Wrestling games are fun aren’t they?
A lovely mix of sports sim, beat ‘em up,
and occasionally a cheeky bit of vehicular
manslaughter.
Due to wrestling’s over the top nature it
quickly became a natural avenue for video
game publishers, allowing average Joes like
you and I the chance to lather up in baby
oil and super flying dragon-rana each other,
whatever that means.
As such, there have been hundreds of wrestling
video games produced dating back to the early
1980s.
The biggest wrestling company then and now
is WWE, and Vince McMahon’s sports entertainment
behemoth has licensed over 80 games in the
past 40 years, featuring all your favourite
wrestling stars like Major Inconvenience [Sgt.
Slaughter] Chuckles the Wonder Clown [Doink],
and even limpy biscuit man himself Fred Durst.
In this massive Royal Rumble of video game
carnage, what is the worst and what is the
undisputed best?
Of course, we’re going to rank them.
I mean, the clue is in the title of this video
that you clicked of your own free will, why
am I even explaining this to you.
But before we start, some much needed ground
rules;
- Firstly, we’re not including mobile games,
LCD handheld games, flash games or arcade
games unless they were ported for home consoles.
This means there’ll be no WrestleFest on
this list.
I know, I know.
- Secondly, titles with multiple ports will
only be listed once, no matter the varying
quality of said ports.
The only exception to this rule is if one
port is a completely different gaming experience
from the others.
- We’re also only considering titles released
under the WWF/WWE banner, so there’ll be
no WCW/nWo Revenge *disapointed groaning*,
but this also means no ECW Anarchy Rulz *children
cheering*.
And obviously no TNA: Impact*shouts in the
background* EVEN THOUGH IT’S NOT AS BAD
AS YOU ALL SAY IT IS.
- In addition, we’re not including any games
that simply feature WWE alumni without the
branding of the company; such as Hulk Hogan’s
Main Event or The Legends of Wrestling series
because otherwise we’d be here for ages
and they’re not very good anyway.
- However, we’re not just focusing on traditional
in-ring games, so that means the weird and
wackier titles are ripe for inclusion, as
long as they were officially licensed by WWE.
Oh and to save confusion, we will refer to
all games as WWE, rather than switching between
WWF and WWE.
Just makes everything clearer doesn’t it?
Let’s rank ‘em.
I’m Ben Potter, winner of the Slammy Award
for ‘Nicest Trousers’, and I’m Peter
‘insert obvious Stone Cold joke here’
Austin from TripleJump, and this is every
WWE Game Ranked From Worst To Best.
61.
With Authority!
PC - 2001
Long before WWE Supercard was a thing, in
the ancient days of the year 2001 WWE had
their first proper stab at a digital card
game in the form of With Authority!
A free to play download, With Authority! gave
WWE fans a competitive card game experience,
but without the thrill of opening a real pack
of cards and that alluring new card smell.
Mmmm.
With Authority! plays like your standard Magic:
The Gathering style card game, but with Bubba
Ray Dudley standing in for Gideon Jura.
Players could buy digital card booster packs
and playbooks, and would battle it out online
with other players.
The game itself is a bit, well, dull, and
the concept was not fully realised back in
2001.
THQ shut the servers in 2003, but a community
of hardcore players still exists to this day.
60.
WWF War Zone
Game Boy - 1998
Now hold your horses there cowboy, before
you go shooting off in the comments about
how much you love War Zone, bear in mind this
entry is about the Game Boy version.
If you remember our rules we said ‘single
entries for multiple ported games unless one
port was significantly different from the
rest’.
To be honest, this rule was made specifically
for War Zone on the Game Boy because oooooooh
boy it is not a good game.
Released a couple of months before the PlayStation
and Nintendo 64 game of the same name, the
Game Boy version of War Zone is a very half-arsed
affair.
In fact the only way you even know it’s
a WWE game is thanks to the logo plastered
throughout the game.
The character models are the worst in WWE
gaming history.
No-one looks how they should, most people
have the exact same features, and everyone
has the same move set, finishers aside.
Considering there had been multiple excellent
WWE Game Boy games by this point, War Zone
is an inexcusable lazy mess.
59.
WWE Aftershock
Nokia N-Gage - 2005
WWE Aftershock proves the depths of WWE’s
licensing machine, as no matter the console,
it was always worth throwing a WWE title on
there and attempting to get some of that sweet
sweet consumer cash.
The only wrestling title on Nokia’s failed
N-Gage experiment, Aftershock was widely panned
upon release.
The loading times bordered on the absurd,
and with a svelte 10-man roster, and a hand-full
of no thrills match-ups, it was facing an
uphill battle to win audiences over before
a solitary clothesline had been thrown.
The character models were awful, the sound
effects rubbish, and the gameplay was sluggish.
But hey, if you persevered with Aftershock
and found another glutton for punishment with
their own N-Gage and copy of the game then
you could go head-to-head via Bluetooth, as
we all know that sharing the pain of a long
load time makes life just a little bit easier.
58.
WWF Betrayal
Game Boy Colour - 2001
Whilst definitely a licensed WWE game, Betrayal
is not a wrestling game at all, but rather
a half-arsed side-scrolling beat ‘em up
in the vein of Streets of Rage.
Players can choose to play as one of Triple
H, The Undertaker, Stone Cold Steve Austin,
or The Rock, fighting a bevy of referees,
camera operators, and other various hired
goons in a quest to save Stephanie McMahon.
Whichever wrestlers you don’t pick appear
in the game as boss fights, and when the day
is done and Stephanie is saved you find out
it was all a ruse by those sneaky McMahons.
Achieving what exactly, I don’t know.
Still, you win the WWE Title on a helipad,
and that’s quite cool isn’t it.
Betrayal is a fun little game, but it’s
not incredibly hard, or long… and it’s
not really a wrestling game is it.
57.
WWF Raw
Game Boy, Game Gear - 1994
By 1994, and after several good WWE games
for the Game Boy, you’d assume it’d be
a walk in the park to develop a new title.
But as we all know assumptions make an ass
out of you and I.
Or a Mr. Ass if you want to stay on theme
and get serious about this.
Raw was a tedious affair to put it mildly.
What you want more than that?
Fine, it was an annoying, unbalanced game
which required thumbs like Scott Steiner’s
arms to play, such was the intensity of the
button mashing.
The action itself was slow, and finishers
aside, every wrestler had the exact same move
set.
There are also far fewer match types than
those available on the home console versions
of WWF Raw, so if you want my advice, I’d
avoid the handheld versions and get a different
port instead.
Thank me later.
56.
WWF European Rampage Tour
Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MS-DOS - 1992
By 1992 WWE’s popularity was waning Stateside,
but was thriving in Europe.
To capitalise upon this, European Rampage
Tour was thrown together by developers Ocean
to hone in on this passionate section of the
WWE audience.
There’s nothing great about European Rampage
Tour, it was nothing new and nothing special.
Playing like the WrestleManiatitles of the
same era, European Rampage Tour was a tag
team only affair, with players able to make
a dream team out of Hulk Hogan, Macho Man
Randy Savage, The Ultimate Warrior, and Bret
Hart.
You travel through London, Munich, and Paris
battling the Nasty Boys, Natural Disasters,
and Money Inc. before earning a title match
against The Legion of Doom in that classic
European venue…
Madison Square Garden.
What’s more, even though the game is European
Rampage, all wrestlers featured are from North
America.
If only there was some kind of englishcanine
man [british bulldog] in the WWE at the time…
55.
WWF Road to WrestleMania
Game Boy Advance - 2001
For those used to the in-depth intricacies
of modern WWE games, then the idea of a wrestling
title on a diminutive handheld may not compute.
But there were a whole host of WWE titles
developed for the Nintendo Game Boy family
especially.
Out of all of them, 2001’s Road to WrestleMania
is easily one of the worst.
Don’t get me wrong, it looks fantastic,
and the theme music sounds great for a Game
Boy Advance, but considering that by 2001
we were well into the WWE THQ glory years,
this punch kick affair felt a bit dated by
comparison.
Still, Road to WrestleMania is quite fun,
and with a roster of over 20 wresters, as
well as several match types and arenas to
choose from, you could easily waste an hour
or two on a bad coach journey with it.
54.
