Wrestling Games

[LessonInMachismo 0]

Okay, I haven't played a video game in a year or so. The best wrestling game that I have ever played was No Mercy. I liked the CAW and all that. Now, tell me which game is the best overall. I mean CAW, storylines, playablility, but not so much graphics. I'm not one of those graphics guys. I own a Gamecube and an X-Box. Which game should I buy?

[Guest SpiderFan]

Smackdown: Here comes the Pain is the best on the current consoles, but it's only on PS2. For the systems you own, easily Day of Reckoning for GC. I don't think there is a good wrestling game for X-box.

[Guest BrokenWings]

The wrestling games on X-Box have all been crap, and not worth what they're sold for. Stay away from those.

 

To be perfectly honest you'd probably be best off buying an old N64 and sticking with No Mercy. Or get the rom, which, if you have a good computer, runs nearly as smoothly (the entrances are a little messed up on mine). You're not going to find a wrestling game better than that on GC or X-Box.

[Spaceman Spiff 0]

Stock answer: Virtual Prowrestling 2

[AndrewTS 0]

The Smackdown games used to be complete crap.

 

Now they just stink.

 

HCTP/SvR really aren't very good.

 

I ditto the N64 game comments, but DoR is probably the closest thing you'll get. DoR2 has been announced but it's a) probably going to be basically the same game b) will take a while before it'll be cheap to find.

[The Metal Maniac 0]

HCTP/SvR really aren't very good.

 

But HCTP is probably still the best wrestling game for current consoles, judging by all the negativity I hear about ever other game.

 

I mean, it's not a great game and can be a real pain in the ass sometimes, but it's fun to play with some buddies, at least.

[razazteca 0]

Def Jam is a fun game to play but has no CAW.

[MooreMark 0]

Day of Reckoning is really close to No Mercy in terms of playability. I would pick that up.

[AndrewTS 0]

HCTP/SvR really aren't very good.

 

But HCTP is probably still the best wrestling game for current consoles, judging by all the negativity I hear about ever other game.

 

I mean, it's not a great game and can be a real pain in the ass sometimes, but it's fun to play with some buddies, at least.

The awful stat system, worthlessness of cruisers, cheap as hell AI (worse than No Mercy on hardest difficulty in handicap matches), and the CPU's ability to win in 2 or 3 moves any time they want even after having the snot beat out of them for a while is why I hate it.

 

It's more of a Sports Entertainment game than a wrestling game. Ooooh! Pretty entrances! Nicely done storymode!

 

And that's it.

 

A bad wrestling game is bad regardless of competition at a given time or on a given console.

 

Oh, and stupid me--I forgot about the newer AKI games.

 

Def Jam and the GC Ultimate Muscle are both good games, if you don't absolutely have to have the WWE-style realism and don't mind it being a little wilder overall.

 

I'd play Ultimate Muscle any day over the SD games, even if the gameplay is shallow. I haven't actually owned Def Jam, but I've played it with friends and enjoyed it, and I don't like rap at all.

 

I'm probably going to get Ultimate Muscle again next time I see it cheap. There's fewer moves and grapples overall, but it plays like--well, it plays like a 3D Slam Masters with better graphics/gameplay and multi-level special moves.

 

The finishers and double team finishers are worth checking out if nothing else. If you're unsure about its staying power, it makes a great rental, then you can decide from there. The PS2 version blows, though.

 

The GC Ultimate Muscle *does* have a CAW, but...it's not worth mentioning, really. It's like Warzone--you make the look (which is kind of mix and matching parts of people in the game or extra stuff), then pick a moveset. There are extra characters who didn't get the full treatment (recycled moves and finishers) who are on the Ultimate Muscle cartoon. No Monseuir Cheeks though.

[The Metal Maniac 0]

The awful stat system, worthlessness of cruisers, cheap as hell AI (worse than No Mercy on hardest difficulty in handicap matches), and the CPU's ability to win in 2 or 3 moves any time they want even after having the snot beat out of them for a while is why I hate it.

 

I agree on the stats and cruisers, but I never experienced the same amount of trouble with the AI or anything like that.

 

And the entrances and all that flash doesn't impress me. I like the fact that it's pretty simple to play, and you can do crazy-ass Elimination Chambers that involve Lesnar spearing Goldberg, only to stand up and get superkicked before hitting the SSP off the top of one of the cells for the finish.

 

Again; not a great game, but I paid $20 for it, and it's a wrestling game. I can deal with that.

 

It's no Fire Pro D though....*sigh*...

[AndrewTS 0]

The awful stat system, worthlessness of cruisers, cheap as hell AI (worse than No Mercy on hardest difficulty in handicap matches), and the CPU's ability to win in 2 or 3 moves any time they want even after having the snot beat out of them for a while is why I hate it.

