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WWF Attitude (Nintendo 64, PlayStation 1, Dreamcast & Game Boy Colour)

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Developer(s) – Acclaim Studios Salt Lake City

Publisher(s) – Acclaim Sports

PEGI – 12

Released following the success on WWF War Zone, and being the last WWE game overseen by Acclaim Sorts ending a 10-year association with the company, WWF Attitude was released to further commercial and critical acclaim, expanding on the ideas perpetuated by War Zone to ridiculous levels. I mentioned in my review of War Zone that I had a strong sense of nostalgia for that game and that it still holds up to this day; but as this game was a decisive improvement on War Zone in every way, and that I was at an age to appreciate it fully, this title hold even more nostalgic value to me, and holds up even better than War Zone. 

 

Graphics – 8.5/10

One of the most notable improvements in the game is in the technical aspect of the graphics, as the textures are infinitely more detailed than in War Zone and that this was done for a far bigger roster of WWE wrestlers; each wrestler’s own entrance sequence is also extended greatly, giving the game a far greater sense of variety than in the former. It also excels above War Zone in terms of conceptual design, as there are more types of the arena to choose from relative to different WWE Pay Per View events; they, along with wrestlers, can even be customized in terms of the color of the ropes, ring and even the designs of the metal frames either side of the titan tron. 

 

Gameplay – 8/10

The biggest improvement this game has on its predecessor, however, is in terms of gameplay. The game modes that were present in War Zone return, including an all-new career mode, which is structured far better, as well the additions of there now being a First Blood match and an I Quit Match option. As I said before, the main roster is also expanded largely compared to the limited amount of comparatively limited characters there were in War zone, but there are also a whole host of unlockable characters to obtain such as Chyna and Shawn Michaels.

 

Controls – 9/10

As the game most likely made on the same engine, the same control scheme applies to WWF Attitude as what it does in War Zone. In the cage matches, I still had the same trouble trying to climb out of cages, so the only disappointment I had with the controls scheme is that they didn’t address that issue. However, if born with, it doesn’t remain too much of a problem. On the other hand, however, the individual movesets and commands for which had been somewhat refined for Attitude and in that respect were yet another decisive improvement over War Zone. 

 

Lifespan – 8/10

Of course, that there are far more characters and far more game modes added to this game, it can inevitably be made to far a far longer amount of the time than its predecessor. The sheer amount of customization, gameplay options made available at the time made this one of the most, if not the most, expansive WWE experiences at the time, and consequently, it still holds up as a game that both fans of WWE and non-fans alike can spend hours upon hours investing in. 

 

Storyline – N/A (10/10)

The case with WWF Attitude remains the same as what it was with War Zone. Wrestling fans will inevitably be enthralled in this game faster and to a greater extent than those who don’t follow, or never have followed wrestling, but overall, familiarity with the WWE universe; is not needed to enjoy it. The commentary, however, is this time provided not by Vince McMahon and Jim Ross, but by Jerry Lawler and Shane McMahon, who unanimously make for a more comedic duo than the former. 

 

Originality – 7/10

At this juncture, where the WWE video game franchise was concerned, there had always been limitations with games prior to this; most notably in the character rosters, as only a few characters were even chosen for each game compared to what they had on their rosters at the time. But this game did exceptionally well to blow every other WWE game out of the water at the time by expanding on the entire concept until it was splitting at the seams with ideas. It stands out among every other WWE game because it gave WWE fans at the time everything bigger than before, better than before, and all at once. There would be better WWE games released after this, but this game was instrumental in setting many standards that every other WWE game would adhere to from thereon. 

 

Happii

Overall WWF Attitude is one of my favorite fifth-generation wrestling games of all time, as well as it is one of my favorite Nintendo 64 games of all time. It gave wrestling fans everything they wanted and added a few welcome additions in the process, and still remains a load of fun to play to this day. 

Score

50.5/60

8/10 (Very Good)

WWF War Zone (Nintendo 64, PlayStation 1 & Game Boy)

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Developer(s) – Iguana West & Porbe Entertainment

Publisher(s) – Acclaim Sports

Producer(s) – Mike Archer

Designer(s) – Tim Huntsman, Clark Westerman, Richard Raegan, Troy Leavitt, Jeff Robinson & James Daly

PEGI – 12 

 

Released in 1998 shortly after the beginning of the WWF Attitude era, WWF War Zone was the first 3D WWF game released after the transition from the fourth to fifth generations of gaming. It received critical acclaim upon release, having appealed to wrestling fans and non-wrestling fans alike. Although the game, according to many games of the younger generation, in particular, hasn’t aged well, I beg to differ; in my opinion, it still holds up as one of the better wrestling titles of the fifth generation and remains a pleasure to play through. 

 

Graphics – 7.5/10

Having been developed with various different techniques for all three ports, in respect of the graphics (as well as every other respect), the Nintendo 64 version is the best in terms of technical design in my opinion. In terms of conceptual design, the game is limited to only one kind of stage, which would be rectified in later WWF/WWE games, but poses a small issue in terms of visual diversity. However, all that being said, I remember being 9 years old at the time and being overwhelmed by the quality of the graphics and being able to see 3D ring entrances from each of the wrestlers. As I alluded to before, although many gamers may not think that this game has aged well over the years, the fact of the matter is that this level of visual quality was considered cutting edge at the time, and to me, still holds up relatively well today; bar facial textures. 

