WWF Royal Rumble
Reviewed by Jeremy Peeples
WWF Royal Rumble was released in August of 2000 for the Sega
Dreamcast, it is an arcade port of a game of the same name,
if was developed by Yukes (the makers of the WWF Smackdown
series of games (in the U. S., and the Touken Retsuden games
in Japan), it was distributed by THQ for the Sega Dreamcast;
this game marks THQ's first attempt to distribute a
wrestling game for the Dreamcast. This game features over 20
(19 regular, 2 secret) wrestlers, all of them feaure unique
finishing maneuvers. Many wrestling fans are wondering if
this game stands up to the other wrestling games available,
I'm happy to say that not only does it, but it surpasses
them in some areas.
Graphics-8/10- This game features the best graphics ever
seen in a domestic wrestling game. The characters are huge
and, for the most part animate well (the double team moves
are amazing). This game manages to fit 9 characters
on-screeen at once with no slowdown whatsoever (the last
time a wrestling game had anywhere near this amount of
characters on-screen was in WWF Raw for the SNES and
Genesis.) This game also shows damage done to weapons
(another thing that hasn't been seen since WWF Raw.)
Overall, the graphics are great, they have set a new
standard for U. S. wrestling games.
Pros- 9 high-resolution wrestlers on-screen at once.
Cons- Some animation is jittery.
Sound-7/10- The sound in this game is pretty good; the sound
effects are excellent, they are very clear and fit their
actions perfectly (the most notable example being the weapon
noises, none of them are out of place.) The game's music
leaves much to be desired though, the only music is at the
title screen and in the victory celebrations. Overall, it's
a little disappointing, the DC hardware wasn't used very
well in this asoect, but it's still good.
Pros- Sound effects are great.
Cons- Theme music sounds muffled.
Control-8/10- The controls in this game are very fluid and
responsive, they are hardly ever sluggish (the only time
this is an issue is when you attempt double team moves, the
button layout for them leaves much to be desired.) Overall,
they are great, the only problem with them lies in the
double team moves, everything else is flawless. The R
Trigger has many uses in this game, you can use it (if you
have an 's' built up) to get back in the ring or off of
the ropes (in the Royal Rumble mode) or to unleash a huge
weapon shot to your opponent (in the Exhibition mode), in
either mode you can use it to get up.
Pros- The conrols are very responsive. R Trigger has many
practical uses.
Cons- Double-team moves are awkward.
Gameplay-7/10- This game lets you play through 2 modes,
Exhibition and Royal Rumble. Exhibition pits you against 10
foes, 1 match at a time, it's basically a standard arcade
mode, only with wrestlers and only 1 fall is needed to win
(and you can fight in a couple of different areas in any
given match.). Royal Rumble pits you against 29 opponents
(this is the default setting, it can be increased to 60,90,
or Unlimited) in an over-the-top-rope battle royal, the last
man standing is the victor. This game also features an
unparalelled amount of background (more specifically,
backstage) interactivity, in one area, you can be hit by a
car, in another a side of beef or a fish, you can also climb
on top of some items and use them to dive onto your opponent
(i. e. a car or a speaker.) There are 21 wrestlers featured
in this game: I will give each of them a brief title history.
D'Lo Brown- (former WWF InterContinental and European champion)
X-Pac- (former WWF European, WWFTag Team champion, and WCW
Cruiserweight champion)
The Rock- (former WWF I-C, Tag Team, and World champion)
Tazz- (Former WWF Hardcore champion, former ECW TV, Tag
Team, and World champion)
Rikishi Phatu- (former WWF Tag Team and I-C champion)
Kurt Angle- (former WWF European and I-C champion)
Triple H- (former WWF European, I-C, and World champ)
Shane McMahon- (former WWF European champion)
Vince McMahon- (former WWF World champion)
Chris Jericho- (former WWF Europeanm WWF I-C ch ampion, ECW
TV champion, WCW TV and Cruiserweight champion.)
Steve Austin- (former WWF Tag Team and World champion)
Matt Hardy- (former WWF Tag Team champion)
Jeff Hardy- (former WWF Tag Team champion)
Al Snow- (former WWF Hardcore and Tag Team champion, current
European champion)
Kane- (former WWF Tag Team and World champion)
The Undertaker- (former WWF Tag Team and World champion)
The Big Show- (former WWF Tag Team and World champion)
Mankind- (former WWF Hardcore, World, and Tag Team champion)
Edge- (former WWF I-C and Tag Team champion)
Road Dogg- (former WWF I-C, Hardcore, and Tag Team champion)
Pros- It's a lot of fun.
Cons- Lack of modes may turn off some gamers.
Replay Value-7/10- This game may not seem to have much
replay value at first (mainly doe to the lack of modes), but
believe me, once you get started you'll never want to stop,
this game is very addictive, I doubt you'll get bored (the
multiplayer mode is a blast, especially with the Royal
Rumble). If you do get bored though, you can always try to
beat your high score. Overall, great, on the surface, it's a
shallow game, but if you dig a little deeper you'll find a
very rewarding game that's have you coming back for more.
Pros- Tons of fun.
Cons- Not much to unlock.
Presentation-10/10- It's arade-perfect and fits the WWF's
attitiude. The only downside to it is that it's a little on
the plain side, that's okay though, it serves its purpose
and that's what matters.
Pros- Fits the WWF's attitude.
Cons- A little on the plain side.
Overall-8/10- This game combines excellent graphics, good
sound, and great control to make a wrestling game you won't
soon forget.
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