| WWF WrestleMania 2000 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developers | AKI Corporation (N64) Natsume Co., Ltd. (GBC) |
| Publishers | |
| Directors | Geta-San(N64) Shinji Kyogoku(GBC) |
| Composers | Kouji Niikura(N64) Yukie Sugawara(N64) Iku Mizutani(GBC) |
| Platforms | Nintendo 64 Game Boy Color |
| Release | Nintendo 64 Game Boy Color |
| Genre | Fighting |
| Modes | Single player,multiplayer |
WWF WrestleMania 2000 is aprofessional wrestling video game released in 1999 on theNintendo 64 (N64)console. It was based on theWorld Wrestling Federation's (WWF, now WWE) annualpay-per-view,WrestleMania. Despite the fact that this game is based uponWrestleMania 2000, the game was released five months prior (and four months prior on the Game Boy Color) to the actual PPV itself, therefore resulting in the game using the stage design from the 1999 event,WrestleMania XV, instead. Released at the height of the WWF'sAttitude Era,WrestleMania 2000 was the first WWF game released byTHQ. The WWF ended its long relationship withAcclaim Entertainment after witnessing the video game success of its competitor,World Championship Wrestling (WCW), on behalf of THQ.[5]WrestleMania 2000 shares its game engine with the Japan-only releaseVirtual Pro Wrestling 2: Ōdō Keishō.
The game would be followed with a sequelWWF No Mercy in 2000.
WWF WrestleMania 2000 uses the exact same game engine previously seen inWCW/nWo Revenge, which released the previous year. More than 50 WWF wrestlers were included in the game, and, with the exception of existing superstars' move sets, all of them can be freely edited to the player's liking. Using the same system, the Create-a-Wrestler mode is extensive. Players are able to create a highly detailed wrestler with an extensive library of wrestling moves, many of which are carried over from previous AKI games in the series. Usual WWF modes such asRoyal Rumble andKing of the Ring modes are included, along with a pay-per-view mode, enabling the player to either recreate or create uniquepay-per-views with television-style features. Players can also create up to eight championship belts and put them up for contest in Exhibition mode.
The "Road To WrestleMania" mode places the player on the long road to WWF glory. Starting out as a rookie, the player gradually works their way up the ladder and earns opportunities to gain various WWF titles, win various tournaments, be challenged by various wrestlers and ultimately main-event atWrestleMania 2000. Although the story mode is long and extensive in the number of matches in which it pits the player, there are no branching storylines and if the player loses a match, it is simply recorded as a loss in their win–loss record. Throughout the mode, when the player wins a championship, they are expected to defend their title in future in-game pay-per-view events. This rule applies to all championships that the player currently holds. For example, if one holds theWWF European Championship,WWF Intercontinental Championship,WWF Tag Team Championship, and theWWF Championship, the player must defend all four titles during one single pay-per-view event.
There are oftenfeuds at different parts in the storyline, occasionally with one wrestler calling out another wrestler in the ring. Also, feuding wrestlers often interrupt matches, helping the opponent. However, the season continues whether or not the player wins or loses their matches. If the player progresses through a winning season with a created wrestler and then starts a new season as a new created wrestler, the first character will still be used in season mode.
Many wrestlers have their signature taunts, such asStone Cold Steve Austin flipping off an opponent orMr. Ass mooning another wrestler. Also, by pressing in a different direction on the joystick, a different taunt is performed. Rotating the joystick counter clock wise results in the player mimicking his opponent's taunt.
The game features several arenas at which WWF held events in 1998 and 1999. There are also arenas based on each WWF television show, such asSunday Night Heat andRaw is War, as well as other pay-per-view venues of the time.
This was the first WWF game to allow players to freely edit their favorite superstars (i.e. putting Stone Cold Steve Austin in The Rock's trunks) and also be able to create and modify alternate attires for each wrestler, as each character in the game has four templates that can be individually edited and switched between using the left and right 'C' buttons. If the player makes changes that they do not like, a default button resets the edited costume into the original costume for that slot. It was also the first THQ produced Nintendo 64 title to feature a "Create a Wrestler" mode.
In addition to the numerous default and secret characters, several other realistic likenesses and movesets in the create-a-wrestler mode make it possible to add even more characters. Some examples includeThe Road Warriors,Hulk Hogan,Taka Michinoku, andDavey Boy Smith. Also, some taunts and move sets were carried over fromWCW/nWo Revenge, allowing the player to create and include WCW wrestlers such asGoldberg,Kevin Nash,Scott Hall,Diamond Dallas Page, andMacho Man Randy Savage. The drawback to the create-a-wrestler mode, however, is the fact that there are limited slots available due to limited memory space, but players can edit the individual templates in the character models to include four different characters with separate appearances which allows a great deal of flexibility. However, wrestlers in the same template are obliged to have the same moves.
