WWF Wrestlemania: The Arcade Game

"Mortal Kombat + WWF = Good Game."

WWF Wrestlemania: The Arcade Game for Playstation is a very different approach to a wrestling game. It feels like a mix of Mortal Kombat and NBA Jam, which isn't much of a surprise since the company that made those games made this game as well. The gameplay is very quick, and for me, so far it's kind of hard to concentrate on pulling off special moves and combos because of this.

GRAPHICS:
The graphics are extremely well done and detailed. Each of the wrestlers has many frames of animation and seem to move fluidly. If there's one problem it's the size of the sprites. I don't know exactly how big they were in the arcade, but if the picture on the manual cover is any indication, they are smaller than they should be. This is the only really bad thing I can say about the graphics. I don't know why this is, since we all know the psx can handle larger sprites. The audience is completely animated and cheer you on.

SOUND:
Lots of voice samples. Since I didn't play the arcade version, I can't tell if anything was left out. Constant color commentary from Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler (WWF announcers). Plenty of bone-crunching sound effects, grunts, groans, etc. The voice digitization is okay, but could have been a little less scratchy.

GAMEPLAY:
Very good. A wrestling game that plays like a wrestling game and a fighting game at the same time! Responsive and moves/combos can be executed with practice. A lot like MK3 except a bit deeper because there are so many holds and reversals that are possible. Veteran MK fans will
find the transition fairly easily. BTW, a clever idea to use combos, blocking, and special moves in a wrestling game--I was getting a bit tired of the ''fastest thumb'' approach to this genre. There are even finishing moves!

You get a choice of eight characters, including at least one secret character (?). Bam Bam Bigelow, Razor Ramon, Shawn Michaels, Doink, Yokozuna, Undertaker, Lex Luger, and Bret Hart. WWF fans will appreciate that each wrestler's ''signature'' move is present--including quite a few they've never seen before.

Difficulty level is no joke. Even on ''Easy'' it is a considerable challenge for novices. Only practice at all aspects of the game (and a bit of luck) will result in success.

OVERALL:
If this isn't the fastest arcade to home translation, it's pretty close. Good stuff. Definitely worth a look especially if fighting games are your thing. WWF fans will find this a great change of pace from the old blister-your-thumb versions of old. Recommended.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 03/23/03, Updated 03/23/03