Punch Out

Punch-Out is a remake of the classic Punch-Out on the NES, and strangely for a modern remake its old-school gameplay has been kept largely intact.

This isn’t a normal boxing game, you don’t just swing wildly and hope you land enough punches to get a KO, Punch-Out is more like a reaction and puzzle game.

Every enemy you fight is more like a boss, and you can’t just defeat them by hitting buttons. Attacks have to be carefully timed to take advantage of their weaknesses. You may need to sneak in a punch while defending yourself against a flurry of blows, or wait for them to show with a celebration.

This makes the flow of the game very different to any other boxing title, as you wait for a weakness to show then sneak in your punch.

The controls work wonderfully, whether you opt for the motion sensitive or traditional method. With the Wii remote it works as you’d expect as you swing the controller around to attack and dodge. With a game pad it’s a lot like playing the original on the NES, and due to the slightly better response time that may be the preferred method for serious Punch-Out players.

The visuals are gorgeous too, its beautiful cartoon graphics work very well on the Wii despite the low-performance hardware.

Verdict: 90%

A faithful remake of a much-loved classic, the new Punch-Out is an unusual but very fun boxing game that will keep you playing for a long time.