 

I agree on the stats and cruisers, but I never experienced the same amount of trouble with the AI or anything like that.

It's mainly against CAWs, but even if they're built up rather heathily (around 5s in each category), the computer can turn it around anytime they want. Even by countering a move with a back elbow, then turning around and hitting a special on you. Boom, you're done.

 

The A.I. will run into a missile dropkick over and over. Which is pretty much the only chance in hell a cruiser has of winning a match, normally. The Smackdown games *never* have had decent AI for tag matches or other matches that aren't one on one.

 

I don't think I even need to mention Undertaker's striking grapple loops.

 

I know the original poster doesn't have a PS2, but I've played Rumble Roses--it's like a more realistic version of Ultimate Muscle. With tits. The actual gameplay (what's there anyway) is more polished than SvR/HCTP. They improved the collision detection and everything just feels much tighter. I wouldn't pay 40 bucks for a rather shallow wrestling game without a decent CAW, though.

[Masked Man of Mystery 0]

The first two Legends of Wrestling games aren't bad, and they're both dirt cheap. You can get Legends of Wrestling 2 for $15 for the Cube at a Toys R Us. Only game I'm aware of on the current generation that allows for a true 4 man to a team elimination Survivor Series match. Submissions aren't handled well and the engine takes some getting used to, but it's fun enough. Hogan's leg drop of doom really gets exposed in it though. CAW isn't bad either. Showdown ended up sucking for some reason despite the huge roster(and they got WCW music where possible, ie DDP comes out to Self High Five) but they tweaked the engine enough that I didn't like the timing, there's some shoddy collision detection, and the way finisher are done suck. So did the CAW. It's really quite sad, as it was one of Acclaim's last games

[haws bah gawd 0]

No Mercy would be perfect if the game didn't drop to 1/4 its normal speed when you're in a tag match. That really disappointed me, since I really enjoy tag matches. I like Raw vs Smackdown very much. The stats help you make a very overpowered wrestler, but aside from that I enjoy the game a lot.

[LessonInMachismo 0]

The wrestling games on X-Box have all been crap, and not worth what they're sold for. Stay away from those.

 

To be perfectly honest you'd probably be best off buying an old N64 and sticking with No Mercy. Or get the rom, which, if you have a good computer, runs nearly as smoothly (the entrances are a little messed up on mine). You're not going to find a wrestling game better than that on GC or X-Box.

I have an N64. Wow, cool how No Mercy has held up so well after five years.

 

How are the CAWs on all these games in terms of variety? NM was pretty varied in choices of attire, faces, etc. Has any game matched NM in this aspect?

 

Should I just break down and buy a PS2? Or is a PS3 coming soon?

[AndrewTS 0]

No Mercy would be perfect if the game didn't drop to 1/4 its normal speed when you're in a tag match.  That really disappointed me, since I really enjoy tag matches.  I like Raw vs Smackdown very much.  The stats help you make a very overpowered wrestler, but aside from that I enjoy the game a lot.

That, the lack of masks, and No Mercy's infamous glitch.

 

The AKI games are so filled with perfect little details it's hard to come close. AKI had the body part-specific damage down long before anyone. It actually matters how you hit somebody--if you hit somebody closer to your fist with a clothesline instead of your bicep, it does more damage. If you pin somebody a lot, it makes them a little more susceptible to being pinned (these are testable--ie when you try to KO someone for the clothesline bit, and anyone who played Revenge can tell you how resistant those guys are to being pinned if you don't have a few near falls first.

 

No wrestling game that I know of has made a distinction between damaging the left limbs vs. the right limb. You can work on somebody's left arm the whole match, but clamp on a submission that affects the right one and still win. Minor complaint, though.

 

 

How are the CAWs on all these games in terms of variety? NM was pretty varied in choices of attire, faces, etc. Has any game matched NM in this aspect?

 

HCTP has arguably the single best CAW in any of the modern wrestling games around. SvR's is a little more limited, but sadly both games' CAWs "stick out" compared to No Mercy's CAWs, who look exactly like the in-game characters because they're based on their patterns and models.

 

Or is a PS3 coming soon

 

It will likely be out early next year, but may not play PS2/PS1 games.

 

I wouldn't buy one for just their wrestling games, though.

[El Psycho Diablo 0]

Personally, HCTP's is worse than the previous game..considering there are a lot of CAW parts missing..

[LessonInMachismo 0]

HCTP has arguably the single best CAW in any of the modern wrestling games around. SvR's is a little more limited, but sadly both games' CAWs "stick out" compared to No Mercy's CAWs, who look exactly like the in-game characters because they're based on their patterns and models.

So, if on HCTP and SvR I made, say, Razor Ramon, he'd come out looking like another wrestler and with their mannerisms?

 

I wouldn't buy one for just their wrestling games, though.

