WWF Royal Rumble (Dreamcast) > Reviews (11)

I'm not noramlly one for gratuitous violence and there is no way you can call an oiled up testosterone filled idiot in a pair of trunks sexy, but something about this games really gets my adrenaline going.

For those of you who are unaware, WWF actually stands for World Wrestling Federation (although this may soon change due to a law suit!) and is an entertainment company that produces wrestling matches for our 'enjoyment'. Indeed it has had many fans in the past and there was one euphoric time when everything to do with the so called sport turned to gold. Naturally we had spin-offs galore and apart from the figures and posters we had the inevitable computer game.

This is the latest in the line of those computer games and comes on the Dreamcast, a far underated machine if ever there was one. The graphics of the machine are the first thing to note and they are used to the full by this game. The characters are instantly recognisable to anyone who knows them and their expressions will even change during a move, superb attention to detail. They arent blocky things moving over the screen either but realistic looking human beings with human movement. Great stuff. They must have used advanced motion capture or something for this one. Either way it looks excellent.

The gameplay is also good although I must confess I have yet to play it in single mode (the Dreamcast belongs to my brother and prizing him off the thing is almost as difficult as getting him away from Ciao - not so easy to do!). Apparently you have the choice of a Royal Rumble where you take on as many men as you choose (there is an option which is initially 30) with 4 men starting in the ring and a new man entering every 30 seconds or so (with a maximum of 9 men in the ring at any one time!). The other option is to choose exhibition where you will face each opponent in turn until you defeat them all and are crowned champion.

It's not the single player mode that makes this game so good though, if anything that lets it down with its dire longevity (didnt even keep my brothers attention for 30 mins!). Instead we must turn to the multi-player mode to find the real class in the programming. You are able to have up to 4 players at once, providing you have the necessary number of control pads and thats a great achievment in a game like this. The ring is large enough to hold you all with a clear view of the action and it can lead to some total madness. With the ability to change who you are attacking there are endless backstabbings going on non-stop throughout each bout and it can get a bit hectic at times.

To add to the experience each wrestler is able to have a 'partner' at ringside in exhibition mode and with a quick tap of two buttons they will come in and perform some sort of move (their special move being possible from the very start of the match!) or pass you an item to hit your opponent with. Once used this ability will be disabled for a short time before you can call them in again. A great idea and one that I really like.

Another great feature is the ease with which you can perform the special moves. Unlike the previous titles which required some complex finger tapping you will be able to perform your move by simply facing your opponent and pressing a single button. You'll need to collect three Special S symbols which you can accumulate by causing damage to your opponent to make it possible and the ability to do these moves so easily adds a great amount to the game itself when you are in short matches of intense action.

If you feel brave then the 4 of you can even step into a ring for a Royal Rumble in which you have to eliminate the opponents by sending them over the top rope. This is easy enough to manage by simply punching them when they have their backs to the rope and then again to send them over the top. What makes it more difficult is that the computer opponents dont care who they hit and will often target the weakest and strongest man in the ring when they enter, and with up to 5 computer opponents in the ring with the 4 human players it can become much harder than it seems. Even trying to work together in hard mode makes for a difficult challenge. Luckily if you are eliminated then you can simply press the start button and come down as another character.

Perhaps the most annoying thing about the last option is that there is no limit to the number of continues a player can have. Even if you are the last 4 men in the ring you can still continue leaving the bout in an endless 4 man brawl with players simply coming back in once defeated. It never ends.

Another downside to the game is that you cant actually get to ringside but instead you are teleported in mid match into the back area if the winner hasnt been decided. The way its done is very dissappointing to say the least and really detracts from the game but I guess the 9 man action is only possible with small arenas to play in - they could be going all over the place otherwise.

The difficulty of the game is well thought out with easy being just that and hard being difficult even for an advanced player. Intermediate seems a waste of time as its almost as easy as the easy option but you cant fault them for trying. In easy you can simply punch the opponent until they lay down and get pinned, in har dyou have to be far more cunning and use more powerful moves aswell as blocking and running when necessary.

Overall then the game has good graphics and great multiplayer fun but dont go expecting a long one player experience, without friends this one simply won't last. I recommended it in the ratings simply for its multiplayer aspect.