WWF Attitude | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | Acclaim Studios Salt Lake City Crawfish Interactive (GBC) [1] |
Publisher(s) | Acclaim Entertainment [lower-alpha 1] |
Platform(s) | Game Boy Color, Nintendo 64, PlayStation, Dreamcast |
Release | Game Boy ColorPlayStationNintendo 64Dreamcast |
Genre(s) | Sports (Fighting) |
Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
WWF Attitude is a professional wrestling video game based on the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) released by Acclaim Entertainment in 1999 for the PlayStation and Nintendo 64. A slightly enhanced port of the game was later released for the Dreamcast, as well as a handheld version for the Game Boy Color. The game is named after the WWF's then-current "Attitude" marketing campaign, with the tagline "Get it" also being used on company programming during that period.
The game is the sequel to WWF War Zone and is the last WWF game to be published by Acclaim. The WWF signed a deal with THQ later in 1999, ending a ten-year relationship with Acclaim that began with WWF WrestleMania . Acclaim then signed a deal with Extreme Championship Wrestling, producing two games using the same game engine, ECW Hardcore Revolution and ECW Anarchy Rulz . [8]
The PlayStation version had been originally scheduled to be released on June 3, 1999, [9] but the release date was pushed back to August 5 due the death of Owen Hart to whom the game is dedicated.
Gameplay from WWF War Zone was for the most part retained. Players execute wrestling maneuvers by grappling with an opponent then entering a sequence of motions and buttons presses. On-screen life meters indicate how close a wrestler is to defeat, with the meter turning red when a small amount of health is left. The previous edition's "Challenge Mode" was replaced by a Career Mode which allowed a player to wrestle as a WWF superstar. The player first starts wrestling on house shows winning matches to work their way up to RAW, then Pay-Per-View events and eventually getting opportunities to challenge for the European, Intercontinental and WWF championship titles. New match types were also added, including the First Blood and the I Quit Match. [10]
Features added since WWF War Zone include a Create-A-Stable mode and a Pay-Per-View mode, which allows players to set up their own wrestling event - a series of matches, the name of the event, and an arena. The game includes a customizable arena option, including the ability to edit the color of lights, ring ropes, turnbuckles, and logo on the side of the ring. [11] WWF Attitude also features the audio commentary, provided by Shane McMahon and Jerry Lawler.
Create-A-Wrestler mode was expanded with original entrance music, as well as superstar nicknames with unique commentary and crowd chants for each name. [12] Vocals for the original entrance themes were provided by Road Dogg of The New Age Outlaws, a popular wrestler at the time of the game's release who would frequently show off his mic skills during events.
The Game Boy Color version of the game is slightly different from its home console counterparts, using passwords as a way to save a player's progress. [13]
Acclaim added full superstar entrances to the game, improving over the short entrances from War Zone. Match commentary was recorded by Jerry "The King" Lawler and Shane McMahon. Instead of the commentators talking about each of the wrestlers before the match like on War Zone, each wrestler now has a set of pre-match taunts. [14]
Originally, the game was to include fictional jobbers that players would face early on in the Career Mode. For unknown reasons, the fictional jobbers were removed from the game; however, their voices, ring attires, and entrance theme songs remain accessible in the Create-A-Wrestler mode. [15]
In addition, the game's original release date was meant to be March 1999 before getting delayed until June, and then again until its ultimate release in August. Its first planned release date was the time on WWF television when "Dr. Death" Steve Williams was getting a midcard push, where he was managed by a heel Jim Ross. The official strategy guide of WWF Attitude makes mention of this, [16] and "JR's boy" is a chant in the game, referencing the midcard storyline. [17] For many years, players were confused by his inclusion in the game.
Though not playable in the game, The Hardy Boyz provided motion capture for the game.
The intro to the PlayStation and Nintendo 64 versions included a dedication to Owen Hart, who died shortly before the game's release and was featured in the game as a playable character. Although Owen was a "heel" prior to his death, his playable character is a "face", which meant that the crowd would cheer for him instead of booing. His death delayed the PlayStation and Nintendo 64 versions from its initial release of June 1999, likely to remove his Blue Blazer alternative costume as seen in early screenshots from an April 1999 prototype version of the game.
