WWF Super WrestleManiaPlatform: SEGA Mega Drive
Published: 1992
REVIEW BY RICHARD FOX
In the early 90's there were two franchises at their very peak in the UK; SEGA and the WWF. You couldn't move without seeing some item of merchandise with either Hulk Hogan, The Legion of Doom or the British Bulldog plastered on it, it was literally everywhere. Wrestling fever was running wild!
One of the first games I have vivid recollections of playing was WWF Super WrestleMania on the SEGA Mega Drive. As a fan from a very early age, this game was always going to be in my catalogue. I distinctly remember playing the fantastic WWF WrestleFest (1991) in the arcade while away on holiday, a home version was a must.
Unfortunately, WrestleFest wasn't available on home console but by that time, WWF Super WrestleMania was available. Naturally things were brought down to a smaller scale being on the console instead of the arcade but none-the-less, it was my first opportunity to control some of my heroes from the comfort of my own home.
The Game
At that age, I was never going to compare it to the arcade classic but now I am able to, it really doesn't stand up. I don't want to make this review purely a comparison piece but it is going to be tricky not to, both games around the same era with the same wrestlers, the only differences are the graphics and gameplay which WrestleFest far exceeds.
Anyway, The SEGA version, which I owned, gave you the option of 8 Superstars to choose from; Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior, 'Macho Man' Randy Savage, Papa Shango, Irwin R. Schyster, Shawn Michaels, 'The Million Dollar Man' Ted DiBiase and The British Bulldog. Later I did get the SNES version which had Hogan, Savage and DiBiase but omitted the rest, replacing them with Jake Roberts, The Undertaker, Sid Justice, Hawk, Animal, Earthquake and Typhoon.
At the main character selection screen, you get a chance to listen to the wrestlers theme music, a feature it really could have done without. None of the tracks do the real life counterparts justice, they all sound horrific, especially IRS's theme, which is a continuous sound of what I can only describe as a cash counting machine, but done very, very badly. The other main audio shambles it the Natural Disasters theme on the SNES which was one lone monotonous rumble noise. In real life they did have this sort of theme sounding like a very large boulder rolling down a mountainside but nothing like this. It's hard to describe, but believe me. Both are terrible.
Highlighting over a wrestler plays their theme. Don't, they're dire.
Graphically, everyone looked like they were supposed to, not to the standards of WrestleFest but definitely to the other wrestling games before it. Although everyone looked like they were from the same mold, the art style and colour palette was well designed to really differentiate everyone. The ring is nicely presented and you can see each individual fan in the background cheering you on. I would say the presentation was successful as it went on to be the foundation for the WWF Royal Rumble game, a year or 2 later.
Vibrant colours and good animation, but body mold's look very similar.
There were three match types to choose from 1 vs. 1, Tag Team (2 vs. 2) and Survivor Series (4 vs. 4 elimination). It would have been nice for the SEGA version to have an actual established Tag Team to use like the SNES version did as I have no clue why IRS or Papa Shango were even included. I normally picked the Survivor Series as it was better to see everyone in the match together in my eyes.
The controls were basic but they worked for the time. You could grapple an opponent, kick and punch and also run at them for a running attack. You also had different controls for the situation e.g. if your opponent was on the ground you could stomp on them, elbow drop or pick them up and continue the more powerful grapple moves. Likewise, if they were in the corner, you could complete a corner specific attack such as the dreaded 10-punch. The SEGA version benefited here due to the ability to do signature moves, something I believe you couldn't on the SNES version. This actually made each wrestler feel different as the move set is the same for everyone. The SEGA version however allowed you to pull off Hogan's Legdrop, Savage's Big Elbow from the top rope or Shawn Michaels Sweet Ch... erm.. Teardrop Suplex.
With the exception of the signature moves (SEGA exclusive) everyone had the exact same moves and it could seem a bit odd.
Till, the signature moves were a welcome addition though as they added variation as above.
You could also leave the ring and take the action to the outside, a nice little feature, although with the exception of trying to win the match by count out, there was little reason to leave. More often than not I tried to take my opponent to the outside, got knocked out and ended up being counted out myself.
Taking things to the outside offered an alternative to winning match but it could backfire and you could find yourself counted out instead.
The Experience
Certainly a game that, had I not been a fan, I probably wouldn't have gone back to as fundamentally it was just a fighter game (punch, kick, special move etc.) and there were better alternatives out there if you wanted to beat up and knock out an opponent. But for a fan, it was great to take a childhood hero like Randy Savage and beat the evil Million Dollar Man for the 3! There was investment in the characters you were playing and that was probably key.
At the time, it was a continuously played game for me. I even kept records about who was champion on a little notepad and was able to decide who the contenders were based on win/loss records. If Shawn Michaels wanted a shot at Savage for the Title, he was going to have to get through Warrior and Hogan first and earn his way to the top! The game was basic but in being so, it opened up your imagination and let you make up storylines in your own head.
Overall
I wrote a while ago about the ageing of sports games and at some level wrestling games fall under the same category. Each year, they evolve and each year something gets added or enhanced BUT older wrestling games also hold up the nostalgia a hell of a lot better. You can get the modern day equivalents with the same wrestlers up-scaled and in HD as "Legends" in the modern day games but if you turn on the SEGA or SNES and pop this in, those memories of the golden age come back to the front of your mind. You will probably need to be a wrestling fan to appreciate it but it is a level of nostalgia that very few other things can give.
6/10
