PunchOut!

This game for the Wii is aggravating as all get out but fun. Aggravating because I forget to weave when I should have ducked! Remembering the classic game I decided to give it a shot, and find many of the same elements that made the first game fun also in this one.

Controls:
There are different control style to use, first there is the Wii remote and nunchuck. You use these to box by moving either your left or right hand. The problem I get with this control style is that I forget which direction to move using the control stick on the nunchuck when dodging incoming punches. Another control style is just using the Wii controller by itself to control Little Mac(the main character you play), To me this way takes the fun out of the game, but might be easier. There is a third option if you have the Wii Fit Board, in conjunction with the first style. This way when you go to duck or dodge the punches you just lean the direction you want to dodge or duck, and Little Mac does it. Have not tried this method yet, but I should, it might be easier.

Content:
So far I am only onto the second title bout, so I do not think I am far from beating the game. You can do your career method and try to beat them one on one, the only thing is that if you keep losing then it goes against your record. There is also the Exhibition mode where once you get to a character, you can fight them in this mode to work on your dodging skills and find out their moves in and it does not count against your record. A third option is a head to head against someone, this is you against a friend, which I have not tried yet as I am afraid my wife will whoop up on me!!!

Characters:
They have brought back many of the favorites, or at least the ones I can remember from the old game. The biggest one we all remember is King Hippo, but there is also some new ones like Disco Joe. You of course can only play as Little Mac, unless you are playing head to head, and then there is a way to transform into Giga Mac, another version of Little Mac after he gets juiced up. I do like it when you whoop up on them that they show their bumps and bruises. Another character that is more animated is your coach, but sometimes his quirky comments are a little silly.

Moves:
There is the ol' one two punch, but your moves need to be careful, and just not random punches. You need to watch the other character and wait for them to swing and then lay it on them, usually that is. There are a few moments when if you hit them just right you can earn stars. Once you earn one star you can through a star punch, however if you wait for 3 stars, the maximum you can get, then you can through an even stronger star punch. However, if you have a star or stars built up waiting to through that right punch and then the other player hits you, you lose your stars. Pretty simple movements over all.

Online:
There is none, again my biggest grip with the Wii. If you want to go head to head with someone then they need to be at your house, and that just sucks, I would like to see more games with online play.


Over all this game is fun as long as you don't get aggravated by having to learn the different moves of each fighter, but I guess if they were all the same then you would win the game pretty quickly. This game is fun one on one, and I'm sure once my wife and I start to fight each other, then we will have fun fighting each other, however we can just use the Wii Sports game to do that as well, just not as detailed or as many moves. I will give this game a 7 out of 10, simply because there is no online play, and I hate that.