From time to time I have heard people say "It's a shame this game had Donkey Kong in the title or it would have been a popular game."
That couldn't be further from the truth. A big reason anyone even plays the game anymore is because it has Donkey Kong in the title. You know Nintendo did make other games where you shoot at things. Yet I don't see a ton of talk about those other games. How often does someone talk about Radar Scope or Sheriff?
Also think about Arm Wrestling. Believe it or not that is actually a follow up on the first two Punch Out games. Bald Bull even makes an appearance! That game is very different than the Punch Out games, and yet almost no one plays it (Besides myself currently that I know of). If it was called Punch Out 3 I bet it would have garnered more attention even to this day. Yeah you could say, but it's too different from the first two games to be called Punch Out 3. Well so was Donkey Kong 3, and that didn't stop Nintendo from calling it that.