Punch-Out!! (Wii)

If you were born after the golden age of the SNES (or your dad doesn't own a NES and a copy of the original), odds are you've probably never heard of Punch-Out!! For those lucky enough to know it, it's been inactive for around 15 years. Either way, welcome to Punch-Out!! on the Wii, which is one of the most fun boxing games I've played in a long time. Like most games, Punch-Out!! has its flaws, but if you can get past them (which you most likely will) you'll have a lot of fun playing...

Console: Wii
Release Date: May 18, 2009 (NA)
May 22, 2009 (EU)
July 23, 2009 (JP)
August 27, 2009 (AUS)
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Next Level Games
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E 10+

Storyline:
If you've ever played a Punch-Out game before, the story shouldn't surprise you much. You play as Little Mac, an aspiring boxer from Brooklyn, NY, who tasks himself with entering 3 different boxing circuits in order to become the world's best boxer. Or something like that. It's a pretty simple storyline, and in any other game it wouldn't be much of a story at all (well, other than Pokemon, I guess) but since it's a fighting game, it works perfectly. Of course, between every circuit there's a training montage cutscene, which is a nice improvement over the original Punch-Out.

Graphics:
No matter which Punch-Out you played (and no matter the generation of gaming you were in) it has always looked good, if not great. Punch-Out on Wii isn't any different. While it looks a bit cartoony due to the cel-shaded graphics, I can't imagine it looking any different. Your opponents, all of them from previous Punch-Outs, have gone 3-D. While there aren't many changes in character design, they look a heck of a lot nicer than their 8 and 16-bit sprites. The locales of your boxing matches change with each circuit, getting bigger with each title you win. While they look nice at first, (well, minus the dingy underground-esque first circuit ring) they do get stale after a couple of fights. The last tier of fighters has at least 7 boxers, all of them being fought in the exact same ring. The rings do look nice, don't get me wrong, but a little more variety would've been nice.

Want a hint? DUCK.

Gameplay:

First of all, if you're a fan of the original Punch-Out's control scheme (i.e.: the NES controller) you can play like that in all of the modes. If you prefer a Wii Sports Boxing experience (Wii Remote and Nunchuk) you can play like that. This specific control scheme hasn't changed much since Wii Sports, other than character control is mapped to the Nunchuk's control stick, something I think should have been in the Boxing game we all know and love(?). The Wii Balance Board can also be used with the Wiimote/Nunchuk combo, taking character movement and mapping it to the board itself. The only thing the control stick is used for in this mode is jabbing. The Balance Board, while a fun addition to the game for a little while, will most likely tire you out in extensive gameplay sessions. (2+ hours)

There are quite a few gameplay modes and control styles in Punch-Out!! Career mode has you playing through all 3 circuits in an attempt to become the W.V.B.A. Champion. But you won't just be facing your opponents once. A new mode, entitled Title Defense, has you doing just that, defending your title while boxing the opponents you took it from. Of course, they've been practicing a lot since you defeated them last, so they'll be tougher this time around. After you complete Career (which is actually a bit tougher than previous games, as the difficulty has been ramped up a bit) a new mode opens up, Last Stand. You have to fight through all of the boxers in the game, without restarts or being able to quit in the middle of the match. You need to bring your A-game, because if you lose 3 times you must hang up your gloves and retire, rendering Career mode completely unplayable unless you start a new file.

There's also an Exhibition mode, which lets you fight any boxer that you've fought in Career mode without getting tired (using up all of your heart meter) or getting injured. So it's like racing your ghost in Mario Kart, basically. While you could just practice against them, there are certain challenges that you can also do. Some challenges are easy, such as "Knock Glass Joe down 3 times and let him win...by decision!" but others are really tough, like "TKO Great Tiger...in only 3 punches!" It'll take a great deal of skill for you to be able to do this, no doubt.

HULK SMASH!

Finally, there's Multiplayer, which has you and a friend fighting to see who's better, just like any other fighting game. In Multiplayer, the Wii Balance Board is unable to be used and both of you play as Little Mac, though Player 2's Mac is orange. Other differences include jabs being replaced with some kind of curved uppercut, and the addition of Giga Mac. If you don't punch your opponent for a while, you'll turn blue. If your opponent scores a punch on you at that time, they'll get some Giga Mac juice. Once enough of it is built up, Mac will go all Bruce Banner on you, minus the being green and destroying everything part.

Longevity:
Depending on how good you are at Punch-Out, Career mode could take anywhere from a few hours to a few days for you to complete. Multiplayer, while fun for a while, gets stale pretty easily. Perhaps if you could be someone other than Little Mac it would last longer, but it's still pretty entertaining. There are some unlockables for you to get, mainly the sequences that play before each boxer, but there's a few other things in there for you.

Sound:
The soundtrack is extremely reminiscent of the original game, though it would be much better if you could hear it over the game's sound effects. That being said, the sound effects are great, kind of realistic-sounding as well. But after hearing the same punch, groan and KNOCK-OUT over and over, it gets old. There are changes with each different character, of course, but you'll probably get tired of them after a little while.

Overall:
While not exactly a sequel in the Punch-Out franchise (it's more like a remake of the first game with some Super Punch-Out characters and some new ones in there), Punch-Out!! for Wii is a great deal of fun and nostalgia while still providing different ways to play. The addition of multiplayer is fun for quite a while, and the Exhibition mode's challenges should keep you occupied for a few weeks, if not longer.