All Japan Pro Wrestling Featuring Virtua

"Another great Japanese wrestling title"

AJPW: Featuring Virtua has been out for about a year and a half now. I was able to snag a Saturn for a very cheap amount over the summer. I just recently picked up this title and finally got a chance to play it firsthand. I haven't had much time with it yet, so these are just my preliminary thoughts.

Some quick observations: The character graphics are very nice, especially the faces. The ring graphics are pretty good also, but it does suffer from glitchiness (i.e. whole corner of ropes vanishing into thin air) at times. However, these are just minor complaints. Overall, from what I have played, this game is difficult but very addicting. While there is no create-a-wrestler mode, I absolutely LOVE the "feature" mode. You answer a few questions, then pick a wrestler's look from a selection of templates. Your job is to guide him to the top. As you win matches and gain experience, you become better and are able to acquire move moves. This is a fantastic idea, and I wish it was included in more games.

I have not fully mastered the controls yet, but the control scheme does seem a bit "out there" for my tastes. I am not a fan of pressing different buttons to execute moves. It seems a little uneccessary, especially since they did not even bother to utilize the X, Y, or Z buttons. Also having to press the right direction button twice to run is horrible. Is this a fighting game or wrestling game? While the control has some issues, it is actually not very bad. It is certainly 100 times better than the controls found in Warzone. Luckily, there is a training mode included in the game, and it is an excellent feature that I have already made use of. I will definitely continue to make use of it in the weeks and months to come.

All in all, from what I have experienced thus far, AJPW is an extremely fun title. With the rumored Playstation and Dreamcast games on the way, it will be interesting to see how this federation is represented on the next generation of gaming consoles.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/01/99, Updated 11/01/99