WWF War Zone

"Welcome to the warzone."

WWF Warzone was released in July of 1998 for the Sony PlayStation. WWF Warzone was developed and published by Acclaim. Warzone was the first 3D wrestling game developed in the U.S.; it was also the first U.S. wrestling game to come with a create a wrestler mode, a mode that is now standard in wrestling games. Warzone has approximately 20 WWF stuperstars, although some of the characters, like Bret Hart and the British Bulldog were in WCW when the game was released. To make up for its outdated roster Acclaim added Kane and the Headbangers, Mosh and Thrasher to the game. Warzone is packed with modes, you can go for the WWF World title, or you can have a Weapons match in which objects of descruction litter the ring.

The graphics in Warzone were pretty damn good. The character models look EXACTLY like their real-life counterparts, well, with the exception of the British Bulldog, his face looks like Hannibal Lector got to it. The characters are all bursting from the seams with attitude because of the near-exacty character models. The animation for the game’s many moves is very smooth, and isn’t jerky at all. The arena, and the ring itself look pretty good. When you’re going for the WWF Title, you will have a ring introduction that is pretty cool, you go onto the ramp, talk smack, and walk to the ring, your opponent does the same. I really like this feature, it fits the feel of the game perfectly and it paved the way for ring entrances in licensed console wrestling games.
Even the game’s menus have great graphics. The menus have a doomsay-iish look to them that really fits the “Warzone” look of the game.

The sound used throughout the game is great. The color commentary, provided by Vince McMahon and Jim Ross is well-done. They each have tons of stuff to say, their call the moves as they happen, which is much better than most wrestling games. Plus, they talk about the wrestlers
in the ring, their strenghs, personality, weaknesses, etc., this is a really nice touch that I would like to see more often in wrestling games. The wrestlers all have their own catchphrases, and they can belt them at any point in the match, nice touch. The wrestlers’ theme music is crystal clear, the quality is out of the this world. There are about 20 theme songs in the game, and all of them have the same audio quality. The game’s use of sound effects is staggering. There are sound effects for nearly everything in the game. The weapons all have their own unique sound effects, and the sound effects are very realistic, the ring bell, for example, has a “ding” noise, while a steel chair has a “crack” noise that emphasizes the damage done by the weapon. Nice touch.

The gameplay in Warzone is top-notch. The game moves swiftly and never chugs along. This is a cardinal quality in a wrestling game, if the game moves at a snail’s pace, it would lose a lot of its apeal. Warzone has a perfect balance between quick gameplay and a slower, more methodical gameplay style, the game engine is very versatile. Acclaim included a nice array of modes for you to test out the pristine gameplay engine. There are the obligatory one-on-one and tag team modes, as well as a Weapons match in which impements of destruction are thrown into the ring by the crowd, much like old-school ECW. There is also the now-standard mode that allows you to go for the gold. The mode in WWF Warzone is a little different though, in this game, the rankings above you change because there are feuds and matches going on other than yours, I really like this feature, it was nearly replicated in WWF SmackDown, but that series needlessly complicated things by adding cuscenes, simple text descriptions, like the ones used in Warzone, get the message across quckly and in a more efficient manner. There is also a steel cage match in the game; your goal in this match is to beat your opponent senseless so you can climb out of the cage. I really like this mode, it is jam-packed with excitement. Warzone features yet another mode that became commonplace in U.S. wrestling games; namely, the create a wrestler mode. This mode allows you to create the grappler of your dreams. You can customize your wrestler’s appearance, music, personality, and skills. Unfortunately, you are unable to select what moves you want to give your wrestler, you have to use the move list of the in-game characters, or one of the four generic characters for your wrestler. This mode is great, it allows you to wreak havoc on anyone with the wrestler of your dreams.

The control in Warzone is amazing. Moves are done through a series of D-Pad movements and button presses. This method of control works well because it allows you to chain moves together. The control is very responsive, muddy control would kill this control style (say “hello” WWF Attitude.) Each and every move can be pulled off easily from the basic body slam, to the Rock Bottom.

WWF Warzone has a ton of replay value. There are numerous secret characters to unlock and the create a wrestler mode will keep you entertained for hours on end.

Overall, WWF Warzone is a must-buy. The game was one of the most revolutionary wrestling games ever and deserves to be purchaed by all gamers, the game marked a turning point in pro wrestling games. You can find it for about $5 now, you have absolutely nothing to lose. Go out and buy this game.

Here’s how the PSX and N64 versions of Warzone stack up to each other. The N64 version has better graphics due to its smoother character models, but the PSX version has better sound. The N64 version has two more modes (gauntlet and Royal Rumble), but the PSX version has better control, which would help make any mode more fun. If you have both systems, by all means, get both versions. If you only have one of the systems, don’t worry too much, WWF Warzone is a solid purchase no matter which system it’s on.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/17/01, Updated 07/17/01