The dedication to Owen was removed from the Dreamcast version due to a wrongful death lawsuit being filed against the WWF by the Hart family. However, Owen is still a playable character in this version. [10] [18]
The Dreamcast version was released several months after the PlayStation and Nintendo 64 games, around the same time as THQ's first WWF game WWF WrestleMania 2000 [19] and features improved graphics compared to its PlayStation and Nintendo 64 counterparts, with higher-resolution texture maps and a better animated, less pixelated crowd. [20]
Aggregator | Score | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Dreamcast | GBC | N64 | PS | |
GameRankings | 59% [21] | 62% [22] | 74% [23] | 79% [24] |
Publication | Score | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Dreamcast | GBC | N64 | PS | |
AllGame | [25] | N/A | [26] | [27] |
CNET Gamecenter | 6/10 [28] | N/A | N/A | 8/10 [29] |
Electronic Gaming Monthly | 7.25/10 [30] [lower-alpha 2] | 4.5/10 [31] | 8.25/10 [32] [lower-alpha 3] | 8/10 [33] |
Game Informer | 8.5/10 [34] | 6.5/10 [35] | 9.25/10 [36] | 9/10 [37] |
GameFan | 40% [38] | N/A | N/A | N/A |
GameRevolution | B [39] | N/A | N/A | A− [40] |
GameSpot | 6.8/10 [20] | 6.1/10 [13] | 8/10 [14] | 8.1/10 [15] |
GameSpy | 4.5/10 [41] | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Hyper | N/A | N/A | 68% [42] | N/A |
IGN | 8/10 [10] | N/A | 8.7/10 [11] | 8.3/10 [43] |
N64 Magazine | N/A | N/A | 88% [44] | N/A |
Next Generation | [45] | N/A | [46] | N/A |
Nintendo Power | N/A | 6.3/10 [47] | 7.4/10 [48] | N/A |
Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine | N/A | N/A | N/A | [49] |
The PlayStation version received favorable reviews, while the rest of the console versions received mixed or average reviews according to review aggregator GameRankings. [21] [22] [23] [24] Daniel Erickson of NextGen gave the Dreamcast and Nintendo 64 versions negative reviews in two separate issues, saying that the latter was "worth a rental for WWF fans, but everyone else should just wait for THQ and EA to take their shots" (#59, November 1999); [46] and later calling the former "a pathetic port – the only reason this game gets one star is that the jewel case was reusable" (#62, February 2000). [45]
The Rookie of GamePro said of the Nintendo 64 version in one review, "If you loved War Zone , you're going to want to grab WWF Attitude. The combination of the huge lineup of wrestlers and excellent gameplay features like the Career mode and create-your-own-pay-per-view event will satisfy any wrestling fan's hunger for topnotch[ sic ] top-rope action." [50] [lower-alpha 4] He also said of the PlayStation version, "If you're a WWF fan, you'll want this game. Its expanded roster of features and wealth of kick-ass wretling superstars will have you slobber-knockin' and trash-talkin' with your buddies all night long. You smell what The Rock is cookin'?" [51] [lower-alpha 5] The Freshman, however, said in another review that the N64 version's "massive array of options and its long roster of superstars will keep wrestling fans busy for a long time, but its bland graphics and sounds may turn off everyone else. Attitude adds features over War Zone, but it doesn't really make that many improvements. Attitude's got the moves, but it needs to put on more of a show if it's going to go for the title." [52] [lower-alpha 6] In another review of the PlayStation version, The D-Pad Destroyer called it "a decent game with an incredible array of options but with a sore lack of any real personality. Attitude has a great Create-A-Wrestler mode, but eventually you will want to bring your creation into the ring. When it comes to that, WWF fans will have a great time, but the rest will quickly become frustrated. This sequel to War Zone just doesn't have enough attitude." [53] [lower-alpha 7] The Enforcer later said of the Dreamcast version in one review, "If you own only a Dreamcast and are a diehard wrestling fan, you're gonna want WWF Attitude. If you have either the PlayStation or N64 version, however, you'll be satisfied with a rental." [54] [lower-alpha 8] Scary Larry, however, said of the same console version in another review, "The ultimate wrestling game, one that takes the experience and immerses you totally inside of it, may still be a ways off. But Dreamcast fans will feel cheated out of a winner by this fake looking remake. Hope for Smackdown [ sic ] on the Dreamcast - Attitude goes flat on you." (The Dreamcast version of WWF SmackDown!, however, was later cancelled.) [55] [lower-alpha 9]
The PlayStation version was also a bestseller in the UK. [56]
Ready 2 Rumble Boxing is a boxing video game developed by Midway Studios San Diego, and published by Midway in 1999 for the Dreamcast, PlayStation, Game Boy Color, and Nintendo 64. The success of the Dreamcast version led to it becoming one of the few Sega All Stars titles.
