Cheesy wrestling action
Wrestling: you either love it or hate it and usually for the same reasons. This fighting game based on the most pantomime-like of 'sports' features all the cheesy characters, corny one-liners and over-the-top action of the real-life event. While it won't satisfy true beat 'em up fans, it does provide some reasonably enjoyable action for dedicated wrestling followers. Although pitched as a wrestling game, like WWF Raw, this is actually more of a Pit-Fighter or Mortal Kombat-style fighter, thanks to its faster pace, wide range of moves and digitized graphics. The line-up of fighters is fairly extensive, featuring eight of the most popular wrestlers from the period, including The Undertaker, Lex Luger and Shawn Michaels. While there are standard wrestling moves on display here, the game is also notable for its inclusion of somewhat bizarre combos and attacks including The Undertaker's ability to cast spirits at his opponents and which only heighten the similarity to the MK series. A few modes are available here, including two single-player ones which offer variations on championship matches and two multi-player modes which allow players to go head-to-head with a friend or to team up with them and take on a computer-controlled tag team. As far as wrestling games go, this is fairly decent, with fighting that is fast and reasonably fluid, moves that are over-the-top and brutal, and slick graphics. It might not be Street Fighter IV, lacking that game's complexity and depth, but if you are a wrestling fan then this provides plenty of entertainment.