WWF WrestleMania: Steel Cage Challenge
NES, Sega Master System, Game Gear - 1992
WrestleMania:Steel Cage Challenge was the
only WWE game developed for the Master System,
and the second to last for the NES.
The NES and Master System ports had different
rosters, but would fans collect them all for
the ultimate WWE experience?
Well no, probably not actually.
No matter which edition you went for, every
wrestler had the exact same moveset, mainly
consisting of punches and kicks and the occasional
bodyslam if you’re lucky.
But Steel Cage Challenge had one thing working
in its favour - the steel cage… challenge.
It had a steel cage.
Previously cage matches could only be found
in WWE arcade titles, but now fans could experience
the blue caged glory from the comfort of their
living room.
But the cage still isn’t enough to make
you really care about this game.
Steel Cage Challenge received average reviews
upon release, and it hasn’t gotten any better
with time.
Even some of the WWE titles that preceded
Steel Cage Challenge are still more fun to
play than this.
53.
WWF Royal Rumble
Dreamcast - 2000
The Playstation had Smackdown.
The N64 had No Mercy.
And Dreamcast?
Well the Dreamcast had Royal Rumble.
First released as an arcade title by Sega,
THQ ported it to theDreamcast, and the crowd
went absolutely mild.
And it’s not hard to see why.
A paper thin roster, and literally two game
modes; Royal Rumble and exhibition, Royal
Rumble is a poor excuse for a home console
wrestling game, doubly so when you consider
what else was available at the time…
FROM THE SAME PUBLISHER.
If this were just an arcade cabinet then it
would be fine, good even.
But as a home console release it’s very,
very poor.
Still, credit where it’s due, it could support
nine wrestlers on screen at a time during
the 30-man Royal Rumble match, but as there
were only 19 wrestlers to choose from, many
would pull double duty after being eliminated.
The cheats.
52.
WWF WrestleMania Challenge
NES - 1990
The follow-up to the genre establishing WrestleMania,
WrestleMania Challenge took everything that
worked with its predecessor and went “nah
let’s make something new”.
Gone is the front-on camera, replaced with
a weird 45 degree angle, like Fire Pro but
nowhere near as good.
Not as fluid or as fun as WrestleMania, Challenge
still offers players multiple match types
to keep them coming back for more.
While it’s not going to make you bin all
your other WWE games for it, WrestleMania
Challenge does have quite a degree of charm.
The wrestler sprites accurately depict their
real-life counterparts and have tons of personality,
which is quite the achievement for an 8-bit
game.
Wrestler themes are also re-imagined and play
over the matches.
If you don’t end up tapping your toes to
Brutus Beefcake’s NES music then you need
to go and take a long hard look at yourself
in the mirror.
51.
WWF Raw
Xbox, PC - 2002
Before THQ decided that Smackdown was going
to be the one true WWE title to rule them
all across all consoles, non-PlayStation owners
had to deal with some absolute dreck if they
wanted their fix of WWE gaming.
Case in point; Raw.
THQ enlisted Anchor Inc. - who had developed
the original UFC game - to take charge of
Raw, and they missed the mark fairly spectacularly.
See by 2002, Smackdown fans were used to having
the full WWE experience; TLC matches, hell
in a cell matches, even commentary despite
it often being terrible.
Raw promised all this and more, but delivered
none of it, and instead gave fans terrible
swooshy cameras, clunky controls, and some
suspect damage calibration.
There wasn’t even a season mode, so after
you’d played a couple of exhibition matches,
what was going to entice you back?
It was a rushed mess of a game.
50.
WWF Attitude
Game Boy Colour - 1999
It wasn’t possible to be as bad as War Zone
for the Game Boy, but Attitude still leaves
a lot to be desired.
Granted the roster is fairly expansive for
a Game Boy title, including all your favourites
like Stone Cold, The Rock, and Sable for some
reason as the sole female wrestler in the
entire game.
The graphics are decent, the colour scheme
works well, and the moves feel fluid and crisp.
But the whole experience is a bit empty.
It doesn’t have the charm of previous WWE
Game Boy titles, and comes across a little
boring and - dare I say - generic as a result.
The AI is also not great, especially frustrating
when your opponents can jump across the entire
ring from the top rope, change direction in
mid-air, and flatten you with their arse.
The saving grace of Attitude is that it is
not War Zone, and that’s not enough to make
you care about this game.
49.
WWF WrestleMania 2000
Game Boy Colour - 1999
Don’t worry grandad, this isn’t the N64
game, that will come much much later.
The Game Boy Colour port of WrestleMania 2000
looks fairly decent for its age, with all
wrestlers getting their own entrance… but
not necessarily their music.
There are also a decent amount of game modes
to choose from, from your standard single
and tag-team matches, to Survivor Series and
gauntlet modes, and the story driven Championship
mode.
It’s in the ring where WrestleMania 2000
falls apart.
Slow gameplay, some slightly suspect character
models, and a lack of unique character movesets
bringsMania 2000 crashing back down to Earth.
But we’ll give it this, it does have a fair
few moves in its arsenal, and is nowhere near
as basic a punch kick affair as some of the
portable WWE games that came before and after
this.
48.
WWF Rage in the Cage
Sega CD - 1993
As you may have worked out from the title,
you can have cage matches in Rage in the Cage,
but the game’s real selling point was its
20-man roster, the largest of its time.
Due to the capabilities of the Sega CD, Rage
in the Cage is presented wonderfully, including
full audio in-ring introductions from Howard
Finkel - the first console WWE game to do
so.
The wrestlers look a bit weird though - no
not the character models - but more the fact
that pre-match they stand awkwardly in the
ring spouting catchphrases while waiting for
the bell to ring like broken wrestlebots.
This aside, Rage in the Cage doesn’t do
too much to benefit from the Sega CD’s hardware,
as the gameplay and graphics are similar to
what we’d seen and played before; aka a
lot of punches and kicks.
But you can do some grapples and finishers
which is nice I suppose.
47.
MicroLeague Wrestling
Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS - 1987
The first WWE game ever made, MicroLeague
Wrestling is a curious debut for the over
the top world of Vince McMahon’s band of
merry meatheads.
A turn based strategy game, players pick from
a selection of pre-set matches with the action
playing out on a series of pre-rendered screens
of real WWE matches.
Think Football Manager, but achingly slow,
and with Randy Savage instead of Lionel Messi,
and you’re on the right track.
Despite its slowness and the fact that each
match requires its own disc, MicroLeague Wrestling
actually feels like a true 80s WWE show, complete
with Vince McMahon and Jesse Ventura at the
bottom providing commentary.
With the subsequent success of GM mode in
the Smackdown vs Raw games, there could still
be a market for this approach to WWE gaming,
and a modern day version of MicroLeague Wrestling
could be pretty darn great.
46.
WWF WrestleMania
NES - 1989
The one that started it all… well ok it
was the second WWE game ever but it was the
first proper in-ring WWE wrestling title so
cut us some slack.
WrestleMania is the true blueprint for every
WWE game that followed, a very basic, primitive
blueprint but a blueprint nonetheless.
Players can play as Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage,
Andre the Giant, Ted DiBiase, Bam Bam Bigelow,
or The Honky Tonk Man for some reason, with
each wrestler handling differently to their
peers.
You can have singles matches, or engage in
a special tournament mode, where the winner
will be champion.
Naturally.
It’s rather basic stuff, but for the time
it was revolutionary, and 30 years after its
release it still looks pretty cool.
So iconic is this game, that when Darren Aronofosky’s
The Wrestler hit screens in 2008, it featured
its own ‘version’ of the game called WrestleJam.
45.
WWE 2K20
PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC - 2019
What is there to be said that hasn’t already
been said about this stinker?
A game more broken than Matt Hardy, 2K20 was
universally panned by critics, fans, gamers,
and passers by in the street upon release
in 2019.
The 2K series was on unsure footing as is,
but 2K20 officially put the nail in the coffin.
Textures disappearing, sometimes non existent
damage calibration and OH GOD WHAT IS THAT.
But don’t worry, it couldn’t get worse
*checks notes* oh wait, it did indeed get
worse.
At the start of 2020, a Millennium Bug scenario
presented itself making the game entirely
unplayable.
Took 20 years for the Millennium Bug to strike
BUT I TOLD YOU IT WOULD DIDN’T I DAD.
So what went wrong?
