Evolution Schematic 03.08.08: WWE Video Games (Part 1)

Writer’s Notes

So, I didn’t win the Australia’s Cup. Big deal, I… Uh… Well, I’ll be in the Hidden Highlights this week, so I got that. And next week’s FOF: Video Games.

JP & Tommy: So when are you actually gonna send us your-

I’m working on it! Geez.

Anyway, I’d just like to say now that I encourage all of you to read all the other fine columns here on 411. I tend to only link to outside the site, but I want you to know that I fully support and endorse each and every review and column on this site, and heartly suggest you read them.

Except Small. He sucks.

Overview

This seems an odd topic to cover. At least for me.

I mean, on one level it can make sense, video games have clearly evolved over time, and thus one could chart their progress. But who wants to hear about polygons and loading times? It just doesn’t seem like a topic worth covering.

There are, however, two main reasons for this attempt. First, a complete overview of every official WWF/WWE game ever made. If you are to truly comprehend and understand and appreciate what you have now, you gotta realise where you started from.

But more importantly, the WWE Video Games are a good yard stick to measure the passage of the whole company. Each game is a snapshot, limited by the constraints at the time, but still a measure of who and what was on top at the time. It’s not the only way to measure the company’s history, and maybe not even the best, but it is interesting nevertheless.

Besides, I want to be double linked dammit.

Origins- See, sometimes this section is just silly.

WWF/WWE. History dating back to 1953 or even earlier. 1982, company began to function under Vince McMahon Jr. A lot of fame and money then followed.

Video Games. History dating back to 1947 with the Cathode Ray Tube Amusement Device. 1971 saw the first commercially sold video game, and a lot of money, fame and Madden Roster Updates followed.

A major part of both of these companies/fields is the desire to make new and exciting products to sell. And Wrestling Video Games are popular, and so is WWF, so why not combine the two?

Debut- You wouldn’t like Honky Tonk Man when he’s angry!

Name: WWF WrestleMania
Console/s: Nintendo Entertainment System, aka NES.
Release Date: 1989
Playable Characters: Andre the Giant, Bam Bam Bigelow, The Honky Tonk Man, Hulk Hogan, ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage and ‘The Million Dollar Man’ Ted DiBiase
Unplayable Characters: None.
Match Types: Exhabition (1 on 1), Tournament
Other Features: Energy Symbols, ‘Angry’ mode.
Screenshot:

Info: The very first WWF Video Game was, of course, for the first major home console, the NES.

(Waits for mass rush of fanboys to correct him on that point.)

For the time and the fact that it was the first ever, you have to be a little easy on it. Certainly a few touches were understandable, the lack of a 4th side of the ropes so you could see the action, no tag matches, the inability to control when you jumped off the turnbuckle, and so on. But some things were a little odd. Power-ups, for instance. Occasionally a symbol would appear, a different one for each guy (A footprint for Andre, flames for Bam Bam, a guitar for HTM, a crucifix for Hulk, sunnies for Macho Man and, of course, $ for Ted) that if you got it, would recharge your energy. Hulk’s leg drop only being a top rope one. And then there’s the Angry Mode.

See, if your guy gets beat on for bit, he might get mad and flash red. And when he’s mad, he deals more damage. In other words, he hulks up. Sounds like a good idea, but they could ALL do that. I don’t recall the Honky Tonk Man every getting cranky and thus stronger, do you? Still, with all things a beginning must exist. And it can only be up from here, right?

Phase 2- The Forgotten WWF Game.

Thanks to Skiosmagus for pointing this one out.

Name: Micro League Wrestling 2
Console/s: PC
Release Date: 1989
Playable Characters: Hulk Hogan, ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage, ‘The Million Dollar Man’ Ted Dibiase
Unplayable Character/s: Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan, THE FINK, Gorrila Monsoon, Jesse ‘The Body’ Ventura, Vince McMahon
Match Type/s: Hulk V Savage, Hulk V DiBiase
Other Features: Stratergy Game, EGA Photo Grahics, Commentary and Pre-Match Promos
Screenshot:

Info:

Not every WWF game was cartooish and arcadey. They did try their hands at a stratergy game as well. After all, wrestling is a game of human chess, and PCs in 1989 were not exactly gaming powerhouses. So, instead of a crappy half-assed action game, the first WWF PC game was more a sports stratergy game, Micro League being a game developer with a solid background in strarty sports simulators. You took control of Hogan, Savage or Ted, and chose the move you wanted to try. Based on a variety of factors, and some degree of luck, one of the two would work, and you’d go again. So trying for the ‘Leg Bomb’ right off the bat was unlikely to work, as it should be.

