Punch-Out! rocks the Wii using innovative and inventive game play, but it lacks the depth to become a new classic. Still, this is one of the best Wii games I've played lately and definitely a step up for Wii gaming. Once you play, old Punch-Out and Wii Sports Boxing memories will be gone forever.
| The Best Parts | Rating  |
The nights I spent dreaming about a new Punch-Out! haven't been in vain. Three consoles later, Nintendo opened up the gaming vault and called in the development team from Mario Strikers to put a new coat of paint on the beloved Punch-Out franchise.
Mike Tyson is gone from the ranks of characters you'll see in this Punch-Out. No mortal man could actually take this destroyer in his virtual prime.
The pre-match cut scenes and hilarious fight animations add a wonderful dimension to the characters, and shy away from using stereotypes for the most part. Glass Joe's black turtlenecks hide his chicken neck, Bear Hugger uses bears as sparing partners, and King Hippo eats a lot of meat and tropical fruit.
| The Lame Parts | Rating |
Punch-Out has a multiplayer mode that could have been amazing with a little more depth in a few areas, like online play or the ability to play as enemy characters.
The Wii controls worked good for the first round of bouts against lesser opponents, but they didn't provide the pinpoint precision it takes to defeat the fighters in the challenging second career.
| The Graphical Story | Rating  |
The cut scenes were beautiful and usually funny to behold, with nicely rendered characters, a bright, crisp appearance, and a stylish shaded look. The wacky character animations were smooth and fluid, whether you're facing the charge of Bald Bull or trying to dodge the hurricane punch of Macho Man.
| Sounds in the Game | Rating |
The boxers all speak their native tongues, so some of the language will be foreign to many gamers, but the voice acting is excellent. You'll laugh at the verbal antics of these characters, if you're able to understand their comments. This is a great addition to the game.
The sound track was also good, with energy filled tunes that appear to be chosen to match the character, personality, and fighting style of many of the wacky characters in Punch-Out!
| Playabillity | Rating |
Punch-Out! is one of the most playable Wii games to hit the market recently, with difficulty that increases at an even pace as you progress. It also features functionality that makes playing a seamless experience, and presentation that is faultless. You need to duck, dodge, block, punch high, and punch low as you once did and the movements are quick and satisfying.
You should be able to cruise through the first few fights, but the fights start to increase in difficulty as you enter the Major Circuit. Fortunately, if you are having trouble with a certain opponent, you can use the useful and engaging practice mode to take on a hologram version of the fighter giving you trouble.
Once you have beaten all the fighters they put you in the ring with, new cut scenes will show you how your defeated opponents have dealt with defeat and are planning to get revenge. In the second career these opponents have improved their boxing ability with defensive skills, new punches, new looks, and increased punching power.
The Wii controls only work well for the first round of opponents. Once you make it to the second career, however, the NES control scheme works better. They do have an option for you to use the Balance Board, but it wasn't accurate enough for the precise punching required in Punch-Out!
You also have the option to, at any time, schedule an exhibition bout with any previously defeated fighter to attempt three achievement-style challenges. You'll try to KO this fighter in under a minute, or try to discover the characters one-hit kill.
Multiplayer has made it to Punch-Out! in the form of a split-screen Mac versus Mac fight that is almost as fun and entertaining as the single player experience.
| The Last Word | Rating |
Punch-out! delivers the knockout punch Nintendo was looking for, and developer Next Level deserves a tip of the hat for doing an outstanding job of making this game even better than the original Punch-Out! Add a few more features to improve the depth of the multiplayer, and this game would be a classic. Still, there's no better way to annihilate a friend or foe, while being totally entertained.