A few weeks ago I was resolute in my decision not to purchase the new Punch-Out!! for the Wii. There was no way I was going to spend 50 bones on a boxing game with 13 opponents, only one of which is new. I trounced Glass Joe years ago and Nintendo wants me to send him to the mat once again. Lame.

However, as nostalgia begins to consume my being, I find myself tempted to taste the black-and-blue fruit.

Franchise fans have waited patiently for the Kyoto-based company to reveal the entire list of Little Mac’s adversaries. For months, all we saw were videos of Glass Joe, Von Kaiser, Disco Kid and King Hippo, with no mention of any other combatants.

Well, it seems that Nintendo and developer Next Level Games have merely been waiting for the right time to start revealing the rest of the roster Smash Bros. DOJO style. In the past week, images of Piston Hondo, Bear Hugger and the Great Tiger have appeared on the game’s official site. Well played Nintendo. By adding some of my series favorites, you have reignited my interest in the revival title. Give me Soda Popinski, Mr. Sandman and Dragon Chan, and you can have my $50.

Pictures of Don Flamenco and Bald Bull have also surfaced on the Internet. This photo of the Spanish pugilist was found on the Punch-Out!! Twitter page, while GoNintendo stumbled across a promotional poster featuring the large Turk.

Punch-Out!! marks the first release in the series that will allow players to challenge friends and family in head-to-head bouts. Though, if you prefer to fly alone, you will be able to chase the WVBA title in career mode, or bash skulls in exhibition mode. The Wii Remote and Nunchuk can be used to throw punches, but if you are a longtime fan like me, you will probably opt to turn the Wiimote on its side for some NES-style controls.

Punch-Out!! is scheduled to release in the U.S. on May 18, which means it will probably hit retailers the following day. Are you going to pick this one up?

Sources: Punch-Out!! site, Destructoid, GoNintendo

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