Back in October of last year, Penny Arcade ran a comic strip that described “The Mega Man 9 Effect“, which admittedly, I fell victim to. I found it a rare occurrence, something mystical and wonderful, sending me back to my youth, and when I loved gaming oh so very much.

Damn it all if it hasn’t happened again….

Blame this brilliant commercial for sparking my interest:

Blame it all for this game hitting every single “right” note that endeared me to the original NES game, one of the only sports games I’ve ever truly loved.

The funny thing is aout this new Punch-Out!! is that it renders me something of a hypocrite. My last entry bemoaned the fact that there’s nothing “new” or “original” in gaming, and here I am getting giddy because Doc Louis catches himself nearly telling Little Mac to join the Nintendo Fun Club. And honestly, it’s return to classic form is one of the very reasons I’ve been loving it. It may make me a hypocrite, but I’m okay with that.

It also is a return to form for Nintendo, of which I have unapologetically criticized for being “asleep” for the better part of a year now Read the rest of this entry