A great mix of classic NES style controls and pattern memory
Another old Nintendo property is brought up from the depths of the forgotten realm in this remake of the classic NES favorite Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out. Of course the days of Mike branding the title are long long gone. Yes Little Mac is back for another round in the ring with all of those favorite yet less stereotypical opponents as well as a handful of new contenders in Punch-Out for the Wii. Together with Doc’s unyielding wisdom and chocolate bars, you must fight to overcome your puny stature and take home the belt one more time.
This new round of Punch-Out makes few improvements over its prehistoric predecessor. Of course you could use motion controls to play the game but do yourself a favor and don’t do that. Much like the original, your only hope of winning is pattern memory and lightning quick reaction time, something that the motion controls are well known for not providing. So the classic NES D-pad and AB controls will make you feel right at home dodging and jabbing.
Fans will know this story quite well. Little Mac and his trainer Doc set out to become the boxing champ. In order to get that title shot, Little Mac must first best all of the junior leagues. Each circuit consists of four match-ups three of which you will know from the past entry in the franchise and a new contender that you don’t. Luckily Nintendo realizes that you like your Punch-Out with a good dose of pattern recognition and memory so these new foes are nothing you can’t handle.
Graphically, this is as good as only Nintendo can do. It is amazing that even with a “low definition” console Nintendo has been able to find just the right angle of cell shading to make things really pop. It is really more like eye candy. The visuals of the matches, the quick little story set-up of the opponents and just the way everything looks overall is something akin to Windwaker. I suppose saying that will turn some people away from the game, but screw ‘em, this game looks good.
So if you were a fan of the old NES favorite or relatively new to the title like I am. The fact that Nintendo has released it under their “Nintendo Selects” line means it’s worth taking a gamble on. You will find some vintage gameplay in a nice, neat package. There are a few different control schemes, training mode, and even a 2-player versus mode. Rest assured you will find enough content for your money to warrant this box gracing your collection.
