Little Mac returns, and he is better than ever
The new Punch-Out can easily be described as a new coat of paint over an old title since not much has changed, but making such a statement is shallow because one would be ignoring all the little things that have been added to improve the experience. The basics are still the same, press button 1 for a left hook, button 2 for a right hook, and combine them with the D-pad up to land jabs. When avoiding your enemy's attacks you can either dodge to the sides, duck or try to block (a not so smart decision against the more powerful boxers).
But since we are talking about a Wii game, the developers obviously didn't forget about the Wiimote and Nunchuck, giving players another option on how to play the game. This control scheme allows you to make movements with both controls to land punches, while the rest of the actions remain button-specific. While the controls are extremely compelling and intuitive chances are by the time you get to the last boxers you will have switched to the traditional controls, not only because they are slightly more responsive but also because the novelty of actually punching your enemy may wear out for some.
Simple controls are joined by simple mechanics. Each boxer in the game – there is a total of thirteen plus a secret character – will follow a certain pattern of punches, taunts and fakes all you need to do is memorize those, punch at the right time and within a few rounds victory will be yours. It is easier said than done though for as you advance through the game patterns will get more complicated, punches will come faster, tells will become harder to identify and the damage taken from the blows doubles.
As usual Punch-Out is a game built on funny stereotypes and the cast of boxers you will face while going for the World Title is fantastic. Starting with the fragile Frenchman, going through the drunk Russian, Spanish Don Juan and ending with the powerful champion. Discovering each and every stereotype and reference to the culture of the country becomes a game within the game itself and adds a lot to the title. Within a few hours of gameplay it is easy to create a connection and develop a relationship with the very likable over-the-top characters.
This entertaining cast of boxers will be faced on a few different modes presented by the game. Career Mode shows Little Mac – the game's protagonist – in his bid for the title, starting from the Minor Circuit, rising to the Major Circuit and eventually facing the world's top boxers on World Circuit. Beating thirteen boxers to reach the title may make you think Punch-Out is not a very long title, but when you take into account the hours one may spend to beat the toughest boxers you absolutely have a lengthy package in your hands.
In order to give more soul and even more character to the already fabulous cast the game features some incredible cutscenes that show Little Mac training with his coach Doc Louis, therefore adding a little value to the game's story. Unfortunately, for some reason the developers decided not to insert cutscenes while presenting the opponent. Instead we get a slideshow of funny images showing either the preparation or the personality of the fighter. Presenting those slideshows in the form of cutscenes would have definitely added a lot of value to the game's already astonishing presentation. But the lack of animations going into the fight is compensated by the overly funny dialogue and animations that happen in battle.
As if spending long hours to become the champ wasn't enough Little Mac's career is far from its end when he grabs the title. Title Defense Mode will put you against all of the thirteen boxers once again, however this time around they have new more complicated patterns, stronger attacks and even new ways to defend themselves. If you think the last battle of Career Mode is hard just wait until you see how insanely the weakest of the fighters becomes in Title Defense Mode. If you have been missing a real challenge while playing games Punch-Out will fulfill all your needs in a fantastic way.
Exhibition mode allows you to play any boxers that you have previously defeated with a new twist, each fighter will have three challenges to be completed – both on Career Mode and Title Defense. The challenges have an incredible variety from beating a character within three punches or winning the fight without being punched, while they may sound hard at first – and they actually are – as long as you keep on trying and working hard on the patterns all of them will seem pretty achievable within a certain time.
Aside from the wonderful cutscenes and beautiful modern presentation Punch-Out still has a few surprises on its sleeve when it comes to visuals. The cell-shaded look of the game is astonishing as its art joined by its incredibly natural character animations automatically make it one of the best looking games on the system. The overwhelming graphics and the great soundtrack which features exclusive catchy tunes for each one of the fighters just go to show how careful the developers were in bringing this franchise back to life. The sound effects are also precise and real.
The game also features a very detailed Voice Acting work, with most of the boxers being from non-English speaking countries the team behind the game was careful enough to make the characters actually speak the language, not some nonsense sequence of words that sound like a language. People who know the idioms will be pleased to see that and people who don't will constantly be curious about what the opponent may be saying to tease Little Mac.
Overall Punch-Out is a very impressive package and it easily ranks among the Wii's finest games. With great presentation, a good variety of controls, a funny cast of boxers, huge replay value, over thirty hours of gameplay and a lot of challenge it is a must buy for anyone that loves simple yet addicting titles or is just curious to see Nintendo's unique take on the boxing genre.
Actual Score: 9.2