8-bit to 16-bit Wrestling Games: the good, the bad, and M.U.S.C.L.E.

[Tanooki]

I guess I didn't know better as a kid but I ended up with Tag Team Wrestling and even finished it. I never really hated the game but I was not ever super hyped about it either but I don't think it deserves to be called bad. Sure you were stuck with very limited wrestler options but the move sets were kind of cool as was the ability out of the wring to beat the crap out of someone using a chair or running them over to the poll and skull cracking them on it.

Later (latter part of the 90s) I ended up with Pro Wrestling which is really fun and gave a lot more choices.

I have been curious about the Natsume wrestler and Slamasters from Capcom but never tried them.

I also have a prototype of WWF Wrestlemania for GB, interesting game with a good little roster of wrestlers, not sure if my copy is a final test or not as I don't have the original and barely fire it up as I don't want it to croak. I'd be more inclined to sell it than store it.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

I have to believe some of the developers that created Pro Wrestling moved on to Human/Spike. You can see the same animations when you pick up your opponent after they're close to being beaten, within the Fire Pro series.

I actually enjoyed In your House as well as Wrestlemania Arcade. I know some really hated that one, but I thought the power-ups and hindrance items added a layer of strategy.

Yes, you are correct.

Masato Masuda was the lone programmer on Pro Wrestling for Famicom/NES and he also worked on the Fire Pro series in its earliest incarnations.

[BlastProcessing402]

I have to believe some of the developers that created Pro Wrestling moved on to Human/Spike. You can see the same animations when you pick up your opponent after they're close to being beaten, within the Fire Pro series.

Yes, you are correct.

Masato Masuda was the lone programmer on Pro Wrestling for Famicom/NES and he also worked on the Fire Pro series in its earliest incarnations.

Cool, I've long had the same thought, good to hear it is indeed true!

[jammajup]

I do not recall anything really outstanding in the 8-16bit era to be honest maybe in the arcade WWF Wrestlefest-(in Royal Rumble),the only home wrestling games i played at home with any playability were on the N64.

[Steven]

Other than the final Fire Pro release on SNES, the finest wrestling game one can play on SNES IMO is Zen Nippon Pro Wrestling Budokan. It's simply ace

http://rvgfanatic.com/6501/62522.html

[Gamereviewgod]

WWF King of the Ring on the NES was so bad, no one even remembers it in this thread. Priceless. It easily had some of the more painful sprite work on the hardware. Hilariously underdetailed and a mass of lines and color. Gameplay was simply atrocious too.

I liked most of the LJN 16-bit games, beginning with Royal Rumble. The underrated Rage in the Cage on Sega CD is awesome. Great voice work that sold that era of the WWF. I could do without the "computer wins when it wants to" button mashing grapple system, but those games had a great move set.

[BlastProcessing402]

I liked most of the LJN 16-bit games, beginning with Royal Rumble. The underrated Rage in the Cage on Sega CD is awesome. Great voice work that sold that era of the WWF. I could do without the "computer wins when it wants to" button mashing grapple system, but those games had a great move set.

Best part of Rage In the Cage was the gibberish Fatu would yell before each match he was in. BABOO! EEECHACHACHA! EEE-EEE! YAH! YAH!

[Hawksmoor]

Anybody remember Wrestle War for the Megadrive? Not stellar, but not horrible either. It's most distinguishing features were the blatant ripoffs of popular wrestlers (including Hulk Hogan on the cover), blah gameplay, and title screen audio; some obnoxious guy yelling "Welcome toooooo Wrestleeeeeeee War!"

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Anybody remember Wrestle War for the Megadrive? Not stellar, but not horrible either. It's most distinguishing features were the blatant ripoffs of popular wrestlers (including Hulk Hogan on the cover), blah gameplay, and title screen audio; some obnoxious guy yelling "Welcome toooooo Wrestleeeeeeee War!"

Yeah, it's very good for a 16 bit game, huge sprites, but the camera angle changing can be jarring.

Sad that Sega didn't bring it to the US, the Genesis could have done with a 1st party wrestling title during that era. Glad they threw it on some of the Genesis collections.