Longtime developer Yuke’s had left town
so Visual Concepts had to step in and learn
20+ years of wrestling game development on
the fly, so that might explain a bit of it.
2K20’s failure has forced 2K to entirely
rethink their WWE strategy, and if this means
less of a focus on annual titles and a return
to one-off well developed games then we’re
all for it.
44.
WWF Superstars
Game Boy - 1991
The first WWE game made for handheld consoles,
Superstars was released for the Game Boy in
1991, and as you’d expect it was a rather
basic affair.
But you know what?
Considering the limitations of the Game Boy,Superstars
is actually a fun game.
Developed by Rare for Acclaim, Superstars
is a straightforward experience.
Granted it’s not the most taxing wrestling
game you’ll ever play, but you can punch,
kick, and body slam your opponents, and can
even unceremoniously launch them from the
ring like some big huge muscular wrestler
guy.
Pre-match you and your opponent have a bit
of cheeky banter, and post-match Vince McMahon
himself comments on the action, and with the
in-depth ringside area during matches, Superstars
makes for a fairly fleshed out WWE experience.
Itdidn’t change the world, that’s for
sure, but for gamers of a certain age, it
will always have a special place in their
heart.
N’awwww.
43.
WWF In Your House
Playstation, Sega Saturn, MS-DOS - 1996
The sequel to the Mortal Kombat ‘inspired’
WrestleMania: The Arcade Game, In Your Housedialed
the arcade nonsense up to 11 and made for
a truly unique WWE game.
The digitised sprite look of Mortal Kombat
and WrestleMania hold over, but whereas its
predecessor was still sort of entrenched in
a wrestling world, In Your House sees you
fighting in a number of odd character specific
arenas.
The Hart Family Dungeon for Bret, a cinema
for Goldust, and let’s not forget The Undertaker’s
crypt where the big spooky fella can throw
actual ghosts at you.
Just like in real life.
We know this game isn’t for everyone, but
at the end of the day it is fun, silly, and
shouldn’t be taken too seriously, a bit
like the WWE of the time.
A perfect counter to the sometimes-boring
simulation based gameplay of modern titles.
42.
WWF Super WrestleMania
Sega Genesis/Megadrive, Super Nintendo - 1992
Remember WrestleMania?
Well it’s back, in Super form.
Oooohh.
As the fourth console generation started to
gather steam, fans were itching for a WWE
title like they had never seen before, and
Super WrestleMania was the answer to their
prayers.
With an expansive roster and a well defined
and authentic art style, Super WrestleMania
was a clear evolution from the games of WWE
past, as piece by piece the titles were starting
to feel more like the actual WWE product.
The only drawbacks to Super WrestleMania were
for all its shiny new graphics and top notch
roster, the gameplay hadn’t exactly come
on leaps and bounds.
Wrestlers had near identical movesets, and
the action wasn’t as crisp and flowing as
you’d expect.
But as a core game to build upon, Super WrestleMania
had some solid fundamentals, which would be
improved upon drastically in subsequent titles.
41.
WWF WrestleMania
Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64,
DOS, ZX Spectrum - 1991
Yes, all these consoles were still widely
popular in Europe in 1991, and seeing as the
WWE was the hottest thing since TripleJump
Chilli Night ™ it was a no brainer to produce
a WWE game for them.
What is essentially a scaled back port of
the Superstars arcade game, WrestleMania is
a colourful well-rounded grappler that still
looks pretty cool.
I mean, not as cool as Superstars, but beggars
can’t be choosers.
The arcadey feel works well with these earlier
WWE games, and being able to just jump in
and have a scrap is very rewarding.
Unfortunately you can only play as Hulk Hogan,
Ultimate Warrior, or the British Bulldog,
but you’re equipped with a whole host of
moves from piledrivers to top rope missile
dropkicks.
And if you get really angry or your best mate
is battering you without breaking a sweat,
then you can grab a chair and beat your opponent
without mercy.
40.
WWE Crush Hour
Playstation 2, Nintendo Gamecube - 2003
Here it is boys and girls, the weirdest WWE
game ever released; Crush Hour*party blower
noise*
Answering the old age question of “what
would a massive murderous Mercedes driven
by Kane look like?”
Crush Hour was WWE’s attempt to muscle into
the Twisted Metal and Carmageddon violent
automobile genre.
Crush Hour imagines a world where Vince McMahon
has taken control of every TV network, and
is shoehorning WWE talent into every show.
Naturally, he decides a violent car deathmatch
is the thing that everyone wants to see.
Featuring a massive roster of over 30 wrestlers
with character specific vehicles, Crush Hour
certainly gets the feel of a WWE Twisted Metal
experience spot on.
You can engage in hardcore matches, gauntlet
modes, and even ladder matches - which is
a logistical nightmare if you spend too much
time thinking about it.
But Crush Hour gets pretty old pretty quickly.
The game play is repetitive and the mechanics
of the game aren’t nearly as smooth as they
need to be.
However, like many WWE games, Crush Hour has
its own cult following, and if you’re in
the mood for an utterly preposterous WWE game
with its tongue planted firmly in cheek then
you can’t go wrong with it.
39.
WWF King of the Ring
NES, Game Boy - 1993
Despite the SNES firmly being the Nintendo
console of the hour in 1993, the NES was still
getting its fair share of releases, with King
of the Ring serving as WWE’s last effort
for the 8bit wonder.
Also released on the Game Boy, the two different
ports are remarkably similar, but the NES
version has a bigger roster with 11 wrestlers
compared to the Game Boy’s nine.
Weirdly, King of the Ring allows you to be
in the game.
Literally, there is a wrestler called ‘you’,
allowing you to change their name and attributes.
Like other WWE games of the time, King of
the Ring unfortunately has a limited move
set of mainly kicks and punches, but again,
the presentation is pretty much spot on.
There’s an allegory about the WWE product
here that is right on the tip of my tongue…
just give me a minute.
King of the Ring didn’t re-invent the wheel,
but as arguably the best WWE title for NES
and Game Boy, it deserves some kudos.
Plus you can probably grab the Game Boy edition
for about 14p, that’s less than the price
of a Curly Wurly.
38.
WWE Legends of WrestleMania
Playstation 3, Xbox 360 - 2009
Coinciding with the WrestleMania 25 Pay Per
View, Legends of WrestleMania was THQ’s
attempt to squeeze our collective nostalgia
gland and go “ahhh wasn’t wrestling so
much better in the 80s and 90s?”
Featuring a full retro roster and arenas but
with decidedly modern gameplay, Legends of
WrestleMania was the first modern WWE game
to focus on the classic era.
Just a shame that it was quite rubbish then
isn’t it.
Coming out at a time when all developers ever
shoehorned as many QuickTime events as possible
into every possible game, Legends of WrestleManiawas
a particularly QTE heavy affair.
Going for a piledriver?
Hammer ‘X’ in time with a big prompt on
the screen.
Do it.
Do it now.
The gameplay as a result feels disjointed
and clunky, and with an exaggerated art style
for the wrestlers, it all comes across a bit,
well, weird.
Nostalgia is indeed a hell of a drug, but
in the form of Legends of WrestleMania, it
is one we could’ve done without.
Luckily, THQ would have another stab at producing
an old-skool WWE game, with decidedly more
‘legendary’ results *chuckles* but more
on that later.
37.
WWE Raw 2
Xbox - 2003
A year after Raw’s disastrously hollow release
on the Xbox, THQ and Anchor Inc. learned from
their mistakes, and released Raw 2, presumably
with a massive groveling apology to suffering
Xbox fans.
Raw 2 - or Raw 2: Ruthless Aggression if you
want to get ruthless and aggressive about
this - was a massive improvement over its
predecessor.
Whereas Raw promised a whole host of match
types and features but didn’t deliver, Raw
2 made sure to pack in loads of new content
to satisfy fans.
Finally, Xbox players could partake in a Hell
in a Cell match, batter opponents in a TLC
match, and even march through the entire WWE
roster in season mode.
The graphics were great - they were the only
saving grace for Raw 1 - and there were tons
of create-a-wrestler spaces so you could make
all your favourites.
You could even select which referee you wanted
to preside over the action - a nice touch,
but one that tasted of decidedly over-egged
wrestle pudding.
Unfortunately, the gameplay itself was still
pants, with the wrestling action being so
weirdly slow it’s as if the matches were
taking place underwater.