Largely forgotten (hell, I forgot it when I posted this), it is a decent, if short game. And the best thing about it is that it’s abandonedware, and thus, you can go download it now! And it’s legal! How sweet is that?

Phase 3- Forget the mind-f*** of HTM and anyone else tagging. RING CARTS!

Name: WWF Superstars
Console/s: Arcade
Release Date: May 1989
Playable Characters: The Big Boss Man, The Honky Tonk Man, Hulk Hogan, “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, “Macho Man” Randy Savage, The Ultimate Warrior
Unplayable Character/s: The Mega Bucks, “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase and Andre the Giant
Match Type/s: Tag Team Tournament
Other Features: Audio Cut Scenes, Alternate Costumes, Newspaper Headlines!, THE SWEET RING CARTS!
Screenshot:

Info: The first arcade WWF game, this was everything the NES game was not, sorta. You, with or without a buddy, took control of 2 of the 6 possible player characters, forming a tag team that would challenge the other two before fighting the Mega Bucks two times, once in New York City then again in Tokyo, being driven to the ring in the sweet WM III/IV ring carts, all with the goal of winning the tag team titles and getting your name in the paper. Cut Scenes were occasionally played with audio from the various people involved. Each character had his finisher moves, although they didn’t do anything special, apart from the submission holds of the Mega Bucks (the Million Dollar Dream and the Canadian Backbreaker respectively) which were the sole submission moves in the game. Also, some characters had alternate costumes they would switch between, and the CPU characters might taunt you after they nailed you.

Of course, the game was an arcade game and thus was designed to suck your quarters (or 20 cent pieces). But it was a fun ride to get there, plus, well… RING CARTS!

Phase 4- You! I wonder if he’s related to Who?

Name: WWF WrestleMania Challenge
Console/s: NES
Release Date: 1990
Playable Characters: Andre the Giant, The Big Boss Man, Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake, Hulk Hogan, “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, “Macho King” Randy Savage, “Ravishing” Rick Rude, The Ultimate Warrior, & ‘You’
Unplayable Character/s: None
Match Type/s: Single, Singles Championship, Tag Team, Tag Team Championship, and 3-on-3 Survivor Series(!)
Other Features: Yourself in the game, sort of, DQs and Count-Outs.
Screenshot:

Info: The first game to actually show some depth to it, Challenge had a much better color scheme, a better camera angle, more wrestlers, more modes, no stupid symbols, tag matches, Survivor Series matches, count outs, DQs and double teaming, it was all round a marked improvement on the last one. As well as the exhibition matches, there is the Championship mode, where You, as in a generic guy named You, or two generic guys called You if your doing the 2 player tag team championship mode, fight all the other superstars to become WWF World (Tag Team) Champion.

Also, you could dive out to ringside onto people, and then get counted out if you didn’t make the count back in. You could also get DQed if you called in your tag partner for some good old fashioned double teaming and didn’t get the other guy out of the ring before the 10 count. Alas DQs for chair shots was a little way off.

But chair shots would come soon enough.

Phase 5- I’d call it a love sim style but only the fellow perverts out there would know what I meant… Unless you’ve played Super Paper Mario.

Name: WWF WrestleMania
Console/s: Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, and DOS.
Release Date: 1991
Playable Characters: The British Bulldog, Hulk Hogan, The Ultimate Warrior.
Unplayable Character/s: Mr. Perfect, The Mountie, Sgt. Slaughter, “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase and The Warlord.
Match Type/s: WWF Champion Road, Practice.
Other Features: Choose-a-response, practice mode, A Steel Chair With Which To Beat Down People.
Screenshot:

Info: The first PC WWF game that was a ‘proper’ Wrestling game, the first PC game that was actiony, this game was basically based on the Arcade Superstars game a couple of years prior, albeit it less open and more forced to be the good guy vs. the bad guy. You took control of one of the three heroes to all, and then fought, in order, Perfect, Warlord, Dibiase, Mountie and then Slaughter in a quest to win the WWF championship.

