Warp Zone: Punch Out!!

 Are you listening gaming industry?  Nintendo has just laid out the blueprint on how to revive an ancient franchise.  Punch Out for the Nintendo Wii is hands-down an instant classic.  It has flexible, responsive controls and a heavy nostalgia factor that new series need 20 years to build.

                A few years ago I told a friend that they could never make a remake or an update of Punch Out because of its political incorrectness.  The NES, Super Nintendo, and arcade versions of the game played heavily on cultural stereotypes for the characters, and I truly thought another version would never see the light of day.  For example, Russian boxer Soda Popinski (who was originally Vodka Drunkinski in the arcade version) gains extra power from drinking vodka…err…soda pop.  There are some that are less inflammatory, like Super Punch Out’s Bear Hugger the Canadian lumberjack… because we all know all Canadians are lumberjacks.  It’s true.  I read it on the internet.  Even though I thought they’d never remake it, I was proven wrong by the latest version of Punch Out. Almost all of the memorable people showed up, cultural stereotypes and all.

                I found the stereotypes to be humorous and gentle this time around.  They don’t come off as offensive or insensitive in this version.  Before each match in your career, you get a cut scene of your opponent traipsing around their home country doing home country stuff.  When you begin to fight them, they’ll talk smack to you in their native language.  It helps blunt the offensiveness of the stereotype to have your opponent making fun of you in native tongue while he’s simultaneously beating the crap out of you.  If you land a good punch on someone, items fly out of them.  You may not notice the sushi that flies out of Piston Hondo the first time you fight him, but it will make you laugh when you see it.  I hope the Japanese kids laughed at that moment as hard I did when I punched American fighter Super Macho Man and money flew out of him.  Somehow Nintendo managed to diffuse the political correctness bomb without really changing anything.

                The core gameplay remains largely unchanged.  The fights are timed the same way as their classic counterparts.   Little Mac can gain super powered star punches by landing well timed blows on his opponents.  Mac’s trainer Doc is back to give you a pep talk between rounds.  Even some of the secrets from the original made their way into the remake as well, but if I told you which ones they wouldn’t be secrets, now would they?

Some of you may have noticed what looks like a typo earlier thinking, “Piston Hondo?  It’s Honda.”  It was Piston Honda in the 80’s.  Now he’s Piston Hondo because the last thing Nintendo needs is a lawsuit from the only car company that’s not bankrupt.  That’s not the only change you’ll notice. In addition to a few new boxers, there are some major changes in the control department…but only if you want it.

                You can play just like the old days by turning your controller sideways and using it like an NES remote.  If you’re up for something different, you can throw in the nunchuck and balance board for an exhausting experience.  Throw your punches with the remotes, and dodge blows with the balance board.  Once you ace the single player mode, you can also challenge a friend in multiplayer.

                Veteran fighters will breeze through some parts of the game.  The timing and sequences are the same as the classic games.  Older players may be surprised they can knock out some of these guys first round because, unbeknownst to them, they’ve been training since childhood.  The arguable part of this game is whether or not it’s a good thing that the timing is exactly the same as old versions.  Personally, I loved this game.  I whole heartedly believe that if you own a Nintendo Wii (or even if you don’t) your game collection is not complete without this game.  I feel confident recommending a purchase on this game.  You will get a lot of hours out of this one, and most importantly it is fun.

Punch Out!! for Nintendo Wii is Rated E 10+ (Everyone 10 and up)by the ESRB for comic mischief and comic violence.

Kevin “Mello Joe” Mercer is a former radio personality and a lifelong gamer. You can find him on Xbox Live and Playstation Network, Gamertag: Mellojoe. View the world as he sees it at www.youtube.com/user/mellojoe. www.myspace.com/charlesk