Remember the good old days? The days where owning a video game console was considered nerdy and gamers were social outcasts? Remember Punch-Out? You might know better as that old Mike Tyson game. Well, it was more than that. Punch-Out put you in the shoes of Little Mac, a hopeful rising boxer to become the world champion. It was a fun game with a catchy battle theme and tricky, intense fights that relied on reflexes and recognition. It was very fun.
There was an arcade version with unique characters and a sequel for the Super Nintendo that was just as fun. For the longest time, we heard nothing until the Game Developers conference of 2008 came around and hardcore Wii owners were delighted to find a game trailer meant for them, Punch-Out was coming for the Wii. However, does it have that knock-out punch or should it retire?
Gameplay: With very little story to worry about, Punch-out was always about figuring out your opponent and reacting fast enough to strike back and conquer your opponent. It’s a tried and true formula and Punch-Out for the Wii only expands upon that. It’s simple and fun and the controls have been never sharper… if you’re using the classic setup to play. You see, there are two main setups to play the game, one using the classic d-pads and A-B punching, and the other using the motion sensing control involving the wiimote and nun chuck.
The main problem with the motion sensing control is that while intuitive, there is a slight sensitivity problem where even though you might not mean to throw a punch, Mac still will and sometimes there is a delay between you throwing a punch yourself and Mac responding appropriately. It doesn’t make the game unplayable per se, but against the final bosses, it can become very frustrating if you don’t have complete control. Despite those bit of nit-picking, I actually enjoyed the motion control. It felt refreshing and satisfying to be able to literally punch out your opponent.
There are only 13 other boxers to fight, so content may seem short at first glance, yet with each fight comes a new puzzle to solve and complete, which become increasingly difficult towards the end of the line. It helps that once you achieve the championship, you have an ‘Championship Defense’ mode where you fight the 13 opponents again, but this time with new rules and puzzles to solve, such as beginning fight Glass Joe have protection against head attacks. On top of that, there’s a challenge mode to meet certain requirements with each opponents. It’s a fun past time to try and meet the conditions like Beating King Hippo with just body blows and while not necessary, certainly adds to the replayability.
Graphics: Punch-Out for the Wii would first appear to be something of a graphic remake of the old NES title, with a similar Little Mac model, nearly all the original cast, including Doc Louis, familiar strategies and so on. If that is the case then the graphical update is a welcome one, using cel-shading to give the game a very cartoony look, but honestly, to try and give the game a realistic look would just take away from the game.
Another thing that shines through is how colorful each of the characters are, especially the various opponent you face, from 1-99 beginning fighter Glass Joe to the Canadian lumberjack Bear Hugger to the brutally wild Bald Bull, each of the characters are exceptionally interesting and have mini-cut scenes at the beginning of each round with very excitable animations, not to mention little tidbits of their personality shining through each of their fighting styles. While graphics are nothing new, the game serves as an example that games don’t need to have more polygons in order to be a pretty looking game.
Sound: The music department is nostalgic to say the least, with redone tunes from the classic Punch-Out, from loud trumpets and ripping guitar to various foreign rearrangements that relate to each of the many countries that you’ll be fighting opponents from. Another nice touch is that the voice acting for each character are their native languages, which really makes the game pretty authentic, only problem is the words are not subtitled so unless you learn each language or look up a guide to see what they’re saying, you might lose the effect of their taunts to you between rounds.
Overall: Punch-out is a good game that holds the fun feel of the classic game, while introducing it to a new generation of gamers, so I feel like it’s a game that everyone who enjoys a good nostalgia rush while still offering a twist of the normal formula should play. I recommend anyone who likes a good fight to give it a shot. Who knows? You might like it. 8.5/10
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