 

Gameplay – 7/10

WWF War Zone has several different modes to choose from, which again relates to the fact that I would recommend the Nintendo 64 version over the PlayStation version, as the Nintendo 64 version also includes an additional Royal Rumble mode. The main mode being the career mode, whereby players can either play as a custom-made character, or classic wrestler of their choice, to compete for the WWF title. Among the roster are Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Undertaker, Kane, Mankind, The Rock, and Triple H. Surprisingly, Bret Hart and The British Bulldog were also included in the game despite the fact that at the time of the game’s release, their contracts with the WWF were terminated following the infamous Montreal Screwjob of 1997. There are a plethora of different fighters to choose from, including a few unlockable ones, which makes each career playthrough a different challenge every time. 

 

Controls – 9/10

For the most part, the controls are perfectly fine. The different moves for each character, as well as the finishing moves. are easy enough to learn how to do, and movement is fluid despite the fact the 3D gaming was in a somewhat preliminary stage at the time of release. The only issue I had with the control scheme was how climbing out of the steel cage works; it can be quite confusing at first and the solution isn’t as straightforward as what it perhaps should’ve been made to be. Besides this, the control scheme presents no further issues. 

 

Lifespan – 7/10

Completing the career mode in WWF War Zone with one character can take there about an hour and a half, depending on how well the player performs, but after that, there are, of course, additional gameplay modes that provide hours of entertainment for players. For an early 3D wrestling game, there is a great amount of variety that prolongs the game’s lifespan greatly. Previous WWE games had a decent amount of longevity to them owing to a lot of the same reasons, but in this game, it’s even more prevalent. 

 

Storyline –  N/A (10/10)

Of course, wrestling fans will take to this game much more effectively than those who never either followed wrestling at the or still may not follow wrestling, familiarity with the WWE will be irrelevant to the gamer’s enjoyment of the game. The commentary provided by both Vince McMahon and Jim Ross. by today’s standards, is laughingly bad and clearly done with heavily edited sound clips, but to me and a lot of other gamers, that will provide an additional comedic value to the game. 

 

Originality – 7/10

Offering a 3D wrestling game with a new perspective and style of play made it stand out from any other wrestling game before; it’s a by-product of the era in which this game was developed, and as such, it offered a very new experience for players to indulge in at the time. Although the idea of which would be expanded on immediately with the sequel WWF Attitude, as well as countless or wrestling to come after, but this game served as more than an adequate starting point for what would come next.

 

Happii

In summary, WWF War Zone not only served as an appropriate basis for the standard of 3D wrestling games but is still an enjoyable experience that very much holds up to this day for me. It’s an entertaining title with classic wrestlers and hours of fun to be had. 

Score

47.5/60

7.5/10 (Good)

WWF Wrestlemania 2000 (Nintendo 64 & Game Boy Colour)

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Developer(s) – Asmik Ace Entertainment, AKI Corporation & Natsume

Publisher(s) – THQ & Asmik Ace Entertainment

PEGI – 3

 

Following the success of WCW Vs NWO: World Tour and WCW Vs NWO: Revenge, the World Wrestling Federation approached publishers THQ and tapped them to developed a WWF game using the same mechanics and visual style as the two aforementioned games; despite them being able to provide stern competition prior with the likes of WWF War Zone and WWF Attitude. The gamble, however, paid off greatly, commercially and artistically in my opinion, and whilst it’s disputed which THQ published WWF game is better out of this and WWF No Mercy, I prefer Wrestlemania 2000 for a number of reasons.

 

Graphics – 9/10

The primary reason why my own preference lies with Wrestlemania 2000 is because of the visuals. Not necessarily in terms of the game’s presentation from a technical standpoint, but from a conceptual one. The biggest advantage that this has over No Mercy is that the ringside intros are shown in full, and it was great to look at back in the day and think about how realistic it was, and it’s great to do it now for anyone who has been a fan of the WWF back around the Attitude era and maybe looking for the nostalgia factor.

 

Gameplay – 9/10

In-game, players and fans will want for nothing. There is a plethora of different features and game modes that will keep players busy for hours on end. They can choose to go through a career mode, or of course, set up multiplayer exhibition matches, or apart from that, each primary annual WWF event is available for players to try out, such as King of the Ring, Summer Slam, Survivor Series, etc. The only criticism I have towards the gameplay is that the career mode is a little bit inaccessible compared to the difficulty level of the rest of the game, but it’s not to the point of being unbearable.

 

Controls – 9/10

The control scheme is almost perfect, if not for the fact that the movement can be a little bit awkward, and at times, it may be just as awkward to land a specific hit or perform a specific move. Apart from that, however, they work just as well as they did in WWF War Zone or WWF Attitude, and to a slight extent, I found that they are an improvement on the previous THQ wrestling games as well.

 

Originality – 6/10

The entire game is basically a carbon copy of both WCW Vs NWO: World Tour and WCW Vs NWO: Revenge, but I’m far too apprehensive to deduct too many marks for this since that was the whole point of tapping THQ as publisher anyway. WWF liked this style of play and wanted to adopt it for their games and all things considered, it worked splendidly. The formula would arguably be improved upon with new gameplay features with the Advent of WWF No Mercy, but as a starting point, this game was far more than a mere question of trial and error.

 

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Happii

To summarize, WWF Wrestlemania 2000 is my favorite wrestling game of all time. Though I was impressed with prior WWF games that came before this, and even the two THQ games that came before this, this title blew them all out of the water, and in my opinion, no other wrestling game has come close since.

Score

33/40

8/10 (Very Good)