It's nice to see them comment favorably on difficulty. Disco Ki telegraphed like crazy in the preview vid I saw, so it'll be nice to see how Title bumps up his game.

Gamesradar has a few new videos and screenshots up.  We get to see Great Tiger and Piston Honda (Piston Hondo now?) in action, in addition to the Title Defense matches against Glass Joe and King Hippo:

http://www.gamesradar.com/wii/f/punch-o … 4264597030
http://www.gamesradar.com/wii/f/punch-o … 597030/p-2

Looks like they're really going the extra mile for Title Defense.  There's even new artwork illustrating the physical add-on changes to the opponents!

Hah, check out Nintendo's official (extended) commercial for the game:

"You see, a comeback is like a yo-yo....."

That might be the best commercial for a game I've ever seen.

Gametrailers has their preview video up, with their review forthcoming:

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/49125.html

Can I just say that it's been awfully lonely on this hype train that I'm on?  More so than any other upcoming title I've thrown heaps of hype at, anyway.  But it's cool, because that allows me to run around the cars bare-naked and unfettered -- all the while guzzling Popinski soda shots by the thousands.  Whoo~!

It's not apathy, per se. Title Defense certainly has raised my interest, and that ad was beautiful. It's more a victim of timing in my case. Specifically I've spent the last two weeks marathonning the HELL out of Elite Beat Agents, and my current state of mind is that if the next thing out of Nintendo's mouth isn't EBA2, I don't want to hear from them.

So yes, Punch-Out seems more exciting now than it did two months ago, but my heart's in other places. I'll still pick it up. Call me a hitchhiker on this train.

I don't know if I'm as hyped as you, Angie. I certainly enjoyed Punch-Out!! in it's previous incarnations (though I wasn't a big fan of the NES game), and the game certainly looks like it retains all of the charms the series is known for. It could be just a general apathy for the Wii in general. I don't know.

I am eager to get back into the ring again, though.

I'm just waiting for the final verdict on the motion controls.  If the word is good on that front then I'm there!

I find the Punch-Out games to be amusing, but little else.  I'd like to try this one, but I'm not paying $50 for the privilege of doing so.  It's something I'd pick up if I saw it for $10 or less.

Well, it ain't $10 or less, but Amazon's carrying it for $39.99 for who knows how long.

Also, 1up.com's got their review up, as does IGN.  An A+ and an 8.8, respectively.

I'd hafta agree with you on this one.

It's just difficult to get excited about games that are (for the most part) updated rehashes of past Nintendo hit-franchises.

I guess that's the reason i was so bored with Twilight Princess, i just couldn't shake the feeling that i'd already played through this back in 1999.

Although i can definitely see the appeal of these 'Wii-makes' (remakes) for the younger generation gamers of today, who hadn't been born yet when the originals first came out.

I'm not gonna lie, i still love playing video games, but i'm just not as enthusiastic about them as i used to be.

I'm getting old and cranky, dammit!!

heh-heh

Remember Turbo the Dog from Soulblazer?

The canine outdoor Forest-Restaurant manager who scared the hell out of you by saying that the Main Course Special of The Day was...

YOU!!

Very nice. Not sure I'd go for the Heavyweight Kit, though. Putting chocolate in a collector's item is like asking for ants to invade.

Just came back from the Nintendo World Store's launch party of the game.  Lots of fun!  I didn't get to participate in the tournament since the thirty-two player allotment was already filled, but the free swag, the DJ pumping out AWESOME Punch-Out!! music remixes, and most importantly, getting the game early were an absolute treat.  I would've paid through the nose for one of those Little Mac pink hoodies, but they were designated for tourney participants only. >_<   

----

Check out some of the photogs I took:

01) The front window of the Nintendo World Store, adorned with a gigantic version of the iconic piece of Mac decking Joe.  The lights above scrolls out the phrase "Little Mac Is Back!"

02) The side of the store's windows have the fight ads you've probably seen at Gamestop.

03) Inside, kiosks were set up with the three console Punch-Out!! games.  From left to right: Super Punch-Out!!, Wii Punch-Out!!, and NES Punch-Out!!  They were all running off Wii consoles, so the SNES and NES titles were, of course, the Virtual Console versions.

04) A patron gets some hands-on time with the Wii version, layin' the smack-down on Great Tiger!

05) Another patron who's about to get a knuckle sandwich from Piston Honda.  (Yes, back when he was still Honda..... ahh, those were the days.)