Proof if it were ever needed that a leopard
can’t change its spots.
36.
WWE Survivor Series
Game Boy Advance - 2004
The second to final handheld-only WWE title
- with Aftershock being the last - Survivor
Series is one of the best portable WWE titles
you can buy.
As the most fleshed out WWE Game Boy title,
Survivor Series featured a 16-man roster,
containing eight of the best from Raw, and
eight of the best from SmackDown.
Plus, all wrestlers can perform their signature
finishing moves, with certain characters having
multiple finishers in their arsenal.
Seeing as Survivor Series was firmly during
the WWE Brand Extension era, you could also
pledge allegiance to a certain brand in story
mode, slapping anyone who got in your way.
But be wary of how you play, as story mode
placed less emphasis on winning matches, and
more on entertainment, with back and forth
exciting matches being the goal.
The graphics were crisp and the gameplay fluid
- even if there was something a bit odd with
the animation.
It’s like if Tekken was made with stop-motion
animation, and came across a little jerky
and unsettling.
There were no in depth entrances to be found,
but theme music was easily identifiable, bouncing
along as only Game Boy music could.
35.
WWF Superstars 2
Game Boy - 1992
A vast upgrade on the original Superstars,
Superstars 2 was a far more enjoyable experience
than its predecessor.
New to the game were cage matches, and a refreshed
roster featuring Sid Justice, The Undertaker,
and everyone’s favourite Canadian, The Mountie.
Gameplay was tweaked too, with more grappling
and moves added to steer it away from formulaic
punch kick territory.
You could even hold select once a match to
regain strength, like when Hulk Hogan used
to Hulk-up and shake his head a lot like a
big blonde dog drying off.
The characters were easily recognisable, which
is perfect when your screen is the size of
a biscuit and everything is olive green.
Superstars 2 is not the most in-depth game
you are every likely to play - nor is it even
one of the most in-depth on this list - but
it retains a certain charm, and when you get
used to the gameplay mechanics, it makes for
an addictive little game.
You could definitely do worse.
At least 22 times worse according to this
list anyway.
34: WWE WrestleMania 21
Xbox - 2005
WWE on Xbox take 3.
For WrestleMania 21, THQ did away with Anchor
Inc. and instead enlisted Studio Gigante,
headed up by Mortal Kombat co-creator John
Tobias.
The fact that this was the second and last
game made by Studio Gigante should tell you
everything you need to know.
WrestleMania 21 picked up where Raw 2 left
off, introducing several new superstars as
well as the ultimate sporting contest of champions…
the bra and panties match.
Look, it was a different time ok.
The gameplay was ropey like its predecessors,
with poor enemy AI, but at least it was faster
and a little more fluid, and no-longer felt
like you were fighting ankle deep in a pool
of old porridge.
The big selling point for WrestleMania 21
though was the cool new exciting graphics
when you hit your finisher!
…well, the screen changed colour.
And not much else happened.
WrestleMania 21 also drastically scaled back
its create a wrestler mode, which to many
gamers is one of the biggest selling points
of any wrestling game.
Luckily, this was the last non-Smackdown game
Xbox users would have to endure, and that
was worth as much as any Championship win.
33.
WWE Road to WrestleMania X-8
Game Boy Advance - 2002
Despite coming before Survivor Series in 2003,
Road to WrestleMania X-8 was a far better
game all round, even with WWE’s butchering
of Roman numerals.
To the untrained eye there’s not much difference
between the two; both had that weird almost
stop-motion animation style, and due to the
fact the GBA only had two buttons, the move
list wasn’t exactly expansive, although
the gameplay was intuitive and did more than
you’d expect.
But there was just something about Mania X-8
that felt better than Survivor Series.
The roster was more exciting for a start,
featuring Hall of Famers like Kevin Nash,
Hulk Hogan and The Rock, and the hardcore
mode was surprisingly fun if not a little
clunky.
The theme music hit the nail on the head once
again, even featuring cheeky chip versions
of Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Voodoo Chile’ and
Rob Zombie’s ‘Never Gonna Stop’.
Critics and players alike agreed that this
was the best GBA WWE offering, with ManiaX-8
being the highest rated and best selling of
the three WWE games available for Nintendo’s
purple wonder.
32.
WWF WrestleMania: The Arcade Game
Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, Sega 32X, Super Nintendo,
PlayStation, Sega Saturn, MS DOS - 1995
Can I offer you some delicious Marmite for
your wrestle toast there?
One of the most divisive games in wrestling
history is WrestleMania: The Arcade Game.
Starting life as - wait for it - an arcade
cabinet game, WrestleMania was soon ported
across all the major consoles of the time.
Developed by Midway Games - you know, the
Mortal Kombat lot - WrestleMania was made
to cash in on that sweet MK hype, whilst offering
a more family friendly alternative to Liu
Kang and friends and their wanton bloodbath.
Whilst sequel In Your House would go fully
off the deep end, WrestleMania at least pretended
it was set in a wrestling universe, whilst
still being a bit bonkers.
Players can expect a whacky off the wall arcade
re-imagining of traditional WWE action, where
actual hand buzzers and gravestones went hand
in hand with suplexes and Tombstones… you
know the piledriver The Undertaker does.
WrestleMania is still a very fun game indeed,
but for the more straight-laced wrestling
fans who wanted a WWE experience based a little
more in reality, it served as a big comedy
custard pie to the face.
31.
WWF Royal Rumble
Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, Super Nintendo - 1993
Super WrestleMania walked so Royal Rumble
could run… as in literally run, not run
as in work like a game…
Royal Rumble took Super WrestleMania’s decent
foundations and built a pristine mansion on
top, expanding exponentially in order to give
players the most well rounded WWE video game
to date.
An all new roster including New Generation
favourites such as Razor Ramon and Lex Luger
tagged in with the old guard of Randy Savage
and co, and that was just the tip of the iceberg
for 90s grapple fans.
In fact, both the SNES and Mega Drive editions
had differing rosters, with the SNES version
being particularly notable for featuring Ric
Flair for the first time in a WWE game.
No matter your console, Royal Rumble finally
gave us the ability to perform finishing moves,
the one thing that was massively missing from
every WWE game before it.
Razor’s Edges, Tombstones, Yokozuna’s
big bum drop thing, all were lovingly rendered
in Royal Rumble.
And if you couldn’t nail your finisher,
then you could take the action outside the
ring and bludgeon your opponent with a good
old fashioned steel chair instead.
Nice clean wholesome fun.
30.
WWE 2K15
Xbox 360, Xbox One, Playstation 3, Playstation
4, PC - 2014
ARE YOU READY FOR THE NEW GENERATION OF WWE
GAMES?
…ye- well, kinda?
The second WWE 2K game decided enough was
enough and it was time for a change, and completely
remodelled and reshaped what a WWE game should
be.
To make the game feel more like the WWE TV
product, the gameplay was slowed down, simplified,
and had an emphasis on chain wrestling and
pacing.
This is all well and good when you’re watching
a match, or even wrestling one, but when you’re
gaming you usually want to do mad things,
like effortlessly powerbombing The Big Show
as Hornswoggle, or dropkicking a chair into
somebody’s wilson without the fear of being
arrested or told off by your mum.
Don’t get us wrong, it worked well, but
the whole simulation approach to wrestling
is divisive at best.
Critics and fans saw 2K15 as a backwards step,
with the removal and stripping down of several
fan favourite features acting as a further
kick in the teeth.
Even the re-addition of My Career couldn’t
save 2K15, as this too was lackluster.
To be fair to 2K the game is absolutely stunning.
Pre-release images had us all foaming at our
collective gills, and 2K actually delivered
with the final product - obligatory glitches
aside.
29.
WWF War Zone
PlayStation, Nintendo 64 - 1998
The first fully 3D WWE game, War Zone was
also the first game of WWE’s vaunted Attitude
Era.
Released a little under two years after In
Your House, War Zone was a completely new
game from the ground up.
Gone was the OTT arcade style and bright cartoony
settings, replaced with a fully developed
grappling system, and layers upon layers of
moody grungey atmosphere.
For the first time we had fully realised entrances,
complete with theme music, strange fireworks,
and a full commentary track from Vince McMahon
and Jim Ross.
