Put on your boxing gloves and get ready for the fight of your life, because Little Mac is back! In “Punch Out!!” for the Nintendo Wii, you’ll be up against some familiar faces and some new ones as you punch your way to the title championship bout.
The original “Punch Out!!” came out on the Nintendo Entertainment System back in 1987, but with extra modes like head-to-head multiplayer and “Defend Your Title,” you get more than a mere remake. Many of your old foes have learned some new tricks, and while they have many of the same “tells” they had from the original, they’ve changed up their patterns enough to throw off even veteran players. Try not to be too surprised when King Hippo knocks you out in the first round!
As mentioned earlier, the cell-shaded graphics on each fighter have been extremely well done. These are some of the best graphics I’ve seen on the Wii, and the level of detail that has been put into this is incredible. Each fighter is a tongue-in-cheek stereotype of where they come from — their looks, behaviors and the things they say are all part of the package. For example, when knocking out Glass Joe, a Frenchman, croissants can be seen circling his head like little tweeting birds. Some may find it a bit insensitive, but it’s meant in good fun. The fighters hail from all over the world, and each speak in their native tongue. The music also changes depending on who your current opponent is. It’s the same music from the original game, but it’s been reworked to reflect each fighter’s native style and instrumentation. I found this to be a very clever way of refreshing the song so that it doesn’t get old after repeated listening.
One of the nice things about the new “Punch Out!!” is how you can play with a variety of controls. For example, tilt the Wii-mote on its side and use it like an old NES controller, or plug in the nunchuck and duke it out with motion controls. You can use the Classic Controller if that’s more your style or throw in the Wii Fit board to get a full-body experience, ducking and dodging punches by leaning left or right. There really is no right or wrong way to play.
The new modes are a lot of fun to play, as well. In Defend Your Title mode, after defeating Mr. Sandman, the current world champion, you have to fight through each boxer again as they attempt to beat you for the championship. This time, however, they’ve learned from their mistakes and have taken steps to make sure you don’t beat them again. If you thought this game was tough before, just wait! You really haven’t seen anything yet.
Head-to-head multiplayer gives you a chance to fight against a real-life opponent in split-screen. Player One plays as Little Mac while Player Two plays a slight variant — same model, different colors. By using a few simple button combinations you can build up special attacks, just like the computerized characters you fight in the single-player campaign. A nice twist to multiplayer, however, is the ability to “charge up” your fighter to turn into a giant, hulking monster with some really powerful punches. Then, just like in the single-player game, a 10-count while your opponent is down results in a Knockout while three knockdowns results in a Technical Knockout — and that’s how you win.
Does the new “Punch Out!!” have the ability to keep players coming back once they’ve defeated all the fighters? If, after 20 years, we still find time to pull the original out of mothballs, I think so. It’s a fantastic presentation on top of a classic game with some clever new twists. Highly recommended!
w
| Tweet | Follow @wkdr |
|
|