06) The audience on the upper floor, where the tournament was being held. 

07) Another shot of the crowd.

08) A candid shot of the staff horsing around.  The dude on the right is giving his best Bald Bull wind-up punch impression. :)  The young kid in front winces in pain from a heavy hit from Glass Joe.  Kid, you ain't seen nothing yet.

09) Another patron checks out the Wii version of the game.  This guy was particularly animated in his fight motion movements. :)

10) A shot of one of the many Wii version kiosks available for play.  I took this one before I stepped up for a go.  It was exhilarating to finally play this bad boy for the first time. :D

11) The grand prize trophy for whoever wins the tourney.  It's a nice one, ain't it?

12) The number one winner also received the encased "autographed" Little Mac green boxing glove.  Very cool.

13) The DJ, playing double-duty as tourney announcer.  As said, there was some seriously dope music mixes to be enjoyed here.

14) A staff worker poses to show off the back of the Punch-Out themed T-shirt that everyone was wearing.

15) And here's a shot of my very own T-shirt, from the front.  They were also giving away Doc's Remedy Milk Chocolate bars, too!

16) A close-up of the game's back cover.  I'm tempted to save the chocolate bar as a souvenir, yet at the same time, I'm dying to give it a taste. :P

----

You can bet I'll have some impressions of the game later.  But yeah, I definitely had a great time today. :)

I've finished the initial single-player campaign twice over the weekend, dabbled a bit in the Exhibition challenges, and am about to begin Title Defense.  Unsurprisingly, I've been enjoying every minute of the game.

I've admitted it before, and I'll say it again here: this is, by and large, a re-skinned remake.  But what impresses is the fact that they've embellished on so much of the core experience of the original, so many little details, so much fan service goodness, that it feels like an entirely justified (and satisfying) remake.  This is like the NES Punch-Out!! on steroids; the slickly-animated new look, multiple classic music arrangements, hilariously clever character traits (that Irish boxer Aran Ryan always wakes up on the lucky "7" count is a mad stroke of genius), and the newly-designed move sets for these familiar characters all give way to a fresh new outlook at a classic experience.

Let's get to the important stuff.  First, the new motion controls.  They work surprisingly well.  Adam mentioned his discontent about having to hold different buttons to alter the swing of your punches, but to me, this was a smart decision, and let me tell you why.  The motion sensor just isn't accurate enough to precisely triangulate your high or low swings, especially with a super-strict timing based title like Punch-Out!!  The proposed controls really aren't as complicated as all that, though; when you want to throw a high punch, you simply hold up on the nunchuck's analog stick and swing.  Likewise, for a powered-up Star Punch, you hold A on the Wiimote and swing.

The motion scheme isn't entirely perfect, but the workaround is fully serviceable.  Where precision really counts is in the dodging, and for that, it was smart of them to to place movement on the analog stick.  (I've not tried the Balance Board support, but I can tell right away that it simply isn't going to cut it here.)  The punching, however, suffers from that very brief second delay time that hinders many other motion-based games.  If you can compensate for that delay, however, by settling yourself into a slower, steadier succession of swings, then you'll be golden.

Above all, it's just enjoyable getting to stand ready in a fighting stance, and getting to physically dole out your attacks.  And unlike Wii Boxing, there's a true sense of urgent battling here, so the feeling of aggressiveness is quite a bit more heightened. :) 

Second, the game's challenge.  I consider myself a Punch-Out!! veteran at this point.  I mean, I can get through the entire NES original by taking a minimum of three, maybe four hits total.  And with all the pre-release talk that the game is a breezy affair until you get to Title Defense filled me with perhaps a bit too much confidence.  I was able to breeze through the Minor Circuit, but once I got into the thick of the Major and World Circuits, I was getting severely shellacked.  Trial and error is the delectable bread and butter of a Punch-Out!! title, and there's plenty to go around here.  The repertoire of opponents' new moves and complicated telegraphed patterns have expanded greatly.  Here, you need to contend with not only the fluxes in the opponent's animations, but also their highly personalized battle cries, grunts and dialog shout-outs.  There's a new variable, too, where successful dodging is dependent on which way they're attacking from.  True, they had this element in the older games, after a fashion, but it's been widely lengthened here.  If Flamenco is swinging with a left hook "OLE!", you HAVE to dodge to his left, or suffer the blow.  Bear Hugger charging in with his patented bear hug means to duck, but NOT if he pulls off his brand new overhead attack instead.  It took me a good while to get a bead on these guys; hell, I'm still learning.  You'll frequently experience mental farts with this game, where you'll go, "Damn it, why did I do THAT move just now??!"

