Punch-Out!! Impressions
by 
How many times have we seen this story? The story of a former champ who thinks he has one last title shot in him. A former champ who just doesn’t know when to quit. Rocky, Roberto Duran, Oscar De La Hoya, they’ve all been victims to this sad story. Now after 15 years Nintendo is bringing the former Video Game Champ, Little Mac, out of retirement and back into the ring. And you know what? Little Mac still has some fight left in him.
When I had first read Punch-Out!! was going to be released on the Wii, I knew that it was a “must buy”, if only for the nostalgia the game would bring. I wanted to relive those memories from Mike Tyson’s Punch-out on the NES. And when I popped the game in, to my delight, it did. If you are too young to remember, Punch-Out!! follows Little Mac’s career toward the WVBA championship. And of course Doc Louis is there to help you with advice on how to beat other fighters. This version for the Wii features many of the fighters from the original NES game. Even though the fighter’s boxing styles have been tweaked a bit, they still require the same strategies to defeat them. You still punch King Hippo in the mouth, and then punch him in the stomach to knock him out.
There are three different ways to control Little Mac: holding the Wii remote sideways like a controller, using the remote and nunchuk for motion controls, and you can throw the Wii Balance Board in the mix to duck and dodge punches. Holding the remote sideways seems to work best. If you’ve played before, you know that in order to defeat opponents you have to have good timing. It’s almost too hard to accomplish this with the motion controls, and forget about using the Wii Balance Board. You have to give yourself more time to dodge punches than you normally would using the remote. This can throw your timing completely off.
The graphics in the game are vibrant and cartoonish. I think Nintendo did a great job at capturing the original fighters, and expanding on them. After having played the original NES game for years (I still do), I think the graphics and sound is what stands out most. Nintendo took many of the same fighters, songs, and sounds from the original game and gave them a 2009 face lift.
Punch-Out!! also offers a two-player mode, although it is limited. Each player takes Little Mac, and the screen is split in two so each person views the game from behind their fighter. Once a player lands enough punches, he turns into a bigger Little Mac, and the contest becomes lopsided. It’s nice to play once or twice, but gets very boring.
Overall, Punch-Out!! is a fun arcade style boxing game. Nintendo does a great job of capturing the original NES classic, and sticks to the roots of the game. Any fan of Mike Tyson’s Punch-out will appreciate this game. I felt like I was 8 years old again in my bedroom playing Nintendo.
Thanks to Fred for doing the write-up! He can be found everyday running the forums. – PP
May 23, 2009 at 7:38 am
Yeah I've been reading positive reports on the game. I'm hoping to pick it up next week, but with E3 looming I'm not sure how much time I'll be able to get in with it right away. Appreciate your thoughts on it Fred.
May 23, 2009 at 12:59 pm
e3 kicks off in 9 days cant wait
May 25, 2009 at 8:24 pm
It is awesome G4 is airing E3 with zero commercials…E3 is a gamer's Super Bowl….
May 23, 2009 at 3:22 pm
does that mean we have to wait another week for any more info on ncaa 10 and madden 10
ahhhhhh
May 23, 2009 at 8:22 am
Disco kid is a lil racist prick.
May 23, 2009 at 12:07 pm
Pasta, you got a point on Punch-Out being a classic game. It's hard to make a game that stands the test of time and Punch-Out definitely qualifies. Let's not forget that this game came out in the 80's and is still being played which is amazing. Hey Pasta remember the first time you fought against Tyson you get excited and then get knocked out on the 1st punch lol. Talk about a learning curve lol. The worse part about it was that they didn't give you the code when you fought him they only gave you the code for the previous opponent (The hurricane punch guy) so you had to fight both of them anytime you used the code.
May 23, 2009 at 12:12 pm
As much as Fight Night is graphically enhanced and has superior game modes over Punch-Out; there is something about the simplicity of Punch-Out that makes it a great pick up and play game.
