Punch-Out!! (Wii)
| Punch-Out!! | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Developer | Next Level Games | ||||||||
| Publisher | Nintendo | ||||||||
| Platform(s) | Wii, Wii U, Nvidia Shield TV (Mainland China only)[1] | ||||||||
| Release date | Wii (original release): May 18, 2009[?] May 22, 2009[?] July 23, 2009[?] July 23, 2009[?] July 23, 2009[?]Wii (Nintendo Selects): August 28, 2011[?]Wii U (digital download): January 22, 2015[2] March 12, 2015[3] March 13, 2015[?] June 24, 2015[?]Nvidia Shield TV:  December 5, 2017[1] | ||||||||
| Language(s) | English (United States) French (France) German Spanish (Spain) Spanish (Latin America) Italian Japanese Simplified Chinese1 1 - Only in the Nvidia Shield TV version. | ||||||||
| Genre | Fighting | ||||||||
| Rating(s) |
| ||||||||
| Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer | ||||||||
| Format | Wii:  Optical discWii U:  Digital download | ||||||||
| Input | Wii:
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- Everyone 10 
- Twelve years and older
- All ages
- Parental Guidance
Punch-Out!! is a game released for the Wii in 2009 by Next Level Games. It is the fifth installment of the Punch-Out!! series. The game stars Little Mac and features Donkey Kong as a bonus opponent.
Punch-Out!! was reprinted as a Nintendo Selects title in North America on August 28, 2011. It was later re-released on the Wii U's Nintendo eShop in North America on January 22, 2015, in Europe on March 12, 2015, in Oceania on March 13, 2015, and in Japan on June 24, 2015.
Gameplay[edit]
The gameplay is similar to that of Punch-Out!! on the Family Computer/NES. It has the heart system for stamina and the three-star system for Power Punches. This game has various controller settings, including the Wii Remote, Wii Balance Board, and Nunchuk.
As the protagonist of the game, Little Mac, the player must face a variety of opponents, including Donkey Kong, who appears as a bonus opponent in the Little Mac's Last Stand game mode. After being unlocked, he can be faced at any time in Exhibition mode. He is a large, powerful opponent with a variety of taunts.
Development[edit]
Preproduction on the game reportedly began around the time of the Wii's release. Nintendo discussed the idea of a new Punch-Out!! game with Next Level Games, and these discussions soon led to the studio creating a prototype of the game.[4] Punch-Out!! for the Wii was first revealed publicly in 2008 at the Nintendo Media Summit, where a 15-second trailer showcasing the returning characters from past Punch-Out!! games was shown.[5] Nintendo reportedly wanted the new Punch-Out!! game to be very reminiscent of Punch-Out!! for the Family Computer/NES, so the company asked Next Level Games to base many of their design choices on those seen in that game. This included designing the gameplay to feel very similar to that of the Family Computer/NES (even going so far as to make sure that opponents could be beaten in the same way that they could be in the NES game) as well as making the characters look as faithful to their appearances on the Family Computer/NES as possible. As an additional part of this desire to remain faithful to the NES title, the studio designed the new game to utilize the Wii Remote turned sideways, in an effort to emulate classic Family Computer/NES-style controls for the game.[6]
Princess Peach was considered to make an appearance in this game as an opponent, but the idea was dropped because Kensuke Tanabe did not like the idea of punching women in the game.[6] Mario was also considered, but the prospect of punching Mario was similarly off-putting. Additionally, while Mario was included as a referee in the Family Computer/NES game Punch-Out!!, he was left out of the new title altogether over concerns that his appearance would not work with the game's aesthetic.[6] Instead, Donkey Kong was included as a bonus opponent to represent the Super Mario franchise.
Staff[edit]
- Main article: List of Punch-Out!! (Wii) staff
Gallery[edit]
Logo
Artwork of Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong, as he appears in-game
Little Mac fighting Donkey Kong
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | パンチアウト!![?] Panchiauto!! |
Punch-Out!! | |
| Chinese | 击拳热斗！！[7] Jī quán rè dòu |
Punch Heated Fight!! |
Trivia[edit]
- King Hippo, one of the opponents in the game, has Super Star prints on his underwear.
- Unlike the game's other boxers, Donkey Kong's stats are all represented by a series of question marks with the exception of his record, which is listed as zero wins, zero losses, and zero knockouts.[8]
References[edit]
- ^ a b Lawler, Richard (December 5, 2017). Nintendo Wii, GameCube games come to China on NVIDIA Shield. Engadget (English). Retrieved July 9, 2024.
- ^ Good, Owen S. (January 14, 2015). Punch-Out!!, Super Mario Galaxy 2 among Wii titles coming to Wii U as downloads. Polygon (English). Retrieved January 15, 2015.
- ^ Seedhouse, Alex (March 9, 2015). Nintendo Download: 12th March 2015 (Europe). Nintendo Insider. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
- ^ August 26, 2009. Punch-Out!! Post Mortem Interview. The Armchair Empire (English). Archived May 31, 2014, 14:41:39 UTC from the original via Wayback Machine. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
- ^ Devries, Jack (October 2, 2008). Punch-Out!! Coming to Wii. IGN (English). Retrieved July 9, 2024.
- ^ a b c Totilo, Stephen (July 27, 2009). Punch-Out Devs Talk Graphics, Difficulty, Nixed Princess Peach Idea. Kotaku (English). Retrieved July 9, 2024.
- ^ @chinesenintendo (September 1, 2018). Higher resolution screenshots for those who need it:. Twitter (English). Retrieved July 9, 2024.
- ^ Raulca25 (August 23, 2022). Punch-Out!! Wii - VS Donkey Kong (DK). YouTube (English). Retrieved May 29, 2024. (Archived May 22, 2023, 16:58:49 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
