Of course, if you didn't know what this topic was going to be about just by reading the subject header, you should pack up and leave the gaming community right now.  Forever.

Among the awesome new software titles Nintendo's Conference has just revealed (Klonoa Wii!  Rygar Wii!  Sin And Punishment 2!  Mario & Luigi 3!  Made In Me: Warioware DS!) comes the best news of all: Punch-Out!! on the Wii!  Little Mac is back as the lead, and judging from these screenshots, it looks like Glass Joe, Von Kaiser, and King Hippo will at least be returning.

I'm still being optimistically cautious, though.  The cel-shading approach is interesting, but here's hoping it'll be able to convey the range of kooky character expressions and animation that the series is known for.  And the controls are to be motion-based, but it'd be sweet if they implemented conventional gameplay for old time's sake as well.   

Those are croissants flying out of Joe.  This could end up being the greatest game ever.

Your link to a screenshot on Wired is no longer any good.

Cel-shading for Punch Out! is just fine.  Given the number of other games that have successfully emoted facial expressions, this game should be fine.

Fixed.  Missed a single letter in the URL.

Also, that teeny-tiny portion of footage from the Wii Sizzle Reel:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXtpgHOKQSU

Never really cared for Punch-Out on the NES (Blasphemy!! I know...), but with the motion sensitive shtick on the Wii? Hell yes!

I was like "Oh, Punch Out.  That's cute."  And then I saw Sin & Punishment 2.  HOL-EE CRAP am I excited for that one!! :3

Man I loved Punch-Out!! as a kid.  I remember beating Mike Tyson after like 300 tries and actually jumped up and down for hours.  Something tells me he won't be in this new game though..

007-373-5963

-Mike

Saw this on GayGamer (even though I am impartial to males who have a preference for joysticks), along with a whole bunch of other shit that don't make just too much sense to me (did I really see a clip of Ryu slugging it out with that dude from Gatchaman?), along with a scene from what looked like Wii Dead Rising or something wherein some dude with a chainsaw went at it with zombies wearing Servbot helmets. Whatever, dude. Just check the clip out!

http://gaygamer.net/2008/10/japanese_ni … .html#more

I wonder if Nintendo's been holding out on us on purpose? I was losing a lot of faith here.

Trailer!  Trailer!  Um, more like a teaser..... but a big "HELL YEAH!" for bringing back the original NES theme.

http://blog.wired.com/games/2008/10/vid … h-out.html

I'm definitely in the above camp.  Never been into the Punch-Out series.

Also, Klonoa for the Wii = teh win and the Rygar game was announced over a year ago.

And that they have.  IGN confirms both control schemes:

http://wii.ign.com/articles/958/958936p1.html

Also, it was confirmed just a little while back, but we've now got a North America release date of May 18, 2009.  Am hyped!

I'll be honest, I'd be more excited if Nintendo were making a NEW Punch-Out! instead of (apparently) re-skinning the old. They might still add something new before it's done, but considering the quick-and-dirty New Control releases they have coming, I'm not counting on their ambition.
I was a much bigger fan of Super Punch-Out anyway.

*runs off like out of an anime, tears trailing behind*

Title tweaked to prevent mass exodus (and admin-less forum).

Sigh.  The lacking knowledge of the old-school memorables is terribly disappointing. 

Excuse me while I go get punch drunk.

the princess is in another castle

Are you sure she even exists?

Oh, daisy...

Fight! Carl! For everlasting peace!

NOE had issued a new press release for the game, but shortly after had it removed.  Here's what was said:

http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/genmessa … c=48671032

A number of things are revealed.  There's going to be thirteen opponents total, and a local multiplayer mode.  As far as the Wii controls go: "Armed with the Wii Remote and Nunchuk, punching is a simple case of taking a swing at your opponent whilst holding different combinations of buttons. Soften them up with jabs by pressing up on the Nunchuk Control Stick when you punch, or crash home a super-charged Star Punch by holding the C or A Buttons as you let your hands go."

Also, just because it's so damned awesome, here again is Team Awesome's Nintendo Short Cuts "movie" trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiBER4iVwCw

Brand new trailer featuring 100% more Doc Louis: 

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/47035.html

All hail the return of the Pink Sweats!

Same here, man. Oh, wow. Another rehash with new graphics and a Wii control scheme. How intuitive! Totally worth the $50.

I wonder if this is one instance of people being over-critical of a game before they know all there is to know about it.  If I'm not mistaken there have yet to even be any gameplay previews so it seems a bit early to be knocking it.

Also I'm curious what exactly you guys would expect in a sequel.  I mean it's not Fight Night it's Punch-Out, how much exactly is there that you can change while staying true to the property?  There are new fighters at least and for all we know the old ones might play differently.

I'll admit I'm not happy with this recent information about holding different buttons while swinging to alter your punches.  That sounds awfully similar to the Wii Sports baseball pitching scheme.  I'd much rather throw hooks and uppercuts by swinging like a hook or uppercut, which seems the whole point of Wii controls in the first place.  But I'm willing to give it the game the benefit of a doubt until we get more concrete information.

Well, if all we have to judge by are the sporadic bits of footage we've been seeing, it's easy to come to the conclusion that this is looking like a largely re-skinned remake.  And you know what?  I'd be perfectly fine with that.  For fans such as myself, who views the original as a timeless piece of gaming entertainment (hell, after Contra, this is my favorite NES game of all-time), a straight-up remake would be right up my alley.  If they're somehow able to replicate the damned-near perfect challenge, gameplay and quirky charm of the original, then I might be set for another twenty-two years of blissful gaming.  :)

Which isn't to say I wouldn't be open to a brand new Punch-Out!!  (A completely new roster would probably be most people's definition of a "new" game.)  But I've always found myself to gravitate more toward the mechanics and aesthetics of the NES original rather than Super Punch-Out!!, so the more like the original this turns out to be, the better.