I won't have a final verdict on the game until I finish Title Defense and the Exhibition challenges.  And hell, all the positive stuff I've said about the motion controls could very well go out the window once I take on the harder modes.  But so far, the game's been delivering on several counts, and I'm not disappointed in the least.

I'm excited.
I preordered the game and I dont even own a Wii yet.

Picked the game up today. I am genuinely liking it. Motion controls don't suck nearly as much as I thought they would (if at all, to be honest), music is a blast, and there are so many throwbacks to the old games that it at times feels like you're entertaining an old friend rather than just another entry in a series.

Some awesome fun to be had here.

You're the winner of the month, Brandon.  High five!  (Be sure to grab the music recordings on the Game Music forum.  Keep an eye on your email, too; you'll get first crack at all the new ones that I do.) :)

Title Defense is pure hardcore.  It is BRUTALLY devious; they've taken every preconceived ounce of knowledge that you have at playing Punch-Out!! successfully, and turns it completely inside out.  Stepping up your dexterity, reflexes, and mental grasp at recognizing the new telegraphed maneuvers is a must.  It's so goddamned awesome.

Wrote some in-game audio impressions here:

http://www.originalsoundversion.com/?p=2962

But I figure if there's already a rip available, that's your best bet to check out the music.  I'll definitely be grabbing it.

EDIT:  And title defense is nuts.  I can't even beat Glass Joe.

Finally, FINALLY got to try this today, after no shortage of obstacles including a local release date that was different everywhere  I asked, 9-and-a-half-hour work shifts, and having to buy a second Wii (yes, you read that right). I think I've mentioned this before, but I never legitimately beat the original NES Punch-Out. So it's with no small trepidation that I kicked this one off.
After trying both, motion control is definitely the way to go - too many times with the sideways Wiimote did I either pause when I meant to Star Punch or dodge inexplicably in mid-combo. That said, I could definitely use some practice on them - I get a bit...over-zealous in pursuit of my combos, and guys like Piston eat that up. But I'd rather not use Practice Mode - baptism by fire, baby! - which has lead to a rather underwhelming 8-3 record so far. *sigh*
The personalities are delicious. Flamenco is actually SOMEBODY this time around and not just Dan Rather Making Chicken Noises. (continued)

Aran Ryan's a hoot, even as I curse his name (guess where I'm stuck), and if Piston isn't voiced by the guy who does Kim Kaphwan, I'll be very surprised indeed.
So yeah, good game.

Agreed.  The practice mode is fairly useless since you take no damage.  It's impossible to gauge just how many hits you can take before you go down in the real fight.  Plus, those losses you're racking up can go toward unlocking the infinite energy head gear.  (Not that you'd ever use it, of course..... right?)

Ryan's a freaken hooligan, but they've definitely punched up his personality for the better since SPO.  His jaunty Irish-laden music arrangements are so tongue-in-cheek, that you can't help but smile even as he's pummeling your face in. :p

Finally put Ryan down...by, um, decision. But still!

Quite a bit further now, up to Hippo in Title Defense, with a 16-7 record overall. TD Joe was kind of a nightmare (and seeing him, of all people, with your belt - and the profile selection screen crossing out your belts - is psychological torture of the first order), but Kaiser and Disco were surprisingly non-threatening in comparison. I almost have Hippo as well, but can't crack how to manipulate the third phase of his assault, and if he hits you with that double attack...hoo boy.

Got to play it for the first time tonight, and got up to Great Tiger before getting downed. 

Really fun yes, and I was super pleased that it really does keep the same feel and patterns of the original.  Getting my memory of the NES game jogged WHILE IN THE MIDDLE OF A MATCH is great (oh yeah! Hippos shorts fell down in the original too!)  The gameplay and mechanics and feel is basically exactly the same, which of course means they didn't screw anything up!  Nice.

About the *only* negative thing I can think of is that Mario isn't the ref anymore.

I can't figure out why they changed that, there doesn't seem to be a good reason for them to change that when they left so much else as it was.

Maybe Next Level's as sick of his silly voice as I am?

Does the new ref even talk either? 
I can't remember him saying anything, just standing there looking like a Casino Blackjack Dealer. 

It would have kicked ass to see Mario all serious and slicked up like the Blackjack dealer though.  Which is probably why they didn't do it.