San Francisco Rush 2049 is a racing video game developed and manufactured by Atari Games for arcades. It was ported to the Nintendo 64, Game Boy Color, and Dreamcast by Midway Games West. The arcade machine was released in 1999; home versions followed in 2000 on September 7 for North America and November 17 for Europe. It is the third game in the Rush series and the sequel to San Francisco Rush: Extreme Racing and Rush 2: Extreme Racing USA. It is the last game in the Rush series to be set in the city of San Francisco and the last released on a Nintendo console. It also serves as the final game for the Atari Games label, which was retired shortly after the arcade release. The Dreamcast version was later re-released as part of Midway Arcade Treasures 3 for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube and later for Microsoft Windows as part of Midway Arcade Treasures Deluxe Edition.
WWF WrestleMania 2000 is a professional wrestling video game released in 1999 on the Nintendo 64 (N64) console. It was based on the World Wrestling Federation's annual pay-per-view, WrestleMania. Despite the fact that this game is based upon WrestleMania 2000, the game was released five months prior to the actual PPV itself, therefore resulting in the game using the stage design from the 1999 event, WrestleMania XV, instead. Released at the height of the WWF's Attitude Era, WrestleMania 2000 was the first WWF game released by THQ. The wrestling company ended its long relationship with Acclaim Entertainment after witnessing the video game success of its competitor, World Championship Wrestling (WCW), on behalf of THQ. WrestleMania 2000 shares its game engine with the Japan-only release Virtual Pro Wrestling 2: Ōdō Keishō.
WWF No Mercy is a professional wrestling video game released in 2000 by THQ for the Nintendo 64. It is based on the World Wrestling Federation and is named after the company's annual event of the same name. Developed by Asmik Ace Entertainment and AKI Corporation, No Mercy is the last in a series of Nintendo 64 wrestling games from the companies that started with WCW vs. nWo: World Tour.
WCW Mayhem is a professional wrestling video game published by Electronic Arts (EA), based on the American promotion World Championship Wrestling (WCW). The first WCW game produced by EA, it was released for Nintendo 64 and PlayStation in 1999 and for the Game Boy Color the following year.
WCW Backstage Assault is a professional wrestling video game developed by Kodiak Interactive and published by Electronic Arts. It was released for the PlayStation in November 2000, and for the Nintendo 64 in December. It was the final World Championship Wrestling (WCW) game released before the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) purchased the company's assets three months later. Backstage Assault features commentary by Tony Schiavone and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. Gameplay takes place outside of a wrestling ring, an approach that was poorly received and resulted in the title selling 200,000 copies.
WWF War Zone is a professional wrestling video game developed by Iguana West and released by Acclaim Entertainment in 1998 for the PlayStation, Nintendo 64, and Game Boy. The game features wrestlers from the World Wrestling Federation.
Re-Volt is a racing video game designed by Paul Phippen and Simon Harrison. It was developed by Acclaim Studios London and published by Acclaim Entertainment for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo 64, PlayStation and Dreamcast.
South Park: Chef's Luv Shack is a 2D game show-style party video game and is a sequel to the 1998 video game South Park, itself based on the American animated sitcom of the same name. Developed by Acclaim Studios Austin and published by Acclaim Entertainment, it was released in 1999 for the Dreamcast, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation and Nintendo 64. Its gameplay involves playing minigames and the ability to play against other players in a challenge for the most points. It also involves trivia questions about South Park and other topics.
South Park Rally is a 2000 kart-style racing video game based on the American animated sitcom South Park published by Acclaim Entertainment and released for the PlayStation, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo 64, and Dreamcast. Gameplay follows the player in a competitive racing championship set in the fictional town of South Park. Players are given the options for multiplayer, arcade, or championship modes, but only the championship unlocks extra features. Competition begins in South Park's 1st Rally, a circuit race around four checkpoints in the downtown area of South Park. Races get gradually more diverse, with more locations, racers, and elements added as the game progresses.
