Punchout Returns in Style

The Wii remake of the classic Nintendo game Punchout!! blends frantic, addictive gameplay with some of the funniest character animation ever to grace a game.

My favorite games usually involve the chance to interact with memorable, well-animated characters. Punchout delivers this experience at a level of polish, intensity and charm that can only be matched by Nintendo's own Super Smash Brothers Brawl.

Punchout's a different animal, though. While Brawl revels in chaos and on-the-fly strategy, Punchout works almost like a quick-reflex puzzle game. Each fighter has his own mannerisms and attacks: Some punches cannot be countered, and some leave the character wide open to a fist in the face or belly. Visual and audible clues in the character's taunts and windups give you a split-second reveal of the incoming attack. If you can react quickly enough, and keep your attention sharp as the fight increases in speed and complexity, you will win.

Most likely, winning will take a while, with later fights needing to be repeated over and over as you:

1) Figure out the fighter's patterns and clues
2) Practice until you can respond quickly enough

That second point is the kicker, as Punchout is brutally unforgiving: Badly-timed moves lead to merciless pummelings for your character, Little Mac. Persistence, alertness, and lots of trial and error lead to victory.

Fortunately, Punchout is incredibly fun to play. The Thirteen opponents (plus one hidden cameo) form the most entertaining gaggle of pompous, egotistical meatheads to ever grace a game. As they strut, preen, boast and taunt, you can't help but smile. You'll chuckle later as they panic and lose their composure once you've discovered their weaknesses. Along the way, you'll find yourself involuntarily laughing and shouting out loud: Punchout truly becomes an immersive, emotion-grabbing thrill ride.

At its best, Nintendo delivers games that "click" on a level of sheer entertainment rarely matched by other companies. Bravo to Next Level Games (whose talented crew brilliantly crafted this remake for the big "N"), and welcome back, Punchout!!

STAR TREK REVIEW

The trailers did their job, and got me interested. The good buzz from advance screening audiences made me hopeful. As I took my seat at the first digital screening in my town, I expected to see a decent new Trek film. Nothing, however, could prepare me for how insanely fun this movie is.

Finally: Star Trek done right. Star Trek's best ideas combined with great acting, a solid script and enough of a budget to do it justice. Wow. If anything, this movie proves just how solid and timeless Gene Roddenberry's original concept was, and it's exhilarating to witness a new generation of viewers discovering this optimistic, thrilling dream of the human race's future.

The cast makes this thing fly, enabling the film to work as a tale of believable people facing incredible challenges. Everyone gets a chance to shine, and the characters instantly come to life whether or not the audience knows them from previous versions. Kirk is believable. Spock is terrific. Bones, Scotty and Chekov are hilarious. Uhura and Sulu are sincere and effective. Captain Pike provides a solid base of maturity and and courage: You believe one hundred percent that the younger crew members would risk their lives to rescue him.

And Leonard Nimoy's on hand to bless the procedings in one of the best and classiest cameos in film history.

Isn't it great to finally see a Trek movie that can stand side by side with other great big-budget action flicks? One that doesn't feel like a show episode? One that takes chances, stirs things up and touches your emotions like no Trek film has done since Wrath of Kahn?

One great scene after another. Every major crew member gets a moment to prove just why they deserve to be on this team. Every use of the transporter has a unique spin, either tragic or humorous. Scotty's arrival on ship--via accidental materialization into the engine's cooling system--was entertaining on an additional level: The filmmakers actually staged a way for the Enterprise to give birth to him!

The villain functions well, driving the story without pulling the spotlight away from the Enterprise Crew, but he's not terribly memorable. This leads to my one complaint about the film: No Klingons in sight! Klingons are fun villains, and need to return to screen ASAP.

All in all, the best and most heart-felt action movie I've seen in ages--More than I ever expected.

I want Klingons in the sequel!