The character models were all fairly decent,
despite having weird spades for hands, and
there were a ton of game types to keep you
playing, including the first proper ‘create
a wrestler’ mode in a WWE game.
In-ring gameplay was still a little arcadey,
especially as you had to ream off a mad combo
list to perform a finisher in the vein ofMortal
Kombat.
And as a result, War Zone felt a little awkward
and counter intuitive to play.
Seeing as THQ had made the fantastic WCW/nWo
World Tour a year earlier, War Zone felt like
a missed opportunity by comparison.
Still, WCW World Tour didn’t have videos
of Ahmed Johnson chatting absolute arse now
did it.
28.
WWE WrestleMania X8
Nintendo Gamecube - 2002
The last game sort of released under the WWF
moniker (the lawsuit was concluded after development
but before release), WrestleMania X8 - again
with the weird numerals - was the first WWE
game released for Nintendo Gamecube.
Despite it coming in an era of ‘every platform
gets its own WWE games franchise’ Mania
X8 retains the core THQ Yuke’s dream team
that made the SmackDown series such a resounding
success.
The result was a fun pick up and play grappler,
but one that somehow felt like a knock-off
version of SmackDown.
The gameplay was similar, controls not too
different either, but the damage calibration
felt weak, the sound effects tinny yet flat,
and some theme musicwas replaced with stock
audio due to licensing issues.
There was also no commentary track, which
is either a travesty or a blessing in disguise
depending upon how you feel about it.
In an effort to try and appease Nintendo fans,
WrestleMania X8 seemed like it was trying
to pay homage to No Mercy as well as Smackdown,
with the character models chunky like that
of the N64 classic.
The end result felt a little lost, like it
was having a Mick Foley style identity crisis.
Make no mistake, this is not a bad game, and
considering what Xbox users had to go through
with Raw then it could have been far far worse.
27.
WWE WrestleMania XIX
Nintendo Gamecube - 2003
Gamecube’s second WWE effort was WrestleMania
XIX, a game that thankfully remembered how
Roman numerals work.
THQ and Yuke’s looked at WrestleManiaX8,
said ‘yeah its not bad but it could be better’
and radically changed it for XIX while retaining
all the bits that worked well.
Grappling was massively expanded, featuring
a strong/weak grapple system like the N64
WWE titles, and we finally had in game bloodshed
in order to satiate our feral longing for
a bit of the claret.
But it still wasn’t perfect.
The opposition AI was sometimes ridiculous,
and could make multi-man matches against bots
a tedious unfair slog.
The animation also left a lot to be desired,
but part of that was down to the limitations
of the teeny tiny cute little Gamecube discs.
Awwww.
WrestleMania XIX’s most head-scratching
inclusion was the frankly bizarre Revenge
Mode, where after being betrayed by Vince
McMahon, you wandered around various non-wrestling
locations battering everyone in sight and
causing destruction.
It’s weird and fun, but seeing as this was
the closest thing Mania XIX had to a season
mode you couldn’t help but feel a little
shortchanged.
26.
WWF Attitude
Playstation, Nintendo 64, Dreamcast - 1999
Attitude served as the final WWE game from
Acclaim, ending a run of 18 games in 10 years,
with the license shifting over to THQ the
same year.
And it was a good way to bow out.
Although retaining the gameplay of War Zone,
Attitude expanded upon everything else, overhauling
entrances, create-a-wrestler, and a brand
new career mode allowing players to experience
life on the road as a WWE superstar.
There was also create an arena mode which
although basic, was a welcome edition, and
had fans realising just what could be done
in a WWE game.
The roster too was absolutely massive for
the time, with 42 playable characters available
including this guy!
That fella!
And this walking abomination GET THE HOLY
WATER.
Attitude sadly has the distinction of being
the last WWE game to feature the great Owen
Hart, as the beloved three-time Slammy Award
Winner passed away during development.
But for all of Attitude’s positive steps,
it still had the same problems as War Zone,
andfelt light years behind THQ’s WCW games
on the Nintendo 64.
And as rough around the edges as it felt then,
it feels ten times worse now.
Time has not been kind 
to Attitude.
25.
WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2009
Playstation 2, Playstation 3, PSP, Nintendo
DS, Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360 - 2008
Five games deep into the Smackdown vs. Raw
series and things were starting to get stale
as Smackdown vs. Raw 2009peered its vascular
little head round the door.
SVR 09’s new features were about as exciting
as Malibu Stacy’s new hat.
Gone were General Manager and season mode,
being replaced with the boringly linear Road
to WrestleMania mode, robbing us of the chance
to experience a year in the life of Festus.
THQ YOU COWARDS.
The inclusion of the Inferno Match was a head
scratcher too, as there had only been four
in WWE history, with the last being a full
two years before SVR 09 came out.
The focus on tag wrestling was also a bit
of a head scratcher as there were no good
tag teams in the WWE at this time, and THQ
had to rely on the nostalgia pop of classic
teams like DX and The Hardyz.
The roster felt like a missed opportunity
too, featuring tons of low card talent like
Chuck Palumbo and Jimmy Wang Yang, and pointless
made up characters like ‘Masked Man’ and
Tony the soldier.
Seriously, who over the age of eight thought
these guys were cool?
Cue 20,000 comments below saying ‘Tony for
H.O.F.’ and ‘Masked Man da gr8est eva’.
24.
WWF Raw
Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, Sega 32X, Super Nintendo
- 1994
With Super WrestleMania and Royal Rumble firmly
in the past, Acclaim/LJN saved the best for
last, ending their 16-bit WWE trilogy with
Raw.
Raw - or Raw is War if you want to get “is
war” about this -was far and away the best
WWE game ever made upon its release.
While the look and feel was the same as its
predecessor Royal Rumble, the gameplay was
improved tenfold, making it a diverse, engaging
grappler with plenty of replayability.
More moves were added, with each wrestler
truly feeling different from one another,
and the addition of ridiculous mega moves
gave Raw that ‘bloody hell!’
factor.
Attributes such as strength, speed and weight
were introduced, to further give each wrestler
their own personality and offer a unique playing
experience.
Crucially, Raw was the first WWE game in the
series to support the use of a multi-tap,
so four pals could cram together on one couch
and beat each other up from noon until night.
The only iffy port of Raw was the 32X version
from 1995.
The game looked better, and although you could
unlock everyone’s favourite wrestler Kwang
- yeah me neither - enemy AI was overpowered
and made for an unrewarding and frustrating
experience.
But still, Kwang!
23.
WWE 12
Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii - 2011
Bigger!
Badder!
Better!
WWE 12 was the first step in a post SmackDown
world.
It was indeed bigger, but it was more badder
than better.
I think that’s what they meant…
As is tradition, THQ and Yuke’s went back
to the drawing board for this new series,
and sought to redefine how WWE games play.
For starters the grappling system was completely
overhauled, removing the strong and weak grapple
options and instead creating a momentum-based
gameplay experience.
So if your opponent is fresh as a daisy you
won’t be able to just hoist them up and
spinebuster them with minimal effort, you’d
have to put some gosh darn work in first.
Road to WrestleMania and WWE Universe were
also tweaked, with the former allowing you
to play as made-up grappler Jacob Cass - voiced
by Austin Aries of all people - in a quest
to become top dog of the WWE in a WCW war.
You’d have thought WWE would be over the
Monday Night Wars by this point, but apparently
not.
But for all of its new gadgets and tweaked
delights, WWE 12 felt like a coat of fresh
paint on a slightly banged up car.
Not quite the giant leap forward THQ was aiming
for.
22.
WWE 2K18
Playstation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch,
PC - 2017
It’s hard to know what to say about the
2K series to those who haven’t played them.
Yeah the bad stick out a mile, and the good
are very good indeed, but the rest?
They’re much of a muchness really.
The engine they’re built upon is smooth
and fluid - when it works correctly - the
graphics are superb, and the gameplay is about
as immersive as you can get.
But ranking the ‘ho-hum’ 2K games means
we have to get a bit pernickety.
So let’s do it!
For 2K18 the popular showcase mode was removed,
and everyone’s favourite the Hell in a Cell
match was a very wonky experience, as the
cell itself was faaaar too big to fight around.
But on the plus side the creation suite was
improved and expanded, and the roster was
massive at over 200 wrestlers.
But something just felt a bit off.
