Game Review: Punch Out!! (Wii)
Punch-Out!! on the Nintendo Wii marks the end of a 15 year wait since the 1994 release of Super Punch-Out!! for the Super NES. The beloved series originated in 1984 on coin-op arcades but the most famous release was 1987's Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! for the 8-bit NES (sadly, Mike Tyson has been replaced by a generic character in subsequent re-releases, including the Wii’s Virtual Console). Gamers loved the characters and gameplay difficulty. Sadly, Nintendo hasn’t taken the franchise seriously for years but thankfully, they hired Vancouver-based Next Level Games to make Punch-Out!! for both old and new fans. The end result is to keep the nostalgia but also make the experience fresh and satisfying. I actually didn't really finish this game given all the stuff I've been doing this summer and relationship issues going on. After beating all contenders, you have to beat more difficult versions of them once again to defend your title. So after winning the World Title, I left it at that. I'm not good at these kinds of games anyways but still... I may think about completing the game in the future.
There isn't much of a story to Punch-Out!! but it stars 17-year-old Little Mac who hails from the Bronx, New York. He wants to fight his way through the professional boxing circuits and emerge a world champion. He is then trained under the great Jerome "Doc" Louis who teaches Little Mac the "Star Punch" which he can use to topple his opponents from all over the world. This game sees the return of the majority of previous boxers from past Punch-Out!! games and a few new ones too.
To see the opening gameplay go here or below:
Click to viewFor the rest of the Minor Circuit go here for Part 2, here for Part 3, and here for Part 4 (King Hippo is one of my favourites!).
Graphics/Art-9
+ Fantastic cell shaded graphics! The character models are superb and colourful.
+ Good animation and facial expressions. The more you wear down your opponent and/or he wears you down, you see missing teeth, bruises, and black eyes.
+ Visual cues, like your opponent flashing yellow or red, help you in reacting to the situation. You must also pay attention to your opponent’s body movements.
+ Bear Hugger is hot! WOOOOOF!
- While the artwork of the characters is pretty good, you’ll wish that the cut-scenes were shown in animation or FMV than just in pictures.
Sound/Music-9
+ The remixed music comes from the original 1987 game and is given a more Rocky-esqe vibe to it. Sounds awesome!
+ Some of the theme songs have numerous variations. For example, the winning theme song will be played by sitar after defeating Great Tiger compared to how it sounds when defeating Glass Joe.
+ The cartoony voice acting is spot on plus ethnic opponents speak their native tongue. Sounds effects are also very good.
+ I love Bear Hugger's lines!
Control-9
+ Multiple play control styles for your choosing. You can use the Wiimote and Nunchuck, the Wiimote sideways, the Classic Controller, and the Balance Board (with the Wiimote/Nunchuck). Personally, I used the Wiimote sideways.
+ Controls are easy and play like the previous games. You can punch up and jab both left and right. You also dodge to the left and right, block, and duck. When you are knocked down, you have to press the punch buttons repeatedly to get yourself up. If you do this when you knock your opponent down, you’ll recovery energy.
+ If you press the "-" on the Wiimote between rounds (when your opponent taunts you and Doc says something to you), you can recover energy. This can only be used once per fight.
- Just like the previous games, this game is for those who have a “trigger finger”. You have to be very fast in your actions and know how to dodge each opponent’s attack and read them. This may turn off some gamers who don’t have good eye/hand coordination.
Gameplay-9
+ Classic gameplay! You are once again in control of Little Mac who has the odds stacked against him to become the world’s greatest boxer. You must outsmart your larger opponents by watching their actions and wait for cues. You have to successfully dodge their punches and counterattack when possible.
+ There are 3 rounds in a match. A round last 3 minutes but the time actually counts down faster than that. You have to knock your opponent down as many times as possible in a round and the more times you knock him down by the end of the match, you’ll win. But if your opponent knocks you down by the end, you’ll lose. If you or your opponent manage to knock each other down three times in a round, it is a TKO and that person wins. In certain circumstances, you can KO your opponent.
+ If your opponent flashes yellow and you quickly hit him, you’ll earn a star. Stars give you the ability to perform a “Star Punch” which will knock off more energy than a regular punch. If your opponent hits you at any time before you take advantage of it, you lose your stars. You can have a maximum of three and a 3-star punch will take off HUGE energy.
+ There are a few game modes: Career mode is the main game, Exhibition allows you to practice against a hologram of your opponent, and Head-to-Head is a 2 player versus mode (which I never tried and can't comment on). There is also a gallery to watch a few cinematics and the openings of each opponent.
+ The Exhibition mode is a welcome addition! If you are unsure about beating your next opponent or you’re getting beat a lot in Career mode, you can leave and practice against him in Exhibition. You fight a hologram of your opponent but you get unlimited energy. It is an excellent way to learn about your opponent and can take those skills back to Career mode and beat him for real.
- The game may prove kind of difficult for those who can’t do “spot on” timing. You must time everything right or it may cost you the match. The later opponents are very cheap and go wayyy too fast that you can't predict their attack and end up going right into it.
Fun/Story/Misc-8
+ A very well crafted return to a long asleep franchise. Keeps to the spirit of the previous games but adds a few new things too.
+ Did I mention that Bear Hugger was fucking HOT???
- A little more content would have helped. Playing as the other characters would have made this game even better!
- An online battle feature would be ideal for a game like this.
Total: 44/50 (Grade level: B+)
To see the fight with Bear Hugger go here. To see a couple other fights go here and here.
The main Punch-Out!! website is here and contains some nice media (though they never got around to completing their updates...). The Wikipedia article is here and the Gametrailers.com video review is here.
Next game: Assassin's Creed II (PS3)
Currently playing: The Wizard of Oz: Beyond the Yellow Brick Road (DS)
