Dateline : 13th November 2011

 

Is it unlucky 13 or will the thought of strapping himself into spandex and an unusually large codpiece prevent RetroBear from being rolled up behind for a quick pinfall ? Only one way to find out – it’s time to rummmmblllllle…..

 

This game isn't so tough, the box is made out of cardboard !

There are two types of games I always insist on having for a computer system. One is a football game of some variety, thats soccer to our American cousins, be it simulation or management. The other is wrestling. That’s because I am big wrestling fan and always have been. Yes I know it’s fake and all cobblers but there is something that appeals about the showmanship and the acting and the storylines that can hook you in if you suspend your belief.

 

On getting a Super Nintendo for the first time a few years ago one of the games bundled with it was Super Wrestlemania. As always the word “Super” was stuck in front of it to make it sound something better than it was. There had been previous wrestling games on the NES and Wrestle War on the Mega Drive but this was the first to feature the WWF stars in a bigger and bolder scenario.

 

Hulk Hogan vs Earthquake - it is as if it was 1990 all over again

 

You had a choice of 12 stars to pick from, all with their own entrance music, although this barely resembled the original tunes. You could go singles, tag team or even a Royal Rumble match. Apart from that it was all a bit basic, and the one thing that distinguished the SNES version from the Mega Drive one was the fact you couldn’t use the finishing moves on the SNES. Thus Wrestlemania was relegated to a rather dull punch and kick affair.

 

It’s all presented very well and looks the part but one can’t help feeling, with a licence like this, the boat was well and truly missed. Everyone knew at the time that Randy Savage could only win a match with his trademark elbow from the rope, or that Earthquake sat on people to finish the match. Take that away from them and there is not a lot else.

 

If The Undertaker was that hard he'd take on both members of The Legion Of Doom

 

Of course there would be further attempts – Royal Rumble was an improvement on the original game – but it wasn’t until we had the Smackdown series on the PlayStation that wrestling games rose to the standard grapple fans expected. With a cartridge price of £40 on release you’d have been better off sinking your cash into some official video releases instead.

 

It’s hard to recommend Super Wrestlemania at all nowadays as there are so many better fighting games on the SNES – Street Fighter II for instance which has as many unbelievable characters as the WWF did.

 

VERDICT : Attacked in the back stage area and not able to make it to the ring,. This game is the equivalent of all the jobbers you’d see regularly get trashed on Superstars and Wrestling Challenge.

 

NOTES : This title can be found for under a pound on Amazon, whilst copies can be found on eBay for around £2.00 though most prices average out at around £5.00.

 

UP NEXT : Breakneck speed and sharp bends – Sega Rally on the Sega Saturn