Pong and Beyond

632nd played so far

Genre: Fighting
Platform: Wii
Year of Release: 2009
Developer: Next Level Games
Publisher: Nintendo

When I started playing this, I thought I’d already played Super Punch-Out, but I turned out to be wrong. I must have tried a game in the series before, but not this one.

The reason I thought I did is because I did remember that I did not do well at it. I’m mostly relying here on newer games generally being a bit easier. I certainly hope that will be the case here, as this is a game I want to explore.

Our Thoughts

As I’m writing this, I recently read some of Ashita no Joe, a Japanese boxing manga. I didn’t enjoy the story much, but it was interesting to read a bit about the technique of the sport and the importance some attach to it. I can’t say I care much more about the sports, but it was deeper than I thought, even if it wasn’t as deep as they were trying to present it.

How does this apply to the game? There is certainly more to it than just punching, with the high and low attacks from both hands and some more aiming.  After that a lot of it comes down to recognising tells, dodging and countering at the right time, and go on the aggressive when your opponent lets their guard down. There’s timing involved, but it also gives you a chance to develop your own style.

Sadly that breaks down a bit once you get to King Hippo. It’s a puzzle fight that requires you to wait, then do a specific set of puchines at the right time. There’s no room to explore or build your personal style, you just go with it. It’s a bit of a let down after the previous set of opponents, as I can’t get the timing or attacks right.

Aside from that, there are a bunch of practice and other modes to bulk up the game. One of the nice things about it is that there are more places to enjoy the graphics. They’re cartoony, exaggerated but gorgeous, creating a lot of character for each of the opponents. They are clearly streotypes, but only for small sections, which keeps it palatable.

Final Thoughts

Boxing hasn’t become an amazingly better sport after playing this, although I wouldn’t expect it to that much. It is a game that creates an interesting, different challenge that is greatly enhanced by the unique opponents. It’s fun to go through them, and the real treat each time came from what the new opponent brought, and how that influenced their fighting style.