Punch Out is a commonly forgotten series, but nevertheless a great one. Punch Out Featuring Mr Dream, or as it was previously known, Mike Tyson's Punch Out, is often considered the pinnicle of Nintendo's boxing games. However, how great is a game that has lived out its glory days several times (at least according to message board fans)? And, more importantly, is this game worth it on the Wii Virtual Console at the cost of 500 precious Wii Points? This is what we set to find out!

As usual, this game will be reviewed on a one to five star basis, with one being a broken arm and five being a knockout.

Story: ***

Well, there is a story, but it is extremely limited. Basically, you're a boxer named Little Mac, an extreme underdog from the streets of Brooklyn, New York, with dreams of becoming champ. While preparing for his first match, he meets up with legendary retired boxer, Doc Louis. Doc offers his services as Little Mac's trainer. Afterward, the two begin their quest in the WVBA (World Video Boxing Association). The story isn't much, but is still short, sweet, and nice. I personally would've liked more input, but it's an NES game, and a sports game at that! For this, the story gets a completely average score.

Graphics: ***

They're average NES graphics. While the fighters are well-animated, the crowd is basically stick-figure faces. Mac and Doc could've also looked better. The opponent's profiles all look nice and pretty, but that's about as good as it gets. It's an NES game, and a good one at that, but it's not exactly at Super Mario Bros 3 level.

Music: ***

The same theme is used over and over again, and it's pretty athletic. It's not as catchy as the Super Mario Bros. sounds, but it's all right. However, each character has their own musical introduction featuring their home country. For example, the classic mocking German, Von Keiser, has his theme digitally remixed from Ride of the Valkeries. These themes keep things exciting and show the true spirit of the characters. These themes don't give the music the heavyweight belt, but they keep it out of the minor leagues.

Characters: ****1/2

Wow... just wow. Although there aren't as many enemies in Punch Out as in your classic Mario platformer, the characters do have character! Each boxer has his own amazing personality, from the old and tired Glass Joe to the proudly girthy King Hippo. Even Mac's trainer has great advice between the rounds, really showing his character. In fact, Little Mac himself is the only character who barely says a word! If he were a silent protagonist, this would be fine, but he does speak with Doc briefly in the King Hippo fight. I would've liked more from Mac, but that's my only complaint. And look who's the referee! For those of you who didn't look at a screenshot, it's-a him, Mario! The characters, while limited, really show the power of NES diologue.

Gameplay: ****

Basically, you have two punch buttons, both blows to the waist. You can turn these punches into head shots by holding up on the D-Pad while unleashing your blows. Moving left or right causes you to straft in said direction, but wind up in front of your opponent a second later. Pressing down causes Mac to block, and start, under certain conditions, allows Little Mac to unleash an uppercut. Finally, pressing Select in between rounds allows Doc Louis to pat your shoulder fast enough to heal some of your stamina. It's a good setup that uses all of the buttons on the controller, and it works out well. However, I would've liked a little more strategy in the punches, for example, blows that hit certain muscles to hinder performance. In addition, just standing in one spot can get tedious. Finally, Mac gives up on his dreams after he loses three fights. Shouldn't we just be able to keep going after he loses? That was what really got me annoyed, as even one loss in the earlier rounds could be costly against master boxers like Mr. Sandman, Super Macho Man, and Mr. Dream. But, the main controls are great, and far more consistant than some other games on the NES.

Difficulty: ****

All right, though the first few battles are easy, as soon as you get to the minor league championship, the difficulty considerably ramps up. Each fighter past that point has a distinct pattern that is either nearly unpredictable, strange, or just plain agressive. For example, the fighter King Hippo can only be harmed after his size XXXL trunks fall down by hiting him when his jaw is open. The window of opportunity to score a hit on King Hippo, however, is only a few milliseconds, and he's only the tip of the iceburg! Once you get a strategy formulated in mind (it may take many rounds), the difficulty lowers, but it's still an extreme challenge. If the first two fights weren't pathetically easy, and the combos were more random, I'd definately raise the difficulty. However, this isn't exactly Special World from Super Mario World, and thus it stays at difficulty level number four.

Replayability: **

This game is quite long with a stream of 15 fighters, leaving about 10 minutes per fight. However, once it's good and done, there's not much left to come back to. Sure it's fun trying to beat up Mr. Dream without being struck by his powerful gloves, but there still isn't exactly much. This game is great for a few playthroughs, but with the lack of multiplayer options and no true unlocks after the game is done, you'll be back for another game in four days.

Fun Factor!: ****

As limited as the replayability is, this game is extremely addictive! It's one of those games where you strive not to lose, give your all, accidentally mess up at one point, and end up beating your head against the wall. You just won't want to really stop playing until you reach the next circuit, and then you'll want to see what's to come next (even seeing some familiar faces along the way). It's not perfect doing the same combos in different ways, but it's just so addictive that it glues you to your TV set until you've finished what you wanted.

OVERALL: **** out of five

Punch Out is a great game overall. Though the NES sports titan has it's slow points, the pure addictive vibe and excellent character personality gives it a real edge that isn't seen in many NES titles. I'd say it's worth the five dollars (500 Wii Points) that is necessary to download this Nintendo boxing giant. Enjoy the classic and wonderful fistful of fun on Punch Out! Now let's keep it clean and have fun! PUNCH OUT!!

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