Doc Louis's Punch-Out!! Nov2009 I'm sadden at the thought that this was released after Punch Out!! came to the Wii. Like don't get me wrong here, more of Wii's style of Punch Out is always a good thing. It mimics the original NES game super well, and even shakes up a lot of the puzzle dynamics and timing later on when the game introduces a harder mode and even newer characters. But Doc Louis's Punch-Out!! is pretty much a full prequel to the game I mentioned, and while I absolutely love that we get some nice lore of Doc training Mac in the ring, ultimately the timing of it and lack of any more content just feels sour in my eyes.
Like this would have been an amazing demo or led up to Punch-Out!! It hits all the right beats, showcases the different fighting dynamics that entail the rest of the Wii game, and really hits home with the world building and lore that Punch Out oddly needed. Sadly, when we got Doc Louis's Punch-Out!! it felt like we were getting crumbs of what was effectively the superior meal that was Punch-Out!! Wii. So while it does all these neat things, Doc Louis as a fighter isn't particularly interesting because he's training Mac. You get a lot of call outs, a lot of openings, and not as much new content that made Wii's Punch Out so interesting.
Doc Louis's Punch-Out!! at the least is a good addition to the series, and will certainly help people actually get into Punch Out, but as a whole it's only better as an entrance rather than the exit. All the great ascetics of the Wii Punch Out are still slapping here, it has a lot of great story and dialogue beats, and ultimately is a great demo. But that's all it really is, a demo.
