Nintendo - you know, the folks so often bitched at for ignoring their "hardcore" audience in favor of more casual gamers - has served up a heaping helping of old-school enjoyment to satiate the masses in the form of Punch-Out!! for the Wii.

I feel a Mac attack coming on

   Last seen way back on the Super NES, pint-sized pugilist Little Mac is back for another romp through the World Video Boxing Association. Facing off against characters from both the original Punch Out!! (formerly Mike Tyson's) for the classic 8-bit Nintendo and Super Punch Out!!, you control Mac as he attempts to climb the ranks and make his way to the top to become the world champion. Sounds like a simple sports game, right? Work your punches, practice hard, and go out and beat your opponent senseless before he does the same to you? Well, start eating your vegetables, because there's more to it than that.

   As with the older titles in the series, Punch-Out!! takes the pick-up-and-play fun of a sports game and combines it with the in-depth strategy that defined classic games of the past. Sure, you can just go out there and swing away, hoping to knock the other guy down, but the real challenge comes from studying and learning the other guy's moves, studying his tendencies, and learning when and how to counter. Each character has his own little quirks, and the sooner you figure them out, the easier it will be to move on to the next fight and the higher circuits.

Swing and a miss!

The gang's all here

   The cast of Punch-Out!! is another trip down memory lane, bringing back nearly everyone from the original. Sadly, Iron Mike and his pixelated replacement, Mr. Dream, are nowhere to be found, but that's what you get for being an f-ed up, ear-biting maniac, I suppose. Bear Hugger and Aran Ryan from the SNES iteration are in the lineup as well, and Nintendo actually introduced some new blood by adding the flamboyant Disco Kid to the mix. I guess they needed to put in one new character or else people would just think it was a remake of the NES game. Which it is.

   Not that this is a bad thing. The NES Punch Out!! is a classic, providing tons of fun on your own or with a group, passing the controller around the room as you and your friends try to make it to the top. The Wii version accurately captures that sense of joy, letting us old-school gamers recapture some of the action from the glory days and letting newcomers find out how much fun a single player game can be, even in a group.

Little Mac, meet Little Mac

   Of course, the youngins in the audience will still clamor for their beloved multiplayer, and therefore Punch-Out!! has included a two-player battle mode. Both combatants take on the role of Little Mac (with different colored gloves) and engage in a split-screen, WiiSports-like boxing match. There's even a Giga Mac power up that allows one player a temporary advantage over the other, provided he can land a few punches with the big fella. The action is fast and fun, but feels lacking for two big reasons.

   First, you can't choose any of the other boxers in the game to play as, which would have been a great unlockable feature to add replay value to the main circuits. The other detriment with multiplayer is the fact that it takes all of the strategy out of the equation - which is the main purpose to the single player mode - and replaces it with button-mashing or Wiimote-swinging mayhem. It's a good diversion, and certainly a welcome break every now and then when you've been toiling through the circuits for hours on end, but it feels like it could have been more flushed out.

But wait - there's more!

   So you think you're ready, huh? Got your pink jumpsuit on, been training in the gym, chasing bicycles all day long, and now you want to take on all challengers? While the first trip through the WVBA circuits will have you facing familiar foes with just as familiar weaknesses (Glass Joe's, um, glass jaw, King Hippo's stomach, etc.), you have a greater challenge ahead. If you can make it through the standard circuit, you will be treated to the crazy fun of Title Defense mode.

   Get ready to chew steel for bubble gum, my friend, because this time around, you're the one with the belt, and everyone is out to get you. That means they're the ones who have been training and toughening up just to get a piece of you. Try hitting Glass Joe in the face when he's wearing headgear, or punching King Hippo's gluttonous gut when it's protected by a sewer cover. Everyone has been improved the second time around, and the punishment they deal out can be severe.

   If you can make your way through that mode (and the subsequent secret character - who I won't reveal to you here, but hey, you're on the internet... go look it up!), then you'll earn the right to try Mac's Last Stand, where you must keep winning to proceed. If you are the sensitive, new-gen gamer type, you better stack up on tissues, because there are no more restarts, no quitting mid-match, and no endless retries. If you lose three times on your way through this circuit, you'll have to say goodnight and start over (and no password function, either). Sadly, I can't tell you what's at the end of this mode yet, but that's another piece of info I'm sure you can find somewhere on the web.

Still pretty after all those punches to the face

   Punch-Out!! for Wii looks great, plain and simple. It's cartoony, it's goofy, but that's exactly what it's supposed to be; Nintendo isn't trying to beat Fight Night's life-like graphics. Each cel-shaded caricature features his own introduction movie and the boxers have some unique quirks and sayings (though most are in foreign languages) that add flavor to the matches. Plus, it's pretty damn funny when you knock out Glass Joe and see croissants and baguettes go flying all over the canvas.

   The music is a trip down memory lane as well, with the original Punch Out!! theme dominating. The sound effects are top-notch too, giving a little hint of realism to the otherwise arcade feel. You can also unlock the character videos, sound effects, and music by defeating them in the circuits, which doesn't really do much but can be a cool waste of time for a few minutes at least.

Just one more round...

   Ultimately, Punch-Out!! for Wii accomplishes exactly what it set out to do: provide some hardcore fun for all generations of gamers and delivering a must-buy for the Wii in between Mario and Zelda titles. The game is a joy to play and will keep you going until you can beat that next fighter. Okay, maybe one more...

       ... Darthziggy