WWF WrestleFest

Review

by Anthony Baize

WWF WrestleFest is one of the first games that my friends and I played until the joysticks broke. The old copy of the game we destroyed by overusing was still down at the mall seven years after its 1991 release, but the controls for Players 2 and 3 are beyond repair.

I can't really explain why we loved WWF WrestleFest so much. The graphics were not stellar and the sound didn't blow us away. There was just something about it. It was the spectacle of professional wrestling captured in a video game. No other game had really done that before.

Whether you chose to play alone or with friends, in a tag team match or a Royal Rumble, you were guaranteed a good time. The Royal Rumble was total anarchy. I have only managed to win it a few times in the many years that I have been playing this game, and it's usually because I drop extra credits in to revive my wrestler. Typically, I use Earthquake in the Royal Rumble. He's big and hard to move. That doesn't mean he's unbeatable.

When going for the tag team belt, a lot of people will tell you that Jake "the Snake" Roberts and Ted DiBiase is the best tandem to use. I go against the grain, however, and typically select Earthquake and the Ultimate Warrior. If they're taken by opponents, then I'll go with the boys from Demolition.

A great thing about WWF WrestleFest is that money talks. If you are about to lose a match because your wrestler's energy meter is low, just throw another coin in the slot. Your wrestler gets his energy back, and you get to keep going for the belt.

WWF WrestleFest is also innovative because it was one of the first games to recognize the importance of "outside interference" in professional wrestling. If your tag team partner steers an opponent into your corner, hit him. Better yet, grab him and hold him while your partner hits him. If your partner is about to be pinned, get in the ring and stomp on the guy pinning him. It works every time.

WWF WrestleFest also incorporated brawls which occur outside the ring. If you manage to throw an opponent over the top rope, chase him and hit him with a metal chair or with the iron stairs at ringside. You can even whip him into the ringside barricade. Just make sure you get back in before the ref counts you out.

Finally, the developers of WWF WrestleFest recognized the importance of a wrestler's "finishing move." One of the reasons I love Earthquake so much is because his finishing move is so ridiculous. It takes an excruciatingly long time to set up, but when its over, your opponent has no chance to recover.

To me, WWF WrestleFest is one of the best games of the early 1990s. I know others will disagree, but this game truly rocks.