Super Punch-Out!!

"What great fun!"

OK, I'm sure we've all played the original NES Punchout games, right? Well, in the early to mid '90's Nintendo saw fit to release a ''sequel'' to that game. Super Punchout featured a few returning characters from the original, but mostly they were all new. The game is quite entertaining, but it doesn't feature a two-player mode, which would be absolutely great!
Control 10-10. It's not hard to learn at all, and I believe you can customize it, but I don't remember. I don't have the game anymore. Anyway, unless you have SNES controls with their own everyday issues the controls in this game are quite reliable and there's not much to learn. You just have to learn how to block certain types of punches. FOr body punches you just stand there and don't press anything. For face punches you press the Up arrow to block. For punches that can't be blocked, you can either dodge with Left or Right or duck using the Down arrow.
Music 9-10. OK, the lower score is not because of the music itself. The music is excellent in my opinion, and that's where the point gets taken off. I am of the opinion that having music during an actual match is not really a good idea. I feel this way because the music can get a bit distracting, either because it's so damn catchy or painful to the ears. I've been distracted during a battle with Dragon Chan because the music in the Major Circuit matches is really good. This can lead to humiliating defeat. Still, each character has his own pre-match theme. The best ones in my opinion belong to Super Macho Man, Mr. Sandman, Rick Bruiser and Hoy Carlo, (I think that's how you spell his name anyway). The ending theme is also really good. I will point out however, that the fact that the same music doesn't play for every single match as in the NES Punchouts does save the music's score. There's a different theme for the matches in each of the four circuits, Minor, Major, World and Special.
SFX 10-10. Here's where it gets interesting. The game actually talks. The announcer says the name of your opponent before each match, and also signals a nockout or the end of the match when time is out. Your character also lets out a cry when he takes damage sometimes, and he always lets out a yell when he gets nocked down. He will also make three comments after a match, depending on how often he was knocked down. If he wins a match without being knocked down himself he will say, ''Piece of cake!'' If he gets knocked down once he says, ''Got him!'' Finally, if he gets knocked down twice he says, ''Too close!'' When he gets knocked down three times...well..he just lays there. Some of the other boxers have voice clips as well. They're mostly just laughing though, although they do have a cry for when you land a super punch on them and another cry for when they are knocked down. The down cries can be pretty hilarious, but there are only a few of each kind, so one character may sound like another. Example, Masked Muscle sounds like Super Macho Man, (or is it the other way around?) Both sound like they're gonna throw up when you knock 'em down. The only four who really don't sound alike are Narcis Prince, Hoy Carlo, Rick bruiser, (he kinda sounds like Barney Gumble except when he laughs), and Nick Bruiser. The punching sounds aren't the best but they get the job done.
Overall 8-10. Definitely better than the NES Punchout games, but nowhere near as good as Ready 2 Rumble, which has found a home on platformers spanning several companies, Sega, Sony and Nintendo. A very entertaining game nonetheless. In spite of the things it lacks in the audio department, (variety basically), this is worth a rent or even a buy.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 09/01/01, Updated 03/01/03