Wrestling Games

[Technosis]

Whether you like the "real" thing or not, wrestling games are a fun theme for fighting games. What are some of the titles that you enjoyed? A few I've played and remember:

 

- Mania Challenge (Arcade) - Great two player variant of Mat Mania (Exciting Hour)...I've got this one as a full size cabinet....had to fix the joysticks a few times as the action gets pretty frantic between players (the non-gamers just HAMMER the buttons )

 

- Mat Mania (Arcade) - was there ever a deluxe hack for this (who wouldn't want to play as Coco Savage!)

 

- Bop'n Wrestle (C64) - crude graphics but fun!

 

- Natsume Championship Wrestling (SNES) - weird controls - OK when you figured it out.

 

- Fire Pro Wrestling (Multi-platform) - Awesome series!

 

This is just a small sampling

[Gregory DG]

Pro Wrestling on the NES. Nothing like the Amazon dude who bites his opponents head.

[Student Driver]

Rumble Roses and/or Rumble Roses XX.

 

(My way of saying that a bit o' cheesecake enhances the appeal immeasurably for me...)

[2600Lives]

Pro Wrestling for the NES is my all time fave.

 

I personally enjoy the modern wrestling games much more, as I totally adore the create-a-wrestler and entrance features. Day Of Reckoning 2 is SO frickin' awesome.

 

I happened to be playing some of the old WWF NES games via NESTopia last night. EWWW. All of them suck SO badly it isn't even funny, and all of them came out long after Pro Wrestling which is a wonderful game. Glad to see the quality of things has improved.

[jboypacman]

Heres some of my favorite wrestling games.....Virtual Pro Wrestling and Virtual Pro Wrestling2-N64 Imports,WCW/NWO World Tour-N64,Pro Wrestling-Nes,Power Moves Pro Wrestling-PS1,Any Fire Pro Wrestling games-Multi-Platform,WCW Wrestling-PS1,Natsume Championship Wrestling-SNES,and Pro Wrestling -Sega Master System.

[Josh]

Nes - Ring King.... hahahaha!

[BassGuitari]

Pro Wrestling on the NES. Nothing like the Amazon dude who bites his opponents head.

 

I second that. I never play as anyone else! Nor do I really play any other wrestling game.

[Atarifever]

Saturday Night Slammasters. Capcom + rasslin' =

 

I also like the create-a-wrestler feature in current wrestling games. However, I think it's about time the wrestling game genre finally moved forward and let you add your own music for your own wrestlers and let you cut promos for your created wrestler to challange people online.

Edited October 16, 2006 by Atarifever

[jboypacman]

In Virtual Pro Wrestling 2(Import N64)you could have your wrestler come out to the ring and have him "cut a little promo"before there match.It would show your wrestler in the ring with a mic and a show what he was saying on the screen.You would have to type up what you want him to say in you create a wrestler part of the game and it was only maybe 2 lines long.You had to be sure to push one of the little yellow buttons on you 64 controller or it would go right to the match up.

[BydoEmpire]

Nes - Ring King.... hahahaha!

Wait, isn't Ring King the Data East boxing game? Anyways, I did really love NES Pro Wrestling. I enjoyed Royal Rumble for the Dreamcast, although it wasn't a *great* game. I also liked the Wrestlemania arcade game, but I wasn't a huge fan of the home conversions.

[Josh]

Nes - Ring King.... hahahaha!

Wait, isn't Ring King the Data East boxing game? Anyways, I did really love NES Pro Wrestling. I enjoyed Royal Rumble for the Dreamcast, although it wasn't a *great* game. I also liked the Wrestlemania arcade game, but I wasn't a huge fan of the home conversions.

In ring king between rounds the trainer well... ties the boxers pants with his teeth

Here is the link:

[Technosis]

In Virtual Pro Wrestling 2(Import N64)you could have your wrestler come out to the ring and have him "cut a little promo"before there match.It would show your wrestler in the ring with a mic and a show what he was saying on the screen.You would have to type up what you want him to say in you create a wrestler part of the game and it was only maybe 2 lines long.You had to be sure to push one of the little yellow buttons on you 64 controller or it would go right to the match up.

 

I remember hearing lots about this game and how it was a superior non-WWF (WWE now)alternative to No Mercy and WrestleMania 2000 on the N64. I'm assuming it needed a translation guide. Is this a difficult import title to get a copy of ?

[Xot]

Best pro wrestling game ever, hands down: WWF Wrestlefest, Technos, 1989-ish. Never ported to any home system. Sadly, a full third of the roster is now dead.

[Atarifever]

Best pro wrestling game ever, hands down: WWF Wrestlefest, Technos, 1989-ish. Never ported to any home system. Sadly, a full third of the roster is now dead.

Who was on the roster?

[ProperRogue]

Here is a link to the arcade flyer for WrestleFest.

 

WWF WrestleFest Arcade Flyer

 

As he mentioned though , the following wrestling superstars have since passed.

 

Big Bossman

Legion of Doom HAWK , or if you rememeber like I do , that would be ROAD WARRIOR Hawk :-)

Earthquake John Tenta

and last but most certainly not least ,

Mr. Perfect Curt Hennig

 

Same also for Andre the Giant, but he was in the first WWF arcade game, SuperStars.

