and 2 are your A and B and you just fly back into your past NES life. If you want to add something new to that, you can incorporate the Wii Balance Board to use strictly for dodging. I wouldn’t recommend that though since the Balance Board doesn’t always register that well or quickly enough.

=====Final Thoughts=====

Do you remember Wii Boxing? This is NOT Wii Boxing in any aspects. And this is NOT an easy game by any means. While beginners and new fans to the game will find the gameplay easy to perform, the latter parts of the game definitely amp up the difficulty, which may cause players to retire early. It’s not a bad thing (considering a lot of people think Wii/Nintendo games are easy), but it is something that may detract players.

The game does offer a lot to veteran players and those that grew up playing the Punch-Out series. With the majority of the roster being characters from the past, players will love their new look in the current generation of games.

Not only is there the nostalgia factor, but the extra content does extend the shelf life of the game. If you are the type to do everything in a game, then Punch-Out!! will definitely eat up your time and test your patience. Winning the title is tough challenge, but any champion will tell you that it’s harder to hold on to that title and Title Defense Mode is an excellent representation of that. Throw in challenges for each boxer and a Last Stand Mode that literally forces you to retire, then you have a lot of reason to hone your boxing skills to become and remain the best WVBA Champion.

Punch-Out!! packs the punches and is packed with content for Wii owners to enjoy. Although you will hate losing a lot on your way to becoming champion. You will definitely enjoy each and every knock out you deliver and remember (good or bad) that it takes a lot of training to be the best. So train properly, work out daily, and remember to eat chocolate in between rounds and you will become a great boxer.

Rated 4 out of 5

Video Game - E3 2009 - X-Play