About time, another decent Wii game!

Classic remake of the old NES and SNES game now rendered in 3D for the Wii. In short, it's one of the best game I've played on the Wii, and I've not touched that machine since I got done with Mario Galaxy and a stint on Resident Evil 4 and Smash Bros.

Gameplay is simple yet hugely addictive. You make your way through a circuit of boxers, each increasing and differing in difficulty, complexity and strategy. To defeat them you can dodge left, right and down as well as being able to punch left and right to the body and head. In addition, you also have the ability of a Star Punch was is awarded for successful counters.

When you first play through the game, you can be forgiven for thinking that it's a piece of piss. Simply just hammering and dodging the odd punch will probably get you to the first boss with no trouble. Later on, you come across boxers where that strategy will just not work.

Sometimes the only way to successfully beat them is to counter their punch. Countering their punches can give you the ability of a Star Punch which you can stock a maximum of 3, giving the power to inflict some serious damage. If you get hit while holding one of the stars, you lose all of your stock. So there is a risk and reward element which will keep you on your toes while you decide of unleashing a measly 1 star punch just so you can inflict some damage, in favour of a stronger 2 or 3 star punch.

Each of the boxers have various audio and visual cues for you to pick up and decide on the best course of action. Worth taking the risk for a counter, or going for a dodge. The further you progress, the shorter the time frame of the cues get. Once you realise what the cues are and how you are meant to deal with those punches, things just don't end there.

Initially when you get PASTED and you will get pasted, you are just trying to survive. Once you start knocking the boxer out a few times, the strategy they employed previously gets speeded up in addition to new moves being used. Just when you think you've got the boxer's routine down, something new or a variant of a specific punch will get you.

The boxers switch their moves, they add delay on some of their attacks and it's all just written there for you to notice. So many "OH MY GOD, I SAW THAT SHIT" moments when you realised you just fucked up.

Breaking the game down, it's just pattern memorisation and being able to react quickly to the visual and audio cues. It's simple but I've had so much fun going through the game and trying to defeat each of the boxers as comfortably as possible. Boxers I was tearing my hair out on my initial play through are now easy as I know all their weaknesses and their offence.

Each of the boxers also have a specific weak spots which can knock them out in a single punch. Some are easier to land then others, but can turn the fight around in an instant. I've not scored any 1 knockdown victories yet, but I'm sure it's possible.

You wouldn't think it, but there is a lot of depth to the game with things to learn and master. What awaited me once I had made my way through the game, just blew my head off. Everything that I had learnt previously was almost ineffective!

After beating the final boss, The Sandman, you open up a Title Defence mode. I shit you not, after a gruelling battle against this boss...I lost my belt to the first character in the game! All the characters come back at you, trained up and their weaknesses either hidden or disguised, all of them gunning for your belt. The first boxer Glass Joe for example comes back to the ring wearing headgear so shots to his head are no longer effective. So you have to learn how to overcome this, their previous moves and any new attacks they have since learnt.

Great fun and a humbling experience if at any point you felt that you know this game well enough. Worth picking up if you have the urge to play something on your Wii.