WWF War Zone

"An absorbing grapple-fest that remains one of my favourite wrestling games today."

I'm hiding in a past age of wrestling. Speed back in time and find me. You're seeing the likes of Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior dominating the ring? A bit too far. The Rock's tremendously popular, now? Further back. Ah, so we're at the point where Stone Cold Steve Austin's presence was always going to be chosen as a WWF game's main selling point, the Nation existed and was universally booed, The Undertaker didn't have a motorcycle and the WWE was called the WWF. You've arrived, my friend. Welcome.

Being an old wrestling game, Warzone is obviously going to be very outdated. The roster is what gives this impression; it is made up of a mere 16 men, which is very small, and the best part of this 16 rarely fight nowadays.

Although a fair amount of the wrestlers included still work for the now-WWE, such as Steve Austin, Kane, 'Taker (with a different image, though), The Rock and Triple H, there are some who left and came back, such as Shawn Michaels and Goldust, some who just aren't seen a lot nowadays, such as Ken Shamrock, Bret Hart and Ahmed Johnson, and two who are just not going to ever be seen again, Owen Hart and British Bulldog, because both sadly died.

However, when taking Warzone from its dusty spot on the shelf occasionally, the roster gets me quite nostalgic; I love playing as some of the golden oldies (Ahmed is especially entertaining) and battling through a sweaty Season.

The Season isn't really what it says it is; the computer randomly selects a ladder of the game's wrestlers, and you must battle to the top of it to become the best in the business, with storyline quantity lacking. Originality has clearly taken a back seat here, but each Season is worth every minute as most wrestlers have a special secret that'll be gained upon final victory in the ring. For example, you can unlock further Mick Foley alter egos Dude Love and Cactus Jack by triumphing with Mankind and attain a couple of new Stone Cold costumes by playing through a Season with Austin.

If 1 of the 16 on the admittedly limited roster isn't to your taste, try CAW: the Create-A-Wrestler mode. Considering the Warzone effort is an early one, the CAW here is deep, and no other company bettered it (Attitude was also Acclaim's) until THQ with SmackDown 2 (if you remember the tepid attempt in the original SmackDown you'll agree). You can pick the size and skin colour, as well as your wrestler's basic attire - tanktops, shorts, masks, arm pads, boots and shirts are just a few of the many garments available - and there are tons of accessories to add, paint, tattoos, chains and bandanas among them! You then pick your custom brawler's moveset - there is unfortunately not a moves edit like you may find in later games - and theme tune. The moveset includes basic suplexes and punches, with the more risky maneuvers ranging from high-flying elbow drops to each wrestler's finisher: the Dominator, Stone Cold Stunner and Tombstone Piledriver etc are all here.

Now it's time a pick a wrestler. Whether he's custom or regular, the fight type is up to you. There's a training mode to begin with if you like, which can help you get used to the controls and pull off a few impressive moves before moving on to the real deal. There are a serviceable amount of match options, including Tag, Cage and Weapons. The Weapons matches are surely the best, as they are Falls Count Anywhere and your arsenal includes the ring bell, steel chairs and (best of all) dodgy TVs!

Once you're off the Titantron having listened to your theme music (disappointing MIDI quality, although all the tunes are licenced), Vince McMahon and Jim Ross introduce the match and provide a surprisingly funny and entertaining commentary. As with ALL commentary tracks, after a few weeks of playing you'll find the same phrases, but how can this be helped? This has some of the best commentary I've ever seen in a sports game. THQ have tried commentary out in the SmackDown series on the PS2, but Michael Cole, Tazz, Jerry ''The King'' Lawler and even good old JR a few years on couldn't equal the sheer greatness of this installment. In Warzone, JR tends to outline what's going on in the match with his trademark enthusiasm, while Mr. McMahon chooses to tell us a little bit of history behind the wrestlers and offer calmer tones. Instead of simply making sure we'll be listening to two raving psychos, the duo do a very balanced job with a good script. This is definitely one of the best things about Warzone. There is no music within the matches like you'll find in the SmackDown games, but the commentators at ringside make up for it.

The in-game graphics are highly reasonable for a game made years ago. Nothing seems choppy (i.e. you don't see parts of the wrestler's bodies' disappear during holds) and the Titantron fireworks and explosions when introducing a wrestler are authentic as well. Everyone looks like their real-life counterpart in the WWF did and the finishers, in particular, are re-created the way they should be. I especially enjoy watching the Sharpshooter after all these years, with a helpless opponent tapping out within seconds.

However, to get that Sharpshooter you'll have to work. Warzone doesn't let you pointlessly use a finisher right off the bat; your opponent needs to be adequately weakened first. The bars under the wrestler names at the top of the screen start off green. When that wrestler has been beaten up enough and the green bar has gone, he will become stunned for a few seconds at which time he's available for a hammering at your leisure. A lime-like bar replaces the previously rich green bar after the stun has subsided, and it turns to yellow, orange and eventually red as the bars are depleted. When the bar is in red, a few button presses initiate your finishing move. Only then can you be sure of a three count or a tap, although if you want to have major fun you can continually deplete someone's bar after it has gone red and degrade it down to virtually black, at which point your shaky adversary will barely be able to stand and he'll need your help to stay on his feet!

Warzone can last for months, due to the cool results earned from playing as different wrestlers in the Season. As with all top grapplers, though, the great thing is that no two matches will be the same (even though the basic idea is always to eventually get a finisher), as lots of twists and surprises could befall you as you progress through a match. Your opposing wrestler could pull off an unexpected tide-turning move, or you, yourself, might find a desperate button-mashing moment creates a hold you never knew your character had.

All in all, Warzone is going to be cheap if purchased and the first-rate commentary, strategic matches and extensive unlockables make this a valuable addition to any WWE fan's collection today, although things are terribly outdated. Give it a spin even if you're not a die-hard WWE fan, you may like it.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 11/04/03