15 Best Wrestling Games Of All Time
12. WWF WrestleFest
That's not to say the WWF missed out on the hot arcade marketplace in the early-90s. WrestleFest actually preceded Slam Masters by releasing to rave reviews in 1991. It was another button masher with surprising depth. You could still have fun with the thing even if you only wanted to hammer the controls and hope for the best; therein lies the beauty of mixing arcade simplicity with deceptive mastery if one took the time to learn.
Presentation went through the roof for WrestleFest, so it reflected the larger than life product Vince McMahon's company was showcasing at the time. Yes, the game was released in the 90s, but this was as OTT 80s as you were gonna get. Fest was a total dream for those who had lived through the monotony of titles like WrestleMania on the NES or the rather out there MicroLeague Wrestling on systems like Amiga and Atari ST.
Not as "out there" or unhinged as some other WWE gaming moments, to be fair!
Impressive voice samples for the time on commentary and from announcers like Gene Okerlund and Mike McGuirk added so much to the game's aesthetics. Then, once gamers picked from a number of WWF favourites and stepped into the ring, they were bombarded by colourful visuals and a neat blend of kick/punch spots with some amazingly well-realised moves.
Look, WrestleFest is a basic brawler today, but it had a massive impact on the future of wrestling games when it launched. This was a step up from everything that had come before, and it richly deserves a place on any list looking at the best wrestling titles of all time.