[Atarifever]

Here is a link to the arcade flyer for WrestleFest.

 

WWF WrestleFest Arcade Flyer

 

As he mentioned though , the following wrestling superstars have since passed.

 

 

and last but most certainly not least ,

Mr. Perfect Curt Hennig

 

That's the one I was saddest over. I don't think there was ever a point where I didn't like his character. He was the perfect heel.

 

Speaking of great heels, look at DiBiase on that poster. That's some good self assured arrogance right there.

Edited October 18, 2006 by Atarifever

[figgler]

I like a lot of the NES wrestling games. Pro Wrestling of course, WWF Wrestlemania Challenge is good, Tecmo World Wrestling and even that WCW game get my thumbs up. ()

Super NES gave us a bunch of good games too. Except Wrestlemania: The Arcade Game, all the 16 bit WWF games are the same, but good. There's Slam Masters that 'fever mentioned which is cool, and I have a few others from here and Japan that are fun too.

Outside of WCW / NWO World Tour for the 64 and Legends of Wrestling for Cube my penchant for wrestling games has died right down though. I think now, much like real wrestling, it's too much about entrances, music and sizzle.

 

There was that Ulitmate Muscle game (is it still M.U.S.C.L.E.?) for Cube and I think one for PS2 also. How are those? ]

[super_dos_man]

Pro Wrestling on the NES. Nothing like the Amazon dude who bites his opponents head.

I love that game it is the best

[Technosis]

<snip> my penchant for wrestling games has died right down though. I think now, much like real wrestling, it's too much about entrances, music and sizzle.

 

That's what I try to avoid in these games. Which is precisely why I really enjoyed Fire Pro Wrestling on the GBA. Lots of different guys, fight modes, and no flashy music or sizzle...just great action!

Edited October 18, 2006 by Technosis

[jboypacman]

I havnt seen a Virtual Pro Wrestling or Virtual Pro Wrestling 2 in sometime.I lost my copies a while back during some moving.Am sure they still turn up here and there.And yes this games kick the stuffing out of the U.S. WWF(E)games which are based off these games.As far as translation goes its easier to figure out than Fire Pro but a Faq does come in handy.

[2600Lives]

The one that still gets me is the death of John "Earthquake" Tenta. I had actually gotten to know John a little bit from his posting over at the Wrestlecrap forums and had talked to him some via pm. He was such a nice, genial guy. It's a shame that someone so good like him has to pass while idiotic morons like Jim Hellwig still draw breath.

 

I loved that game, though. There was nothing more fun back in the day than popping in quarter, playing as Big Boss Man, and owning up on all the Hogan lovers. Hehe.

[MegaManFan]

Second that. I donated to Tenta's PayPal fund on Wrestlecrap to help out his family. He's one of my favorite wrestlers from childhood - I still have the Nintendo Power where he's on the cover. He actually answered a couple of my posts on the WrestleCrap forums and I was blown away by that. It makes me sad I never got the chance to meet him and get his autograph, which I promised him I was going to do someday.

[ProperRogue]

Unfortunately , there isn't even a write-up in your local paper nowadays when a wrestler passes on. Funny part is , I know kids who look up to wrestlers more than any other sports legends, i.e. baseball , football , basketball. Yet for some reason , a wrestler usually gets the short end of the stick.

 

Here's a small list for anyone interested. It covers some of the more popular names of the last 15 or so years.

 

Gone But Not Forgotten Wrestlers

 

A lot of them have one thing in common , heart failure. 300+ nights a year , going from town to town, just to make people either "love ya or hate ya". It's a very unique lifestyle.

 

Again , just thought I'd share the list for anyone interested.

 

 

BTW , the one that always gets me is Ravishing Rick Rude. He was always the ultimate heel, and could draw more heat than some of the faces could draw cheers. :-)

Edited October 19, 2006 by ProperRogue

[Inky]

I hate to say it, but I liked Data East's Tag Team Wrestling. Once you understood the control scheme, it wasn't too bad.

[Xot]

I like a lot of the NES wrestling games. Pro Wrestling of course, WWF Wrestlemania Challenge is good, Tecmo World Wrestling and even that WCW game get my thumbs up. ()

Super NES gave us a bunch of good games too. Except Wrestlemania: The Arcade Game, all the 16 bit WWF games are the same, but good. There's Slam Masters that 'fever mentioned which is cool, and I have a few others from here and Japan that are fun too.

Outside of WCW / NWO World Tour for the 64 and Legends of Wrestling for Cube my penchant for wrestling games has died right down though. I think now, much like real wrestling, it's too much about entrances, music and sizzle.

 

There was that Ulitmate Muscle game (is it still M.U.S.C.L.E.?) for Cube and I think one for PS2 also. How are those? ]

 

I have Ultimate MUSCLE and I find it to be pretty enjoyable, but with limited replay unless you play against other people a lot. Game play is pretty simplistic, but the visuals are nice. Once you unlock the first couple characters, every other unlockable is just a different model with a mishmash of other's movesets.

 

Probably cheap enough to be worth it at this point if you like button mashers.