WWF WrestleMania 2000

• Release Date: November 16, 1999
• Genre: Sports
• Style: Wrestling
• Similar Games: WWF Superstars (Arcade), WWF Superstars 2 (Game Boy), WWF King of the Ring (Nintendo Entertainment System)

Game Description

The most electrifying game in electronic gaming entertainment has hit the small screen. While the power usage now tops out at 1.5 volts or so, you still get 15 of the WWF's top stars packed into this cart. WWF Wrestlemania 2000 offers a unique Bio Rhythm meter that determines when your chosen superstar has gotten excited enough to pull off their finishing moves. But that's not all.

In this very ring, your wrestler of choice will be able to cross the boss, go one on one with the great one, or just attempt to pull off their own show stopping performance as each superstar comes complete with their own WWF style attitude laden pre- and post-match speeches. Game modes include: Survivor Series, Tag Matches, the Gauntlet, and the career Championship Mode. Got a friend who's just begging to be smacked down? There's a two player link cable VS mode as well. Just wait 'til you smell what THQ has cooking.

Roots & Influences

The game is most closely tied to its 64-bit big brothers, WCW NWO Revenge and WWF Wrestlemania 2000. It uses a similar fighting engine, but has been scaled down for use on the Game boy Color.

Review: Overall

What does everybody want? What does everybody need? Natsume and THQ's answer to both questions is WWF WrestleMania 2000 for the Game Boy Color. This game is mainly aiming to get a leg up on the competition with a hot tie-in to the fast selling and popular Nintendo 64 version that bears the same name.

To that end, the programmers reached down deep and turned out a game with average graphics and a boatload of repetition. All the wrestlers have the same moves and the only thing that sets one apart from another is the different finishing moves. Fighting can take place inside and outside the ring, but the outside area is restricted to one screen, and the CPU dives back into the ring so quickly that one wonders why they even bothered to include it. The game's color usage is bland as well. Monochromatic sprites and Titantron introductions rarely excite.

The action in and out of the ring is backed up by an extremely limited soundtrack. There aren't any wrestler theme songs here to listen to or to pump you up for the upcoming match. In its stead, there's the same tune that drones on in the background as you impatiently wait for your opponent to take enough damage so you can pin him and move on to the next match.

Wrestling is a chore as well, since all the characters have the same moves and damage scales applied to them. There's no reason to do one move in favor of another as they're all the same for every wrestler across the board. The only move that's really effective for damage is the finishing move, which builds up depending on your chosen wrestler's Bio Rhythm meter. So the bulk of the match is spent performing relatively useless moves until you get the finishing gauge up, after which the match quickly becomes a rout as your wrestler tosses the opponent around like a rag doll.

The most entertaining aspect of the game is the pre- and post-fight commentary from the other superstars. You'll get to rally against the powers that be, tame the Brahma bull, rebel against all mankind, and beat down the foes from parts unknown in a very personal manner thanks to this feature. The swearing found in the typical WWF broadcast has also been loosely retained to give the characters a little extra color. (Harsher words will be replaced by random shapes, but the idea is certainly the same.) Your character will break out with his own attitude once he's stomped a mud hole in his opponent.

Getting back down to Earth, you'll no doubt be thrilled with the unyielding controls as well. If you're not positioned exactly right, the move you have in mind will forever remain a figment of your imagination.

If your thumbs are itching for a portable flogging, you could eke out a decent time for an afternoon or two with WrestleMania 2000. Keep in mind there are better wrestling games out there that offer more features, so shop around before you decide to grapple with this one.

Review: Enjoyment

Stiff controls and the boring attack options limit the enjoyment you can wring out of this little game.

Review: Graphics

Smallish sprites aren't helped by the limited animation the programmers saw fit to allow for.

Review: Sound

There's a soundtrack present, but it's extremely limited. No frills here.

Review: Replay Value

There are a variety of game modes offered that do little to break up the monotony. There's also a two-player option that will help get around the stodgy AI.

Review: Documentation

The manual explains how to perform the various moves, but some of the essentials, like how to pin your opponent are somewhat buried.

---

Copyright © 2012 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Game Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.

---