That’s an odd order to place those guys in some semblance of easy to hard.

Regardless, the game was arcadey in nature, with 5 minute rounds, a time limit draw equalling a loss, and 4 credits per game. It also had a practice mode where you could wrestle a downed opponent, or have a second person join in as that opponent although it was always Mr. Perfect. But above all, the thing this game is most remembered for, if anything, is the steel chair at ringside you could grab and use with gay abandon without fear of being penalised. After all, there were no DQs, so why not have fun with it?

But while this game took the game play from an older one, another game that year merely took the name.

Phase 6- Now you can wrestle on the go!

Name: WWF Superstars
Console/s: Game Boy
Release Date: May 1991
Playable Characters: Hulk Hogan, Mr. Perfect, “Macho Man” Randy Savage, “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase and The Ultimate Warrior.
Unplayable Character/s: Vince McMahon, crack announcer.
Match Type/s: WWF Championship Road
Other Features: Pre match thoughts, post match analysis, beautiful green graphics.
Screenshot:

Info: The first portable WWF game, Superstars was naturally a fair way behind the other games that came before them. But the joy at being able to wrestle anywhere was meant to make up for it.

You selected your guy, and then fought the other 4 on your way to the WWF Championship. As you progressed, you could cut pre match comments on your opponent, either a generic one or a specific to a certain wrestler, you only had two. After each match, Vince McMahon would give his expert analysis of the action.

None of the characters had their signature moves, not even Savage, who has a top rope knee drop, despite everyone else having a top rope elbow drop. Maybe they didn’t want to cause jealousy.

Of course, if you had a game link, then you could play 2 player. But despite this, the game still is just a toe hold, a start to a new frontier, portable WWF games. Of course, while one sort of game was just staring, another reached it’s peak.

Phase 7- Mike McGuirk makes HER Wrestling game debut!

Name: WWF Wrestlefest
Console/s: Arcade
Release Date: June 1991
Playable Characters: The Big Boss Man, Demolition (Crush & Smash), Earthquake, Hulk Hogan, Jake “The Snake” Roberts, Mr. Perfect, Sgt. Slaughter, “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase, The Ultimate Warrior
Unplayable Character/s: The Legion of Doom, Hawk & Animal
Match Type/s: Royal Rumble, Saturday Night Main Event, Steel Cage matches.
Other Features: Commentary, Audio Promos, Weapons, Buy-Ins, Awesome Graphics (seriously), being a Great Game.
Screenshot:

Info: Possibly the finest WWF game every produced.

(Sees masses of No Mercy fanboys reaching for weapons)

Well, certainly the best Arcade WWF game ever, saving the best for last. There are two modes to the game, the Rumble and the SNME mode.

The Rumble was just that, a ‘30 Man’ ‘Royal Rumble’. Admittedly, eliminations could occur by pinfall, submission or being tossed over the top rope, but still, it was the Rumble, although given the reduced number of wrestlers they would repeat a couple of times.

The Saturday Night Main Event mode was the other quarter grabber, where you chose your tag team (any combo of the 8 non-tag team guys or Demolition, who could not team with anyone else) and fight the other 4 on your way to facing the Legion Of Doom, then you went around another time before facing and beating the LOD again to win. Given that the LOD were about 2.5 times as strong as everyone else AND had the Doomsday Device finisher that was deadly, they were a pretty strong boss character in the game. Steel Cage matches would also pop up during this mode.

Everything in the game clicked, the characters, the ring, the wrestling, the audio, the weapons (although it was a little odd. You could throw your opponent out, and you would transport outside to where the chairs and steps were to use as a weapon, then when you entered the ring again you reset), the double teaming, the game was just superb. A classic arcade game, not just a classic WWF game. Of course, given that this was the peak, the WWF didn’t ever bother making another one, instead focusing on the home consoles, although it would take a little while before it’s peak was reached…

Wow, this is gonna take longer than I thought.

A HUGE thank you to Wikipedia, Gamefaqs, Mobygames, and Gamespot for being cool sites for this column.