Punch-Out!! (Wii) Review

Posted by Ramon Aranda on 06.18.2009

Damn it feels good to punch these guys in the mouth again! After 15 years of sleep, the franchise resurfaces and in style.



Title: Punch-Out!!
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Next Level Games
Type: Sports, Boxing
Players: 1-2
Rated: E 10+

Looking back at my childhood, I remember having some favorite NES games such as The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario Bros., Pro Wrestling and Tecmo Bowl. Among those was also a little boxing game called Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! that completely won me over – and this was before I was a full fledged boxing fan. Needless to say, my love for the sport slowly developed there. But this isn’t a speech about the sport itself, instead, it’s more about how much of an impact the game had on me and although Super Punch-Out!! for the Super Nintendo was also a fantastic game, it didn’t hold me over as much as the NES Classic.

Enter Punch-Out!! for the Nintendo Wii which not only brings back some of those NES fighters but throws in some SNES flare and even a slightly fruity guy by the name of Disco Kid, and we’ve got ourselves a great time. But hey, it’s not just about who’s in the game but how it’s all put together. Suffice it to say, reviewing this game ranks up in the top 3 of most fun games to write about. Let me tell you why…

Gameplay

Having tried both the classic controlling and the nunchuck-Wii remote combination at GDC, I was eager to give them both a shot for extended periods of time to see which setup was truly the most effective, fun and intuitive. To kick things off, I went straight for the Wii remote-nunchuck combo. To dodge or duck, you simply use the analog stick while punching is done by swinging both the nunchuck and the remote. If you want to go upstairs, you just need to hold the analog stick up and then commence the punching as normal. The translation on-screen was quite good. For any normal person who isn’t going to swing away like they’re trying to break a world record for punches thrown will see that the game picks up their movements very well. I noticed zero lag between my punches and the animation in the game. It doesn’t really even take much getting used to which is great because anyone can jump on it and have an idea as to what they need to do. As far as the classic NES-style controls, well they work just as you’d expect. The ‘1’ and ‘2’ buttons are for punching, the D-pad is for moving and also punching to the head and the ‘A’ button is for the star punch which is also the case for using both controllers (you just have to make the punching motion in that case).

Control scheme aside, how about the game itself? Well to begin, you’ll get reacquainted with an old favorite – Glass Joe, who stands at 1-99 and apparently is still scared shitless of you. Luckily for newbies, he’s still pretty harmless so it’s a great way to learn the moves. He’ll throw the occasional left jab and right cross but for the most part, he stands around waiting to get pummeled, while speaking in French – which was fine by me since I understood him. Most people should knock him out pretty easily before getting into their next few bouts. I won’t get too detailed as to everyone in the game but your next foe is Von Kaiser who fights very similar to the way he does on the NES. As you progress, it’s about trying to remember each fighter’s nuances and remembering their patterns. You’ll find however that at times it can get pretty tricky and you have to watch out for when each guy turns pink which means he’s about to let you have it. I didn’t have too much trouble beating the Minor Circuit since I played against most of those guys at the Game Developers Conference in May but when I continued, I found my first big problem with Great Tiger who absolutely thrashed me over and over until I finally figured him out. It was quite the shocker since I was expecting his teleport punch from the NES. He still has one but it’s modified so prepare to get your ass kicked unless you’ve been told how to beat him.

The game offers three circuits once again: Minor, Major, and World. I’ll tell you right now that the guys in the World circuit do NOT mess around. Hell, same goes for the Major circuit champion who’s one of my favorites. The game will keep track of your record as you continue with your career along with the title belts you’ve picked up along the way.

In addition, there’s a two player mode where each person will be his own Little Mac. I thought this was a bit of a letdown as it would’ve been a real treat to be able to choose a fighter from the entire cast of characters rather than essentially fighting your clone. The mode is still somewhat fun though but nothing to scream about. Players can also get into a general exhibition mode and you can also train against an opponent before facing off with them which is very helpful in the later stages of the game. You won’t take punishment but you can dish it out as you spar against a hologram of that character. Some of you are also probably wondering why I didn’t touch too much on the Balance Board compatibility. Well it’s there but it’s not very enjoyable.