May 23, 2009 at 12:59 pm
plus the music makes the game too
May 23, 2009 at 6:56 pm
"simplicity", "great pick up and play game"………..definitely words that need to be heard and reminded by all video game developers including EA Sports.
May 23, 2009 at 1:10 pm
To me Mike Tyson was easy I beat him the first time through but I had to fight Super Mach Man many times and lost just for the chance to fight Kid Dynamite. I loved that game as a kid and wish I had a way to play it without having to buy a Wii or emulator.
May 23, 2009 at 5:21 am
WOW me and this game have a history togher seeing this is like seeing a old girlfriend and she still is looking good lol lol lol
May 23, 2009 at 1:57 pm
Actually I been playing this game with my kids for hours and haven't had a problem playing with the wii remote and nunchuck….much more fun than turning the remote…and as far as timing it hasn't been an issue….
I still play the original on my psp and its still fun…..but this game blows it away graphically and is a lot of fun.
The person who posted about disco kid is an idiot…..obviously not noticing that every character is a stereo type of someone from a different place….and they're all pretty funny.
I would say this is a must have for any wii owner….friends and family will have a blast playing this.
May 23, 2009 at 4:29 pm
Sounds like fun. I will have to check it out… glad to hear that it still has a classic feel to it
May 23, 2009 at 11:04 pm
Disco kid is boderline homosexual, lol. I crack up everytime I hit a star punch on him "oh noooooo"
May 23, 2009 at 4:55 pm
the wii is a joke!
May 23, 2009 at 5:30 pm
This game isn't the same without Tyson. The original Mike Tyson's Punchout is arguably one of the best games of all time!
May 23, 2009 at 10:53 pm
Good game right here. I used to play it back in the day.
May 23, 2009 at 11:23 pm
Josh, have you even played this game or are you just commenting without trying the product? This game is outstanding on its own right. Combined what was so great about the original punch out, combined with today's Wii technology and updated graphics. It's funny, it's no longer a button masher (you can choose that option).
Even though the game at it's foundation is derived from the original punch and super-punchout, it's still fresh and new and will attract a new following as well as old school gamers.
May 25, 2009 at 8:23 pm
I agree, in a sense. Mike Tyson's Punchout essentially was Punchout with Mike Tyson. The game played the same with pretty much the same lineup….
This game makes me wish I had kept my Wii….Dammit!!
May 23, 2009 at 10:57 pm
Pasta,
I've been playing Punch Out last couple of days and then I thought, why hasn't Pasta written on this yet, yet he covered the horrible Facebreaker game. Glad to see you've given this game some coverage.
Also this game combined with the Wii Fit balance board makes this game a lot of fun, challenging, and you get a great workout. When combined with my body bugg, I was burning at a rate of 7-9 calories per minute for a half hour sessions…250 calories per half hour session for myself.
Makes me wonder if EA canada should look into making a Fight Night game catered to the Wii audience, having a true total punch control and w/ combination of the Wii Fit balance board (that would probably be the largest hurdle…to get people to purchase that accessory).
I know EA has EA Active out there which does utilize the Wii Balance Board as an option, so it leads one to wonder if EA would consider making this move. Punch out is fun, especially for an old school gamer as myself, but it also leads you to wanting something more realistic using the same controls
May 23, 2009 at 11:05 pm
You shouldn't have to buy a Wii or Emulator to play punchout. There have been ROMS and emulators for free since the mid 90's.
May 23, 2009 at 11:06 pm
Agreed. There is a simplicity about Punch Out that makes a great game, that makes you wonder if something similar can be made for Fight Night. Question is, would Nintendo allow it?
May 23, 2009 at 11:09 pm
Pasta, I think you'll enjoy the game, but you'll knock it for lack of online multi-player since the game supports head to head.
May 23, 2009 at 11:09 pm
says the guy who took the time to click and read the article on a Wii game.
May 23, 2009 at 11:14 pm
Test
May 24, 2009 at 7:57 am
I JUST WANT TO FIGHT GABBY JAY (YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)