REVIEW: Punch-Out!!

It's funny yet sad to know that there is an entire generation of gamers out there who've never experienced the thrill and challenge of a Punch-Out!! game. Although the Virtual Console has recently added the ability to take the ring in the classic Super Punch-Out!!, we haven't seen a new game in the series in over a decade and a half. Thankfully the wait is over in the form of Punch-Out!! for the Wii from Next Level Games. Now the opportunity is there for the new gaming generation to take on the likes of Glass Joe, King Hippo, and all the blatant stereotypes us repeat players have come to love over the years. But is Punch-Out!! just another cash-grab sequel or could it be the next TKO from Tokyo?

For those of you unfamiliar with the series, it's old-school gaming at its finest: Pattern recognition and reaction time. Through the course of three different boxing circuits, you'll take on over a dozen fighters each with their own blend of themed attacks, many reflective of the idiosyncrasies often associated with those of that culture. For instance, Glass Joe is portrayed as a weak and fearful Frenchman, whereas Super Macho Man is the attention-grabbing, egomaniacal Californian with punches that include poses for the camera. As outdated as some of these generalizations have become, the variety of colorful characters you'll meet add such a great mix to the game that Punch-Out!! would be lacking in its charm without them. It's something you really don't see in the Fight Night games of the world.

Although I'd have a hard time recommending this game to Grandma and Grandpa Casual Gamer, everyone else should give this game a try. Chances are if you're reading this review you probably aren't part of that casual market anyway. This is one of those rare occurrences where the relaunch of a cherished franchise is just as good as the original. The Wii, unfortunately, has had a lull in quality games for awhile now, so if you're looking for a reason to dust it off, Punch-Out!! is definitely worth picking up. If you're a fan of the series, there's even more incentive to do so. The game takes everything you loved from past entries in the series and brings it all into the current generation in a way that it feels both old and new.

Harold Ramis On Why It's Hard To Make Funny Video Games

Compared to the number of funny movies, the number of funny games is quite low. Good comedy is hard!
Harold Ramis is a funny guy, and he's writer and/or directed a bunch of funny movies: Caddyshack, Ghostbusters and Groundhog Day. Why does he think are the challenges of making games funny?

You would think comedy dies with repetition. Once you've heard a joke, you're not going to laugh the second time. And yet people keep revisiting their favorite funny films that they see over and over again.

I hear this all the time, usually from unhappy wives who will tell me their husband has watched Caddyshack 100 times and they say it with a worried look on their face.

Why do people keep watching Ghostbusters or any comedy film? It's not for the surprise. It's something that tickles them deep down and makes them feel good... In video games, it seems like the attraction of playing any videogame is that it gives you control over a world that you have no other access to... Once you've mastered a game, you kind of lose interest. Repetition in a game, you're not only dealing with the repetition of the comedy, but you're dealing with the repetition of the gamers mastering the game, itself. To make a game so funny with so many comic alternatives, that would be like writing three hit movies. The scripts are impossibly long. That would be a considerable investment. And I was thinking if you wrote that much comedy, chances are you would put it in a feature film.

My son is addicted to a violent computer game

Q: My son is 12 and is addicted to a computer game that is suitable for over-16s. It is violent and features shooting and killing. I got divorced two years ago on the grounds of my husband’s unreasonable behaviour and his drinking. My son has contact with him every weekend.
The problem started when my ex-husband encouraged my son to play this violent game. I went to his primary school, our GP and the school nurse, with little impact. Now my son is in secondary school and he is becoming angrier and angrier; he loses his temper very quickly. My ex-husband is oblivious to the situation and doesn’t want to do anything about it.

I am completely at a loss as to how I can help my child to overcome this addiction before it gets completely out of hand. He is at a very vulnerable and impressionable age. I am so worried about the impact it will have on his psychological health.

A: The issues that you raise reflect the concerns of many parents that I have spoken to since I began investigating potentially harmful aspects of the gaming world. Last year I published my independent report: The Byron Review — Safer Children in a Digital World, in which I explored this vast area and made recommendations to the Government.

We are an incredibly risk-averse culture: in 1971, 80 per cent of seven and eight-year-olds went to school on their own — by 1990 it was only 9 per cent. So it is ironic that we keep our children indoors because of our overblown fears of the “real world” but allow them to roam free in digital spaces. These risks can be through content, such as adult material; contact, when others pose as “friends” while being predators; or conduct, for example, cyber bullying. In addition, many of our “captive” children do not have a balanced lifestyle — they spend too much time indoors, online and playing video games. They become dependent on such activities, unable to tear themselves away. This behaviour is seen most often in boys.

The video games industry is often blamed for producing such content but this is placing responsibility in the wrong place. There are many excellent and exciting games for your son’s age group that encourage thinking and problem-solving. It is not gaming per se that is the problem.

Video “game” denotes some kind of benign influence, as in “it’s only a game”. This shows our ignorance and also our inability to say no. When an adult game very popular with kids was released recently, retailers observed that the long queues were made up mostly of mothers.
However, we must be very careful when we label a behaviour addictive. An addiction is very different to an obsession mixed with defiance. Your son is clearly very attached to this game — partly, it could be argued, because it is something he shares with his father and playing computer games together can be a bonding experience. However, for him to have an addiction to it, the need to play it would have to exert an all-pervasive influence, stopping him eating or sleeping normally.

There are some young people who become so obsessed that they become aggressive if challenged on the subject. Fundamentally, it comes down to understanding why a child is doing what he or she is doing. With your son I can see that there is a concern that his angry behaviour stems not only from his father’s encouragement, but also his father’s “unreasonable behaviour” traits.

You need to set some clear rules at home. These should include limits on the amount of time playing, and if he does not accept this, it may be useful for you to take the gaming consoles away until you can negotiate a compromise. You can also lock consoles so that certain age-rated games won’t play — call the manufacturer for advice.

If you are truly uncomfortable about the kind of contact that your son has with his father, that needs to be addressed either by having a conversation with your ex-husband or, if that is not possible, through a solicitor to highlight concerns that may lead to reduced access. You can also refer yourself to your local Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), although your GP should have done this for you. CAMHS can offer support with your son’s game-playing and also support you. They should offer an assessment within six weeks — check with your local primary care trust.

The video gaming industry also offers advice. It may be worth talking to your son’s school and seeing if it would be interested in addressing this issue with pupils and parents.