View Full Version : Wrestle War...why did this not make it to the Genesis?
zektor
11-04-2007, 12:24 AM
Just thought about this tonight as I glanced over at the old Genesis poster that features the game as "Coming Soon". I mean, the game was done (it got a Megadrive release), but why no release on the Genesis? I personally never played the Megadrive title, and actually ordered one on ebay today for the heck of it. Was it bad? Was it bad enough to pass up a USA release? Or some other not so obvious issue that prevented the release? This reminds me of the Sega Master System poster that featured "Woody Pop"...which as many know was never released stateside either. Hmm...
Ze_ro
11-04-2007, 12:36 AM
That does seem odd... I didn't even realize that it was released on the Mega Drive. My guesses would be:
The game wasn't as popular in North America as it was in Japan, so they didn't think a North American release would sell well.
Perhaps there was another wrestling game in the works that they didn't want to compete with.
--Zero
Kitsune Sniper
11-04-2007, 01:02 AM
It's on the Sega Smash Pack Volume 1 (Dreamcast), so who knows?
zektor
11-04-2007, 01:09 AM
It's on the Sega Smash Pack Volume 1 (Dreamcast), so who knows?
I just read that somewhere. Very odd that they would add a game that was never released here to a compilation of greatest hits that we are all supposed to remember...heh. I *do* remember playing this game in a local arcade however.
From the Genesis flyer:
Coming Soon: Wrestle War
"The body slammin' Arcade hit. Fly off the ropes. Flip through the air. Tough mat action. Let 'em know who's boss! #1206
Mianrtcv
11-04-2007, 01:43 AM
Up until a short while ago that game was up and running at a local Nathan's by me. Gone now. Don't know what happened to it.
starchildskiss78
11-04-2007, 07:11 AM
It's on the Sega Smash Pack Volume 1 (Dreamcast), so who knows?
That was simply a port of the arcade game according to the instruction manual of Sega Smash Pack Vol. 1.
Cauterize
11-04-2007, 12:18 PM
If it helps at all... Wrestle War was released in the UK, Europe and Australia as well as Japan..
http://new.guardiana.net/MDG-Database/76-Wrestle%20War/#v143
Notice Hulk Hogan on the cover for the Jap game, but hes disappeared on the PAL covers!
zektor
11-04-2007, 12:54 PM
If it helps at all... Wrestle War was released in the UK, Europe and Australia as well as Japan..
http://new.guardiana.net/MDG-Database/76-Wrestle%20War/#v143
Notice Hulk Hogan on the cover for the Jap game, but hes disappeared on the PAL covers!
They most likely created that boxart without Hulk's approval if I'd take a guess...
majinbuu
11-04-2007, 02:34 PM
I remember playing that for hours back in the day. I live in Australia so it was an easy game to find. It was an easy game to complete but it kept me coming back for more. I think it was to do with the giant characters and great graphics as compared to other wrestling games of the time and good gameplay.
Actually, talking about it I'd like to find my copy and play it now.
Thanks for reminding me about it guys :)
Sam the Seed
Technosis
11-04-2007, 07:04 PM
I remember playing that for hours back in the day. I live in Australia so it was an easy game to find. It was an easy game to complete but it kept me coming back for more. I think it was to do with the giant characters and great graphics as compared to other wrestling games of the time and good gameplay.
Actually, talking about it I'd like to find my copy and play it now.
Thanks for reminding me about it guys :)
Sam the Seed
I remember this one in the arcades. :)
I did find it a someone frustrating game though. Has anyone here actually come up with a good strategy? Most of the game seemed to be almost strategic, since the computer guy nearly always immediately locked up with you, and it seemed that it was arbitrarily up to the game on whether it would let you have the "strength" to pull off the better moves.
I'm surprised it never came stateside as well. The early Genesis library was missing a wrestling game.
bangtango
11-04-2007, 09:54 PM
Some guy in a suit probably thought it wasn't good enough to come out in the US, same as Golden Axe 3 and Double Dragon II on Mega Drive. When I played it on Sega Smash Pack (Dreamcast), I didn't think it was all that good myself. Of course I am sure part of it was due to the game having not aged well and that it "looked" a lot better way back when.
Kitsune Sniper
11-04-2007, 10:13 PM
If it helps at all... Wrestle War was released in the UK, Europe and Australia as well as Japan..
http://new.guardiana.net/MDG-Database/76-Wrestle%20War/#v143
Notice Hulk Hogan on the cover for the Jap game, but hes disappeared on the PAL covers!
The Legion of Doom is there, in the background, too!
ThoughtBomb
11-04-2007, 11:06 PM
I actually had a side-melted megadrive version that I played on my Genesis of that game back in the day. I don't remember it being that big of a deal. I remember the music being pretty lame, the graphics meh, and the controls & viewpoint poopy. I never knew there was an arcade version of it, but I'm willing to bet it was much better than the MD version. If you want a good 16 bit wrestler, try Saturday Night Slam Masters for SNES if you haven't already.
majinbuu
11-05-2007, 12:21 AM
I remember this one in the arcades. :)
I did find it a someone frustrating game though. Has anyone here actually come up with a good strategy? Most of the game seemed to be almost strategic, since the computer guy nearly always immediately locked up with you, and it seemed that it was arbitrarily up to the game on whether it would let you have the "strength" to pull off the better moves.
IIRC I used to punck/kick the opponent down first, stomping him while he was down, then when he got up I locked up with him and tapped the buttons like crazy. Seemed to work well.
Neil Koch
11-05-2007, 01:31 PM
The Legion of Doom is there, in the background, too!
Most of the wrestlers in the game are based on real ones, which might be why it never came out in the US.
Also, it's just not a very good game. Even the Acclaim button-mashers (as horrible as those games are now) were better.
Frankie_Says_Relax
11-05-2007, 03:22 PM
I guess I'm in the minority, but I've always enjoyed Wrestle War.
I liked the character designs, and large size of the wrestlers compared to other wrestling games of that era.
The strange top/down/back viewing angle wasn't the greatest thing ever, but it had a similar quality to Punch Out on the NES.
Not the best wrestling game ever, but certainly not the worst (cough) tagteamwrestling (cough)
Ed Oscuro
11-05-2007, 03:58 PM
I just read that somewhere. Very odd that they would add a game that was never released here to a compilation of greatest hits that we are all supposed to remember...heh.
Adding previously unreleased games to a compilation adds a reason to buy them...or did you boycott the game for purist reasons? ;)
Some guy in a suit probably thought it wasn't good enough to come out in the US, same as Golden Axe 3 and Double Dragon II on Mega Drive.
If it was a suit at SOA that opted to not bring those two to the U.S., then I'd like to buy him a drink.
Iron Draggon
11-09-2007, 09:38 AM
Just thought about this tonight as I glanced over at the old Genesis poster that features the game as "Coming Soon". I mean, the game was done (it got a Megadrive release), but why no release on the Genesis? I personally never played the Megadrive title, and actually ordered one on ebay today for the heck of it. Was it bad? Was it bad enough to pass up a USA release? Or some other not so obvious issue that prevented the release? This reminds me of the Sega Master System poster that featured "Woody Pop"...which as many know was never released stateside either. Hmm...
Woody Pop was released in the US on the GameGear... but you prolly know that