Much like every other sport I have either criticized or disregarded on this website so far, I’m not really all that big into wrestling. Sure, I can definitely see the appeal of it, and the whole culture around it is… interesting to say the least, it is just yet another sport I just don’t see the appeal of, especially when the fans of said sport won’t shut the fuck up about it whenever you get them started. But either way, much like any other sport, there have been many different wrestling video games that have been made over the years, but unlike other sports like baseball and soccer, there actually has been a little bit of variety that can be seen with the many different wrestling video games over the years. Unfortunately though, it is also yet another one of those sports that does suffer from getting pumped out every single year with little to no changes, and yet somehow ends up being successful to get another entry (looking at you, WWE 2K), so it is hard to find that many good ones out of the bunch. Thankfully though, there definitely are good ones out there, such as the case with today’s game, Saturday Night Slam Masters.
Just from looking at this game, it looks like something that would be right up my alley in terms of what I can expect from a Capcom arcade game, but for the longest time, I haven’t really had any desire to check this game out. It is solely because of the fact that it was a wrestling game, since I didn’t want to have anything to do with wrestling video games, but then again, having that sense of judgment for any wrestling game at all seems pretty unfair, so I decided to finally give it a shot to see if it could change my mind. Thankfully, it managed to do so, as this is a pretty great wrestling title, and while I haven’t played too many others, it may just be my favorite wrestling game I have ever played. Of course, it isn’t perfect, and not everybody could be able to get into it, but for what we got here, it managed to win me over in just the right ways.
The graphics are very similar to what you would typically expect from Capcom’s fighting/wrestling games of that time, but they still manage to be colorful, detailed, and lively through all the different designs of the characters and the animations, and it is great to look at, the music gets you right in the mood to slam down some poor sucker in the ring, and they are pretty great to listen to as you are kicking ass, the controls do feel about right for the type of game this is, but it can be pretty stiff at points, especially when trying to perform grabs or pins, and the gameplay is what you would expect from an arcade wrestling game, but with that Capcom flair that I can’t help but love so much.
The game is a professional wrestling game, where you take control of one of ten different wrestlers, or if you are like me, you pick Mike Haggar and nobody else (what can I say, he’s the best in any game he is in), take on many different opponents in rings all across the world, throw out many different punches, kicks, grabs, throws, and wrestling techniques to wear out your opponent, get the chance to grab whatever item you can find outside or in the ring to use against your opponents, and pin them down just long enough to reach that sweet victory that you so desperately crave. Most of it is what you would expect from a wrestling title, and not only is it all pretty enjoyable for what it offers you, but it is also pretty approachable for someone like me who doesn’t play wrestling games at all.
While it is a wrestling game at its core, it feels a lot like a typical Capcom fighter, where you and your opponent each have separate health bars, which you need to drain fully in order to properly be able to pin your opponent, so there is a clear goal in mind right off the bat. Not to mention, a lot of the moves that you can pull off in the ring does feel like it would also work in a fighter, so I was able to pick this up and ease right into the combat pretty quickly. What also helps is that, even though it has a lot of elements of being a fighter, it also has plenty of elements that support its wrestling core. Each fight starts out with an intro where the fighters walk out and get ready to throw down, you are surrounded by a cheering crowd for every single match, and you are able to climb out of the ring to no only kick ass on the ground, but also grab chairs and other items that could be laying around to slam into your opponent's face. It is typical of a wrestling setting, but it feels just right here, and it is exciting to jump into a match as a result.
In addition to this, the game also does offer several features that do make it more replayable. Of course, you have your standard one-on-one mode, which is where most of the wrestling matches will take place, as well as where the story mode is located as well, and it works well enough for what it is. Aside from that though, there is also the Team Battle Royale, where you and another player can team up to take on two other opponents in the ring, which leads to a four-player all-out brawl, complete with all the wrestling moves you could hope for, plenty of items to use to your advantage, and with no slowdown or limitations to be seen. Needless to say, this is where the game truly shines, and I bet this is where you will get the most enjoyment out of this game, but even then, the one-on-one matches are still fun enough to where you won’t be dissatisfied by what you get.
With all that being said, the game isn’t perfect by any means. For one thing, when it comes to the story mode, there are some things that do hold it back from being perfect, such as the fact that you have to beat all of the opponents twice to reach the ending, and when it comes to the endings for each of the characters, none of them are different from each other apart from the dialogue. I get the whole 2nd round of opponents thing, because you do gotta defend your title and all, but I am usually a one-and-done kinda guy with games like these, so if it tells me I gotta do it all over again, that’s where my enjoyment turns to annoyance. In addition, despite having a good, colorful cast of characters to work with here, none of them really stand out from each other from what I can tell, and they all do the same basic moves that you would expect, with the exception of The Scorpion, but even then, he is just the non-playable final boss, so that doesn’t count. That kinda blows, considering where this game came from, but at the same time, I get it… it doesn’t mean I have to like it though.
