"The best Acclaim wrestling game."

I know that many others won't agree with my rating of this game but, I love wrestling games and have been watching wrestling my whole life, so I may be a bit biased.

The first thing you'll notice about War Zone is the dizzying array of standard moves available for each wrestler. Then add on all the situational moves, such as when your opponent is unconscious on the mat or reeling against the turnbuckle, etc. As if that's not enough, you have your choice of different moves within each situation, depending on whether you're standing near your opponent's head, mid-section, or legs. You got your Reverse Chinlock. You got your Driving Elbow Smash. You got your Texas Cloverleaf. The variety and possible options in this game are simply astounding. Before you get a little squeamish about learning all the moves, be advised that there is an excellent on-screen moves menu that can be accessed anytime during the game. Forgot how to do that piledriver? Just press Start and find out!

The graphics look good, the textures are smooth, and player movement is gracious. No problems in this area. FMV would've been ideal, as in the Playstation version, but alas, the things we cartridge gamers must sacrifice all in the name of graphics...

The sound in this game is terrific. I had to keep reminding myself that this was a cartridge game. Each wrestler has his own signature theme music that plays during the introductions. Most impressively, however, are the fans in the arena. If you want to win those really tough matches, you gotta get the fans on your side. If you play cheesy and cheap shot your opponent, the fans will heckle you, resulting in bonuses for your opponent. The crowds and color commentary, provided by none other than Vince McMahon and Jim Ross, sound so good, my next door neighbors thought we were watching an actual wrestling match on TV. True, the various phrases of speech are limited and start getting repetitive after a while, but Acclaim did such a good job with it you really don't mind.

The one thing that mars the gameplay is that it's difficult to target other opponents than the one the computer selects for you. This gets a little bizarre and frustrating during an all-out Royal Rumble as the computer will stubbornly insist that you fight a certain character even if another one's closer and also happens to be beating the stuffin' out of you.

Looking for a good wrestling game? Well look no further than WWF War Zone. Even if you're not a wrestling fan, you just may become one after playing this game.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 03/31/03, Updated 03/31/03