WWF 99 PS
Like movie sequels, successors to already established games have a lot riding on them. The expectations have been set, the levels raised, the perceptions crystallized. With WWF Attitude, Acclaim and its Salt Lake City Studio (formerly Iguana West) have orchestrated one of the most highly specialized wrestling games ever. With more than 30 star wrestlers, 15 single-player modes, and 21 multiplayer modes, a deep, intricate Create-a-Player Mode, and loads of generic and unique moves for each wrestler, WWF Attitude is a ferociously ambitious game that succeeds in nearly every way.
Gameplay
First things first. Which wrestlers can you play right off the bat? Here's the list:
The Rock
Stone Cold Steve Austin
Ken Shamrock
The Big Bossman
X-Pac
Val Venis
Owen Hart
The Undertaker
Goldust
Kane
Mankind
D'Lo Brown
Christian
Taka Michinoku
Al Snow
Bradshaw
Mark Henry
Brian Christopher
Jeff Jarrett
BA Billy Gunn
Gangrel
Triple-H
Mosh
Steve Blackman
Dr. Death
The Road Dogg
Edge
Thrasher
Droz
Faarooq
Ten other wrestlers are available after players unlock them. Let's just say that the WWF Women's champion Sable (who is now suing the WWF) and Chyna, among other well-known players, are hidden not too deep underneath the first layer of Attitude.
Not to crush your bubbles or anything, but the wrestlers in Attitude play a lot like they did in WWF Warzone. The changes from the first title to this one are subtle, not drastic. So, if you've played the first game and know the moves, you'll feel right at home.
Having said that, the amount of animation sequences for each wrestler has doubled, and so has the total number of moves, maxing out at 150. The most significant additions to the gameplay deepen the gameplay, providing good reason for those who own Warzone to buy Atittude. Players will find that pulling off throws and unique moves are far more susceptible to reversals than ever, adding an extra layer of skill-based play. To deepen the groove even more, players can counter obvious attacks and fake unconsciousness. Get up moves add to the strong list of about 10 moves per character (on average), as do the number of moves wrestlers aim at downed opponents. Also, each wrestler here has a unique finisher, a set of trademark moves, and a specified move set.
Interesting changes in Attitude that I personally like are couched in the rope action. In Warzone, the ropes were stiff and unrealistic. While they may look weak in the intros, they work well during play. Hit R2 and bounce off the ropes followed by a clothesline slam! It works extremely well. What's even better is the opponent's ability to counter it, too. Event the AI counters this 50% of the time with surprising awareness. The in-game ropes bounce realistically and have few of the clipping glitches that accompanied Warzone. Not only can players throw each other out of the ring, leap off the turnbuckle, and wrestler on the arena floor like last year, they can walk all the way to the entrance area.
Some problems I had early in the game occurred in the multiplayer modes. Oftentimes I couldn't get my wrestlers to face the opponent I wanted him to, which made a usually unfair fight even more uneven. In essence, the targeting system focuses in on one guy up until a certain distance and then it switches, but in a multiplayer match or even in Career mode, when a third player comes into the ring, the targeting problem canRead full review