 

Eh, I got the money to burn. I might get one used. But not now. My brother-in-law is staying with us for the summer until college starts again, and he has a PS2. He isn't home when I'm home, so I can just jump on his.

[Nevermortal 0]

Nothing touches King of Colosseum II.

[CheesalaIsGood 0]

I'm a big fan of No Mercy as well, but as of now for playability Day of Reckoning is tops. Haven't tried the new X-Box game though.

[The Niggardly King 0]

Day Of Reckoning. Although I like Showdown for its sheer crapiness. I knew I would like Showdown the moment I watched Dynamite Kid pin himself.

[Guest COMMISSIONERHBK9]

So is Day of Reckoning the game to get to have the best werstling experience. I was thinking about getting a game cube just for this game, is that a mistake?

[The Niggardly King 0]

So is Day of Reckoning the game to get to have the best werstling experience. I was thinking about getting a game cube just for this game, is that a mistake?

It's the best wrestling game out there right now, but I would never buy a system just for one game.

[razazteca 0]

^ Could always get a Game Boy Player and buy Fire Pro for cheap.....I seen FP2 go for $5 used. Probably find Ultimate Muscle for around $12 used, UFC Takedown for about $8 used, Def Jam: Vendetta for $15 new, and Day of Reckining for about $24 used.

[AndrewTS 0]

So, if on HCTP and SvR I made, say, Razor Ramon, he'd come out looking like another wrestler and with their mannerisms?

No, you could probably make a really good Razor on them. However, next to an in-game model of one of the wrestlers, he kind of sticks out as being a created wrestler, whereas in No Mercy you wouldn't really notice.

 

HCTP/SvR lets you customize basically everything from every move, to their entrance movie, theme music, and entrance poses. Unfortunately, Razor's stuff isn't in, so you'd have to improvise.

 

But they have the Razor's Edge, the Last Call is there too (you know, the suplex where he holds a guy sideways and throws them backwards over his shoulder), and basically all his moves (a flipping slam will have to suffice for the top rope version, though; they don't have the top rope Razor's Edge).

 

HCTP/SvR lets you extensively design what their faces look like, but it's a lot of work and time-consuming.

 

^ Could always get a Game Boy Player and buy Fire Pro for cheap.....I seen FP2 go for $5 used. Probably find Ultimate Muscle for around $12 used, UFC Takedown for about $8 used, Def Jam: Vendetta for $15 new, and Day of Reckining for about $24 used.

 

Heh, save for the lack of the SD games, the Cube's the best wrestling game system now, really, it seems.

 

So is Day of Reckoning the game to get to have the best werstling experience. I was thinking about getting a game cube just for this game, is that a mistake?

It's the best wrestling game out there right now, but I would never buy a system just for one game.

 

Agreed.

 

He should get Zelda too.

[the max 0]

So is Day of Reckoning the game to get to have the best werstling experience. I was thinking about getting a game cube just for this game, is that a mistake?

It's the best wrestling game out there right now, but I would never buy a system just for one game.

He can get Animal Crossing too.

 

And Zelda.

 

And Mario Golf.

[LessonInMachismo 0]

No, you could probably make a really good Razor on them. However, next to an in-game model of one of the wrestlers, he kind of sticks out as being a created wrestler, whereas in No Mercy you wouldn't really notice.

 

But they have the Razor's Edge, the Last Call is there too (you know, the suplex where he holds a guy sideways and throws them backwards over his shoulder), and basically all his moves (a flipping slam will have to suffice for the top rope version, though; they don't have the top rope Razor's Edge).

The Last Call is a fallaway slam.

 

My NM Razor was pretty convincing. I went so far as to make the different outfits Scott Hall and Diamond Studd. Maybe I will just hook my N64 back up...

[AndrewTS 0]

"The Last Call is a fallaway slam."

 

*is ashamed*

 

I knew that, but for some reason I was trying to think of the generic name...and nothing was coming.

 

Of course, I have been rather apathetic about the actual wrestling shows these days.

 

Yeah, usually I do pre-dates/alternates all the time in that.

 

You're still stuck with *one* outfit per CAW slot on all of the SD games, even SD v. Raw.

[Guest Cerebus]

You guys failed to mention RUMBLE ROSES~!

[Guest DVD Spree]

DOR is the closest current-gen WWE game you'll get to No Mercy. For the closest actual gameplay (but no licensed wrestlers, CAW etc) go for Def Jam (but NOT Fight For New York, it's shite and not like No Mercy at all).

 

That said, if you have yet to experience VPW2 awesomeness, that should be your very first port of call – there are loads of copies flying about on eBay again at the moment.

[Spaceman Spiff 0]

"The Last Call is a fallaway slam."

 

*is ashamed*

 

I knew that, but for some reason I was trying to think of the generic name...and nothing was coming.

In the AKI N64 games, it was called the "snap ab suplex", if I'm not mistaken.