Super Punch-Out!! unlockable in Fight Night sequel

Super Nintendo boxing classic Super Punch-Out!! will be an unlockable bonus item in the GameCube version of Electronic Arts' Fight Night Round 2, sources close to Nintendo told Eurogamer today.

Fight Night Round 2 is currently in development for the GameCube and two other formats, PS2 and Xbox, and is due out on 11th March in Europe.

News of Punch-Out's inclusion follows the announcement last week that a Nintendo All-Stars team would appear in the GameCube version of EA's basketball title NBA Street V3.

Electronic Arts and Nintendo have something of a history now of including bonus content in GameCube versions of EA's multiformat titles. Both The Sims Bustin' Out and The Urbz have previously able to link up with accompanying Game Boy Advance versions to trade items.

Meanwhile, though it had more to do with developer/publisher Namco than anyone else, the EA-distributed R: Racing title was the only way for European gamers to get hold of multiplayer "connectivity" showcase Pac-Man Vs.

Super Punch-Out!!, released for the Super Nintendo in the mid-nineties, is one of the most celebrated early boxing titles, and saw the player taking on 16 quirky characters from an over-the-shoulder standpoint.

Whether it'll stand up as anything more than a novelty in this day and age is something we couldn't guestimate without dusting off our 16-bit pile and digging around for the cartridge in the attic, but it's certainly a step up from the usual bonus items like concept artwork - and its inclusion is bound to catch quite a few people's attention.