Little Mac returns to the ring after 15 years in retirement.
You play as the main character Little Mac, whos goal is to become the champion of the WVBA. (World Video Boxing Association) Mac's move set includes left and right punch, left and right jab, left and right dodge, duck and block. It may seem like Mac's moves are rather limited, but a surprising amount of depth comes out of using each one at the right time to successfully dodge and counter your opponents moves.
You begin the game as a challenger who must move through the ranks beginning at the minor circuit. After completing it, you move on to the major circuit and finally the world circuit. There are 13 boxers in total to defeat each with his own unique strategy for you to figure out. After beating the champion you unlock Title Defense mode where you defend your title as the champion by defeating all 13 boxers again. However, all the boxers have new and more difficult strategies that make it much harder to progress. Even Glass Joe may present a challenge the first time you fight him. There is also an exhibition mode where you can fight any boxer you've already fought in the career mode again to unlock their audio packs containing all the boxer's dialogue and themes.
Graphically speaking, this game exceeds expectations. The character models have a nice cel-shaded look and are fully represented in 3D. They even have multiple facial expressions that you'll see during the fight. This is particularly noticeable when you're about to make contact with a star punch as the character will gain a look of fear before being hit. A downside is that the crowd in the background seemed to have been rushed during development. All you're able to see is a bunch of faceless figures bobbing up and down. It would have been nice to see Next Level Games brighten up the arena.
Another nice addtion to the game was the inclusion of a split-screen head-to-head mode. In this mode one player takes on the role of Little Mac and the other becomes Little Charlie. This mode hasn't been altered too much from the standard formula except that when you've beat up your opponent enough, you will turn into a larger version of Mac known as Giga Mac. Giga Mac has the ability to, in addition to punching, taunt the opponent to gain a star or to increase the time spent as Giga Mac before the effects wear off, however doing so will leave you open for a brief moment.
Some criticisms I have for Punch-Out!! are that there is no online component at all. It would have been nice to box people using Nintendo Wi-fi or to have leaderboards with the fastest KO times for the different boxers. Also the balance board controls are sensitive enough to be of use. Sometimes i would lean right and on screen I would dodge left. That sort of inaccuracy could be your undoing in a fight.