Punch-Out!!

1UP

While Punch Out!! makes for an entertaining enough solitary experience, the back-seat driving aspect makes it positively shine as a party game. There's nothing quite like having a few friends over, passing the controller around, shouting advice, and just generally bonding over some hilarious, bloodless violence.

Giant Bomb

Not to harp on this point too much, but save for the inclusion of Mike Tyson, I'm not sure you could expect much better from a Punch-Out!! remake.

NintendoWorldReport

Punch-Out!! is a fantastic game on almost every level. It's entertaining for those who have thoroughly enjoyed the previous two games, and still accessible to people who are brand new to the series. The game is a one-of-a-kind boxing experience that transcends the boundary of sports games. The controls are great, the humor is there in spades, and the gameplay is almost unparalleled.

Gaming Age

Next Level has taken one of my favorite NES titles and turned it up a notch, making it feel right at home on the current-gen hardware but still managing to capture everything that worked so well in the original. Wii owners owe it to themselves to pick this one up; it's not one to be missed.

Gamers' Temple

If you're a fan of the original Punch-Out!!! you probably already have this game. If you're a causal gamer and want a more fully featured Wii Sports boxing-type game, give this a shot. If you're hardcore and starved for a true challenge, give this a shot. And last but not least, if you're as nonplussed with the Wii as I have been recently, give this a shot.

Gaming Target

Punch-Out!! captures the essence and invokes the spirit of the original without feeling old.

Game Revolution

From the music to the controls and Doc’s worthless advice between rounds, everything in Punch Out!! hearkens back to a time before bump-mapping and load screens, a time when games didn’t have to rely on downloadable content or pre-order bonuses to be great.

Official Nintendo Magazine UK

The best Punch-Out!! game yet. Accessible for newcomers but a real challenge for experts. [June 2009, p.69]

Destructoid

While I’m still a bit bitter that it’s taken 15 years for Nintendo to deliver a new Punch-Out!!, it was unquestionably worth the wait. As a Punch-Out!! fan, I couldn’t ask for more -- classic gameplay that feels familiar, with a handful of fresh and unexpected challenges that are as entertaining as they are challenging.

Games Radar (in-house)

Just for you, Metacritic! Punch-Out!! expertly walks the line between casual punchy-punchy and “serious gamer” depth. As with all the best fighting games, it’s not about seeing the end, it’s about how you get there.

GameSpy

Punch-Out!! is destined to become one of this generation's top classics, right up there with Super Mario Galaxy. It's one heckuva peace offering for Nintendo's jilted lifers, an elaborate brainteaser for everyone who picks it up, and absolutely the best Punch-Out!! to date. If you're still fishing for a reason to own a Wii, this is it.

Cheat Code Central

Though the game doesn't quite attain perfection, it remains the best arcade boxing franchise around.

Wired

It’s just a solid, addictive, finely polished game that’s easy enough for newbies and challenging enough for those who remember. Sometimes, they do make ‘em like they used to.

Game Informer

So many things could have gone horribly wrong, but the core single-player experience gets everything right. [June 2009, p.87]

GameFocus

If you’re a fan of the original or even if you’ve never picked up a Punch Out!! game before in your life, you owe it to yourself to get this game. Quite simply, one of the best NES games has now been re-made into one of the best Wii games available.

Meristation

It's quite incredible when we find out that an original classic is not only remade with an impressive taste, but also that it's one of the best games on the Wii console so far. There's a mixture between graphics, gameplay and funny situations that makes the game almost impossible for anyone to stop playing it. It's a must-have if you like sports, and if you don't, you still have plenty of things to find with this one.

Armchair Empire

As much as I was pummelled by the higher echelon of boxers, it was (and continues to be) fun. It’s also open enough to be kid-friendly and punishing enough to offer the kind of experience many of us from the NES era remember so fondly.

GamePro

The game is a blast and gave me a nasty blister on my left thumb, which to me is always a good, albeit painful sign, of a solid and addictive gaming experience.

