At a Glance

Fans of really old school gaming can rejoice! Punch-Out!! is well and truly back with this Wii outing for the much loved boxing series. Little Mac, the pint-sized pugilist from the original games has returned as the star of the show and he's brought the likes of Glass Joe, King Hippo, Doc Louis, Von Kaiser and others from the original series with him. Now, if you're not familiar with the original Punch-Out!! games and the character names haven't given this away already – this is not Fight Night. Punch-Out!! is a cartoony, over the top arcade title that at no point pretends to be a sim. As you would expect if you've ever boxed on Wii before, Punch-Out!! makes use of the console's motion sensitive control system to put you in the ring. Wii Remote in one hand, Nunchuk in the other, you'll swing away like a madman, making use of the thumbstick to tweak your blows. If you're a fan of the NES version of Punch-Out!!, there's something to tickle your inner child, too – players can flip the Wii Remote on its side to make use of traditional the control scheme. Players work their way up through 13 fighters in three different circuits to grab the WVBA Championship. That is not, however, where your career ends. From there, you'll have to hold onto your title by fending off your previous opponents, who come back toughened up and on better form. Thrown in for good measure is a two-player, split screen mode that, if you handle it right, enables you to assume the might of...Giga Mac!