Yes, it's a project that I was following through on. Oh, and speaking of projects, what about the "special" one that I was hyping in December. The truth was that I was working on a Biography and FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section on EVERY WWF wrestler. Before I started working like a dog, I did finish 5, and here are the prototypes of what I was aiming for on each wrestler:
Enjoy those, I suppose. I was actually halfway through doing Ric Flair's biography when I gave up upon spending lots of time just getting up to 1994 in his career! Who knows, maybe one day in the future, I could go back and do the rest of the wrestlers, or at least the ones who appear to have WWF jobs by next year.
With the NES games, I'm pushing for at least doing one for every Monday and Wednesday, as I have 9 games to go through! Trust me, doing those reviews will be much easier than writing biographies on each individual WWF wrestler. I'm insane for even trying that, but I could have done a good bit of it if I wasn't so overworked in December.
Anyway, I have lots of things to shoot about before we review "Pro Wrestling", so on to the PDC!
-Watching the FINAL Nitro the other day, I came to this realization, other than the fact that it was the last WCW show ever on Time Warner: Rey Mysterio is F'N great! I'm serious! I take it that I was so used to watching Mysterio wrestle that I didn't appreciate how talented he truly was. This is a guy the WWF could certainly use in the WWF. Instead, which it has been reported, the WWF told Mysterio to wrestle independent dates in America, and we'll get back to you. What kind of crock is that? It's funny how there are just some greatly talented cruiserweights floating around right now.
-Speaking of Cruiserweights, props to Kaz Hayashi for saying "screw this" about the WWF developmental system. Hayashi has been "developing" in the Heartland Wrestling Association (HWA) for months now, and his career is basically in a stalemate. The WWF won't be starting up a Cruiserweight division, so he was basically dead weight on the WWF's payroll, pretty much awaiting the next round of WWF cuts. It's just not worth it in the WWF farm system right now. Despite the promises, the WWF isn't budging on moving any wrestlers up and onto television, whether it's OVW or HWA. Many OVW wrestlers have been on dark matches for a long time now, but they just aren't getting on television. Hayashi was smart, and now he'll probably make decent money in Japan and he'll probably be much happier to be around his family. Thanks for wasting his time, WWF.
-I heard about the Jakked announcers playing dumb about what the NWO was back in the day. Something to the effect that they didn't know what the NWO is, but if Vince McMahon is backing it, it can't be good. WHAT?!? Are you kidding me? The NWO was only the hottest angle from 1996 to 1998, and thank you very much, it fueled the WWF to become a bigger business empire in the long run. It's this very ignorance that helped kill WCW, as the WWF dumbed WWF fans down to not respect any of the WCW personalities coming in. I really hope that it's not a bad sign of things to come.
Before Pro Wrestling, wrestling video games were very choppy. The wrestlers looked like blocks, and the control was very, very basic. Pro Wrestling, however, took it one step further. Their wrestlers had much better control than past games. The wrestlers have a MUCH better look to them compared to earlier games. Back then, it was a big advancement in graphics. Also, the ring set up was ahead of its time. There's space around the ring, for a change, and the ring actually looks like a ring. It's nice to see a camera man walking around the ring, too, to add an extra touch to the game. Commentators up top is nice, too.
As you'll see in our second wrestling game, Tag Team Wrestling, this game is ahead of its time for 1986. Tag Team Wrestling, as we'll see, is like an Atari game. This isn't, as the action, graphics, and even some of the sound effects are somewhat groundbreaking. Hell, even the referee is quite good in this game. When you pin, he's right on top of the game, and counting.
The fighting engine is solid for its time. Most wrestling games, back then, had punching and kicking, with some rope moves. This one has a grapple system added, where you can slam your opponent or toss him to the ropes for a clothesline or even a high knee! From what I've played, you can't do top rope moves in this game, though, nor can you go outside the ring. Plus, the fighters show no loss of energy. Once they are hit or slammed, they get immediately back up and can pound on you back, UNLESS one wrestler totally dominates another. But hey, it's 1986, and compared to any other NES game in 1986, this one reigns supreme.
You can tell it's a Nintendo game, too. It has the usual music from their sports games in their intro. I just can't pinpoint what other game has Pro Wrestling's intro. I'd like to say Mike Tyson's Punch Out, but I'm probably badly mistaken. Speaking of sounds, Pro Wrestling tries to make sounds for contact on punches or slams. Not so bad for back then. Also, the crowd reacts when you hit your special move, as each wrestler has. Some have slams, other have special kicks.
Like the Starman, who is the F'N badass of the game. He has this devastating flipping kick that's unstoppable. Easy the most dominant, and the hardest to beat when fighting the computer. Speaking of the computer, you can't say much about it. There's only one mode where you just either go one on one with a computer player of your choice. That's it. Your only other option is to grab a buddy for some 2 player action. There's just singles wrestling on this game.
LAST WORD: For 1986, it's one hell of a game. Well ahead of it's time, and actually better than most of the NES games we'd see years later. Programmers couldn't exactly do much with the complexity of bringing wrestling into an 8 bit game, but the fellas at Nintendo gave it one hell of a try and succeeded. I know a few people that STILL play this game regularly. I'll give it an
Next NES Review: Tag Team Wrestling
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WRESTLEPALOOZA.com - Audio Show, Columns, News, and more!
KOLTERSHOCK!!! - A site that you shouldn't view with small children present!
X-Entertainment.com - One of the most entertaining pages on the net!
@That's it for today. I hope you've enjoyed the very first installment of NES Wrestling History. We've got 8 whole games to go! Whooo! I HOPE to be back tomorrow with some Smackdown hype, but if not, FINGER OF SHAME to school and whatever else.
Take Care, and Thanks for Reading.