It felt like we were playing out of politeness
and a sense of duty rather than being genuinely
excited to dust off our elbow pads and hop
in the ring once more.
2K18 was also the first WWE game for the Nintendo
Switch, so let’s have a brief word about
the Switch port shall we?
It’s crap.
21.
WWF SmackDown - Just Bring It
Playstation 2 - 2001
Smackdown Just Bring It was the third entry
in the historic Smackdown series, and has
the unenviable position of being sandwiched
in between two vastly superior games.
That’s not to say it was a bad game, Just
Bring It was still a fun experience, but after
the exhilarating highs of Know Your Role,
it just felt good rather than amazing.
Doubly so, as the first Smackdown game for
the PS2, it didn’t test the capabilities
of the console, and felt like SmackDown 2:
Remastered.
Two of the main problems with Just Bring It
would turn out to be recurring problems for
the Smackdown line; the commentary, and the
roster.
This was the first Smackdown game to have
a full running commentary track, and while
it further enhanced the feeling and aura of
the game, to say it was rudimentary is an
understatement.
To say it was bloody awful, even more so.
The roster too was painfully outdated by the
time Just Bring It was released, and didn’t
feature the likes of Booker T, Diamond Dallas
Page, and Rob Van Dam - all major players
on WWE television at the time.
But before the advent of DLC, this was a problem
we just had to get used to, and it helped
us hone our craft at making truly terrible
create-a-wrestlers.
We did get Fred Durst though.
Yay.
20.
WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011
Playstation 2, Playstation 3, PSP, Nintendo
Wii, Xbox 360 - 2010
The final Smackdown vs Raw game - in fact
the final Smackdown game - before the switch
to the WWE and later 2K series, Smackdown
vs Raw 2011 was a worthy final entrant to
the decade long Smackdown saga.
Once again helmed by THQ and Yuke’s, we
were given features out the wazzoo, and more
DLC packages than we knew what to do with.
New table and ladder physics allowed for more
unadulterated havoc - especially in multi-man
matches - the game play was still very enjoyable,
while the addition of Universe Mode delivered
a whole heap of content for solo players and
was almost an acceptable replacement for the
General Manager mode of yore.
Almost.
And let’s not forget the absolutely bizarre
Road to WrestleMania modes, with one path
in particular making you take on an army of
druids in a frankly terrifying hellscape.
However, for all its new features and physics,
Smackdown vs Raw’s engine was showing its
age, staring into our eyes as if to say “please,
please just put me out of our misery”.
While WWE 12 would tweak it and fix it up,
the old dog was finally put to sleep by WWE
13.
Sleep tight old buddy.
19.
WWE 2K17
Playstation 3, Playstation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox
One, PC - 2016
The cycle of modern WWE games goes as such;
introduce features, introduce more features,
strip back features, tweak remaining features,
re-introduce old features as new features,
get that sweet sweet cash, rinse and repeat.
For WWE 2K17 we were in the midst of the ‘strip
back features’ portion of this cycle, with
the popular and engrossing Showcase mode taken
away seemingly as soon as it was given to
us.
2K had a good reason for this though, as they
wanted to focus more on season mode and improve
it drastically.
However, they failed to really deliver on
this, at least not enough to justify the removal
of Showcase mode.
2K17 was still a good game though, outside
of the mandatory bugs and glitches.
The submission mini game was expanded and
improved, and the re-addition of Goldberg
as a playable character was fun, as who doesn’t
love spearing everything in sight?
The rest of the roster too was absolutely
stacked, with over 130 playable characters
available, although some are only accessible
via DLC.
Still, there were enough wrestlers here to
satisfy fans of all eras, one of the true
positives about the 2K series as a whole.
18.
WWE Day of Reckoning
Nintendo Gamecube - 2004
Remember before when we said that the Gamecube
WrestleMania games were ok but something just
wasn’t quite working?
Luckily, this had all been worked out for
Day of Reckoning’s release.
One of the more often forgotten WWE games,
Day of Reckoning feels like the true sibling
of both the N64 games and the SmackDown series,
taking elements of both and creating some
sort of under-appreciated monster baby.
There was the easy to understand controls
and pick up and play aspect of the N64 games,
mixed with the overall presentation and depth
of character of the SmackDown series.
Day of Reckoning also introduced the ‘Momentum
Shift’ feature, which shifted a wrestler
from being the beater to being the beaten.
Beater-ee?
It shifted the momentum of the match, basically.
But not everything got the Midas touch.
The inclusion of the bra and panties match
was an odd choice as it wasn’t great anyway
and there were only four female wrestlers
included on the roster, the lack of a backstage
area was annoying - especially as it had been
promised - and the in-game music bordered
on the obnoxious.
Still, a massive leap forward from the WrestleMania
games.
And things would only get better for Gamecube
owners.
17.
WWE 2K16
Playstation 3, Playstation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox
One, PC - 2015
The 2K series finally found its feet with
2K16, managing to greatly improve on what
came before it.
Graphically, the jump from 2K15 to 16 was
significant, the roster was doubled to over
120, and the overall mechanics were improved
to flow more seamlessly, and play more fairly.
Customisation fans rejoiced too as the creation
suite was massively upgraded after being downgraded
in 2K15.
Refer to the 2K features cycle in your handbooks
for further reference..
The 2K showcase mode - which was senselessly
cut from 2K17 - focused on Stone Cold Steve
Austin.
Easily the best feature of the game, being
able to play through the rise of Austin 3:16
was a thoroughly enjoyable experience and
was praised by fans and critics alike.
Again though, this wasn’t a game you could
just jump in and play like other WWE titles,
and the simulation approach to WWE gaming
was very divisive amongst fans.
But if you’re after a truly immersive WWE
video game experience, there aren’t many
that do it better or more thoroughly than
2K16, and oh look there’s Terminator 2!
16.
WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008
Playstation 2, Playstation 3, PSP, Nintendo
Wii, Xbox 360 - 2007
Are you ready to get EXTREME?
Oh ok, then are you ready to get slightly
more excited than usual?
Yeah, thought so.
SVR 2008 introduced the naughty lads of ECW
into the WWE games, and led to revamped hardcore
wrestling modes and tools.
Gone was reaching under the ring for random
weapons, replaced with the straightforward
weapon wheel, allowing you to curate your
own theatre of disaster.
You could also set some weapons on fire which
seems a bit much.
Superstars now had two different wrestling
types, meaning each character could be played
in a variety of ways.
While this was good on paper, it massively
restricted what you could and couldn’t do.
Take the case of Chavo Guerrero; because he
wasn’t listed as a high flyer in game he
couldn’t do springboard moves etc, even
though the former WCW Cruiserweight Champion
did them in real life all the time.
Even at the shops.
What was meant to open gameplay up, inadvertently
restricted it, and made the game far less
of a fun experience than other Smackdown games
before it.
Luckily SVR 2008 was saved by the 24/7 mode
which merged GM mode and season mode into
one big ball of action.
However, this would be the last game to feature
a GM mode at all.
Booo.
15.
WWE 2K19
Playstation 4, Xbox One, PC - 2018
Hindsight is a beautiful thing isn’t it.
Whether realising too late that that final
donut was probably not a good idea, or the
fact that WWE 2K19 was in fact a very good
game indeed as 2K20 taunts you with its horrific
unfinished face.
It seems almost strange now that 2K19 was
met with mixed reviews from players and reviewers
alike upon release, but is now widely heralded
as one of the best of the 2K series.
Moving away from the simulation style that
had dominated earlier titles in the series,
2K19 was a more intuitive and flowing affair,
but still retained a great level of depth
and realism… and whatever the hell big head
mode was.
My career mode was fleshed out, taking you
from the Indies to WrestleMania, and showcase
mode returned featuring everyone’s favourite
bearded scamp Ben Pot- Daniel Bryan.
2K19 still had its fair share of bugs and
glitches, and the commentary track still mainly
naff, but it remained a very well rounded
wrestling game, and thanks to the absolute
dumpster fire that was 2K20, its reputation
will only grow.
Hell, WWE themselves still advertise it on
TV, rather than promote 2K20.
With the WWE 2K future up in the air, if 2K19
serves as the series’ swansong, then it
is certainly a fine way to bow out.
14.WWF SmackDown!
Playstation - 2000
Ahhh SmackDown.