Graphics

The game takes on a cel-shaded design which works perfectly for the game. Each character is quite detailed and they all stand out from one another with their own style, persona and animation. You’ll all probably have two or three favorites based on how that particular fighter acts inside and outside the ring. For starters, before each fight, you get a comic book-style intro that shows some still images of what that character is all about. I think it was a bit of a shortcut though as an animated sequence would have been so much better and given that the games does have cutscenes when you’re training, the opportunity was surely missed. At the very least though I’ll say that they’re pretty funny as it is. Inside the ring, the fighters are simply hilarious. Whether it’s from the way they carry themselves or simply from the jokes or stupidity coming out of their mouths. Honestly it’s enjoyable to make a fight go three rounds just to watch their shenanigans in the corner. I have to also note that these characters border on racial stereotypes but damn they’re pretty funny. I hope no one takes it too serious since they really make the fighters.

I was also happy to see the old jogging scene from the NES version make it to the training cutscenes I just mentioned. Coupled with that flavorful pink jump suit, Little Mac does in fact run near the water as Doc chugs along with his bike.

Sound

The great thing about the sound in the game is the music which features plenty of remixed versions of the NES game. Even the short samplings during the point in which the fighters reach the center of the ring in the original are there. You’ll hear them during the comic-style intro before the fight. It’s a subtle but great touch by the development team that is sure to stick with hardcore fans. Music isn’t all that stands out for me though as the voiceovers are just too funny for words. You really do have to hear these guys in the ring and in the corner as I mentioned before. Classic stuff!

There really isn’t any throwaway music or sound effects here and I encourage everyone to pay close attention to every little noise, including how each guy reacts to being punched in the mouth – hilarious. Plus, some of the more ethnic fighters even speak in their own language – brilliant!

Lasting Appeal

After trudging through the three circuits, you’re pretty worn out I must say – and not in a bad way. It’s quite the career path but just when you think you’ve beaten the game, the fighters come back as challengers to your thrown and they want to exact revenge. The characters return with altered looks in both physical appearance and offensive arsenal. To say it was quite humbling to get knocked out by Glass Joe isn’t an overstatement. I was shocked when he gave me a beating. I think that was my first loss EVER to Glass Joe, including my first time playing on the NES. I recall looking over at my fiancée and saying, “hun, Glass Joe kicked my ass.” She laughed. I did not.

Becoming the Minor, Major and World Champion is only half the battle literally as things will only get hairier from there.

Match that up with a pretty decent two player mode, exhibitions, training and some special challenges and you’ve got plenty of reason to keep playing for a while. Plus, there’s hidden character in the game which I’ll leave nameless for those who haven’t read about it online yet. I will say this…this f*cker packs a punch!

My only wish is that there would have at least been an online leaderboard. In Super Punch-Out!! it was fun to try and knock guys out in the quickest time possible. I would've loved for this to be a part of Punch-Out!! where you could've shared your times with the rest of the world. This right there would've added a ton of replayability. Maybe next time.

The 411

Punch-Out!! how I loved thee. This game was an absolute blast from the beginning till the end and I can see myself playing this one for years to come. The folks over and Next Level Games did a great job and helped revive the franchise to its classic roots. The characters are over the top, the gameplay is frantic and this game is easily one of the most enjoyable experiences on the Nintendo Wii. This truly is a system seller for me. Bravo!

Graphics	9.0	Not the best looking game on the Wii but works great for the style.
Gameplay	9.0	Simply spot on, unless you try the Balance Board which unfortunately doesn't work quite like I had hoped.
Sound	10.0	The music is great, the voice overs are hilarious and the sound effects match perfectly.
Lasting Appeal	8.5	Lots of replayability though some extra new characters would have been nice to spice it up. Could've used leaderboards too.
Fun Factor	10.0	An amplified version of the NES remixed with the SNES and humor to boot. Just a great experience from top to bottom.
Overall	9.3   [  Amazing ]

Screenshots
All 6 Punch Out!! (Wii) Screenshots