Retro games online – If there is one thing a lot of wrestling fans look forward to more than Wrestlemania, it’s the next installment in the SmackDown series. Every year, sports entertainment fans are treated to a new wrestling game. Sometimes these games exceed expectations, and other times they simply fall short. Since the ‘80s, fans have had the chance to play retro games online based on wrestling, either in arcades or on home consoles. Out of all the wrestling games ever released, which can really be considered all-time greats in the retro games online series? Below are the top five:
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Pro Wrestling – NES
The game that is still mentioned today as a Nintendo classic, Pro Wrestling on the NES didn’t have a large roster of well-known wrestlers, an expansive arsenal of offensive moves, or even a long list of play modes. Instead, players chose from a handful of fictional characters and either climbed the ranks in single-player mode or squared off against friends in two-player mode.
Pro Wrestling was a game that, much like Punch-Out!!, offered simple yet addictive gameplay. The game is still played today in its original NES format as well as via emulation, and it still holds up quite well to this day.
WWF No Mercy – N64
The sequel to the highly-acclaimed WWF Wrestlemania 2000, No Mercy offered an updated roster of WWE (then-WWF) wrestlers and arenas as well as backstage areas to brawl in. The story mode, which differed greatly from Wrestlemania’s, was based on real storylines and consisted of branching paths. The gameplay remained unchanged for the most part, but this was welcome in that the previous game’s mechanics were highly praised.
Aside from the fact that wrestler entrances were cut short in the retro games online, fans found that WWF No Mercy was superior to its predecessor for the most part. The play modes, create-a-wrestler feature, and large roster all contributed to what many consider the best wrestling game of that console generation.
Fire Pro Wrestling Returns – PS2
Fire Pro can be considered the alternative when it comes to wrestling games in the retro games online series. The series does not focus on strong and weak grapples, realistic graphics, and big wrestling names. Instead, the Fire Pro franchise offers a grappler whose controls are completely timing-based, two-dimensional graphics, and hundreds of fictional wrestlers, most of which are based on real wrestlers despite having altered names for copyright purposes.
Fire Pro Wrestling Returns gave players the opportunity to play as 300 different wrestlers and battle in matches ranging from cage matches to exploding ring matches. The game’s edit mode was also very robust. With 500 slots available for created wrestlers, the ability to create logos for the ring, and a create-a-belt feature, Fire Pro Wrestling Returns offered a lot to wrestling game fans who were patient enough to get through the sometimes taxing menus.
WWE Day of Reckoning 2 – GCN
Wrestling games on the GameCube were often seen as inferior to those found on the PlayStation 2. Less modes, no backstage areas to fight in, and a smaller roster all contributed to this stigma. WWE Day of Reckoning 2, however, changed that by introducing a few new features to the modern wrestling game formula.
Taking a more strategic approach, Day of Reckoning 2 featured an all-new submission system. After executing a submission hold, players flicked the C-stick in one of four different directions to perform Taunt, Rest, Drain, or Submit holds, each with different consequences on the victim. An added feature which was welcome was the three levels of blood. The more damage done to an opponent’s head, the more blood that wrestler shed.
While the changes were few, they impacted the game greatly in the retro games online series. Day of Reckoning 2 was considered actual competition for the SmackDown series, and to this day it is regarded as the GameCube’s best wrestling game by many.
WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain – PS2
Released in 2003, Here Comes the Pain delivered a huge offering of WWE Superstars, match types, and gameplay improvements. A new grapple system was introduced to the series, and fans praised the vast number of moves which could be performed. Gameplay was simple and intuitive, offering a pick-up-and-play quality that was praised by fans.
Despite the controls’ simple concept, there was still a layer of depth to the control scheme that allowed gamers to choose how they wanted to play the game. By simply pressing a face button in conjunction with one of four directions, players could focus on power attacks, quick throws, signature moves, or submission-type moves after performing an initial grapple. Using this control method, matches flowed seamlessly.
With such welcome modes, controls, and mechanics, it should come as no mystery why wrestling fans are still talking about WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain and why many consider this game the greatest wrestling game of all time.
The Five Best Wrestling Games Ever Created
In any long-running genre of video games there are bound to be duds as well as exceptional titles. Wrestling games have been around for nearly three decades. Despite a few bad games, a lot of wrestling games have received mass praise. Various consoles and installments later, the top five wrestling games of all time stand victorious.