[Gameguy]

WWF King of the Ring on the NES was so bad, no one even remembers it in this thread.

I had it, I liked it better than Wrestlemania for the NES but that's not really saying much. I remember trying both King of the Ring and Wrestlemania in a game store to pick one of them as I wanted a wrestling game at the time, I didn't know about rarity at the time so I went with the game I liked to play more. I later sold it because I never really played it at home.

[EricThaDead]

Here's a short video of Toukon Club, since nobody else has even mentioned it and I clearly didn't talk it up enough lol. Ignore my terrible playing, I was trying to to figure out a crazy corkscrew top rope move, but I couldn't get it in this video. Anyway... Camera rotation, dives out of the ring, knock offs of real wrestlers (Hulk Hogan, Mil Mascaras, Abdullah the Butcher, etc.), not a large selection of moves or wrestlers by any means, but still a really decent wrestling game for being on the Famicom.

[treismac]

Here's a short video of Toukon Club, since nobody else has even mentioned it and I clearly didn't talk it up enough lol. Ignore my terrible playing, I was trying to to figure out a crazy corkscrew top rope move, but I couldn't get it in this video. Anyway... Camera rotation, dives out of the ring, knock offs of real wrestlers (Hulk Hogan, Mil Mascaras, Abdullah the Butcher, etc.), not a large selection of moves or wrestlers by any means, but still a really decent wrestling game for being on the Famicom.

Cool wrestling game, man! Yeah, it took the video to entice me to play it. I appreciate your evangelistic zeal and the work you put into translating the game.

[EricThaDead]

Cool wrestling game, man! Yeah, it took the video to entice me to play it. I appreciate your evangelistic zeal and the work you put into translating the game.

I did the translation back in November, but I didn't spread it around or anything, just posted it on ROMHacking.net and my website. I'm hoping a few people enjoy the game so me translating it, and possibly attempting to translate something else, doesn't feel like a complete waste of time lol. Thanx for checking it out!

[hellraiser]

Wwf wrestlemania the arcade. It's more mortal kombat then wwf but it's good and fun!

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Here's a short video of Toukon Club, since nobody else has even mentioned it and I clearly didn't talk it up enough lol. Ignore my terrible playing, I was trying to to figure out a crazy corkscrew top rope move, but I couldn't get it in this video. Anyway... Camera rotation, dives out of the ring, knock offs of real wrestlers (Hulk Hogan, Mil Mascaras, Abdullah the Butcher, etc.), not a large selection of moves or wrestlers by any means, but still a really decent wrestling game for being on the Famicom.

WOW! I love the ring rotations. Don't know how I've missed this one over the years. Can't wait to give it a try!

[EricThaDead]

WOW! I love the ring rotations. Don't know how I've missed this one over the years. Can't wait to give it a try!

Quick tip: When the camera rotates, try to get to a different vertical plane than your opponent. It takes a bit to get used to the camera rotation, and the CP almost always tries to hit a strike as it happens. lol

Hope you enjoy it!

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

This thread makes me really bummed that US developers seem to be completely resistant to making an unlicensed wrestling game with over-the-top characters ala Pro-Wrestling, Saturday Night Slam Masters or even Punch-Out if you will in our modern era.

The closest we've gotten in recent years are previously mentioned M.U.S.C.L.E. games and the Rumble Roses games, which aren't bad other than both being paced in the Japanese pro wrestling match style (slow and steady).

I'd LOVE to see something with over-the-top original characters and crazy fast action ... the WWE Superstars game was a move in the right direction but the superdeformed WWE likenesses kind of held it back more than anything.

I'm a huge wrestling mark and I'm totally not opposed to playing with unlicensed characters if they're well designed and have personality. Wrestling games need to be fun again!

[kedawa]

Did you see that PC wrestling game on Steam Greenlight?
It's supposed to be like a highly modifiable clone of Aki's N64 rasslin games.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Did you see that PC wrestling game on Steam Greenlight?
It's supposed to be like a highly modifiable clone of Aki's N64 rasslin games.

I didn't. Links?

[kedawa]

Pro Wrestling X: Uprising

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfile...s/?id=92916857

There are some videos on YouTube as well.