GameDaily

Online play and additional challengers (Disco Kid is the only new character) would've made this even better, but Punch-Out!! is still a fun and nostalgia driven arcade style boxing game that every Wii owner should play.

Nintendojo

Gamers looking for an in-depth boxing sim will not find it here. Those looking for wonderful puzzles to solve, characters to fall in love with, and music that will stick for years, this is your game. Punch-Out!! is going to be easily regarded as one of the stand out titles of this year on any system and is a must-own game for Wii owners.

Worth Playing

Punch-Out!! is a must-have sports game on a system that doesn't really have many decent sports games.

Game Positive

The new Punch-Out!! successfully recreates everything fans loved about the series without getting caught up in gimmicky motion controls or the trap of drastically altering classic gameplay to attract a new audience. It's a great sequel well worth waiting fifteen years for.

Nintendo Life

Punch-Out!! on the Wii is an absolutely amazing new installment in the classic franchise with a ton of content for both new and old fans.

AtomicGamer

PunchOut!! is great fun for fans of the NES classic as well as for fresh contenders.

Hardcore Gamer Magazine

In the past Nintendo’s reluctance to embrace new intellectual properties for release on the Wii has failed to produce new classics. However, their dedication to their established franchises has always seemed to result in fun games and Punch-Out!! for the Wii is no exception.

Gameplayer

Punch-Out!! is still a stellar classic that is guaranteed to hit casual and hardcore Nintendo fans fair in the face with fun.

Vandal Online

Punch-Out!! is an old school game which is far from what we are used to play recently. However, definitely this is not bad news, as the game is as fun as it was then, and moreover its graphics are well updated.

IGN

Luckily the second half of the game brings back that sense of discovery with character upgrades that change things considerably. Punch-Out!! nuts have nothing to worry about, and I think that the game design holds up really well, even for players who aren't familiar with the brand's unique offering of pattern-focused gameplay.

GameZone

Boxing at its best. Many games have tried to capture the arcade essence of the Punch-Out!! series, and all of them have failed. But nearly 20 years later, the king is back and is better than ever.

SpazioGames

Quotation forthcoming.

3DJuegos

It’s solid, addictive and finely polished.... A game accessible for newcomers but a real challenge for experts.

Deeko

All in all, Punch-Out!! is good fun for both fans of the classic Punch-Out games and those new to the franchise.

Da Gameboyz

Punch-Out is an enjoyable title for all ages and is a great arcade style boxing title which makes use of all of the controls available on the Nintendo Wii.

Nintendo Power

The folks at Next Level Games have created an amazing title that has made the 15 years since Super Punch-Out!! quite worthwhile. [June 2009, p.88]

GameTrailers

It’s disappointing that the motion controls are more a novelty than an effective way to play, but the personality, nostalgic nods, hidden goodies, and battle-tested, edge-of-your-seat gameplay demonstrate that some things never go out of style.

GameSpot

Punch-Out for the Wii isn't much different from the NES version, but it hardly matters when it's this much fun.

NGamer UK

Punch-Out!! is an odd choice for a revival, but it suits the Wii perfectly. Thumpy and brash but not without brains. It's time to get reacquainted.

Game Over Online

Overall, the gameplay itself is fun, and there are enough options (Wii Remote, Wii Remote/Nunchuk, Balance Board) to suit the preferences of any gamer.

Play Magazine

Complaints are already being waged that the game is too similar too the old series. This game wasn’t meant for you. For the rest of us who desire an experience that isn’t trying to be anything more than high-level throwback, Punch-Out!! is fantastic fun.

XGN

Punch-Out!! is playable for every gamer, because of the easy starting point. The game is filled with funny moments and the graphics are quite good. The game might not be very long, but despite that it's a must have for every Wii owner!

Games Master UK

Some 15 years have passed and Little Mac feels as fresh as he ever did. Good stuff. [July 2009, p.80]

Everyeye.it

An old school arcade game, that emerges not only for the shiny graphic. A simple gameplay that can deeply entertain hardcore gamers and '80 maniacs.

