For a game that I'd prematurely written off a bit for the comparative lack of charming presentation this had compared to what the games before and after it had achieved in the series, I'm pretty annoyed that it took me this long to get around to it and realise that it's actually amazing. While I still can't deny the fact that this is the worst looking of the 3 main Punch Out games and has the least compelling aesthetic (likely due to carrying elements over from the arcade game which hadn't quite nailed its distinctive identity yet), the way the mechanics of this one so elegantly play into each other took me by surprise and ultimately make me think that this would easily be my preferred pick over Mike Tyson's Punch Out if it had just nailed the visual direction. Rather than the more methodical, reaction based nature of MTPO, this one plays around with the concept of combat momentum a lot more and creates something that feels rather complex and nuanced without sacrificing the very straightforward core loop of "dodge them and then punch them".
The most clear way in which this stands out is the way it plays around with the concept of momentum in a battle, with the line between being able to completely destroy an opponent in seconds and have a long, drawn out fight that you probably lose being rather narrow. This is mainly thanks to how the super meter plays such a vital role in making a lot of these boxers go down quickly compared to the way they seemingly can take an insane amount of punches to the face otherwise, with the fights often feeling less like a fight based around who's health bar hits 0 first, and more about filling that meter up and maintaining it. The exact amount of health left often feels irrelevant as there are so many cases where it feels closer to "how many more super punches will it take to win?" with so many nuances being based around this rather than anything else. Most fights will only allow you to get in a tiny number of hits with each successful dodge due to being balanced around this as well, but it also contributes to the feeling of going up against intimidating, unbeatable walls that's so key to the whole identity this is going for without relying so heavily on requiring ridiculous reflexes to get anything in the latter half of the game done.
The assortment of gimmicks that the fighters have is also handled really well, never feeling as if an out of field idea entirely dominates a fight while still adding some nice variety that can also turn a lot of these encounters into almost puzzle encounters, especially if you're trying to optimise how fast you are. While a lot of the characters themselves feel less fun and colourful, this vast array of fighting styles on display still end up contributing strongly to characters feeling distinctive and entertaining. Overall this is just an insanely solid game that has a lot to love about it despite the inferior visual direction and I love the way that it so strongly encourages absolute mastery without making you feel as if you need it to win, as even at the end of the game, you're likely to feel that there's so much more you can do with just another round, and it's all executed immaculately. Only real thing I don't love is that it takes a bit to really throw the exceptionally interesting ideas towards you, but it's not something that bothers me a lot either since that portion of the game is both pretty short and has a lot of valuable teaching moments to prepare the player for said interesting encounters later on. Awesome stuff, the series is truly an absolute gem and I'm looking forward to eventually seeing what the Wii game has to offer.
The most clear way in which this stands out is the way it plays around with the concept of momentum in a battle, with the line between being able to completely destroy an opponent in seconds and have a long, drawn out fight that you probably lose being rather narrow. This is mainly thanks to how the super meter plays such a vital role in making a lot of these boxers go down quickly compared to the way they seemingly can take an insane amount of punches to the face otherwise, with the fights often feeling less like a fight based around who's health bar hits 0 first, and more about filling that meter up and maintaining it. The exact amount of health left often feels irrelevant as there are so many cases where it feels closer to "how many more super punches will it take to win?" with so many nuances being based around this rather than anything else. Most fights will only allow you to get in a tiny number of hits with each successful dodge due to being balanced around this as well, but it also contributes to the feeling of going up against intimidating, unbeatable walls that's so key to the whole identity this is going for without relying so heavily on requiring ridiculous reflexes to get anything in the latter half of the game done.
The assortment of gimmicks that the fighters have is also handled really well, never feeling as if an out of field idea entirely dominates a fight while still adding some nice variety that can also turn a lot of these encounters into almost puzzle encounters, especially if you're trying to optimise how fast you are. While a lot of the characters themselves feel less fun and colourful, this vast array of fighting styles on display still end up contributing strongly to characters feeling distinctive and entertaining. Overall this is just an insanely solid game that has a lot to love about it despite the inferior visual direction and I love the way that it so strongly encourages absolute mastery without making you feel as if you need it to win, as even at the end of the game, you're likely to feel that there's so much more you can do with just another round, and it's all executed immaculately. Only real thing I don't love is that it takes a bit to really throw the exceptionally interesting ideas towards you, but it's not something that bothers me a lot either since that portion of the game is both pretty short and has a lot of valuable teaching moments to prepare the player for said interesting encounters later on. Awesome stuff, the series is truly an absolute gem and I'm looking forward to eventually seeing what the Wii game has to offer.