While everyone else has been off playing Generic First-Person Shooter #854: Same Old Future Past Warfare, I’ve been thoroughly enjoying Nintendo’s revival of their classic Punch-Out!! franchise on the Wii.
The new game, simply titled Punch-Out!!, will instantly bring back a flood of memories to anyone who grew up playing the classic Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! on the NES. Though Iron Mike himself is absent from the newest installment, you won’t miss him. All of your other favorite boxers, plus a few faces from the 1994 sequel Super Punch-Out!! and some new blood, are here for you to pummel. King Hippo, Soda Popinski, Super Macho Man (yes, he still flexes his muscular man-boobs)…they’re all waiting for you. In a first for the series, everything has lovingly rendered in full 3D. The cel-shading technique may have been beaten to death in the past, but with Punch-Out!!, it’s a perfect match.
Our hero Little Mac’s back in the ring, and all of his opponents appear larger than life, ready to knock him senseless. (Well, maybe except for Glass Joe.) Their classic taunts are there, but the voice acting and hilarious animations really raise the bar. As before, each boxer has their own trademark moves, plus over-the-top special attacks that will send you to the mat if you don’t adequately dodge or block them.
As far as controls are concerned, Punch-Out!! makes perfect use of the Wii Remote and Nunchuk as Little Mac’s right and left hands. However, for purists, you can opt to just use the Wii Remote alone, held sideways like an NES controller. (I prefer to use this control scheme myself, as it just seems quicker.) If you really want a challenge, you can even use the Wii Balance Board!
While the core game is identical to the previous installments of the series, Punch-Out!! does offer plenty of new content. Aside from the usual career mode, there’s an exhibition mode where you can practice against a hologram of the next boxer you’re scheduled to fight. This is absolutely crucial, especially as you work your way through the tougher circuits. The holograms can’t hurt you or knock you out, so use them to your advantage and learn your opponents’ tells and moves. After practicing, you can also fight in regular exhibition matches, and try to beat various challenges (for example, defeating a boxer without becoming tired). There’s also a two-player mode, in case you feel like punching your best friend in the face without dealing with those pesky assault charges.
However, the finest mode of all comes after you earn the world championship, and that is title defense mode. Now that Little Mac is the champ, did you honestly think that the boxers he defeated would let him rest on his laurels? Not a chance. They all want another shot…and they’ve changed their tactics! For example, King Hippo has protected his belly now by taping a manhole cover to it. You’ll have to relearn how to stop all of the boxers all over again in different ways as they come after you for revenge. At the end, there’s Mac’s Last Stand mode…and a very special guest is ready to make mincemeat out of your face. Better train hard!
On a final note, I realize that Punch-Out!! is absolutely loaded with ethnic stereotypes, some of which could almost be considered racist. The previous two games in the series were much the same. Upon closer inspection, however, anyone can see that it’s less about making fun of the characters’ nationalities, and more of making fun of the characters themselves. (Especially when you beat the snot out of them.) Besides, you’re going to get pummeled many times yourself by the various boxers anyway, so at the end of the day, all is fair.
Let me wrap up by mentioning that if you want a realistic boxing game, Punch-Out!! certainly isn’t the game for you; go nab one of the Fight Night games instead. Punch-Out!! is an arcade boxer through and through, but that’s what makes it so much fun. Do yourself a favor, and step into the ring for a few rounds with this one. You won’t be disappointed.
Both acronyms deal with my picks during our monthly 
