HellShark's Full Review: WWF Royal Rumble for Dreamcast
As the title of this review states this is not like Smackdown, even though they are made by the same company, THQ. I was as disapointed with this game as I was when my parents brought home a "My Mom and Dad went to Bermuda and all I got was this lousy T-Shirt." and that was a 8 years ago. Let read the events as they unfolded.
I get out of work and speed to the mall to buy Dreamcast's latest wrestling game, Royal Rumble. My mind spins with all the options and modes they could cram into a Dreamcast gigadisk. How could anything go wrong with a game made by the same compnay that brought us Smackdown for the PSX and Wrestlemania 2K for N64. I'm weaving in and out of lanes, tuckin' in behind big rigs like Rusty Wallace going into turn 3 at Taladaga. Honking repeatidly with a sprinkling of middle finger to all those that get in my way.
I arrive at the mall, buy the game and race home. I leaf thru the manual as I power up the system. The intro screen kicks in, crisp and clear as expected, mostly footage from last years Royal Rumble pay-per-view event. As I look thru the manual I notice it's lacking a few things I expected. It's like that old Saturday Night Live skit with Dan Akroid and Jim Belushi where they are working in a diner except instead of only cheese burgers and Coke this game only has Arcade mode and Royal Rumble. "Where's the 3 on 1?" I ask. "No 3 on 1, singles match" the game snears back. "What about Falls count anywhere? Hardcore? Tag Team?" "Look, buddy, we got Arcade and Royal Rumble" the game gets impatient. The title screen comes up I sigh, deeply, and pick Arcade mode.
At first glance there appears to be a pretty short list of playable characters. After a longer look it's screamingly obvious. No Dudley Boys, No China but yet they have D' Lo Brown and Stone Cold Steve Austin (who hasn't wrestled in months). I pick a Chris Jericho then it prompts me to pick a partner. The purpose of a partner is to sit at ring side and come in to work your opponent over if you do a simple 2 button press, and you will, often. I pick Mankind (now retired) to accompany me to the ring.
What comes next is one of the biggest shockers I have ever experienced in my 15+ years of video gaming. Not since I was part of my own personal "The Crying Game" (don't ask) have I felt so hurt and violated. I start the game and expect to see the familiar "Y2J" five second count down followed by the flash and the theme music. Instead I see Stage One come across the screen and Chris Jericho already in the ring holding a mic that looks about the size of a parking meter then Jeff Hardy with his partner Tazz. WTF?!? Why is Tazz with a guy that already has a tag partner? Why was there no video/intro music? Why no walk to the ring? I denounce my religion. My God has forsaken me.
The match starts and the control is the same as Smackdown, which is a good thing because in other games like WWF Attitude and ECW Hardcore you have to do so many button presses just to do an armbar you'll feel like your trying to buy Canada via an ATM machine. One thing I never got used to was the flash/mini explosion a la Tekken that happens everytime you make contact. No matter now, I got bigger problems. It hasn't been 30 seconds into the fight that Jeff Hardy has whistled (it's actually a whistling noise) for Tazz to come in and help him double suplex me. I call for Mankind to come in and give Jeff the "Mandable Claw". Flailing wildly Jeff's back hit the canvas and I can see,running down the isle toward the ring, the GodFather, D'Lo Brown, Rikishi and Triple H. What all these guys are doing is beyond me but I soon figure it out when they enter the ring and and give Chris Jericho the beating of his life. Some how I get up, put Jeff in the Double Power Bomb and get a check in the wind column. Chris's music plays as he takes a winning pose in the ring but it's barely audible over the roar of the crowd. Begin Stage 2 goes across the screen. Not me. I go back to the main menu and play the Royal Rumble.
Royal Rumble mode. Since the game is named after this type of match the big selling point is you could have up to 9 guys in the ring at once with no flicker. This is only cool for the amount of time it takes you to say "Look at that...9 guys with no flickering". This isn't that big of a deal because with that many people in the ring it's tough to do anything besides punch and kick. It's a like a slap fight between a bunch of kindergartners fighting over a Snack-Pak.I beat six guys while holding the controller in one hand and eating an Italian sub with everything but hot peppers in the other.
Graphics are top notch. Sure Kurt Angle looks a little small in the body with arms like Kate Moss but on the other hand you can see every disgusting dimple on Rikishi's butt. The crowd looks like it's out of a childrens pop-up book with little motion and a cheap cardboard cut out look.
Sound is clear like they are fighting right in the room with a rock music sound track playing as you body slam and eye rake people. Since the grapplers don't talk there's no real problem with lip syncing like WWF Attitude and ECW Hardcore had. The crowd, even though they are animated badly, cheer during all the big moves and sound so good you can almost smell the cheap beer and Old Spice.
Gameplay is really shallow compared to games from the past few years. You can fight in the back parking lot, the kitchen and any other place you'd find in the back of an arena. Now I know your thinking "HellShark...you said there wasn't any modes....how did you get to fight in the back area....you lyin' S.O.B.....I outta kick you a new..." Settle down. This is another thing that didn't feel right. If the Arcade mode match goes too long, anything over a minute and a half is long for this game, then the lights go out. When they come back on you're fighting in a different back stage location. Odd I know but this is an arcade type game.
All in all not a bad game but not what I expected. I'd say that anyone that got this game in the first few days of it's release will be taken aback by this new style. This game is an arcade type fighting game in a wrestling ring. Like the old skool Neo-Geo game whose name escapes me right now. Royal Rumble is not a traditional 'sim' type game. No season mode or create a wrestler. This doesn't make this a bad game. It's just different, like a new hair cut you gotta get used to it. Not me though I returned mine 2 days later. Now if I could only find a way to get the hair put back on.
Throw away everything you know about Sports Entertainment games. This is not a simulation. This is not a calculated rise to the top of the World Wrest...More at eBay
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