Disco Kid

Disco Kid
Disco Kid, as depicted in Punch-Out!! for Wii. Designed by Eddie Viser.
Series	Punch-Out!!
First game	Punch-Out!! (Wii)
Designed by	Eddie Viser
Voiced by	Donny Lucas

Disco Kid is a fictional African American boxer in the Nintendo-produced video game Punch-Out!! for Wii. He was designed by Eddie Viser and voiced by Donny Lucas. He is described as flamboyant and as a fan of clubbing, disco, and exercise. He is one of only two new characters introduced in the Wii Punch-Out!!, which mostly featured characters from Punch-Out!! for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Disco Kid has received generally positive reception. He has been praised for fitting in well with other Punch-Out!! boxers by Kotaku and The Escapist, though the editor for the latter website wrote that the character lacked strong connections to disco. He has been compared to the character Carlton Banks from the sitcom Fresh Prince of Bel-Air by both 1UP.com and ESPN. He has been called a stereotype of black people, though GamesRadar's Brett Elston wrote that his stereotypes were milder than most other characters in the series.

Concept and appearances

Disco Kid is one of only two new characters to appear in the Wii video game Punch-Out!!, which consists of mostly characters from Punch-Out!! for the Nintendo Entertainment System. He was designed by Eddie Viser and voiced by Donny Lucas.^[1] He was one of the first characters revealed in the Wii Punch-Out!!.^[2] He is characterized as flamboyant with a high-pitched voice and an affinity for clubbing.^[3]

Reception

Disco Kid has received generally positive reception. Numerous critics felt that Disco Kid fit in well with the characters returning from previous games, including Craig Harris, Oli Welsh, Ricardo Madeira, and DJPubba.^[4][5][6][7] GameSpot's Tom Mc Shea felt that he lacked the charm of the returning characters but had a flashy style.^[8] The Escapist's John Funk questioned what made him "disco", and wrote that more could have been accomplished by having "more sequins on his shorts".^[9] The Escapist's Jordan Deam wrote that Disco Kid's poses added to the "visual lexicon" of the series.^[10] 1UP.com's David Ellis and an editor for ESPN.com compared Disco Kid to the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air character Carlton Banks; Ellis added that he was a "flamboyant dancer who uses awkward timing as a distraction" and a greater challenge than other early game characters due to his unique pattern.^[11][12] GamePro's Will Herring wrote that his design was "masterfully modeled and animated".^[13] GameDaily's Chris Buffa described him as a "dancing fool" and a humorous character with a distinctive personality.^[14]

Flamboyance and stereotyping

Disco Kid has been described as a stereotype of black people and a flamboyance by critics such as Kotaku's Michael McWhertor.^[15] An editor for GameTrailers wrote that Disco Kid's inclusion indicated what segment of the market Nintendo was aiming for.^[16] GamesRadar's Brett Elston described Disco Kid as a stereotype of black Americans due to his appreciation for "tricked-out cars with huge rims and insane bass" as well as clubbing. He found these stereotypes to be comparatively mild to other stereotypes in Punch-Out!! except for another black American character Mr. Sandman due to Sandman's lack of eccentricities.^[3] One of the members of Retronauts stated that Disco Kid was a stereotype that Nintendo had not done yet. He added that it was "unnerving" and stated "the one new thing they were missing was a fag. Congratulations."^[17]

References

1. ^ "Punch-Out!! Release Information for Wii". GameFAQs. http://www.gamefaqs.com/wii/954363-punch-out/data. Retrieved 2011-05-09. 
2. ^ Thomas, Aaron (2009-03-31). "Punch-Out!! hands-on". GamesRadar. http://www.gamesradar.com/wii/punch-out/preview/punch-out-hands-on/a-20090331143517829075/g-2008100214264597030. Retrieved 2011-05-09. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Elston, Brett (2009-05-20). "Fun with stereotypes: starring Punch-Out!!". GamesRadar. http://www.gamesradar.com/f/fun-with-stereotypes-starring-punch-out/a-20090520102033407046. Retrieved 2010-08-25. 
4. ^ Harris, Craig (2009-05-15). "Punch-out!! Review". IGN. http://wii.ign.com/articles/983/983268p1.html. Retrieved 2010-08-25. 
5. ^ Welsh, Oli (2009-05-21). "Punch-Out!! Wii Review". Eurogamer. http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/punch-out-review. Retrieved 2010-08-25. 
6. ^ Madeira, Ricardo (2009-06-25). "Punch-Out!! Wii Análise". Eurogamer Portugal. http://www.eurogamer.pt/articles/punch-out-review_6. Retrieved 2010-08-25. 
7. ^ DJPubba (2009-05-18). "Hardcore Gamer Magazine". Hardcoregamer.com. http://www.hardcoregamer.com/index.php?option=com_magazine&id_rubrique=1&type=article&id_article=301. Retrieved 2010-08-25. 
8. ^ Mc Shea, Tom (2009-05-18). "Punch-Out!! Review for Wii". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/wii/sports/punchoutwii/review.html. Retrieved 2010-08-25. 
9. ^ Funk, John (2009-03-24). "Wii Punch-Out!! Opponents Trailer". The Escapist. http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/90419-Wii-Punch-Out-Opponents-Trailer. Retrieved 2010-08-25. 
10. ^ Deam, Jordan (2009-05-28). "Review: Punch-Out!!". The Escapist. http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/editorials/reviews/6103-Review-Punch-Out. Retrieved 2010-08-25. 
11. ^ Ellis, David (2009-03-25). "Punch-Out!! Preview". 1UP.com. http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3173430&p=44. Retrieved 2010-08-25. 
12. ^ "Punch Out!! is Wii's latest champ". ESPN. http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=4160691. Retrieved 2010-08-25. 
13. ^ Herring, Will (2009-05-18). "Punch-Out!! Review". GamePro. http://www.gamepro.com/article/reviews/210288/punch-out/. Retrieved 2010-08-25. 
14. ^ Buffa, Chris (2009-05-18). "Punch-Out!! on Wii". GameDaily. http://www.gamedaily.com/games/punchout/wii/game-reviews/review/7695/2290. Retrieved 2010-08-25. 
15. ^ McWhertor, Michael (2009-05-19). "Punch-Out!! Review: Call It A Comeback". Kotaku. http://kotaku.com/5261201/punch+out-review-call-it-a-comeback. Retrieved 2010-08-25. 
16. ^ "Punch-Out!!: Reviews, Trailers, and Interviews". GameTrailers. http://www.gametrailers.com/gamereview.php?id=10340. Retrieved 2010-08-25. 
17. ^ Kohler, Christ; Parish, Jeremy; Sharkey, Scott; Barnholt, Ray (2009-05-14). "A History of Punch-Out!!". Retronauts, Wired. http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2009/05/retronauts-a-history-of-punch-out/. Retrieved 2011-03-04.