3 of the Best Wrestling-Themed Video Games of all Time
Throughout the sports world leagues, teams and athletes have bent over backward as they attempt to hold sporting events. COVID-19 has been the cause of cancelled events and even entire seasons. Precautions have been taken by leagues and teams that include isolating, living in bubbles and restricting almost every aspect of the lives of the athletes.
Wrestling has been particularly impacted by COVID-19. Because it’s entirely a contact sports, wrestling has created a unique hurdle to those who want to see events continue to be held but are also concerned over the safety of the athletes. The WWE and WWF have been continuing to hold live events while fans watch virtually. Yet even with the support of the companies, matches have been postponed or cancelled and the atmosphere is anything but “business as usual.”
Wrestling fans can turn to Casino Red video games where they can enjoy interactive and engaging wrestling-themed gaming action to hold them until the live matches begin again.
Some of the top wrestling-themed video games, including old favorites and new releases, are:
WWF No Mercy
WWF No Mercy was the standout 2001 Wrestling game that took a step beyond the 2000 WWF Wrestlemania 2000. It may be a bit outdated but it’s a classic and well-worth playing. There are over 60 characters including WWF legends and hidden characters such as Jerry Lawler and Shawn Michaels.
Players can compete for 7 different titles and the plots change depending on which matches you win or lose and how you deal with the various characters throughout the gameplay. Features such as a ladder matches, cage matches have been added and there’s a guest referee from Smackdown.
Each match takes place in a different location with one in the main arena, on in the backstage hall, one in the booking room and the others scattered between the boiler room, the parking lot, the bar and the top of the stage. You can create a Pay-Per-View Event which includes ramp entranceways for the brawl.
Sequels aren’t always heads and shoulders better than their predecessors but No Mercy has so many improvements over the 2000 Wrestlemania that it’s worth every penny in investment. The environment includes some new and fun additions including a commentary table at ringside and the inevitable backstage brawls.
Meanwhile, the popular elements from Wrestlemania are still very much in evidence with options to leap off the table for a tackle onto your opponent, smack someone with the ladder or even pick up a fire extinguisher and use it to smack the other guy into the wall.
This game also features weapons. In addition to the aforementioned fire extinguisher you have steel steps, broken tables, sledgehammers, ringbells and more. Of course, everything depends on your skill in using these weapons which can now be thrown. The cage match makes an appearance but it’s kind of disappointing because you might as well just head to the bar to do your damage.
As with Wrestlemania 2000, No Mercy offers one-player modes that are bigger and better than ever. Once you choose the belt that you are aiming for you start with a contender’s match and then progress onward through an intricate and involved storyline that will keep you on your toes.
During each stage of the one-player mode, the decisions that you make will determine how the storyline progresses. You can also play “Survival” as a singles mode where you must outlast 100 other wrestlers with a score that is dependent on how you eliminate them. Two-player, three-player and four-player modes are also featured.
WWE: Smackdown Vs. Raw
WWE: Smackdown Vs. Raw is another classic that has stood the test of time. This 2011 isn’t a groundbreaking challenge, just solid digital pro wrestling entertainment.
The game features more than 70 Legends, Superstars and Divas together with a wide range of options and match types. Extreme Rules, Championship Scramble and the ability to modify existing outfits in Superstar Threads are back from the 2010 Smackdown but there are enough tweaks and additions to keep you engaged for hours.
Some of the new features include the WWE Universe mode which involves a combination of the old exhibition and career modes. There’s a WWE calendar packed with Superstars, SmackDowns, pay-per-view shows and Raws. Cards are planned based on rankings and rivalries so you can enter and play whichever match you want.
One of the coolest career modes, WWE Universe, tracks Royal Rumble winners, feuds and more. Your simulations take players through their careers and rivalries as you see what develops. You can also move from the events that lead up to a Superstar’s appearance and choose the Road to WrestleMania where you wander around backstage and complete the quests that include talking to people, listening to commentators and even starting fights.
Even if you don’t want to pick a brawl you should know that your rights can result in Superstar points that you’ll be able to apply to your damage resistance and move damage. In this mode, getting to be part of Superstars’ stories and unlocking various characters is a game highlight.
In many ways, WWE: Smackdown Vs. Raw delivers a true-to-life WWE in which any match is available for online competition, including the Royal Rumble in which 12 players can participate in simultaneously (six Superstars in the ring at one time while others play mini-games while they wait.) If 12 people enter one play session you’ll receive 400 percent the normal amount of Prestige plus elimination bonuses.
WWE 2K Battlegrounds
The top wrestling video games aren’t all from years gone by. The WWE 2K Battlegrounds of 2020 is as good as anything released in the past along with all the advantages of the latest technological bells and whistles. WWE 2K Battlegrounds is a bit different than most other wrestling games. It is an arcade, cartoony take on professional wrestling so if you’re looking for realistic action, this isn’t the one for you.
But if you’re OK with a game that lacks depth and in which wrestlers swing their opponents around like rag dolls, throw them into the jaws of alligators, jump 50 feet in the air, etc, you’ll have a ball with this game that gives you a break from simulation-focused main series.
The game is highly intuitive so there’s no worries about cat-and-mouse submission minigames, chain wrestling, timing-based pin minigames, how to maneuver your opponent on a table in a table match, how to get ladders set up in ladder matches, etc. You just take the controller and punch, kick, throw and mash.
As mentioned, you won’t find depth or complexity here. Each character’s movelist is pretty thin with only a few throws and basic combos. There are only a few movelists too, one for each class, so multiple characters share the same abilities.
You’ll find that the Powerhouses are slow but their attacks power through opponent’s strikes. If you’re itching for a brawl you can create weapons which have extra power on their strikes – some include technicians which have extra- powerful throws, High-Flyers who can use running throws and jump off the ropes and All-Arounders who do some of everything.
Power-ups are featured to increase strike damage, make your attacks unblockable or give you a boost of health regeneration.
Battlegrounds doesn’t compete with the realistic WWEs and WWFs but if you’re looking for something light and fanciful, this is your best bet.