The answer to Mario's exclusion had already been established in pretty much all of the featured interviews posted in this thread:

----

Tanabe: Miyamoto wouldn't allow it.  No just kidding, actually there's a much more practical reason for it. For example he just doesn't fit the graphical style of the remake. To make him look good in the ring, we would have to adjust his physical measurements. But then he wouldn't be Mario anymore.

Yeeloy: We dabbled in that. I think it was more about the fit to the game and that sort of thing. We thought it would be nice, because it was a nod to the old franchise, but just because of the way that things progressed in the project, we ended up leaning more toward the [new] ref. And we kind of like it. We’re OK with not pushing too hard to get [Mario] in there.

----

At any rate, the Italian plumber's absence can easily be forgiven when you take into account the presence of Nintendo's other longtime mascot.  Frankly, I still can't believe they put HIM in there..... and as a boxer, no less!

Great success!  I finally fought my way through ten Last Stand bouts.  Unlocked Champion Mode, as well as the fourteenth and final fighter for Exhibition.

I still have quite a few of the Exhibition challenges to plow through, but I'm making this early proclamation with confidence: Punch-Out!! is unequivocally my 2009 Game of the Year so far.  There is so much old-school gaming joy to be had with the game.  It is a flawless representation of what made video games originally fun; perfect, simple controls combined with rock solid game design, and an ample challenge that tests your reflexes and hand-eye coordination to the limits.  Add in surprisingly competent motion controls that offers an exhilarating workout, and a titanic-load of fan service to the long-time PO devotees, and you have, what is to me, one of the Wii's very best titles.

Anyway, I'm curious to hear where you guys are at on your way to the top of the WVBA.

Stunted at TD Popinski at the moment, galling since I passed through Contender Popinski like wet tissue. My main issue is differentiating between the hook I need to dodge to the left and the hook I need to dodge to the right. Oh, and for some reason when I try to punch the bottle out of his hand, Mac dodges to the side without solicitation, and that just makes things worse.

I'm hesitant to try Last Stand actually, as I've heard that the ending's an inescapable downer and it locks the player profile out forever. True?

That's partially true...... Should you lose thrice, your Profile is locked out of everything but the Exhibition Mode.  Which makes sense, since Last Stand is pretty much over at that point, and you aren't able to go back to playing Contender and Title Defense in Career Mode anyway.  The main downsides to this are 1) If you didn't come across the secret fourteenth fighter before your third loss, you'll lose the opportunity to unlock him in Exhibition.  2) You also won't be able to unlock Champion Mode if you didn't rack up your ten wins.  Not only that, but they also DISABLE the Pause --> Restart/Quit option in Last Stand..... so no cheating to avoid a loss.  I did hear that you can physically hit the reset button on your Wii to get around that, but I've yet to try it.

I've actually been playing across multiple Profiles. (Be proud that I'm using the one you sent me, Sonic -- as well as XLord's, Idolores's, and Kenny's. ;p)  One is the master file, where I've got everything unlocked save for the Exhibition Challenges that I'm still working on.  Another has a freshly-unlocked Last Stand Mode, while the others I have available in case I want to tackle the Career Mode proper again.

I'm truly honored. :-)

Angela, I can't remember . . . did I send you my Hitler Mii? I have a whole bunch of custom ones I've made . . .

Yep, you did.   I deduce he was borne simply out of a harmless creative spark, but sometimes I wonder.....  >_>  If the Mii Channel supported headgear, I'd use him as a template, stick on a bowler hat, and dub him C. Chaplin.

And to Sonic, I did forget to offer some advice on Soda Popinsky TD.  He was definitely a toughie for me too.  You can cut down on the 2 to 1 odds of his left and right hooks by ducking them -- but you still need to be mindful of the uppercut.  All of his attacks offer very little in the way of reaction time, so the audio cues rather the visual ones may work better; listen to the different variations of the liquidy sound effect just before he launches his attack.  I've actually had more success with this battle with my eyes closed!

The fight is a bit easier if you're gutsy enough to go on the offensive.  If you're quick enough to anticipate the regular left/right hooks, you can nail him for a Star.  And of course, each Star hit results in him doing his relatively easy-to-evade "raging" uppercuts -- which leads into easy multi-combo opportunities.  Good luck!

I made the Hitler Mii so I could have my Jesus Mii beat the shit out of him in Wii Sports boxing. I need to get going on a Stalin Mii sometime soon.