Saturday Night Slam Masters

"The "Pro Wrestling" of the 16-bit era!"

Being a huge fan of the Street Fighter series, not to mention a big wrestling fan, it’s little wonder how this one caught my eye. I first rented it from the local video store, and by the time I returned it, I knew I just had to have a copy for myself.

Story: 8/10

The wrestling world was getting stagnant. The same old rehashed storylines with the same old twists and turns just didn’t seem to be thrilling the fans anymore. Business had reached an all-time low; in the minds of critics and fans alike, it was only a matter of time before the professional wrestling industry went under. But then, along came the CWA, and the wrestling world would never be the same.

Graphics: 8/10

The graphical style is much akin to the Street Fighter games, and holds on to a lot of the same feeling as well. The character sprites are big, colorful, and well detailed. A wild pyrotechnics display accompanies each wrestler’s entrance, which gives the game more of a TV-style presentation. Of course, no wrestling game is complete without an animated audience, equipped with flashing cameras to capture every last breathtaking maneuver.

Control: 9/10

Capcom games are often best known for their flawless play control, and Saturday Night Slam Masters is certainly no exception. The easy-to-use grapple system saves this one from being a total button masher, as players can pull off a variety of moves just by pressing the D-Pad in any direction and then pressing the Y Button. Though you must still wail on the control pad to break free of a grapple or pin attempt, you come to expect such things from wrestling games.

Sound: 9/10

I love the music in this game. Each wrestler has his own personalized entrance theme, which you can listen to via the Sound Test in the Options mode. The music that plays during the matches themselves is also very well done, reflecting the culture of the city or country in which the matches take place.

Gameplay: 9/10

The game itself is fairly standard as far as wrestling games are concerned. As one of eight playable grapplers, you can choose to fight your way to the CWA title in singles competition, or choose from a roster of ten wrestlers and take a partner with you to the top of the tag-team ranks. Shades of the NES classic “Pro Wrestling” are all over this game, as once you win the title, you must defend it against everyone you previously defeated, all of whom are twice as tough the second time around. The wrestlers themselves are the baddest of the bad, but perhaps none are quite as bad as Final Fight’s own Mike Haggar, who brings his own brand of law and order to the CWA.

Overall: 8/10

Good enough to be called the “Pro Wrestling” of the 16-bit era, Slam Masters is one of the better wrestling games on the SNES, and one that every wrestling fan should no doubt enjoy. Try playing the Team Battle Royal mode with a bunch of friends. You’ll have a blast.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 10/01/02, Updated 10/01/02