It's about 11 minutes after 10 PM on Friday, May 29th, and well, right now, I just can't get my mind off of Punch-Out for the Nintendo Wii. I'm sure you don't want me to go and just praise every corner of this game like a lot of sites have done. Unlike a lot of recent Wii titles (MadWorld, eh-hem), this game seems to me getting exposure. Granted, it is a first party Nintendo title, but that doesn't excuse the fact that some games on the Wii just never seem to get the recognition they deserve.
I'm here to say that Punch-Out deserves every bit of attention it gets. I can't say the game is for everyone, but I know the game is certainly for me.
Developer "Next Level Games" is the same team that brought us "Super Mario Strikers" and "Mario Strikers Charged" on the GC and Wii. I personally love all of the Mario sports games, but soccer is my favorite sport outside of the Mushroom Kingdom, so of course those are my favorites. That being said, I will admit that those games can be challenging. Especially Strikers Charged on the Wii; some of the challenges the game had to unlock a few cheats were near impossible, and (un)fortunately, that difficultly rears it's head once again in Punch-Out.
Some people like a difficult game, so that can be a good thing, depending on how you look at it. I like a fine middle ground, and for the most part, this game achieves that.
A lot of people seem to be ripping on the motion controls in the game, and to be honest, I don't get why. The classic control scheme is available by holding the Wii remote sideways, and that's cool and all, but I just think the motion controls are way better. I've heard some people say that they seem unresponsive, and well...no. They respond just fine. It is easier with the remote, because it's much quicker to press the 1 and 2 buttons than it is do all the motions, but is it necessarily more fun? I don't think so.
Either control scheme you go with, the controls do feel great. I stuck with the motion controls and I made it all the way through Career and I'm working my way up Title Defense mode right now. I have no issues yet. There is the option of using the Wii Balance Board, and well...I should give it a try, but I just haven't. I heard a lot of people say that it just doesn't work that well. Honestly, I just don't feel like giving it a try. Call me lazy, but, I like dodging with the control stick just fine.
The music is AWESOME! One really cool thing is hearing how familiar it all sounds. Not only is the original Punch-Out theme redone a number of times with different instruments, but you can hear some of the sound effects and guitars and such from the Mario Striker games, and those games had great music.
And have I said just how cool Little Mac is? I think I look like him. OK, OK, I just want someone else to make that parallel so I had to say it myself. Sorry, I'm lame. But seriously, this game has just SO MANY cool moments. In between rounds, Doc Louis will just drop some of the best lines. Sometimes he really does help you out, and sometimes he just lets you know that his favorite flavor of protein shake is chocolate. And really, it's always great! You can even press the minus button once during a fight and Doc Louis will pull out a chocolate bar and eat it, giving Mac a health boost. Who thought of that? That's so cool.
It's the little things that Punch-Out does that makes it a classic. I love love love the NES version, but this version is my favorite. In fact, it's one of my favorite Wii titles ever, and that should mean something from a guy with over 30 Wii titles in his collection.
Little Mac changes outfits as you go up through the ranks. You get to see him wearing a green outfit with a blank top, a navy blue outfit with light blue trim, and even a gold outfit with red, white, and blue shorts.
Did I mention that there are cut scenes between fights going into the lives of your opponents? You get to see Glass Joe posing with a big loaf of bread in France. You get to see Bear Hugger beating up some bears. You get to see Von Kaiser reading a newspaper about Little Mac winning the WVBA World Title. There are a ton of them.
And for all the humor the game has, it totally gets you pumped up with it's attitude. It's like watching a Rocky movie. Seeing Little Mac go to town on a punching bag and chasing after Doc Louis on his bike just makes me want to go get a gym membership and start doing crunches.
Some people would say that this title isn't worth $50 dollars. I say it's worth more than that, but I would also say that it's value varies depending on what the game would mean to you. I know that's no help, but hear me out. Do you like boxing? Did you like the original Punch-Out? If you answered yes to either question, you could easily drop the money for this game and you will get more than your money's worth out of the purchase.
If you hate the Rocky movies and you're looking for a game with a lot of story, a lot of innovation, and mind blowing motion controls, this game probably won't be up your alley. However, I can't stress enough just how friendly this game can be to all types of gamers. Give it a rent if you're on the fence. I really don't see how someone could have ZERO amount of fun with a game like this.
If you're currently playing this game and you love it, then HIGH FIVE to you, because I love it too. I really think Next Level Games did a fantastic job with the game and I can't wait to see what game they get to work on next. I would love a sequel sometime down the road, but I personally hope they get a Donkey Kong game. Speaking of that old gorilla, he plays a bit of a role in this title, but that's spoiler worthy, so I'll shut up.
It's hard to really find the words to describe just how happy I am when I play this game. So, since I can't think of any on my own, I'll take one out of Doc Louis' book. Join the Nintendo Fun...er...Club Nintendo today, Mac!
-Mave
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