Little did we know back in the year 2000 that
PlayStation’s latest WWE grappler would
completely change the game.
Although PS1 owners hoping for something in
the vein of THQ’s N64 wrestling games may
have been a little disheartened at first,
SmackDown proved to be a fun self-contained
WWE game with endless replayability, and sold
a boat load of copies.
The roster showcased the best of the Attitude
Era, and the creation suite was more in depth
than any other WWE game that had preceded
it.
The in-ring action was frenetic and very very
fun, with the ability to hit your finisher
at any point causing many fights with friends
and siblings alike, and for the first time
in a WWE game there was an expansive backstage
area to fight in.
But SmackDown was very rough around the edges,
which is understandable as both the first
in a series and the first WWE game made by
the partnership of THQ and Yuke’s.
The entrances were a little strange, but did
boast better AV qualities than any other WWE
game, and some of the presentation was a bit
sloppy, but it didn’t affect the game all
that much.
Luckily, the engine that ran the whole thing
was solid and while subsequent SmackDown titles
were miles better, the debut title still packs
a whallop.
13.
WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007
Playstation 2, Xbox 360, PSP - 2006
Finally THQ learned their lesson, and after
years of the SmackDown games being PlayStation
exclusives, SmackDown vs. Raw 2007 reared
its head on the Xbox 360, finally giving Xbox
owners a WWE game they could be proud of.
Following on from previous SVR games, 2007
was a substantial and immersive affair but
with some stark changes.
The biggest of which was a switch from a traditional
button grappling system to an analogue stick
system.
The change divided fan opinion, but purists
could revert to classic controls if they wanted.
Regardless of what controls you chose, the
gameplay was still fantastic, with a balanced
and expansive roster to choose from.
Alongside the new grappling system were tweaked
grappling options, including ultimate control
moves, and arena hotspots - a tiny bit like
the OMG moments of 2K but nowhere near as
exciting or cool.
Then there was SVR 2007’s big selling point;
WE COULD FIGHT IN THE CROWD!
Sort of.
Yes THQ promised a big massive expansive immersive
in-crowd fighting experience, but in reality
we got a small clearing with a few weapons
and a climbable platform.
Still pretty good, but nothing like what we
were expecting.
12.
WWE All Stars
Playstation 2, Playstation 3, PSP, Nintendo
Wii, Nintendo 3DS, Xbox 360 - 2011
All Stars is a surprising game.
One look at the chunky over the top art of
the cover and you’re likely to tut and whine
“this is an abomination, I want realism
and rest holds not this childish nonsense
thank you very much”.
But that’s a stupid thing to say.
Stop saying it.
All Stars took us back to the arcade WWE games
of old, and injected some much needed fun
and colour into a game series that had gotten
a little stale and grey.
Featuring a roster of contemporary WWE Superstars
and Legends of the industry, AllStars took
a ‘what if’ approach to storytelling,
allowing unique and interesting dream matches
to come to life.
Leaving all logic by the door, All Stars was
a daft beat em up, throwing out the more realistic,
simulation-like experience of the SmackDown
vs Raw games and instead reveling in its own
weirdness.
The game evokedmemories of sitting in your
undies playing with wrestling figures as a
small child… or a grown adult as is the
case here, with the action being over the
top, unrealistic, but so much fun you’ll
start to question why you ever bothered growing
up in the first place.
Luckily, we may be getting an experience like
All Stars with the upcoming WWE Battlegrounds,
and if it’s even half as silly as All Stars,
it’ll still be very fun indeed.
11.
WWE Day of Reckoning 2
Nintendo Gamecube - 2005
Day of Reckoning 2 was everything a good sequel
should be; the first one but with bells on,
basically.
Realising they had a formula that worked,
THQ and Yuke’s did very little to Day of
Reckoning’s mechanics, instead loading it
up with more features than you could shake
a kendo stick at.
The story mode was expanded, picking up where
Day of Reckoning 1 left off, and saw you feud
with the omnipresent Triple H. At times the
difficulty curve in story mode was ridiculous,
but it still made for a rewarding experience.
Two new gameplay features were added in the
form of stamina and a revamped submission
mode.
The stamina meter in particular stuck out
like a sore thumb, adding an element of realism
to a fairly arcadey game, but the submission
mini game was a fun and welcome little feature.
Elsewhere Day of Reckoning 2 had better graphics,
improved enemy AI, and a roster of over 40
WWE Superstars, as well as the usual game
types like TLC and Hell in a Cell.
It also retained the basic but easy to use
logo designer, meaning you could put a drawing
of a lovely cat on your create-a-wrestler’s
jumper, or a naughty wilson if you made a
baddie.
10.
WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010
Playstation 2, Playstation 3, PSP, Nintendo
DS, Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360 - 2009
As with most of the annual WWE games, the
smallest of changes can make or break a title
and can radically alter their legacy.
Case in point; remember the stick grappling
system of SmackDown vs. Raw 2007?
Well it was unceremoniously binned off for
the 2010 edition, with THQ returning to the
traditional button approach to the rejoicing
of many.
The HUD was also dramatically scaled back,
giving the game a very clean and fresh look.
Realising that SVR 2009 was as underwhelming
as a birthday card with a 10 pence piece in
it, SmackDown vs. Raw 2010 apologised to fans
of the series by including an absolute bumload
of creation tools, making it one of if not
the most customisable WWE game ever made.
There was a story designer mode with support
for keyboards if you wanted to recreate the
works of Shakespeare with Batista, while create-a-wrestler
and create-a-finisher modes were vastly re-tooled.
The online community creations suite was also
established, meaning you wouldn’t have to
put up with rubbish CAWs… unless you really
wanted to of course.
The gameplay engine was starting to show its
age, but look, we were so distracted by all
the shiny new features that we didn’t really
notice at the time, and hey isn’t that what
really matters?
09.
WWE 13
Playstation 3, Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360 - 2012
WWE 13 is a curious beast.
The last WWE game made by THQ prior to their
bankruptcy, later editions of the game bear
the 2K logo despite having no involvement.
Regardless, the game was really really good,
and it felt like the series was turning a
corner.
CM Punk as the cover star?
An updated and retooled engine?
A return of the special referee mode?
We were all rubbing our hands with glee when
WWE 13 was announced.
Easily the highlight of WWE 13 was the Attitude
Era mode, giving new and old fans alike the
chance to play through the most notorious
and highly regarded era in WWE history.
Mixing actual footage with famous moments
recreated in game, Attitude Era mode was one
of the best features in years, and served
as the precursor to Showcase Mode.
In order to support Attitude Era mode - as
well as faithfully representing the modern
WWE Superstars - WWE 13 had a chunky roster
of over 80 playable characters, and when you
add in the usual CAW download suite, the possibilities
were endless.
The commentary was still absolute twaddle
though.
08.
WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw
Playstation 2 - 2004
The first major rebrand of the SmackDown series,
SmackDown vs Raw wasn’t actually the first
game to feature the WWE Brand Split, that
honour goes to Shut Your Mouth.
Knowledge.
Following on from the classic Here Comes the
Pain, SmackDown vs Raw retained many of the
features that made the former game so great,
while adding a few new tricks to its repertoire.
The most notable was the clean/dirty system,
which focused your characters tactics, providing
you with new moves and options depending on
how you played the game.
The pre-match mini games were another fun
little addition, but didn’t exactly shake
the Earth.
SmackDown vs Raw was the first in the series
to include an online mode.
Although it was an extremely basic affair,
it was still something the game had been crying
out for.
It also finally featured the voices of the
wrestlers themselves in season mode, giving
an extra dimension to the fan favourite feature.
One of the major reasons for SmackDown vs
Raw to not be higher on this list is its roster.
No Brock Lesnar.
No Goldberg.
No Steve Austin.
We did get a handful of legends though, which
is something, I suppose…
07.
WWE SmackDown!
- Shut Your Mouth
Playstation 2 - 2002
Smackdown’s fourth outing,Shut Your Mouth
- sorry that’s the title of the game not
a threat - started to take its first baby
steps away from the pick up and play outings
that had proceeded it.
Ok, so not entirely, as the gameplay was still
easy to jump in to, and there were tons of
death defying things you could do in game,
like jumping off the Titantron, or fighting
in a train station.
But with the vast expansion of season mode
and roster trades, Shut Your Mouth was starting
to reshape Smackdown into more of a sports
sim.
