Remake of Punch-Out!!
3.89 from 342 ratings
818 members have it in their collection · 19 playing now · 216 backlogged · 168 wish listed
How long? Main story 6h · with extras 4h (from 3 logged playthroughs)
Review SinAndPunish 4/5 · Dec 8, 2022
I absolutely dig this game and loved every second of it. The motions controls work!!!! Also the Wii balance board functionality, while not ideal, is still fun. But one problem, it lacks new content. Sure it has some but, ughh that’s the only thing keeping this from a 5 star review.
Review RossBonaime 4/5 · Mar 26, 2020
Despite being the perfect age for Super Punch-Out!! and believing it to still be one of the best looking games on the Super NES, I never gave much time to the Punch-Out!! series, besides sampling it a few times over the years. I think my problem with Super Punch-Out!! was that it came out the same time as fighting games …
Despite being the perfect age for Super Punch-Out!! and believing it to still be one of the best looking games on the Super NES, I never gave much time to the Punch-Out!! series, besides sampling it a few times over the years. I think my problem with Super Punch-Out!! was that it came out the same time as fighting games were hitting it big, and since I loved Street Fighter II and Mortal Kombat at the time, I tried to play Super Punch-Out!! the same way: all offense, little defense. Even when I realized that this franchise was more about memorizing patterns and quick reflexes, I still tried to play it as if this wasn't the case.
Punch-Out!! is the first game in this franchise that I decided to sit down, play on its own terms and try to understand the series for what it is and not for what I wanted it to be.
Punch-Out!! ended up being the perfect type of difficult gaming that I like, where if you lose, it's not the game being "cheap" or too difficult, it's simply that you didn't do what you were supposed to. There were times when I was in the corner between rounds and Doc Louis would give me some advice, and I'd go, "You're right! I know! My bad!" Somehow, Punch-Out!! made me feel like I was a boxer actually trying to learn my opponent's tells and weaknesses.
I planned to play Punch-Out!! for only a few minutes last night, and ended up playing through almost all of Contender mode, and I was truly proud of myself when I finally earned the Championship Belt. I felt like I had gone through a trial and actually achieved something. To be fair, I decided to stop after Contender mode, only playing a little bit of Title Defense, because I didn't really feel the need to play through a harder difficulty, and I would rather enjoy the experience I had in Contender mode, rather than get extremely frustrated - like I know I would've become - and have that be my final reminder of this game.
While I didn't try these forms out, I do also love that Punch-Out!! lets the player tackle this game the way they want, be it through old fashioned controls (how I played), using the Wii nunchuck, or even using the Balance Board along with the nunchuck. I considered trying all three versions out, but again, I knew that trying to play this with a Balance Board and nunchuck would only annoy me.
I only have a few minor gripes with Punch-Out!! I did find the second play mode far harder than I expected (even though it was more in line with how difficult I expected this game to be), and I get that that's what players want, but for me, I just wish it had been slightly easier. I also found the characterizations of these characters to be borderline insane. They're so absurd, it almost feels silly to be annoyed at them. While I wasn't offended by them, it did feel like most of these characters wouldn't appear in this game the same way, had it come out in 2020. Also, I don't think the animations have stood the test of time that well, often looking slightly jaggy, especially in video sequences. I would be curious to see if maybe the art style had been cleaned up a bit in the various re-releases.
But I am so glad I finally gave this franchise a chance and I had a ball memorizing the patterns and working my way towards the belt, even if getting there doesn't take that long. I'd be very excited to see this franchise come back soon, and this would be a great game to play on the Switch. Punch-Out!! finally made me a fan of this series I mostly ignored.
Status Tubbymora Jul 17, 2019
Punch Out for the Wii. Simple yet deceptive combat, different variations of the main theme based on who you're fighting, if you have ever been remotely interested in seeing what the Punch Out series is all about, I HIGHLY suggest you give this a try :)
Review AlfredoSalza 4/5 · Mar 22, 2015
Played until completion of Title Defense. A great game with suprising variety of opponents, creative ways to fight (stars), and remarkable voice acting. Only 4/5 due to a couple of frustrating and irritating fights: TD Hippo and TD Bull. Overall, a worthy successor to Super Punch Out.
Review b_n 3/5 · Nov 13, 2014
1001 Games - #958
Pros: nostalgic but still fresh gameplay, successful motion control scheme, post-career mode content keeps game from becoming stale
Cons: insensitive character design can put a damper on the cheery mood of the game, requires intense reaction time
Recommendation: a fan service for fans of the original Punch-Out!! games. Reduces the difficulty from the NES era classic, …
1001 Games - #958
Pros: nostalgic but still fresh gameplay, successful motion control scheme, post-career mode content keeps game from becoming stale
Cons: insensitive character design can put a damper on the cheery mood of the game, requires intense reaction time
Recommendation: a fan service for fans of the original Punch-Out!! games. Reduces the difficulty from the NES era classic, but still serves enough challenge to make it worthwhile. With the motion controls, getting the timing right on some of the later boxers can be extremely difficult, but apparently it's easier playing the Wiimote sideways, like a NES controller (although I personally never tried this). Definitely overlooked, worth trying out.