Gamer.nl

This game offers something that Wii players are dying for: proper gameplay mechanics, challenging opponents and a great graphical style. The variation between the fighters, aesthetic as well as their fighting style, will constantly give you a pleasant feeling. Our advice: Don't miss this title.

Multiplayer.it

Punch-Out!! is exactly how a remake should be made. But the core mechanics are probably more suited to the people who enjoyed the other punch-out!! games than to newcomers or casual gamers.

Edge Magazine

The most comprehensive remake Nintendo has ever undertaken. [July 2009, p.94]

LEVEL (Czech Republic)

Cel-shaded graphics and animations in this sport arcade comes in a lovely retro style resembling this game's predecessor. Fortunately, wiimote controls are precise enough not to spoil the fun. [June 2009]

games(TM)

Works around the limitations of motion control, bringing the Punch-Out!! Series up to date without losing any of the charm that made it a fan favourite in the first place. [July 2009, p.106]

Cubed3

Punch Out works due to the tight mix of concise, simple gameplay that has not grown stale despite being over two decades old, a superb slapstick sense of humour, a style that matches it perfectly and because it caters to everybody without being detrimental to anybody on the control front.

Eurogamer Portugal

For the authentic fans, the renewed dialogues and visuals of this roster that now gains another life can probably be enough to be worth the investment.

Gamestyle

Punch-Out is a welcome return for an old favourite that has spent far too long in the sidelines.

Cynamite

The charming cel-shading look goes along with a nice mixture between action and strategy. Unfortunately the Nunchuk control is a little exhausting and there could also be more content. But in the end it's a well-made remake.

Eurogamer

If you're not a fan Punch-Out!! is still worth trying, but with caution. It's approachable at first but a hard taskmaster later on, an endurance test for your nerves and temper. You know, like videogames used to be. Well, you asked for it. And Nintendo is only too happy to plant it right between your eyes.

Gamervision

Nintendo played it safe this time, and it’s hard to blame them, but it still is somewhat disappointing that they didn’t go the extra mile and expand the game’s content. Nevertheless, Nintendo seems to have given fans exactly what they wanted, no more, no less.

Level7.nu

Taking the simple and aged concept of Punch Out and updating it for a modern day console is no obvious feat, but Next Level Games has definitely pulled it off with grandeur. The boxing is fun, the roster of fighters is both charming and well assembled and the different modes offered does give this title some bang for it's buck. Although there are some flaws to be found they are nowhere near enough to deter gamers from punching their way through what's definitely one of the most entertaining experiences you'll find on the Wii.

Zentendo

Fans of previous Punch-Out titles will have new obstacles to come over making it a familiar but new experience making it worthy of a purchase. Causal gamers or newcomers to the series will definitely want to rent first as the challenge may be too much in the fights later in the game.

Teletext GameCentral

Hugely successful update which may lack realism, but is loaded with charm and surprising depth.

VideoGamer

If you've been waiting most of your life for a visually upgraded Punch-Out!! that plays just as you remember it from the NES and SNES, your dreams have been answered. This is exactly that, and packed full of the kind of charm you'd expect from a Nintendo product.

Telegraph

It’s an ardently old-school video game, big on simple, challenging fun and wonderfully overblown, colourful caricatures. A gorgeous, gleeful tribute to how video games used to be.

Pelit (Finland)

Punch-Out!! shows how little games have really changed in a decade: Quick Time Events are still a trend. Luckily the game still has it old charm.

The Onion (A.V. Club)

Punch-Out!! is happily a student of the old school. Overcomplicating it with newfangled controls is distracting.

Gameplayer Sweden

A near-perfect reimagining of the NES classic with gameplay that still rings true, the only caveat being that the original game is available on Virtual Console for far less.

Eurogamer Spain

Punch-Out!! for Wii is a great comeback from a classic saga. People who lived prior games will like it, but it also appeal to new gamers with its funny design and astounding personality.