Shut Your Mouth was a WWE game worthy of the
PS2, following the relative disappointment
of Just Bring It.
But most importantly, Shut Your Mouth finally
gave us the proper actual Hell in a Cell to
play with.
No more weird regular cage with a roof, we
had the full shebang, complete with breakaway
panels and blood and crying.
The roster was expansive, the amount of stages
on offer were fantastic, and the gameplay
was frenetic and fun, especially when playing
TLC matches.
And if you wanted to you could play a special
guest referee match with two referees for
some reason.
Probably just to make sure everything was
fair and everyone was having fun.
Yeah that’s it.
06.
WWE 2K14
Playstation 3, Xbox 360 - 2013
Following on from the well-receivedWWE 13,
2K14 was the first WWE game made under 2K
Sports watchful eye.
Luckily, longtime developer Yuke’s were
still on board, meaning that any tweaks were
going to be effective, and not just a case
of throwing wrestlers at the wall and hoping
they stuck.
The aforementioned tweaks improved everything
from chain wrestling to animations, and even
improved running attacks to limit the amount
they could be spammed against a dazed opponent.
Showcase mode returned in two guises; the
30 years of WrestleMania mode saw you…
well play through 30 years of WrestleMania.
And The Streak saw you either defending the
Undertaker’s legendary WrestleMania streak,
or attempting to break it, which was easier
said than done.
I mean seriously, the difficulty spike when
trying to take on the Dead Man was absolutely
ridiculous.
As you’d expect, the presentation and feel
of the game were spot on, and no I am not
mentioning the commentary again.
You can’t make me.
Other WWE 2K games did bits and bobs better
than 2K14and it’d be another year before
the series took the full leap onto a much
prettier engine, but as a complete package,
WWE 2K14 stands tall above its siblings.
05.
WWF SmackDown!
2 - Know Your Role
Playstation - 2000
The leap from Smackdown to Smackdown 2 - Know
Your Role was massive.
Realising they had a formula that worked,
THQ and Yuke’s sought to hone and improve
Smackdown’s engine as much as possible for
the sequel.
But like its predecessor, Know Your Role was
still quite rough in places.
The ladder match in particular was a sloppy
affair, as it was very possible to win in
about five seconds, such was the apparent
lack of a mini game.
But sod it, it was fun.
The Hell in a Cell was strange too as it was
not really a Hell in a Cell, I mean, it wasn’t
even a Kennel from Hell.
But you know what?
It was the first time the match had been replicated
in any video game, so at the time we just
accepted it gleefully with our mouths agape
the first time we climbed to the cell roof.
For you younger viewers whose earliest exposure
to WWE games was in the SVR or 2K series you
may not get the hype, but the Attitude Era
games were genuinely big and exciting events.
Even non-wrestling fans played the first couple
of Smackdown games, they were that damn good.
04.
WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006
Playstation 2 - 2005
SmackDown vs Raw 2006 came at a turning point
for the WWE.
The old guard of the Attitude Era were mainly
gone, and the company was resting on the broad,
invisible shoulders of John Cena and Batista.
The SmackDown series also shifted too, moving
further away than ever before from the arcade
style that dominated wrestling games for the
best part of 20 years.
SVR 06 introduced a number of new gameplay
modes, from buried alive matches and fulfill
your fantasy matches - don’t ask - to create-an-entrance
mode and the legendary General Manager mode.
We could also for the first time challenge
for titles in exhibition matches, a feature
which previously had only been available in
season mode.
While you may scoff and say “hunh you were
excited about that?”
the answer is yes.
It made the game a more personal affair, and
now when pitting your CAW against your mates,
the stakes were much greater.
SmackDown vs. Raw 2006 still holds up incredibly
well nearly 15 years later, and if you’re
still at a loss with the collapse of 2K20,
then you could do far worse than dusting your
old PS2 off and firing up SVR 06.
03.
WWF WrestleMania 2000
Nintendo 64 - 1999
Here we go grapplefans, it’s some N64 content
to keep you happy.
WrestleMania 2000 was when everything changed.
THQ and AKI jumped ship from WCW to WWE, and
gave us the third installment in their classic
grappler series… if you don’t include
the Japanese Virtual Pro Wrestling series
which was also incredibly good.
The gameplay was intuitive and easy to jump
into, the character models - although on the
chunky side - had a lot of character and charm
to them, and the ability to completely alter
any established wrestlers’ appearances made
for some interesting rosters.
Talking of rosters, the two main drawbacks
for Mania 2000 concern the roster, and the
difficulty.
The roster itself was a bit rubbish, as outside
of the usual suspects like Stone Cold, Triple
H, and The Rock, you had a motley crew of
mediocrity with the likes of The Blue Meanie,
Mideon, and Meat… unfortunately not the
crap Mortal Kombat character.
The difficulty spike - especially when playing
Road to WrestleMania mode - was ridiculous,
and with a very vague reversal system on hand,
you had to scrape and claw your way to victory.
WrestleMania 2000 and its sequel - more on
that in a minute - are still played religiously
around the world, with many wrestling fans
unable to look beyond these games in favour
of anything else.
And who are we to disagree.
02.
WWE SmackDown!
- Here Comes the Pain
Playstation 2 - 2003
Much like with the N64 games, there are a
number of gamers who will never be able to
look beyondHere Comes the Pain.
The definitive SmackDown game, it is my/Ben’s
favourite wrestling game of all time, featuring
one of the greatest rosters in WWE gaming
history, and a whole host of features and
modes to keep the experience fresh.
Whether squaring up to bad lads like Brock
Lesnar and Goldberg, or electing to slap Eric
Bischoff around, Here Comes the Pain was an
extremely well rounded WWE gaming experience.
The camera and graphics had been improved
from earlier entries in the series, and the
attribute system made each character feel
and play distinctly differently from one another.
You could also see how damaged individual
parts of your opponents body were, letting
you tactically target the leg if you wanted
to win the match with a Sharpshooter, or repeatedly
hit your opponent in the face if you were
a nasty and naughty boy.
The true joy of HCTP was that you could play
it however you liked.
Whether you wanted a straight-laced technical
grappling experience, or if you wanted to
jump off a helicopter and into the pavement
below you could do it.
It embraced the good, the bad, and the weird
of WWE, and threw it all in the mix, and if
you say you ever got bored of playing this
game then you are a boring bloody liar.
01.
WWF No Mercy
Nintendo 64 - 2000
20 years have passed since No Mercy was released,
and it is still to this day the benchmark
for professional wrestling games.
I know it, you know it, and even the wrestlers
themselves know it.
When Midway released TNA Impact, part of the
hype came from the devs claiming it was based
on No Mercy, and with AEW having a game in
the works, Cody Rhodes has already teased
links to No Mercy before any details have
been made public.
So why was it so good?
The engine built by AKI for the N64 games
was absolutely spot on, and with each passing
release it just got better and better.
No Mercy was its peak, improving on the ho-hum
roster of WrestleMania 2000, and adding in
features such as breakable tables, ladder
matches, backstage brawls, and an in-depth
season mode, alongside a revamped Create-a-Wrestler
mode, and little gameplay tweaks such as the
inclusion of running grapples.
Plus, weapons wouldn’t disappear when you
dropped them, and that was nice too.
Yes, season mode was ridiculously hard, especially
the handicap match against The APA, and the
fact that some cartridges featured a bug that
wiped the game completely was unacceptable.
But the game itself more than makes up for
it, and if you had one of the many perfect
cartridges then you had very little to complain
about.
To this day No Mercy still boasts a huge following,
from the traditional fans of the cartridge,
to a massive online modding community, it
just won’t die.
So here’s to you No Mercy, the greatest
WWE game ever made, but we sincerely hope
that one day you will be toppled.
Please.
We’ve suffered enough these last 15 years
watching THQ and 2K try.
And that was every WWE game ranked from worst
to best.Do you agree with our rankings?
If so, then fantastic, a WWE title shot awaits
you in your future!
If not, we look forward to engaging in a No
Disqualification scrap in the comments about
the merits of Crush Hour.
Also, if you have suggestions for other “Every
X Ranked From Worst to Best” videos, let
us know.
If we like your idea, we will add it to a
very long list of other ideas we also like.
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I’m Ben and I’m Peter from TripleJump,
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