Punch-Out!!

Punch-Out!! is back and this time on the Nintendo Wii. Developed by Next Level Games (the same team behind Mario Strikers: Charged Football and Spider-Man: Friend or Foe), this latest incarnation of Punch-Out!! has been updated with modern controls and a fresh cel-shaded 3-D look. Does it go the distance or will it tire itself out in the early rounds?

Back after 22 years since its first appearance on the NES, Punch-Out!! is back for the old-school, as well a new generation of gamers. Featuring full motion-controls using a combination of the wii-mote and nunchuk, gamers will also have the option to play with the wii-mote turned on its side for a more classic feel.

Featuring 6 profile slots that are represented by your chosen Mii character’s face, Career Mode has 3 separate circuits for you to compete in. If you’re going to be crowned Champion of the World, you’re going to have to successfully beat every fighter in every league within the World Video Boxing Association (WVBA).

The Minor circuit has fighters such as Glass Joe, Von Kaiser, Disco Kid and King Hippo. The Major circuit has more challenging fighters like Piston Hondo, Bear Hugger, Great Tiger and Don Flamenco, although with a few practice sessions, they shouldn’t pose too much of a problem. World circuit is the home of the toughest boxers, like Aran Ryan, Soda Popinski, Bald Bull, Super Macho Man, and the Sandman.

The first few fights are pretty easy. Fans of the original will remember the rather frail-looking Joe. He’s your first opponent and is nice and easy to get you settled in with. Although he won’t put up much of a fight, it should be good experience for you as you’ll get better at head movement and counter punches. Two areas of boxing that you’ll need to be confident in if you’re going to have any chance of conquering the World circuit.

The game is fairly easy to pick up; with the nunchuk for left punches and the wii-mote for right ones. Holding up on the control stick will make Little Mac guard his head whilst swinging punches at the same time will produce punches aimed at the oponents’ head. Otherwise, they’re straight forward body shots. Pressing left or right on the control stick will make Little Mac duck to the relative side, thus avoiding your oponents’ straight punches and jabs. Holding down will also produce a backwards dodge.

Everytime you successfully perform a counter, you will obtain a star; which you can use to perform “star punches” which will inflict more damage. You can collect up to three which obviously causes more damage, but the moment you get hit, you will lose any that you have.

Inevitably, it will draw some comparison to the boxing in Wii Sports because of the sport and look of the game. Straight away, I notice how much better the controls are. Whatever punch/move you want to perform, it can be done without errors unlike in Wii Sports. It’s very easy to pull off the exact punch you want thanks to the wii-mote and nunchuk. I know the two shouldn’t be compared but Punch-Out!! is much more of a pleasure to play.

The game structure is quite simplistic. There’s no customisation, just straight forward fight after fight. It’s to the player’s discretion that they practice against any new opponent before taking them on for real in Career mode. Apart from that, there’s nothing that offers any variation.

Each fighter has a different style that will have to be studied and overcome. Even when it comes to anticipating their punches and special attacks, every fighter will have a different rhythm and set of attacks to provide the game a challenge. In this sense, it’s very sensible to practice new boxers so you get a feel for their attack style. We don’t want too many Ls on our record sheet, do we?

Exhibition mode let’s gamers fight boxers they have beaten within Career mode. Each fighter will have three challenges for you to achieve, which adds another layer to the game.

Graphically, the game runs very smoothly; with the cel-shaded characters giving the game a much needed “face-lift”. Without deviating from the look of the NES original too much, it definitely looks like the modern take on an old classic that it is. There’s nothing too jaw-dropping, but it does the job.

Punch-Out!! features the usual rock influenced beats that’s found in various titles from Next Level Games. The fanfares at the intro screen is very familiar, but more importantly, the sound effects in-game are decent enough. As you would expect, the more noticeable noises are the impact of punches landing.

In between rounds, your coach will make little comments designed to be funny and amusing but instead, it just makes him sound like some chocolate addict with a big mouth. If this was an attempt to inject some humour into the game, it was half-baked and lame.

Gamers also have the option of connection the Wii Balance Board up to the game and use it to perform the dodge actions. Very cool idea, as the movements would feel genuine but not compulsory. If you don’t already own a Balance Board, this game won’t make you rush out just to buy one (nor should it), but if you already own one, it’s a nice option to have.

There is a multiplayer mode where you can challenge a friend to a head-to-head in vertically split-screen action. Although you’ll both be playing as Mac, one with different coloured hair, it’s better than nothing. Dodging and countering your opponent’s punches will earn you Giga Mac Juice and when your meter fills up, you will transform into Giga Mac which is a monstrous, hulk of a thing. Apart from the obvious change in mass, punches are more intense, but when the juice depletes, you will shrink and return to regular Mac.

There is a gallery mode where gamers can browse through all the audio and movies they have unlocked. Movies consist of the intro videos you see before challenging new boxers in the Career mode. These are very short and are generally a series of still images.

If you conquer all three circuits, you will unlock the Title Defence mode, where you can fight all the boxers again but this time round, they’ll have new tricks up their sleeves. They’re faster and stronger so you’ll have to study their patterns and style again if you’re to remain at the top. There’s also a special Nintendo character you can unlock although I won’t ruin it by saying who it is.

Overall, I think Punch-Out!! is quite fun at first, due to the responsiveness of the controls. Boxing on Wii Sports is a good example of how a potentially fun game is ruined by shoddy controls. This however, is by no means perfect. Due to the rather linear Career mode and repetitive gameplay, I personally wouldn’t be playing for more than 30-40 minutes at a time. If that.

The lack of any online mode is a shame as the game feels rather skimpy without it. As the next-generation of a Punch-Out!! game, this Wii version does the NES original justice by staying true to playability but sadly offers nothing new. Okay, so we have motion controls but that isn’t the heart of the game. If it was, they wouldn’t have included the option of using the wii-mote on its side as a control method.

All in all, Punch-Out!! is a decent enough game, but not a “must have” type of game in my opinion. There really isn’t enough substance for it to land a knock-out blow, and the lack of variation in gameplay might make some gamers lose interest relatively quickly. An easy game to pick up, tough to master. The appeal is that it’s a relatively simple game but its difficulty will entice gamers back for more. That feeling you get when you’re on the cusp of success, only for it to be snatched away is what makes games like these so playable.

+ Nice sturdy controls
+ To fully complete is challenging
+ Fans of the original should be pleased
+ Wii Balance Board support enhances experience

- No online modes
- Quite a simplistic game
- Career mode can get repetitive

Score - 7.5/10