Animal Crossing doesn't need to be a WOW killer, it just needs to have things to spice things up. Festivals are too few and far between, an ability to date other animals, maybe have oldschool games come back, but now you can play multiplayer online.
I am a fan of the series but the DS game did NOTHING to advance it outside of a primitive online structure.
The game needs a full overhall to keep it relevant, sure its addicting game it should at LEAST Try to do things different and new.
Punch-Out seems like a cool idea, the problem is after Ready2Rumble and FaceBreaker the idea of a cartoony boxing game is not that fresh and has been done before. If they can get the boxing controls to be amazing that can justify its existence.
I wholeheartedly agree with you about Animal Crossing Wii. However, knowing Nintendo I'm not expecting anything revolutionary out of the game. That way, I can be impressed or not be disappointed when the final game hits stands.
As for Punch-out!!, while I agree that cartoony boxing games have already been done what makes Punch-out so great is the gameplay, and how intimidating the challengers were.
That's something none of these fighting games have been able to replicate. The NES game was the first game that truly intimidated me thanks to how freaky and hard the fighters were. But despite the challenge the whole thing was rather simple; dodge or block attacks and wait for the right moment to strike.
It was so easy, yet in the heat of battle it was just as easy to forget and freak out.
After all, people say there's an easy way of beating Mike Tyson, but the fact is that you mess you and you die.
If Punch-out Wii is able to replicate this along with rock solid controls that do boxing RIGHT then the wait has been worth it.