Next-Gen Wrestling Games
Written By: Roger Taylor

Based on the overwhelmingly positive response to my WWF No Mercy Create-a-Wrestler feature, I have decided to once again write about one of my, and judging by all the e-mails I got, one of your, favorite pastimes: professional wrestling. More specifically: video games based on professional wrestling. During the 32/64-bit era, wrestling games transformed from sad excuses to use popular licenses into an incredible sub-genre that produced some very good games for the Nintendo 64 and Playstation. But no one wrestling game got everything right. Smackdown 2 had all the great gimmick matches, Attitude had the graphics, and No Mercy had the gameplay. But Smackdown 2 had lousy controls; Attitude had frustrating a fighting game system that turned every match into a boring brawl; and No Mercy had poor graphics and sound. None of the aforementioned games was able to capture the essence of the backstage politics and soap opera storylines that go into every wrestling broadcast. And so none of these games achieved the level of greatness that they could have.

That is why for this edition of The List I am going to list the characteristics that, during the next generation of video game consoles, will complete the transition of wrestling games from mediocre to great.

5. Technical jiggery-pokery

Giving a game great sound and graphics should never be the focus of any developer, and yet that’s the way it is. In order for wrestling games to keep up in a market driven by advancing technology, they must contain technical stuffs that are at least on par with the rest of the industry.

4. Never forget wrestling fans

Just like in the world of video games, the world of wrestling is becoming overrun by "casual" fans. These are the same schmucks who will purchase a game one day, and forget about it the next. In order for wrestling games to keep a constant fan base, they must include things that are going to entice the real wrestling fans: thousands of perfectly captured wrestling moves (a la No Mercy), lots of hidden wrestlers, and large rosters.

3. Gimmick matches

What’s more exciting than a match-up between the Hardy Boyz and Edge and Christian? Easy. A ladder match between the Hardy Boyz and Edge and Christian. Gimmick matches (like ladder matches, cage matches and table matches) are a very important part of wrestling. If many are included, and they are well implemented, they can double the lifespan of a wrestling game. Smackdown 2 was a disappointing game in a lot of respects, but it is still has a decent shelf life thanks to the myriad of gimmick matches. In contrast, No Mercy does not have a good selection of gimmick matches. While it has enough to keep the game interesting, they are not very well implemented. It is impossible to jump off the top of the cage in a cage match, something that has been doable since Warzone came out over three years ago. And it is nearly impossible to do moves off of a ladder in a ladder match because of how sloppily it was designed. If next-generation wrestling titles can keep the number of gimmick matches up, and execute them well, wrestling games will be that much better.

2. Storylines, etc.

Both Smackdown and No Mercy attempted to include storylines, backstage politics, and backstabbing in their respective career modes. However, the storylines in Smackdown were laughable, and the feuds in No Mercy were completely uninteresting. In order for next-generation wrestling games to take that next step towards greatness, they must include interesting storylines and angles, whilst retaining lots of actual wrestling action.

1. Gameplay, gameplay, gameplay

If there is one thing that can be learned from the sales of No Mercy and Smackdown compared to the sales of Attitude, it is that wrestling fans love simple controls. Casual gamers love how easy it is to get into these games, while wrestling fans love how easy it is to pull off moves. Personally I love the simplicity because it means I can do multiple things at once. I almost never just play No Mercy. I love to listen to music, talk on the phone or listen to a ballgame while I sit and play a game that is much more about instinct and reaction time than how well you can handle a controller. If next-generation wrestling games can keep this simplicity that focuses on the art of wrestling instead of fumbling around with a controller, they will continue on their path towards greatness. Meanwhile I, and the millions of other wrestling fans out there, will wait and enjoy the games we have now.

Any questions, comments or suggestions can be sent to jonas42@vgf.com. Check back regularly for new editions of "The List." Happy Gaming.

Posted: 3-10-01