GDC impressions are out.  It's all looking resoundingly positive so far:

IGN: http://wii.ign.com/articles/965/965798p1.html
1up.com: http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3173430&p=44
Eurogamer: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/gdc-p … t-hands-on
ShackNews: http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/57859

Balance Board support has also been confirmed.  In addition, a translated interview with producer Kensuke Tanabe, courtesy of NeoGAF's BikoBiko. 

And finally, some cam footage of the playable demo:

Glass Joe: http://www.gametrailers.com/player/47169.html
Von Kaiser: http://www.gametrailers.com/player/47171.html
King Hippo: http://www.gametrailers.com/player/47219.html
Disco Kid: http://www.gametrailers.com/player/47222.html
Von Kaiser: http://gamevideos.1up.com/video/id/24127
King Hippo: http://gamevideos.1up.com/video/id/24129
Disco Kid: http://gamevideos.1up.com/video/id/24128

New interview, this time with producer Ken Yeeloy:

http://gameinformer.com/News/Story/2009 … htm?Page=1

Gametrailers has the first look at the new versus Head To Head mode.  Plus, Little Mac like you've never seen him before. *o*

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/47808.html

This game looks more and more charming.  If I didn't suck so consistently at the original, I'd love to pick this one up!

Do you think we'll see Mac in his SNES incarnation as even a cameo? He was my favorite.

Ugh, I hope not.  I've always felt Super Punch-Out!!'s Mac was an arrogant prick.  I cringed every time he'd say "Piece of cake!" or "Right on!"  In fact, despite what anyone else claims, I don't even consider SPO's main protagonist as Little Mac at all.  There, I've said it. :p

By the way, Bear Hugger is in, as the latest issue of Game Informer shows.  We also get our first look at Don Flamenco:

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g113/ … C02125.jpg
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g113/ … C02126.jpg
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g113/ … C02127.jpg
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g113/ … C02128.jpg
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g113/ … C02129.jpg

Easy there, turbo.

Turbo.  I like that.

It wouldn't feel right to have a Punch-Out!! hype thread without giving props to the amazing fan remix/arrangements out there.  Here are the ones I know of, but if anyone else has other noteworthy ones to share, please do. 

All of these are amazingly well-done, with my favorites being Jonas Tunander's acoustic-driven "Fighting" and Game Over's high-adrenaline vocal-powered "Little Mac's Confession."

Jonas Tunander's "Fighting"
http://www.mediafire.com/?idk2mnyfwzi

The Minibosses' "Mike Tyson's Punch Out Medley"
Direct Link: http://www.minibosses.com/brassmp3s/07m … nchout.mp3

Game Over's "Little Mac's Confession"
http://www.ocremix.org/remix/OCR00605/

Franz Keller's "IronMicChallenge"
http://www.ocremix.org/remix/OCR00180/

Scott Peeples' "Dream Fighter"
http://www.ocremix.org/remix/OCR00165/

Rexy's "Nigga Stole My Piano"
Direct Link: http://dod.vgmix.com/past/janfeb06/ZZ%2 … 0Piano.mp3

Don Hughes' "The Little Mac Saga"
Direct Link: http://dod.vgmix.com/past/jul08/23-DonH … ga-DoD.mp3

The official site has gone live.  Here, you can see a fight against Glass Joe in the game's native 60fps -- and it's looking smooth as silk.

I think the idea of your opponents speaking in their native tongue is a creative idea.  It's to my understanding that the developers are intentionally NOT putting subtitles in; the reasoning is so that players around the world could get talking on the internet to interpret what everyone else is saying. :)

And of course, I simply can't pass up an opportunity for a clean rip of the main fight theme.
The Wii version is simply brass-tastic.  ^_^ 

Punch-Out!! - Match BGM (Wii Version)
http://www.mediafire.com/?njnmjnkmagz

Also, if that one King Hippo cam video is any indication, it would seem there's going to be a second variation of the fight theme.  That one has more of a surf rock-centric sound to it.  One might assume that version plays during the Title Bout fights.

The latest issue of Nintendo Power has a great three-page interview with the development team, along with their featured review:

Interview:
http://nintendopower.com/images/NP242_PunchOut.jpg
http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/8821/n … tscan1.jpg

Review:
http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/3081/n … tscan2.jpg

The game earned a 8.5.  As the recent IGN Podcast states, the game's strongest asset appears to be the new Title Defense Mode, whereupon beating the main single player mode allows you to replay through it again with all the fighters being tougher and having brand new move sets.  The inclusion of Balance Board support looks to be a mistake, a "near-unworkable substitute for the speedier and more accurate standard defensive controls" (which include both classic and motion-based setups), while the Head to Head versus mode is a superfluous extra at best.  Additional modes include Exhibition, sort of the game's Challenge mode, where all fighters have predetermined goals for you to partake in, like knock Von Kaiser out in just five punches, or find all five ways to get a Star hit on Disco Kid.  IGN also mentions Last Stand, though they weren't able to mention what it is.

UK's Official Nintendo Magazine has their review up: 91%:

http://highdefgeek.com/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=8795

They pretty much touch on everything the IGN Podcast and Nintendo Power have already covered, stressing the excellence of the new Title Defense Mode, and decrying the weakness of the Head to Head versus mode.