Overall, despite some faults with the story mode and a lack of techniques with the individual wrestlers, for being my first experience with a true wrestling game, I had a great time with it overall, and while I haven’t really played any others of the genre, I would go out on a limb and say that this could possibly be one of the best wrestling games out there that you can find… or at least, one of the best old-school wrestling games. I would recommend it for those who are fans of wrestling games, as well as those who love these types of Capcom games in general, because it will give you all that you are hoping for, and everything that you could ever want from this type of game. Now that that’s out of the way though, I can’t wait to get to the sequel at some point. I wonder what that one is li- AND it’s just a fighting game, goddammit…
Game #484
Just from looking at this game, it looks like something that would be right up my alley in terms of what I can expect from a Capcom arcade game, but for the longest time, I haven’t really had any desire to check this game out. It is solely because of the fact that it was a wrestling game, since I didn’t want to have anything to do with wrestling video games, but then again, having that sense of judgment for any wrestling game at all seems pretty unfair, so I decided to finally give it a shot to see if it could change my mind. Thankfully, it managed to do so, as this is a pretty great wrestling title, and while I haven’t played too many others, it may just be my favorite wrestling game I have ever played. Of course, it isn’t perfect, and not everybody could be able to get into it, but for what we got here, it managed to win me over in just the right ways.
The graphics are very similar to what you would typically expect from Capcom’s fighting/wrestling games of that time, but they still manage to be colorful, detailed, and lively through all the different designs of the characters and the animations, and it is great to look at, the music gets you right in the mood to slam down some poor sucker in the ring, and they are pretty great to listen to as you are kicking ass, the controls do feel about right for the type of game this is, but it can be pretty stiff at points, especially when trying to perform grabs or pins, and the gameplay is what you would expect from an arcade wrestling game, but with that Capcom flair that I can’t help but love so much.
The game is a professional wrestling game, where you take control of one of ten different wrestlers, or if you are like me, you pick Mike Haggar and nobody else (what can I say, he’s the best in any game he is in), take on many different opponents in rings all across the world, throw out many different punches, kicks, grabs, throws, and wrestling techniques to wear out your opponent, get the chance to grab whatever item you can find outside or in the ring to use against your opponents, and pin them down just long enough to reach that sweet victory that you so desperately crave. Most of it is what you would expect from a wrestling title, and not only is it all pretty enjoyable for what it offers you, but it is also pretty approachable for someone like me who doesn’t play wrestling games at all.
While it is a wrestling game at its core, it feels a lot like a typical Capcom fighter, where you and your opponent each have separate health bars, which you need to drain fully in order to properly be able to pin your opponent, so there is a clear goal in mind right off the bat. Not to mention, a lot of the moves that you can pull off in the ring does feel like it would also work in a fighter, so I was able to pick this up and ease right into the combat pretty quickly. What also helps is that, even though it has a lot of elements of being a fighter, it also has plenty of elements that support its wrestling core. Each fight starts out with an intro where the fighters walk out and get ready to throw down, you are surrounded by a cheering crowd for every single match, and you are able to climb out of the ring to no only kick ass on the ground, but also grab chairs and other items that could be laying around to slam into your opponent's face. It is typical of a wrestling setting, but it feels just right here, and it is exciting to jump into a match as a result.
In addition to this, the game also does offer several features that do make it more replayable. Of course, you have your standard one-on-one mode, which is where most of the wrestling matches will take place, as well as where the story mode is located as well, and it works well enough for what it is. Aside from that though, there is also the Team Battle Royale, where you and another player can team up to take on two other opponents in the ring, which leads to a four-player all-out brawl, complete with all the wrestling moves you could hope for, plenty of items to use to your advantage, and with no slowdown or limitations to be seen. Needless to say, this is where the game truly shines, and I bet this is where you will get the most enjoyment out of this game, but even then, the one-on-one matches are still fun enough to where you won’t be dissatisfied by what you get.
With all that being said, the game isn’t perfect by any means. For one thing, when it comes to the story mode, there are some things that do hold it back from being perfect, such as the fact that you have to beat all of the opponents twice to reach the ending, and when it comes to the endings for each of the characters, none of them are different from each other apart from the dialogue. I get the whole 2nd round of opponents thing, because you do gotta defend your title and all, but I am usually a one-and-done kinda guy with games like these, so if it tells me I gotta do it all over again, that’s where my enjoyment turns to annoyance. In addition, despite having a good, colorful cast of characters to work with here, none of them really stand out from each other from what I can tell, and they all do the same basic moves that you would expect, with the exception of The Scorpion, but even then, he is just the non-playable final boss, so that doesn’t count. That kinda blows, considering where this game came from, but at the same time, I get it… it doesn’t mean I have to like it though.
Overall, despite some faults with the story mode and a lack of techniques with the individual wrestlers, for being my first experience with a true wrestling game, I had a great time with it overall, and while I haven’t really played any others of the genre, I would go out on a limb and say that this could possibly be one of the best wrestling games out there that you can find… or at least, one of the best old-school wrestling games. I would recommend it for those who are fans of wrestling games, as well as those who love these types of Capcom games in general, because it will give you all that you are hoping for, and everything that you could ever want from this type of game. Now that that’s out of the way though, I can’t wait to get to the sequel at some point. I wonder what that one is li- AND it’s just a fighting game, goddammit…
Game #484