ECW Hardcore Revolution is a professional wrestling video game released by Acclaim Entertainment, based on the professional wrestling promotion Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). The game was released for the Nintendo 64, PlayStation, Game Boy Color, and Dreamcast in 2000. It was the first wrestling game to be based on ECW, as well as the first professional wrestling video game to receive a Mature rating from the ESRB, although the Game Boy Color version was rated Everyone. Acclaim followed this title with the release of a sequel, ECW Anarchy Rulz, in August 2000.
Monaco Grand Prix: Racing Simulation 2, also known as just Monaco Grand Prix or Racing Simulation: Monaco Grand Prix, is a Formula One racing game developed and published by Ubisoft for the Windows, Nintendo 64, PlayStation, and Dreamcast. It was released in 1998–1999. A sequel, Racing Simulation 3, was released in 2002.
NFL QB Club 2001, also known as NFL Quarterback Club 2001, is an American football game for the Nintendo 64 and Dreamcast. Part of the NFL Quarterback Club series, it is the last title in the series to be released for the N64 and DC. The game follows in the footsteps of the previous three titles on both consoles, with a full on NFL football simulation with all the teams, players and stats. The game cartridge was red, unlike the usual gray color for N64 cartridges.
NFL Quarterback Club 2000 is a sports video game developed by Acclaim Studios Austin and published by Acclaim Entertainment for Nintendo 64 and Dreamcast in 1999.
Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue! is a 1999 platform game developed by Traveller's Tales and published by Activision and Disney Interactive. Based on Disney/Pixar's 1999 computer animated film Toy Story 2, it was released for the Nintendo 64, PlayStation, Microsoft Windows, and Macintosh in late 1999, while a Dreamcast version followed in 2000. The computer versions were released under the title Disney/Pixar's Action Game, Toy Story 2. A different version, a side-scrolling platform game titled Toy Story 2, was also released for the Game Boy Color in 1999.
Knockout Kings 2000 is a video game developed by Black Ops Entertainment and published by EA Sports for Nintendo 64, PlayStation, and Game Boy Color in 1999.
NFL Blitz 2000 is a video game released in the arcades in 1999 and then ported to the PlayStation, Nintendo 64, Dreamcast, Microsoft Windows, and Game Boy Color. It is the third game in the NFL Blitz series.
Jeremy McGrath Supercross 2000 is a motocross racing video game developed by Acclaim Studios Salt Lake City and published by Acclaim Entertainment under their Acclaim Sports label for Nintendo 64, Game Boy Color, PlayStation and Dreamcast. It features eight stadium tracks, eight outdoor tracks, and an option for players to create their own custom tracks. In addition to having a racing game mode, players could perform dirt bike tricks in a stunt mode.
Roadsters is a racing game released by Titus Software for Nintendo 64 in 1999, and for PlayStation, Dreamcast and Game Boy Color in 2000. It is a car racing game that features both licensed cars from manufacturers and unlicensed cars from imaginary manufacturers that are based on and bear great resemblance to their equivalent, real car models. The game also includes a multi-player mode supports up to 2 human players that can compete in any of the available circuits with 4 more CPU controlled racers. A PlayStation 2 version was originally planned to release on April 11, 2001.
NFL Blitz 2001 is a video game developed and published by Midway for the Dreamcast, PlayStation, Nintendo 64 and Game Boy Color in 2000.
Star Wars could dominate the half-term games market with the release tomorrow of Star Wars: Racer and Star Wars: Phantom Menace. Otherwise the Game Boy Color handheld seems to be in for a flood of offerings, with six games expected: WWF Attitude, All Star Baseball 2000 and Maya the Bee (all Acclaim), F1 World Grand Prix (Nintendo), International Superstar Soccer 99 (Konami), and Obelix (Infogrames).
WWF Attitude//Game Boy Color//£24.99//Out Now
July 9th//WWF Attitude £42.99//July 16th//Syphon Filter//£29.99 PlayStation//July 16th//Silent Hill/£34.99 PlayStation