Why no good modern wrestling games?

[Foxglove9]

I'm itching to play a new wrestling game. My favorite was always No Mercy or any wrestling game for that matter from AKI. Since then I haven't really found anything I like to play. I have Fire Pro on PS2 but it never really grew on me. And I have Smackdown Shut Your Mouth on PS2 and I really hate how that controls.

Have the newer WWE games improved since then. I read bad things about the TNA game. I did not like the demo for WWE's Legends either.

Anyone recommend a wrestling game worth playing from the modern era?

[namzep]

I've always enjoyed the M.U.S.C.L.E. game that came out for the Gamecube. Of course, part of that might be the nostalgia factor of having played with the toys as a kid. It's the only wrestling game that I've been able to get into since the early 90s and all the WWF games that were coming out then (for both the NES and in the arcade).

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

The modern Smackdown games implimented an AKI "style" block/reversal system up on the shoulder buttons.

In general that series tends to tweak its control scheme on a regular basis, so I'd check back in with it. It's still the Smackdown engine at it's core, so it MAY still turn you off, but many consider it to be the best wrestling game series and it's longevity is hard to argue.

Also, Galactic Wrestling featuring Ultimate Muscle for PS2 is pretty awesome. It's like a VERY "lite"/arcade-y version of the AKI grappling system and it has TONS of unlockable characters and is a blast in 2 player mode.



Though, for my money it doesn't get much better than Capcom's Saturday Night Slam Masters. I'd love a modern HD version of that.

[Foxglove9]

I have Ultimate Muscle on Gamecube and I do like it. I wanted Galactic Muscle but never saw it in stores. Is it much different than Ultimate Muscle?

[ubersaurus]

I actually liked Shut Your Mouth and Here Comes the Pain a lot on PS2. The series has gone to hell since then, but those two were very good wrestling games, and I actually enjoyed them more than No Mercy.

[Neil Koch]

Here Comes the Pain is generally regarded as the best in the Smackdown series. It's still a pretty fun game.

I do have the 08 version of Smackdown on the Wii. The motion controls actually work well, but there's only like 5 different match types you can do.

You might want to check out the Wrestlemania games on GC and Xbox. But don't go anywhere near the Raw games on Xbox - they're horrible.

And yes, the TNA game does suck, which is a shame because it had a lot of potential with stuff like the Ultimate X match. Even though you can get it dirt cheap now, it's still not worth it (at least as a PS3 owner) because the hard drive install is huge.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

I have Ultimate Muscle on Gamecube and I do like it. I wanted Galactic Muscle but never saw it in stores. Is it much different than Ultimate Muscle?

It's a bit more robust and has a larger selection of unlockable characters, but essentially the same game.

[demen999]

Fire Pro Wrestling was good, and those N64 WWF games. Besides that, all of the ones after that period lack something.

[Cryomancer]

You can probably snag Rumble Roses pretty cheap nowadays if that's at all interesting to you. It's got character customization / training (train more = get more muscle, etc). Good luck ever finding the time to get all the acheivments though, you have to buy everything in the shop with every character...including all 30 or so custom character slots. Plus there's a TON of pointless recolored outfits for DLC, I wouldn't waste your money on those.

[Rob2600]

Anyone recommend a wrestling game worth playing from the modern era?

I haven't played it, but WWE SmackDown vs. RAW 2009 for the Wii received good reviews. Best of all, it's only $28 new (or $15 used) on Amazon.

[CDiablo]

SmackDown hasent been good since 06 and they moved graple to the sticks. Obviously No Mercy is a classic and was a perfect game, but no one realised it so it didnt have any real successor after. The engine was supposedly used in those awful Def Jam games, and it shows. The GC wrestling games are kind of like No Mercy but not really. As far as good new wrestling games are concerned the last one I played was Fire Pro Returns for PS2 if you are into the fire pro series.

[Nirvana]

I freakin love Smackdown Here Comes the Pain. My friends and I still play that; we do the 2 v 2 v 2 Ladder matches. It's absolute chaos. The CAW system is pretty in depth and you can have a great amount of created characters. Not to mention it's the last Smackdown game that can still be played really fast.

I know you said you don't like how it controlled (since SYM was pretty much the same) but I still regard it as the finest wrestling game ever made.