Additionally, by making two superstars' entrance music the same, if they are a real-life tag team they will be introduced as such; for instance, matching the Road Dogg and Mr. Ass's themes would lead to them being introduced together as theNew Age Outlaws before a tag team match.
Also, some features are implemented in the game that were not seen inWCW/nWo Revenge, such as acage match and a First Blood mode. Reversals and counter moves were also expanded upon and made much more commonplace.
A normally non-selectable "Computer Intelligence" mode can also be accessed using aGameShark code, as well as WCW and nWo ring aprons.
This game's roster is notable compared to both the precedingWWF Attitude and its successorWWF SmackDown!. It is the only THQ WWF game whereDroz,Chaz (Mosh),Thrasher andJeff Jarrett are playable, due to Droz suffering a career-ending injury and the remaining names leaving the company the same year. It is also the only game in whichScott Taylor andBrian Christopher are featured in their earlier "Too Much" gimmick, as well as the only game whereShawn Stasiak's short-lived gimmick as "Meat" is playable (he would soon after leave for WCW and return to the company following the company's purchase in 2001) andThe Blue Meanie was also his only game. It is one of only three games in whichMichael Hayes is playable (the others beingWCW Wrestling from a decade prior andWWE Legends of WrestleMania less than a decade later).
The N64 version ofWrestleMania 2000 features six active female wrestlers on the original unlocked roster, the first time that a WWF video game had more than one immediately available to play. The only prior WWF game with multiple active female wrestlers was the console version ofWWF Attitude, whose three female wrestlers all had to be unlocked.
All characters are unlocked by meeting certain conditions in the "Road to WrestleMania" mode:
In a TV commercial promoting the game, The Rock becomes furious at how the game includes hisname, likeness, and move-set. At the end of the ad, he threatens to shove copies of the game upSanta Claus's "candy-ass".
Some copies ofWWF WrestleMania 2000 shipped with a special card containing four holograms of the in game action, such as a wrestler's entrance or finishing move.
| Aggregator | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| GBC | N64 | |
| GameRankings | 64%[6] | 84%[7] |
| Publication | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| GBC | N64 | |
| AllGame |   [8] |  [9] |
| CNET Gamecenter | N/A | 7/10[10] |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | 6/10[11] | 8.25/10[12][a] |
| Famitsu | N/A | 28/40[13] |
| Game Informer | 7.25/10[14] | 9/10[15] |
| GameFan | N/A | 100%[16] |
| GameRevolution | N/A | C−[17] |
| GameSpot | N/A | 7.1/10[18] |
| IGN | 6/10[19] | 8.9/10[20] |
| N64 Magazine | N/A | 90%[21] |
| Next Generation | N/A | [22] |
| Nintendo Power | N/A | 8/10[23] |
| The Sydney Morning Herald | N/A | [24] |
The N64 version of the game received "favorable" reviews, while the Game Boy Color version received "mixed" reviews, according to video gamereview aggregatorGameRankings.[6][7] Daniel Erickson ofNextGen said of the former console version: "Wonderful gameplay even overshadows the lack of quality audio."[22] Stuart Clarke ofThe Sydney Morning Herald said of the same console version: "The strong gameplay will even appeal to non-wrestling fans and with up to four people able to fight simultaneously it's sure to be a popular party game."[24] In Japan,Famitsu gave the same console version a score of 28 out of 40.[13]
In oneGamePro review, The Enforcer called the Nintendo 64 version "the best wrestling title this year. [...] The king of the ring has arrived."[25][b] In another review, The D-Pad Destroyer called it "a very fun game, especially for four players, and its ease of play will endear it to hardcore wrestling fans who don't want to spend months studying a list of moves. It may be new, and it may have the WWF, but in the end, it's just the revenge ofRevenge."[26][c]
In the final edition ofNintendo Power,WWF WrestleMania 2000 was ranked number 223 in a list of the best games released onNintendo consoles, namely for its massive roster and positive gameplay ability. The game sold more than one million units by January 2000.[27]
During theAcademy of Interactive Arts & Sciences'3rd Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, the Nintendo 64 version was a finalist for the "Console Fighting Game of the Year" award, which was ultimately given toSoulcalibur.[28]
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