It is about damn time Nintendo. I have only been waiting five months for a “Punch-Out!!” release date. Next time you decide to revive a classic franchise from my childhood, I expect a release date the same day that the game is announced. Also, I want a free copy of said title and five pounds of Nintendo-themed candy. That should temporarily appease me.

Oh, sorry to leave you hanging. The date is …

… May 18. If you want official confirmation, click here to see Nintendo’s official press release. Or, you could just take my word for it. I am a pretty trustworthy guy. That is unless a woman asks me if a certain outfit makes her look fat. The answer is always no.

As an admitted “Punch-Out!!” junkie, I am psyched that Next Level Games is developing a new iteration in the franchise. Though, I fear that I will be forced to flail my way to the title. For the love of all that is holy NLG, please program multiple control schemes, including one that allows me to turn my Wii Remote sideways.

The game has been given an E10+ rating by the ESRB for “cartoon violence” and “comic mischief.” For the most part, the game’s roster remains a mystery, as only a few fighters have been revealed thus far. King Hippo, Von Kaiser and Glass Joe will be returning to the ring, but Joystiq has also mentioned Russian beefcake, Soda Popinski. Here’s hoping that some of the adversaries from the 16-bit iteration will also be included.

Speaking of which, the ESRB recently rated “Super Punch-Out!!” for the Wii, which suggests that the game will be coming to the Virtual Console at some point in the future. I suggest a date close to May 18. You know, so Nintendo can feed the hype surrounding the upcoming “Punch-Out!!,” while using said hype to shift a few digital copies of the Super Nintendo classic.

Source: Nintendo