WWF Royal Rumble

WWF Royal Rumble is the second game featuring real-life wrestlers, after WWF Raw. The game was released 1993 and featured decent graphics and sound, but also a gameplay that came to be followed by other wrestling games for years. Each version contained extra wrestlers plus the default 12-man squad present on all the platforms. Players could have encountered each other one-on-one or even in teams, and the good part is that the game supported multi-player configurations. The Tag Team games, with wrestlers fighting in teams, was the most challenging and interesting way of playing WWF Royal Rumble.

Let's get ready to rumble! It may not be boxing, but wrestling can always satisfy the urge to pummel an opponent into submission. WWF Royal Rumble is even better because you can decide who's really the best without following some silly script. It will also please the wrestling faithful with its great likenesses of the pro wrestlers and photos in between matches. While there are several game modes, the main event is the Royal Rumble: two wrestlers in the ring with an additional wrestler entering until six are in the ring at once! As soon as you throw one out of the ring, another wrestler will take his place until you face all twelve.

Control one of twelve World Wrestling Federation stars in a "no holds barred brawl" - in other words, do whatever moves you want, from choke holds, piledrivers, and even chair slams, until your opponent is knocked out. You can even go outside the ring if you like. Several modes of play are available, including one-on-one, tag team (two-on-two), and three-on-three tag team. You can play as the following WWF wresters: Bret Hart, Razor Ramon, Randy Savage, Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker, Tatanka, Mr. Perfect, Crush, Ric Flair, Yokozuna, Ted Dibiase, and Lex Luger.

The moves all depend on your relative position to the wrestler. Standard moves include a punch and kick, which turn into either a kneedrop or elbowdrop when your opponent is on the mat. You can also go for the pin, roll away while on the mat, or wiggle left and right on the pad to break out of the pin. There are also aerial moves used when one of the wrestlers is running. These include hip-tosses, dropkicks and clotheslines which can be performed while your opponent is running at you. If you're running, you can perform a flying elbowdrop while your opponent is on the mat or climb the turnbuckle and leap off it! You can also leave the ring and grab a chair or use illegal moves such as chokeholds and eye gouges (but only when the ref isn't looking).

In the end, the main attraction to the game is the Rumble match itself. Of course, instead of the 30 men normally, you only get a 12-man match. Another amazing thing this game had for it's time (and, until recently, still was amazing for wrestling games) is the ability to have 6 men in the ring at once, with out copying. (Royal Rumble for the Dreamcast tried it as well, but when you're featuring a match where 30 different men wrestle, it'd be a pretty good idea for the game to have, you know, thirty guys to choose from.) The Rumble match is pulled off pretty well, and can be very fun, especially when "fatigue" sets in and you and a friend are frantically pressing buttons trying to throw your opponent out of the ring.