Draft:Aran Ryan
Aran Ryan[a] is a fictional boxer from Nintendo's Punch-Out!! series. The character is represented as an Irish boxer born in Dublin. His first appearance was in Super Punch-Out!! for the Super NES, and fifteen years later in the Wii installment of Punch-Out!!, where he was voiced by Stephen Webster.[1]
Appearances
While Aran Ryan was calmer in Super Punch-Out!!, cheating occasionally, the Wii version changes his behavior significantly, depicting him as a loud, boisterous cheater.[2] The developer Bryce Holliday describes him as the game's "resident hooligan".[3] In discussing Ryan's fighting style, GamePro editor Will Herring described it as being momentum-based.[4]
In the Wii version, much like all other fighters, except for Donkey Kong and Doc Louis, Aran Ryan is fought twice in-game by the player character, Little Mac, in Contender Mode and Title Defense Mode. In his pre-battle slideshow in Contender Mode, he is shown to be a malicious and unsportsmanly fighter, as he is seen tickling a boxer with a feather while he is training, and later putting horseshoes in his gloves. In Title Defense Mode, Aran Ryan cheats even more, attaching his old pair of boxing gloves to some rope he found in the trash, and crafting a makeshift flail.
Reception
Since appearing in Punch-Out!!, Aran Ryan has received mixed reception. In their review, GameTrailers bemoaned his inclusion over Super Punch-Out!! character Dragon Chan.[5] In his review, editor Scott Jones criticized Ryan's inclusion in the Wii Punch-Out!!, calling him "one of the most banal characters in the game." He questioned why Nintendo included him and called him "forgettable."[6] Complex ranked him as the "sixth-douchiest video game character."[7]
In their article of racial stereotypes in Punch-Out!!, GamesRadar editor Brett Elston commented that his uncontrollable rage, his disposition to cheating, his love for fighting, and his penchant for adorning his clothing with four-leaf clovers were strong stereotypes of the Irish people. They added other qualities of Irish stereotypes, which include red hair and excitability.[2] Fellow GamesRadar editor Michael Grimm listed him as the sixth most offensive Irish stereotypes describing him as a "babbling madman".[8] Eurogamer editor Oli Welsh cited Ryan as an "idiotically violent Irishman."[9]
Notes
References
- ^ "Punch-Out!!". Metacritic. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
- ^ a b Elston 2009, p. 3.
- ^ "Punch-Out Devs Talk Graphics, Difficulty, Nixed Princess Peach Idea". Kotaku.com. July 27, 2009. Archived from the original on September 9, 2009. Retrieved August 26, 2010.
- ^ Herring, Will (May 18, 2009). "Punch-Out!! Review from". GamePro. Archived from the original on July 27, 2010. Retrieved August 26, 2010.
- ^ "Punch-Out!!: Reviews, Trailers, and Interviews". Gametrailers.com. Archived from the original on May 21, 2009. Retrieved August 26, 2010.
- ^ "Punch-Out!! (Wii)". Crispy Gamer. Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
- ^ "The 25 Douchiest Video Game Characters". Complex. Archived from the original on June 25, 2012. Retrieved April 20, 2013.
- ^ "St. Paddy's Day disgraces: Six of gaming's most offensive Irish stereotypes". GamesRadar. March 17, 2010. Retrieved August 26, 2010.
- ^ Oli Welsh (May 21, 2009). "Punch-Out!! Wii Review - Page 2". Eurogamer.net. Archived from the original on June 17, 2011. Retrieved August 26, 2010.
Citations
- Elston, Brett (May 20, 2009). "Fun with stereotypes: starring Punch-Out!!". GamesRadar+.