The closer we get to the release of Punch Out Wii, the more I get the feeling that the majority of gamers out there prefer the original Punch Out to it's SNES sequel. Now, of course I'm not going to tell people what they should like, to each his own, but I just get the odd feeling that SPO may not be getting the love it deserves.
While I probably played Punch Out first, my first strong memories with the series came in the mid 90s on the SNES. What a slick, well playing boxing title it was. Tough too. Tough enough that I was unable to complete it during my rental period. But simple enough that most anyone could get at least through the first of 4 circuits.
Fast forward to about 2 years ago when I picked up the NES original for my Wii. Enjoyable in its own right, PO looked and played like a game late in the NES cycle should. But having spent so much time with SPO, I was able right away to note all the issues that had been fixed in the sequel.
There are some issues that receive little notice because they are deemed "classic." For example, how the match is broken into 3 brief rounds instead of one long one. This round breaks needlessly break up the action while you get to read one of Doc's half dozen or so messages over and over. The "super" meter in SPO is a big improvement over the "star" system. Also, they make the game more strategic by having your character overcome ailments like hurt hands or mist to the eyes. The original just has you get exhausted if too many of your punches are blocked. Sound bites are greatly improved and so are in match and victory celebrations.
The sequel replaces the "continue" feature the ability to select any of the 4 circuits from the menu. Speaking of which, the original has 3 circuits with 11 opponents and 14 matches. The sequel has 4 circuits with 16 opponents with no repeats. It also adds a time trail mode. SPO also feels more rewarding in the sense that if you bet down an opponent, that regenerate health accordingly after a knock down. The original feels random at times in this facet.
Anyway, I don't mean to hate on PO, after all, some of it's negative traits stem from hardware limitations. I just want some more people to sit down and spend some quality time with what I feel is the superior game. There are 2 qualities the I think SPO could have improved on. One, I do wish it was a tad harder. Two, I wish there were a few cinematics of some sort to make completing the game feel more rewarding.
PS. Best character in the series = Mr. Sandman. He better appear in the new game.
