Wii Video Game Review – Punch-Out!!
Little Mac is Back in a New Installment to a Hit Boxing Franchise
May 23, 2009
The annals of boxing history are full of dramatic comeback stories. Now one of those stories is rooted in the realm of video games. Fifteen years after he last appeared in a new game Little Mac has returned to the video boxing ring. The new Punch-Out!!, exclusive to the Nintendo Wii console, is the long awaited next installment in a video game franchise that started with an arcade game back in 1984.
A constant in all Punch-Out!! releases has been the protagonist Little Mac. The new Wii offering, developed by Next Level Games, lists him as just 5’ 7” and 107 pounds. He does get larger and nastier as he morphs into the new character, Giga Mac, but only in the two players, “Head-to-Head” mode.
In “Career Mode” it’s your job to battle the pint-sized version of the scrapper past bigger and more experienced opponents. Do it right and you can lead Little Mac to titles in the Minor, Major and World Circuits.
“I think Punch-Out!! is a classic series because it’s an underdog story. It’s David versus Goliath.” said Bryce Holliday Gameplay Director of Next Level Games in the article “Defending the Title” published in the June 2009 issue of Nintendo Power magazine. “Everyone in the world can identify with some part of Little Mac and his struggle against these stereotypical bullies, these larger than life, over the top bad guy personalities.”
Little Mac’s Punch-Out!! Opponents
And who are these bad guy personalities? They are 13 of the best in rings villains previously seen in other Punch-Out!! titles. There are also two new adversaries. All look and move great because they are rendered in three dimensions with full motion video for the first time.
Much of Little Mac’s roster of returning adversaries is a United Nations of twisted foes. There’s a teleporting East Indian guy (Great Tiger), an Irish boxer that head butts TV cameras (Aran Ryan), a huge Canadian Lumberjack that downs jugs of maple syrup (Bear Hugger) and a Japanese fighter that the player can dishonorably slug while he is bowing (Piston Hondo).
New to Punch-Out!! is the Disco Kid, a fleet-footed African American who likes to groove with his head phones on between rounds. The other new bad guy is an iconic Nintendo character that you’ll have to battle long and hard to reach. While not identifying him outright, it's fair to say that veteran gamers are more familiar with him tossing barrels than punches.
Punch–Out!! The New Game Play Experience
It’s easy to get hooked playing this new boxing game and it can be played it three ways.
- With the Wii remote,
- With the Wii remote and Nunchuck controller
- With the Wii remote, Nunchuck controller and Wii Balance Board
Set up two is the most responsive control method but configuration three provides the best workout as you move your body on the board to avoid punches.
No matter how things are set up in Punch-Out!! on Wii, seeing each new highly animated foe enter the ring is a hoot. Like a top poker player, the player must examine their adversary for tells that reveal how and when he will strike next. Make your opponent whiff on a big punch, move in, wail away and the good times really begin.
With practice and an on-screen trainer, Doc Louis, providing strategy players will soon be toppling even the most ferocious rival boxers. Watch out King Hippo! With a huge gut and crown on his head, Little Mac is coming for players all around!
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