New Japan Pro Wrestling: Toukon Retsuden 4

"This is THE BEST Wrestling game Ever"

Why not a perfect 10? Just a few minor flaws, but nothing that really detracts from the experience. I'll put it this way: Toukon Retsuden has been the greatest series of wrestling games to come out on the Playstation. 3D graphics were available from the start, and you couldn't go wrong with the gameplay. Even the bastardized version of Toukon 1, Powermove Wrestling, had excellent gameplay. Well on the fourth one they step up to the Dreamcast and take advantage of its hardware so how does it rate?

GRAPHICS: Excellent. I can see every marking of face paint on the Great Mutah, Masahiro Chono walks to the ring with a bad ass robe on, the Power Warrior looks great, the venues are ENORMOUS!!! Entrances are real entrances (not that video junk we get in the Smackdowns. I know, I've ripped the games before, but I'm proving the Yukes can do better than that. Just read the rest of the review), with full music and walkdowns. Keiji Mutoh flashes the WolfPac sign while walking the aisle, Muta comes out wearing the samurai gear, El Samurai just looks like a badass walking down, need I mention that each character is announced by the ring announcer before and after making their way down? The ingame graphics are spectacular, improving on the engine in TR3 even further. No Jaggies, no polygon breakup, just smooth solid wrestlers.

SOUND: I love the music, maybe it's due to my passion for eighties trash metal, but I like the soundtrack. Punches sound like punches, slaps sound like slaps, kicks sound like kicks, and I cringe when I hear the sound a spiked pile driver makes. SFX and Music quality are top notch. No complaints here.

GAMEPLAY: Again the old rock paper scissors gameplay returns. If you've played one of these games before, you can pretty much jump right in with no problems. Timing takes a bit to adjust to, but once you get it, you're good to go. For the most part, oppenents stay down for a bit when you put them down (for the most part. Sometimes they get up once in a GREAT while after you hit them with a move, but it's not nearly as bad as Smackdown 1 or 2 where they get up after every move) and submissions actually can be broken or held on depending on how weary your opponent is. It's standard wrestling rules: 3 count pin, 20 count ring out, 5 count DQ (for illegal man being in, rope break, illegal moves such as biting etc.). I'm not too found of pressing the button for which air attack I want to to do when I'm at the top rope, considering the machine usually has it preset what to do anyway, but it's not a major issue, just a preference. Double teams can be pulled off just like they're done in Revenge, WrestleMania 2k, and No Mercy. And the best part is the REVERSALS!!! Knocking a guy off the top when he's about to superplex you, blocking a snap suplex with one of your own, taking a side headlock and turning it into a backdrop, and my new favorite, taking an armbar and turning it into a side suplex. The game is based on momentum yes, but it can easily be turned if an opening presents itself, just like REAL pro wrestling. A few things may bug you here and there, but it's not too bad.

FUN FACTOR: Is it fun? Hell yeah it is. There's a CAW mode, so you can always create your own bruiser for this (there's even more American parts to choose from in this one as opposed to 3) and it's pretty deep. You can get lost without a FAQ for the CAW, but you get an animated preview of the moves now instead of still pictures. Single Player matches are fun, no matter what, and when you get a friend over, the Tag team action and battle royals never end. Tournaments and open leagues are a blast too. I can't and won't get tired of this game anytime soon, so I highly recommend it to all of you who are in need of a serious pro wrestling game. If you've got the grapefruits, step into this game's ring.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/30/01, Updated 03/30/01