Punch-Out!! (2009 game)

Punch-Out!! is a Wii fighting game released in 2009. It is the fifth installment of the Punch-Out!! series, and was developed by Next Level Games and published by Nintendo. The game stars Little Mac and features Donkey Kong as a bonus opponent. It is the fifth installment of the Punch-Out!! series.

Punch-Out!! was reprinted as a Nintendo Selects title in North America in August 28, 2011, and was later re-released on the Wii U Nintendo eShop in North America on January 22, 2015, in Europe on March 12, 2015, in Oceania on March 13, 2015, and in Japan on June 24, 2015.

Gameplay
The gameplay is similar to Punch-Out!! on the NES. It has the heart system for stamina and the three star system for Power Punches. This game has various controller settings ranging from the Wii Remote, Wii Balance Board, and Nunchuk.

As the protagonist of the game, Little Mac, the player must face a variety of opponents, including Donkey Kong, who appears as a bonus opponent in the Little Mac's Last Stand game mode. After being unlocked, he can be faced at any time in Exhibition mode. He is a large, powerful opponent with a variety of taunts.

Development
Pre-production on the game reportedly began around the time of the Wii's release. Nintendo discussed the idea of a new Punch-Out!! game with the Next Level Games and these discussions soon led to the studio creating a prototype of the game. Punch-Out!! for the Wii was first revealed publicly in 2008 at the Nintendo Media Summit, where a 15-second trailer showcasing the returning characters from past Punch-Out!! games was shown. Nintendo reportedly wanted the new Punch-Out!! game to be very reminiscent of Punch-Out!! for the NES, so they asked Next Level Games to base many of their design choices off of those seen in that game. This included designing the gameplay to feel very similar to that of the NES (even going so far as to make sure that opponents could be beaten in the same way that they could be in the NES game) as well as making the characters look as faithful to their appearances on the NES as possible. As an additional part of this desire to remain faithful to the NES title, the studio designed the new game to utilize the Wii Remote turned sideways, in an effort to emulate classic NES-style controls for the game.

Princess Peach was considered to make an appearance in this game as an opponent, but the idea was dropped because Kensuke Tanabe did not like the idea of punching women in the game. Mario was also considered, but the prospect of punching Mario was similarly off-putting. Additionally, while Mario was included as a referee in the NES Punch-Out!!, he was left out of the new title altogether over concerns that his appearance would not work with the game's aesthetic. Instead, Donkey Kong was included as a bonus opponent to represent the Mario franchise.