My next installment of Game That Define Me is taking much longer than expected, partly due to the fact that I am actually replaying it (I've lost count now how many times I have) and I am trying to cram as much info as possible into it, it's already 3 pages long so I might break it into chunks in order to avoid "TL;DR"

In this blog I am going to cover a subject very near and dear to my heart, wrestling games. This is something I was thinking about earlier and we've really come quite a way, however currently the genre seems to be standing still.

The Acclaim Games

WWF Warzone for the N64 was the game that I got for Christmas one year along with my N64 console. I remember fighting my brother for the big TV as he just got a Playstation and Gran Turismo... he won. SO I shuffled up to my room and hooked that sucker in and sat there until dinner playing. Since that was the first decent (back then it was awesome to me) wrestling game I loved it. The wrestlers looked so real and they all had more than 4 or 5 moves! AWESOME! A year or so later Acclaim released WWF Attitude, in what would become common place of their games it was basically Warzone with a more wrestlers and game modes. With all the new additions including entrances it kept me quite entertained. Me and my friends spent a lot of time on it until something better was introduced to us. Eventually Acclaim lost the rights to WWF games and moved on to the ECW. By the time EVE Hardcore Revolution came out, the engine was showing it's age, but it had the ECW wrestlers in it so I was able to look past it. Eventually they released ECW Anarcy Rulz... it sucked and I really don't want to dig up any more bad memories by commenting on it. During the PS2's lifespan they also released a series of games revolving around wrestling legends. While it was great wrestling with the likes of Stine and Macho Man again the game was just horrible and riddled with bugs, there was no denying it and it was next to impossible to have any fun with the games.

The THQ Era (aka THQ's Past Greatness)

I'll never forget the first time I saw WCW vs. nWo: Worl Tour. I was at my friends house and noticed he had this game which I hadn't tried yet so he turned it on and gave me the controller. The graphics may ahve sucked but the controls were spot on for what a wrestling game should be. I was staying there for the weekend and I think the only time that game wasn't on is when we were sleeping. Then WCW/nWo Revenge came out I picked up the bad boy ASAP. Much like WWF Attitude, WCW/nWo Revenge was bigger and better. Authentic WCW sets, more WCW wrestlers (as opposed to World Tours mix of WCW and Japan wrestlers) and weapons. I couldn't see how wrestling games could get any better. However with the WWF getting away from Acclaim, THQ got the rights to the WWF games, a partnership that is continued even today. WWF WrestleMania 2000 to me whats pretty much WCW/nWo Revenge only with a WWF spin to it... while it was nice to play as my favorite superstars, it was nothing really earth shattering to me. That would change however with THQ's last WWF game for the N64, WWF No Mercy. No Mercy (and still is in my opinion) the best wrestling game of all time. While from the exterior it looked like more of the same, I guess THQ follows the old saying "If it ain't broke don't fix it." However looks can be deceiving, this was the first time I really experienced a true story mode and backstage areas in a wrestling game. Any wrestling fan from the 90's knows how important a good story and fighting backstage is. This game alone is worth finding a N64 for... Revenge and WM2000 were both great and the same argument could be made for each of them, but No Mercy is the most polish of the games from that generation.

The SmackDown! Series

This series made me envy my brother for having a Playstation. The graphics were much better than the N640 games, but that goes without saying. When the SmackDown! series began it had a much more arcade feel to it which I loved. By this time I had done all there was to do with No Mercy, even with the Gameshark, it was time to move on. The PSX and PS2 SmackDown! games really all played the same with slight improvement as is the trend. However soon THQ decided to axe the RAW games for the original X-Box and combine them into the SmackDown! vs. RAW series we know today. To be perfectly honest the newest entries into the series don't hold my attention very long. I get them and within a month I've done all I can be bothered to do untill CoD4 comes calling again. I'm not sure what it is, I love the controls and the CAW system are fantastic, I just can't seemed to be real bothered with them anymore. Oh well, SDvsR 2010 will be coming out soon and I know I'll plop down another 60 bucks and play it to death for a month or two then trade it in... such is the life of most games I get.

Games Lost in the Shuffle

I didn't touch on a lot of games, and that's for a good reason, I don't have much to say about them for various reasons... but I will do a quick rundown
WCW & EA Games: WCW teamed with EA for two games; WCW Mayhem and WCW Backstage Assault. Both are horrible. WCW Backstage Assault is one of the worst games I have ever played, and if I can find a copy for my PSX I will buy it and add it to my collection, or smash it with a hammer and set the remains on fire.
WWF/E on the Gamecube: These games weren't horrible, I remember playing them, the Day of Reckoning series is actually quite fantastic and introuced a few features that are now in the SDvsR series.
UFC Games: To be honest, I never played the UFC game for the PS2, nor the Pride FC game for it. However I still own the original UFC game for the Dreamcast and it is a great for blowing off some steam. I played a few matches on it while I was download the demo for UFC 2009 Undisputed, wow have things changed for the better.