2. "WWF Warzone" (Game Boy/Nintendo 64/PlayStation) 1998
Warzone was somewhat of a new beginning for wrestling games, and the first baby step in what the games would become. It was the start of the good wrestling games, though it wasn't quite there yet itself. Warzone was the first WWF game to appear on the Nintendo 64, as well as appearing on the Playstation and Game Boy, though the Game Boy one was obviously a majorly stripped back version. Warzone marked the first time that 3D models were used, with a 3D ring rather than the side on view we had become accustomed to. It also hosted a complete overhaul in the gameplay system. Gone was the button mashing, tug of war system that came before it and replacing it was a more tactical system. Now, wrestlers had numerous different striking moves, and grappling allowed you to choose a selection of different moves to wear a opponent down. The health bar operated in stages, and each time it was depleted, you entered a "stun" mode where you were more susceptible to attacks. This deeper system, allowed for more variety in matches and allowed each wrestler to have their own unique move list. In a move taken from popular fighting games, each wrestler had a different input for their own finishing move, making playing as different wrestlers a different experience. Besides just the gameplay, the entire presentation of the game was changed. Along with their unique moves, wrestlers all had their own entrances, though for now were just the stage portion of their walk to the ring. The game made great use of the sound quality available on Playstation, with the crowd even shouting abuse at the ring and wrestlers taunting each other in their real voices. Arguably most notable is the fact that Warzone was the first big WWF game to feature a "Create a Wrestler" mode, which looking back was very impressive for its time. This mode allowed you create a wrestler from scratch with their own name, look, attributes and theme music. For the first time this meant that players could not only create themselves in the game, but create their favourite wrestlers that were not included in the game too allowing them to customize the game to their liking. Although not a patch on the wealth of options offered today, it was the beginning of what would become a staple of the wrestling genre. The game's career mode was known as "WWF Challenge," in which you would raise through the ranks to become WWF Champion. Starting at the bottom of a pyramid of wrestlers, you would defeat everyone along the way, climbing to the top to gain the title. Along the way, past opponents would pop up and challenge you to Grudge matches, making use of the games special stipulation matches. In all, the game featured 18 different wrestlers, including first appearances from huge stars like Stone Cold, Kane, the Rock and all three faces of Mick Foley (though Cactus Jack and Dude Love were hidden attires.) Additionally featured were a few unlockable characters, though why anyone would want to play as an overweight "Trainer," or "Sue the Ring Girl," is beyond me. The Playstation's disc format meant that it had an advantage over the N64 in terms of storage, and used up the extra space by including numerous pieces of full motion video along the way. These included promos from the wrestlers before and after matches recorded specially for the game. Promos were a great addition, even if the British Bulldog was clearly reading from an autocue and Ahmed Johnson's speech was almost intelligible. WWF Warzone was intended to be a wrestling simulation, though not as slow as a real WWF match. The game on reflection executed this plan well. Motion capture work was done to recreate the moves from TV and Vince McMahon and Jim Ross recorded over an hour of commentary voice work to add to the overall realism. To that point, Warzone was easily the most in depth wrestling game created, with a great amount of detailed involved in the game. Like most games, playing it now in the modern day can be a nostalgia killer, struggling to live up to today's standards, but at the time Warzone was a massive leap forward. It came along at just the right time with wrestling at the time being in its biggest ever boom period. With all the new things that Warzone brought to the table, fans were understandably excited about the future of the franchise...