Rarely do I pull out the l33t speak when writing an article, but I believe OMG was appropriate for today’s post. Before I get into my first impressions of the game, I feel obliged to provide a disclaimer. Which is down below.
Disclaimer: I have no qualms in admitting this is a bias first impression, and my review will more than likely be bias as well. I’d try and implement journalistic integrity, but the fact is that I’m a Punch-Out! fanboy. So, if you’re looking for a more objective review or neutral based ramblings then look elsewhere. This is the first impressions from a Punch-Out! fan.
For Punch-Out’s first impression, I believe I’m going to do things a bit differently than I have in the past. Instead of just separating different portions of the game and talking about them, I’m going to give you a walk through of my entire experience with the game last night. Hopefully it feels more natural, and leaves you with a much better feeling about the game. As much time as I put into the game last night, I’ve got plenty to talk about.
After getting all the necessary components for playing Punch-Out! (Wii Remote, nunchuck, and Wii Balance Board), I slid the disc in. I was greeted to a well executed rendition of the original Punch-Out! theme. Think of the original, but instead of the old 8-bit sounds, there’s actual rock instruments playing the theme. After listening to that for about 30 seconds, I started the game up.
The intro movie provides a montage of Little Mac warming up for a fight. Again, the music is spot on and with visceral images of the intro provide a experience that pumps you up for the game. While most people probably dived into the career mode or decided to practice, I was most curious about the multiplayer portion of Punch-Out!
I pulled my sister out of her room and made her fight me in Punch-Out! This was going to be a blood bath. A Punch-Out! veteran with more hours logged into Super Punch-Out! than any human should ever have versus someone with zero Punch-Out! experience. The fight was going to be a joke — well the joke was on me. I lost; by decision though.
You’d think that me losing would have me feeling negative about multiplayer, but quite the contrary. The gameplay style of multiplayer Punch-Out! feels different enough that it comes off feeling fresh and should provide a nice supplement to the puzzle based aspect of single player. Replacing the pattern based AI with the unpredictability of human reaction turns Punch-Out! on its head. It feels much more twitch based and that change is something that Next Level Game embraces.
We both played our first match with the Wii Remote/Nunchuck controls, and everything moved fluidly. I never ran into any problems with the Wii Remote not picking up my movements.
The first major difference in multiplayer Punch-Out! is the punches you throw. There’s no body blows, but you’ll have a hook and an uppercut. You’d think that the smart thing would be to just sit and wait for your opponent to strike. Luckily, there’s an apathy penalty system if you just stand and wait. It drains your ‘Giga Juice’, and if I’m not mistaken makes you more weak. The system works really great, and keeps the action at a healthy pace.
Speaking of Giga Mac, he’s a brute and if someone activates Giga Mac the pace of the fight really changes. I wouldn’t know how it feels to be Giga Mac, because I didn’t activate him once. If you’re defending against Giga Mac, then you’re in for quite a challenge. The amount of moves at your disposal increases, and of course your power rises considerably. Unfortunately I was only able to get one bout from my sister, so I didn’t get to explore multiplayer as much as I wanted.
The next logical step in my Punch-Out! play through was to take on Career Mode. If you’re familiar with previous Punch-Outs then you’ll be right at home with the Wii version. In the Minor, and Major Circuits there’re four boxers you must beat in order to obtain the title belt, in the World Circuit there’s five. In order to win a match you have to obtain a TKO (three knockdowns in a round), or KO your opponent. I decided that I would play through the Minor Circuit three times, each with a different control configuration.
If your not familiar with the Punch-Out! Wii controls, you’re presented with three options. You can use a Wii Remote/Nunchuck/Balance Board combo, Wii Remote/Nunchuck, or Wii Remote only. Since I had just eaten my after work bowl of cereal I was feeling saucy. I decided my first foray into Career Mode would be done with the Wii Remote/Nunchuck/Balance Board option. I was sweating by the end of it.
If you’re looking for the most challenging control option then you’ll feel right at home using motion controls, and the balance board. Even during my play through of the Minor Circuit I was handed a few TKO’s. When you get to your third and fourth fight you’ll learn that there’s a difference between recognizing patterns, and having fast enough reflexes to throw an actual punch and shift your weight to dodge. The important thing is that the difficulty isn’t apparent because of unresponsive controls; it’s simply that much faster timing is required from you to physically dodge. I’ll consider myself a master of this game when I can beat it entirely without being hit, using this control configuration. Which is something I plan on doing… 
After my sweat inducing (A/C wasn’t on) Minor Circuit run using the balance board, I moved onto the next control configuration. It’s basically the same, except instead of dodging and ducking with the balance board you’ll use the analog stick to execute those functions. I was much more competent fighting through the Minor Circuit, and didn’t get knocked down once. Again, all the controls were smooth and all the motions were responsive.
Since I wasn’t as tired from moving around, I was able to enjoy more of the aesthetics of the game. It really is quite beautiful. Each boxer has a unique look and style, and an intro that’s well illustrated. The cel-shading works nicely, and you can tell that a lot of work went into polishing this game. The animations utilize the art style to its potential as well. Again, every fighter you take on will have their own wacky over the top style, especially Disco Kid. He’s almost too over the top.
The rest of my time spent playing the game was with the old school controls. If you’re looking for the easier way to play, or just want to feel like you’re playing good ol’ Punch-Out! then this is the option you’ll want to use. By the end of my night I had gotten all the way up to Bald Bull. Soda Popinski gave me some trouble, so I decided to try out the practice mode of the game. If you go under Exhibition Mode, then you can fight a practice hologram of the fighter you’re currently on. You’ll receive no damage, and you can just train to learn the boxer’s movements.
If you boot up Exhibition Mode and take on a boxer you’ve already fought, then you’ll gain access to various challenges to unlock. The challenges vary from fighter to fighter, and some of them can be quite challenging. My particular favorite is with Glass Joe. In order to complete his first challenge, you have to knock him down three times in a fight but let him win by decision. Good luck with that.
From my first impressions, I can easily say that my expectations for the game have been met. The same spirit of the first two titles shines through here, while still standing on its own. The multiplayer is a nice add-on that I can definitely see myself playing with friends and family. I’ll be a bit more critical in my actual review of the game, which I hope on having done by early next week. Thank God for Memorial Day weekends.