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RETAILBIZ: PUNCH-OUT!! 28 MCV 17/04/09
Nintendo kicks off the summer on Wii with the return of veteran fighting franchise, Punch Out, complete with new motion controls...
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memorable brawlers and addictive gameplay. Even with the technological limitations of the NES, the boxing title required good reflexes if players wanted to be triumphant in the ring. Now, Nintendo brings the series upto-date with Punch-Out!! for Wii. The game is the first in the franchise to be
by James Batchelor
ONE OF NINTENDO’S greatest assets is its back catalogue. Few publishers can compete with the wealth of franchises and intellectual properties that Nintendo has released over the past few decades. Many of the platform holder’s series are still with This will be a full triple-A us, most notably the likes of launch as you would expect Mario, Zelda and Metroid. from such a long-standing But others have yet to Nintendo franchise. receive a more modern update, being still virgins to Rob Lowe, Nintendo the third dimension. After more than 15 years, one such franchise shown in full 3D and, as can be has been rescued from the realms of expected, boasts motion-sensitive nostalgic memory and brought back to the controls using the Wii Remote. The shelves once more: Punch-Out!! publisher is confident that, despite the Debuting during the 1980s, the lack of a new Punch-Out!! for more original Punch-Out!! soon gathered an than a decade, the Wii version is going impressive fanbase thanks to its to be a big hit come May.
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“Punch-Out!! is our biggest Wii launch so far in 2009 and we see it as an important title that will appeal to both gamers and families in a similar manner to Mario Kart Wii,” says Nintendo’s senior product manager for Wii Rob Lowe. “It has a great pedigree with the previous titles on the NES and SNES, and this heritage is faithfully carried across to the Wii version, along with a host of new functions.” One look at the screenshots and artwork shows that Nintendo has family in mind with this title. While a large element of the game’s appeal will be to adults with fond childhood memories of the original, today’s younger gamers will find it just as enjoyable thanks to the cel-shaded cartoon style that is perfect in keeping with the first games.
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