Wrestlemania
Reviewed by Dr. Mabuse
Graphics 4 out of 10
Graphics were simplistic and dull. The ring was always exactly
the same, and there was no background. I gave it a 4 instead of
a 3 only for the still shots showing the wrestlers' faces, which
brought back a lot of childhood memories, but not as many as I
was expecting.
The player characters were bad, even for the time. Andre the
Giant looked like a midget, Bam Bam Bigelow looked gay, and
Macho Man didn't look very macho.
Music and Sound 5 out of 10
5 is my indifference score. The music was not memorable, but it didn't
get stuck in my head and drive me insane, as the music from Bubble
Bobble did. Of course, I played that game for 12 hours straight when
that happened. So Wrestlemania deserves a 5 for not being intrusive
and for suiting the game. The sound effects were practically nonexistent.
Game Challenge 6 out of 10
The most challenging thing about this game was figuring out how
to control the characters. It took us 2 minutes to figure out how
to run (hold A), 4 minutes to figure out how to bodyslam (A + B),
another 4 minutes to figure out how to drop kick (A while already
running), and at least a couple takedowns to figure out how to pin
your opponent (down + A + B?).
The most obvious play control problem is the fact that your feet
have to be touching your opponent for you to hit him. The other
problem is that it's tough to move up and down over the ring, and
that you can only attack your opponent from the sides.
Once you start to win, it's only a matter of time until you wear
your opponent down. I know most fighting games are like that,
but you can't heal in most fighting games. In other words, the
healthy get healthier and the injured get injureder. So, the game
is already decided before it's half over.
Game Play-Fun 3 out of 10
Compared to other wrestling games, this one is the weakest.
Maybe that's because it's the first. It's the original that was
later improved upon, and there are a lot of options you and
me take for granted that aren't present in Wrestlemania. You
don't have the option of tag team matches, so that halves the
fun value right there. You can't even climb the turnpikes.
It's always fun to beat on your friend, no matter what game
you're playing. This game is fun against a friend, but not
against the computer, who is single-minded in approach
and more accurate than a real player.
The game gets old fast because there is a limit to what you
can do. A few fights, learn all the moves, and that's it. There's
no reward for winning, and once you win one match, the fun is gone.
Frustration
You can move left, right, up, down. You can't climb, and you can't
leave the ring. And you move much slower going up and down than
left and right.
You have to be exactly lined up with your opponent to deck him.
The user interface when selecting the game type was confusing.
You know when you have to futilely pound buttons until a game
starts? That's what this was like.
Replayability 2 out of 10
The only reason I would play this game again is because it's the
only game I can beat my friends in. Aside from that, it's
completely forgettable.
Game Value 6 out of 10
I say 6 because that's how much I paid for it, in Canadian. That comes
to about a 4 in American. Also, following the disappointment that
Chip & Dale didn't work, this was all we had to fall back on.
Overall 4 out of 10
There are so many other wrestling games to choose from, and at
least 3 more WWF titles on Nintendo alone. The other games have
more match types, a more memorable variety of characters, and
more available moves. I would have loved a tag team match, such
as the one in WWF Wrestlemania (this is plain old Wrestlemania),
and King of the Ring would have hit the spot. If you want to take
a trip down memory lane, this game is the equivalent of a flat tire.