RETRO REVIEW: WWF War Zone

Featuring fully rendered 3D models and a new grappling system, WWF War Zone became a must-have for both gamers and wrestling fans.

PS1 | Nintendo 64 | GameBoy Colour

WWF War Zone is a game that shouldn't be ignored, it introduced some fantastic gameplay mechanics, which at their core, can still be seen in modern wrestling games.

The year is 1998 and so far we've had an onslaught of wrestling-based games, most featuring digitized sprites, which is fine and most of these games were and still are fun to play, however it wasn't until WWF War Zone hit shelves on PlayStation and Nintendo 64 where the genre really started to kick off into something quite incredible.

Set during the 'Attitude Era', you'll be given the opportunity to play as some very iconic and memorable wrestlers such as The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Triple H, Mankind, The Undertaker, just to name a few. Each comes with a recognisable trademark move, for example Kane is able to perform the 'Chokeslam', Bret Hart can attempt to make his opponents tap out using the 'Sharpshooter', and so forth.

There are numerous modes to choose from including tag team, cage match, or weapons match (hardcore), but its advised to just jump into the challenge mode, which features all of the mentioned besides tag team - the challenge mode option is essentially a journey to reach the top in the wrestling world, this is done by starting at the bottom brawling it out in easily won fights right up to competing for the heavyweight championship itself. 

During a fight, each wrestler  has a stamina bar, which when fully depleted, will leave the opposing wrestler stunned for a short period of time - this is the best time to try and get the win through a good old fashioned pin count to three, however it will typically take more than a few attempts as the stamina bar will eventually fill back up. The more you fight, the colour of the stamina bar will alter to indicate how much damage has been dealt, for example if you've been constantly slamming your opponent, their stamina will turn to a red colour, which when happens, is the best time to try and win the fight. 

Each wrestler has a set of moves - some more difficult to pull off than others, but its the grapple system that really made this game stand out all those years ago, this new gameplay mechanic allowed you to experiment with your move set, all whilst still being able to perform quick punches and kicks in between, and this actually made you analyse certain situations in order to pull off the best combos so to speak, giving the game a level of depth no wrestling game had previously.

With that said, there are some glitches that occur once in a while such as falling through parts of the arena or the commentary being completed wrong - this happened when The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels were facing off, in which the commentator  thought Shawn Michaels was Triple H. This isn't a massive deal, but is a little strange to say the least.

Weapons matches are by far the most enjoyable, especially when someone from the crowd actually manages to throw a TV into the ring (where did they even get it from?) - whilst this is fun, you can abuse the weapons by spamming your opponent over the head with a chair or a wooden blank, which drains their stamina at a rapid pace. The cage match is also fun, instead of pinning or making your opponent tap out, you have to climb over the cage to the floor below in order to win - at times, when climbing, the opponent will shake the cage to drop you off, which can be hilarious to watch and annoying as it will deal quite a large amount of damage.

Overall, a fantastic game complete with a large roster of old fan-favourites, which is sure to crank up the nostalgia level if you were ever intro wrestling all those years ago, and even if not there's enough here to keep you entertained for a good amount of time. retroreview

7/10

REVIEW: Guacamelee!

This game will take you through a whirlwind of Mexican wrestlers, huge chickens, goat men, and that's just the start.

Developer: Drinkbox Studios | Publisher: Drinkbox Studios| Genre: Platformer / 2D

PS3 | PS Vita | Windows PC | Mac OS X | Linux

DrinkBox Studios have gone all out in their latest title, offering players addictive and genuienly well-thought out gameplay, although it could've been a lot longer.

Guacamelee! puts you in the shoes of Juan Aguacate - your run of the mill Mexican farmer who's trying to make a living the best he can, that's until the president's daughter is kidnapped, in which it becomes Juan's mission to save her using his newly acquired Luchador (or Mexican wrestler if you will) skills. In other words, you're given a special mask that grants you various abilities that see you fit to be the next Knight in shining armour so to speak. 

The first thing sure to get your attention are the graphics - the artist(s) did an excellent job on perfecting that sharp looking cartoon imagery, which not only is a treat for the eyes but will more than likely make you want to delve further into the game. Each area is distinguished by a certain look, whether it be the gloomy dark temples or the roasting hot desert landscapes, and its things like this that show the sheer amount of thought and effort put into the game. 

All of the game is 2D and utilizes that perfectly with the use of environments and obstacles suited to those retro ideologies, once again proving you don't need fancy graphics or gameplay to make a good game - Guacamelee! is definitely one of those titles that feels like you're back playing NES, but with a modern twist and overall feel which most gamers will welcome with open arms.

Once you're free to explore the world, you can either pursue the main objective or seek out sidequests to get a wider experience of what the game has to offer - this is recommended as you'll encounter more items and cash. However, not everywhere is instantly accessible - much like Symphony of the Night, certain areas can only be entered upon obtaining the appropriate skill, this makes for replayability as you'll more than likely find yourself going back to areas previously locked.

There are a healthy amount of enemies to keep you busy and often will truly test your knowledge of your current skill set - skills involve typical wrestling moves such as the Suplex, however there are more 'magical' abilities that allow you to really pack a punch into the enemy, as well as opening certain areas of the maps. Some enemies can only be killed through very particular abilities, for example if an enemy is surrounded with a red glow/shield, they can only be defeated through the uppercut move - some areas of the game throw all sorts of enemies at you which will actually make you think of what to do instead of mindless button mashing.

For the most part, the quests are actually very entertaining and often funny - one that comes to mind is having to bash a bunch of chickens back into their coop (Zelda?), another example includes having to physically morph into a chicken yourself, yes there's a lot of chicken action in this game, but it's all good fun and reminds you games don't have to be overly serious to enjoy. REVIEW1

Overall, Guacamelee! will keep you entertained long enough to make you want more, however the only real downfall lies in its length - its way too short and could have done with more quests and a few more areas. But as a whole, the game is a lot of fun and is a brilliant portrayal of retro influences in contemporary gaming.

7/10