Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Punch out

So, I've been away from my blogger duties for some time now. I've been playing the latest Punch-Out game for the Wii and have a few comments about it.

In general, I find the game really amusing. It is a fine game in which the boxing action feels very real and the possibility to use the Wii balance board adds a lot to the experience as you duck and dodge your opponents' attacks.

The opponents are basically the same as the original for the NES, the graphics are cartoony. (As wii is making users feel used to, as they lack the creativity or confidence to make things better, I don't know)

There are some details in the game that aim at waking a certain nostalgia for the old game, like the reappearences of all the characters, the cutscenes of Little Mac's training, or even the movements of the opponents.

I don't know if I love or hate the predictability of the movements of the opponents, or the fact that if you throw punches at a different time than what is set in the game, they will always be blocked. I think they are aiming at the nostalgia of the old game, but that's what it is... Old!!!

Still, I'm having a lot of fun with it and I sweat like a pig every time I play it. I think that having the possibility of playing it using the old configuration of the controller (Holding the Wiimote sideways and using it like the old NES controller) is absolutely stupid and I think that whoever chooses to use that configuration is missing out on a great experience of gameplay. I highly recommend using the Wii Balance Board for this game.

Now, for the two-player mode...
What were they thinking?
The motion is stiff and unresponsive. No skill involved and no way to predict what's going to happen. I could have accepted the game better without it. I tried it with a friend and I ended up tired and frustrated at seeing Little Mac turn into a beast and not responding to my movements like in the tournament mode.

In general I would give the tournament mode a recognition for gameplay and control. Kudos for that, but I would throw the two-player mode into a bog so it's never seen by anyone else.