Power Punch II (Completed).

Never heard of this one before either, sounds like some kind of generic boxing game... oh hey look theres a story.

Tough guy... really... well let's get this over wi...

It's like in From Dusk Till Dawn... except it's suddenly... ALIENS.  Could this possibly be... good?

Graphics - 4/5

Everything looks pretty damn good in this game.  A lot of detail is put into the alien boxers;  their appearances and fighting styles give them a lot of personality.  The gameplay takes place from the exact perspective of Punch out; player at the bottom and your opponent moves about the majority of the screen.  There's also a coliseum backdrop on top of that, complete with some intergalactic fat cats watching you pummel each other for their entertainment.  Now if all of that looks so good, why no 5/5.  Well the problem, as you're about to see, is this disgusting green mat that takes up 60% of the screen.   I don't know... I guess that's how they get down in space...  but it'll make your eyes bleed after awhile.

A stern left is all it really takes to defeat the Borg.

Sound - 2/3

All of the sounds you would expect from a boxing match in space.  The music is all generic and droning,  but at least it isn't outright annoying.  The reason I bumped it up to a 2 is because the sound effect of your punches smashing into them is so satisfying when you finally knock one of these space chumps out...  Especially that Plant of the Apes lookin' motherfucker.

Oh don't worry, you'll get yours.

Gameplay - 4/5

I suppose if you're going to copy Punch-Out, at least you're going to get good gameplay.  One unique aspect is the training mini-game you play to boost your fighter in between some matches.  Your trainer holds up 2 pads and there's 6 points of contact (Left and Right x High, Middle, Low).  You hit the pad when it starts flashing, combo about 5 together and you get a stat boost.  This is extremely basic, but it's fun and challenging.  It strongly reminds me of the training mini-games in the modern Fight Night series.  It's interesting that in such a strange, clone of a game, they managed to somehow take the boxing genre a step forward.

It's also nice to take a break from going green.

The rest of the game is in the ring.  The same 6 points of contact apply here, with B throwing a left and A throwing a right.  At this point it's all about recognizing their attack patterns, and finding their weak point.  You also get power punches randomly that you throw with select; these can turn the tougher fights around quick if you make sure they land.  The primary difference from Punch-Out is that pressing left and right actually makes you slide left and right, rather than just quickly dodging that direction.  I actually prefer the sliding, you get a lot better feeling of "stick and move", which is your primary strategy throughout the game.

Personal - 3/5

After awhile this game really started to piss me off.  I wasn't even playing it because it was fun,  I just wanted to smash the smug look off of those stupid aliens so badly that I couldn't stop.  It seems like as you go on, the correct strategy for your opponent becomes more and more important.  By the time you're at the final boss, some asshole named Fly-Mo, you pretty much have to be perfect.  I admit, I read a guide online after the first few opponents...  I was getting my ass handed to me.  I seriously think I got knocked out 30 times before I beat Fly-Mo...  The first fight, I didn't even hit him, if he hadn't raised his sunglasses and given me that douche bag look, I might have just given up.  Don't get me wrong, it was satisfying in the end... but I'm never playing this shit again.

This is going to haunt my dreams forever.

Keep it Classy!