WWF Royal Rumble

The Good
This game had me pumped as soon as it started. The main screen plays some awesome music while photos of the wrestlers appear on screen. I was ready for some action!

The graphics in this game are great, and so is the sound. Even on the wrestler selection screen, you get digitized shots of the fighters, while fantastic renditions of their theme songs play.

The gameplay is solid too. You can punch, kick, use a variety of grappling attacks and rope moves, climb out of the ring, and even use the chair!

As for the wrestlers, you get great selection here. Tatanka, Ric Flair, Randy Savage, Mr. Perfect, Yokozuna, Razor Ramon, Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, Crush, The Undertaker, Ted DiBiase, and The Narcissist!

The game only has one ring, but several play modes that are all fun. Exhibition match, which is a standard bout. You must pin to win.

Next, we have Brawl. In this one, you must lower your opponents health bar to zero. In Brawl mode you get two exclusive moves, the Eye Gouge and the Strangle.

Tournament mode, which pits you against the other wrestlers in a string of matches.

And finally, the highlight, Royal Rumble. Just like on TV, it starts with two wrestlers, but more keep coming until the ring is filled. To win, you gotta throw your opponents out of the ring, until you're the only one left.

I like the little touches in this game, like the animated crowd and the excited judges. It rounds out the game nicely.

The Bad
I wish all the wrestlers didn't sound exactly the same. You'll hear the same "uh" and "agh" sound effects over and over again.

The only other thing I didn't care for was the grappling system. Once the two wrestlers grab each other, you have to hold a direction and pound a button to preform a move. This can wear out your thumbs fast.

The Bottom Line
I would recommend this to wrestling fans and casual gamers alike, as it's one of the best wrestling games you can find, and it's simple control scheme can be picked up by everybody. I don't think it's very expensive, and you should purchase it. Both the Genesis and SNES versions are very similar, but there are different wrestlers in each one, so it depends upon the roster you prefer.