As a young man I spent hours in my living room committing move patterns
and sequences to memory and no matter how hard my young gamer self
tried I could never get past Super Macho Man. Now here I am twenty two
years later, I’m a little bit older, a little bit wiser, my fingers
have become lean arthritic gaming machines and I’m still sitting on a
couch memorizing punch combinations and patterns and I still can’t beat
Super Macho Man. So this review will only go up to that tanned
contender and won’t cover all of the features the new Punch Out has to
offer.
To start off, it’s on the Wii so if you’re like me and
dream of glory in the ring while you dance around the room quoting
Rocky IV (arguably the most quotable of the Rocky series) in a
spectacle that makes your girlfriend shake her head at you and leave
the room then you’re using the motion control mode to play, rather than
the “classic mode.” My main concern here was that it wouldn’t be
responsive enough to perform the precisely timed dodges needed for the
harder fights but using the motion control configuration I’ve made it
up to Super Macho Man with only a single loss on my record.
Incorporating the Wii Fit Balance Board into this equation certainly
adds a good amount of enjoyment to the game but I can’t see anyone
making it very far in the career mode using this. I’d reserve the use
of the Balance Board to fighting head to head against your friends
since it creates a much more comedic experience. However, using the
controller in it’s classic style does give a more precise sense of
control and allow for a much cleaner fight. It was unfortunate to note
though that you can not use the Wii Classic Controller, but instead
have to use the small, standard controller held sideways which nobody
enjoys doing.
The lineup of fighters is short but enjoyable with many of your
favorite fighters returning. However, where 99% of your opponents are
returning favorites, it makes the one and only new opponent feel that
much more out of place and awkward in the game, especially since he
appears so early on. The game does help compensate for its small lineup
of opponents by giving you a fair amount of replay value. There are
challenges to beat for each opponent that much like my quest to 100%
every level in Peggle will provide hours of aggravating and pointless
gaming but for the more hardcore fans will be something to grind away
at for a long time.
The animation style works really well given
the context of the game. The graphics are smooth and crisp and each
fighter has a unique feel to them. Unfortunately, each fighter only has
a few sounds that they make during a fight, and believe me when I tell
you that they will make them every single time they land or miss a
punch, which gets old fast.
My problem with Punch Out seems to
mirror a problem I’m having with most games lately. While it’s a fun
and enjoyable game, there’s something about it that I can’t put my
finger on that makes it not seem “full” enough to merit spending a full
$60. If you were to find a used copy for $30 however, I’d consider it a
must buy.
By Ryan S - Systemlink Blog
