I just got WWF: Arcade for psx.  i have to say that it is a different
approach to a wrestling game.  it feels like a mix of MK and NBA jam,
which isn't such a surpise since the company that made those games made
WWF as well.  the game play is very quick, and for me so far it's kind
of hard to concentrate on pulling off special moves and combos because
of this.  i imagine after a couple days of playing i should have it
down though.  all in all it's defintely a good game to add to your
collection.

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          Playstation
** Wrestlemania: The Arcade Game **
          By Akklaim

wrestling sports game
1-2 simultaneous, head to head and cooperative modes
adjustable difficulty

** Overall:  8 **

---------------------------------------------
** Graphics: 8 **

the graphics are extremely well done and detailed.  each of the
wrestlers has many frames of animation and seem to move fluidly.  if
there's one problem it's the size of the sprites.  i don't know exactly
how big they were in the arcade, but if the picture on the manual cover
is any indication, they are smaller than they should be.  this is the
only real bad thing i can say about the graphics.  i don't know why
this is since we all know the psx can handle larger sprites no
problem.  just look at nba jam for example.... there is only one
"arena", but that's naturual for a wrestling game.  the audience is
completely animated and cheers you on.

** Sound:  8 **

the sound and music are excellent and follow the theme nicely.  the
winning wrestler always has his theme song played.  nice touch.  there
is only one thing i don't like about the sounds and that is the sound
they have for the wrestler's footsteps,  it's too loud and too
repetitive.  other than that, everything's perfect and appropriate.
McMahon and Lawler constantly throw side-comments(i'd call it narration
but it's not constant) out, kind of like nba jam.  it's a nice
addition and really adds to the atmosphere.  the audience also cheers
and boos you.  it seems like the booing occurs when you hit someone w/a
hammer or throw salt in their face, you know, illegal type stuff.

** Game Play:  8 **

now this for me is a problem at the moment, mainly becuz the game play
is so fast.  the moves are easy to pull off, but planning and timing
them is kind of tricky for me right now.  i'm sure after playing it
for a bit i'll get the hang of it.  the game mechanics are wrestling in
sort of a loose & wacky sense.  when you attack each wrestler, you
literally pound the skulls out of him(undertaker) or ham & fish out of
him(yokozuna).  it certainly is humorous at times.  each wrestler has a
standard set of moves, plus their own specialty moves which are easy to
perform.  however, if you're looking for the kind of control there was
in the WWF series for snes, you're going to have to look elsewhere.
rather than relying on how many times you press a button, this game
relies on MK style moves. some people may not like this, but i think
it's a refreshing change and expands the lifespan on your controllers
:)  WWF: raw for snes allowed for some strategic thinking, this game
relies on fighting reflexes.  WWF: raw also had a referee, which you
could knock unconscious, this doesn't, but you don't really miss him.

this game, although i have yet to pull one off, is also rumored to
contain finishing/fatalities and a secret character.  it'll be curious
to see what they are.  being the fighting fan i am, i like all this,
but if you don't like fighters you should rent this title first, it's
nothing like it's snes predecessors.

** Replayability:  9  **

this is where the game really shines, particularly in head-to-head and
even co-op mode.  as always, games you can play against or with friends
are much more enjoyable, at least for me.

** CD Access Time:  7 **

the game takes no time at all to initially load up.  there is a small load
time before matches so it can load in your wrestlers.  this game would
have had excellent load times but where the game falls short is during
single play or coop play where a wrestler gets thrown out and the game
needs to load another wrestler.  the game freezes completely for about 3-4
seconds until that wrestler is loaded.  the game only seems able to have 4
wrestlers in memory at one time. 
**  Summary **

as always, try to rent before you buy.  this is an excellent title,
IMO, but it really doesn't show off the capabilities of the psx.  this
type of game could be done easily on the snes or genesis, but
naturally the psx version will have these two beat on graphics
and sound.

now if i could only get my hands on a faq that has ALL of the moves
and ALL of the finishers :)


 peter b.
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 þ 1st 2.00 #8267 þ "1stReader is so good it's taxable!"