In the alternate reality known as Bradys World, I am a top-level executive at Nintendo, fully in charge of the green-light process behind every new Wii release. I declare that cherished NES and SNES games like Super Metroid, Castlevania, and Zelda all get remade. These arent sequels; they contain the same core gameplay, same level structure, same nuts and bolts from top to bottom. The only component that undergoes substantial change is the visual design, which takes advantage of the depth of art and presentation that defines a modern game.
In the real world known as Earth, 2009, very little happens according to my wishes, but thats not to say the occasional treat doesnt come around now and again: the bygone masters at Nintendo have spun some nostalgic magic and surprise by entertaining my theory that a classic game from the NES/SNES era can indeed work spectacularly well by sprucing up the graphics and leaving everything else pretty much the way it was years ago.
Punch-Out!! for Wii will not be winning any awards for innovation, and there will be detractors who complain its not enough of a sequel, a little too content to offer the same roster of characters and foundational mechanics from a series that is about as oldschool as games get. Whatever our measurement standards have become to judge a modern game a success or failure, its important to remember that simplicity and pure fun always deserve a heavy spot on the scale. Punch-Out!! is a testament that good gameplay 20 years ago will be good gameplay today and 20 years from now. This is the most fun Ive had with the Wii since Super Mario Galaxy.
The 17-year-old champion-in-training Little Mac is, of course, the puny boxer you take through the ranks, battling the likes of the snarling Bald Bull, the soda-gulping Soda Popinski, the effeminate ego of Super Macho Manall delightfully colorful and snappy in their histrionic displays of personality. Attack patterns flow from the shape of their design: A sprightly Don Flamenco brings a dance flourish into his super attack as he spins in for a nasty punch; a morbidly obese King Hippo gets his big belly into the action. Exploiting weak spots gets you a cleaner knockout, and with good timing and the right combo rhythm, a good shot at just the right moment rewards you with a star super-punch.
Forget the motion controls and go straight for the Wii Remote, turn it horizontally, and youve got the only way to play: right-left hook, right-left uppercut, up to block, down/right/left to dodge. Punch-out!! does not engage with a depth of play or complex strategy tree. Its all about dissecting manic patterns and reacting with just the right timing to exploit those patterns. You have to be lightning-quick and purely focused for the three-round bouts, recalling the reactive energy of an old 16-bit shooter. Getting into the zone of perfect timing, unleashing a string of punches followed by a star knockout is a hugely entertaining flowwhat classically spun gameplay is all about.
Punch-Out!! could be viewed as shallowthere isnt that girth of play when you stand it against next-gen expectations. There often exists a push to view a game as a product as much as a core experience, which will get you in trouble if youre looking for that justified bullet-point of modes and extra goodies to satisfy your gaming palette. Punch-Out!! works so well because its so tightly executed within its elegant simplicity, a pixel-perfect control scheme that very few games adhere to. The replay is in the fun of pick-up-and-playand an added remix mode that changes up fighting styles. But new or old, its the kick of the coiled energy, fixed-screen gameplay that is in a league of its own in todays gaming.
score 8.5 out of ten
verdict Complaints are already being waged that the game is too similar too the old series. This game wasnt meant for you. For the rest of us who desire an experience that isnt trying to be anything more than high-level throwback, Punch-Out!! is fantastic fun. This game is an unexpected treat and reason I still hold onto the value of the Wii...
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