Nintendo has released an updated version of Punch-Out for the Wii. If you’ve played any of the previous incarnations of Punch-Out in the arcade or on any of the old school Nintendo consoles, then this will not only be a great bit of nostalgia, but a great update to a classic. And if you haven’t then this makes for a great addition to your Wii Library.
There are three modes to play through including career, exhibition and multi-player. In career mode you play as Little Mac making your way through the various circuits. There are three circuits to make your way through in career mode, Minor, Major and World and each circuit contains 4-5 challenges. It becomes apparent early on that the challenge is not so much about boxing itself but determining the move-set of each opponent. Each character has a unique style and you have to learn to anticipate and react to their attacks. Doc Louis is your coach and trainer who gives you tips on combating your opponent’s attacks. Doc can actually be helpful but he does seem to be a little too anxious to share his chocolate bar with you.
Exhibition mode allows you to go take on the same fighters that you have already beaten although this time there are challenges that accompany each fighter – IE: take your opponent out in one round etc. And if there’s a fighter you’re having difficulty with, you can bring him up in exhibition and practice against him. Now normally I’d say that with only about 13 different opponents, the game would be a bit thin. But then there’s the multi-player.
In multi player, you fight against another version of Little Mac on a split screen. If you collect enough hits on the other, then it switches to single screen and you turn into Giga Mac for a brief period of time. And you’re able to whip the ever loving crap out of your opponent. The multi-player mode is a pile of fun and adds a lot of extra replay value to the game.
You can play with three different controller configurations; just the wii-mote held horizontally, with the wii-mote and nunchuk or using the balance board. The balance board allows you to lean left and right or duck to dodge attacks. It works OK but personally I found it a bit distracting and kind of gimmicky.
The animation and design lend themselves well to the Wii. The game has a great cartoon-ish look and there are plenty of colorful characters including ones from games past along with some new ones. The game is actually pretty humorous too as long as you don’t mind the odd geographical stereotype. And believe me, they pretty much touch on all of them.
This game is a pile of fun and even with a bit of a shallow single player game, the multi-player adds a ton of extra value. Highly recommended.
Hey look at us we’re 18! There’s an Alice Cooper song named after us and we can legally drink in Quebec. This week on the show, we got killer robots, killer bugs and guys that run real fast.
