Time to update 'Punch-Out!!'

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Star uppercuts. Joggin' on the Hudson River with a trainer who looked like Al Roker. Beating down Glass Joe while Mario the semi-crooked referee looked on. Like "Tecmo Bowl" and "R.B.I. Baseball," Mike Tyson's "Punch-Out!!" stands as a seminal Nintendo Entertainment System sports gaming experience -- and the just-released "Punch-Out!!" for the Wii remake looks to recapture the magic.

Too bad they brought back the original cast.

Von Kaiser. Super Macho Man. Great Tiger. The new "Punch-Out!!" has polygon graphics, high-tech motion controls and the same tired lineup of goofy ethnic stereotypes gamers pummeled to a sweaty pulp some two decades ago. Even Piston Honda -- now Piston Hondo -- made the cut.

Look, there's nothing wrong with nostalgia. Still, we can't help but think "Punch-Out!!" would be better with an updated slate of opponents, punch-worthy palookas more appropriate for modern life ...

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Patrick Hruby | email

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Patrick Hruby is an award-winning freelance writer and frequent contributor to ESPN.com. A graduate of Georgetown and Northwestern universities, he lives in Washington, D.C. where he previously worked for The Washington Times. His work has twice been featured in The Best American Sports Writing anthology. Contact him at PatrickHruby.net.

Kurt Snibbe | email

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Kurt Snibbe is an illustrator for Page 2. He previously worked at The Orange County Register, where he was an award-winning graphic artist.