Mean Machines Sega
1st November 1993
Publisher: Flying Edge
Machine: Sega Mega Drive (EU Version)
Published in Mean Machines Sega #14
How To Play
Take possession of your fighter's enviable muscles and guide those luscious limbs into pounding the pap out of all and sundry.
WWF Royal Rumble
What pleasure the big, butch guys of the WWF circuit get from dressing up in spangly leotards and mouthing off like demented hyenas we'll never know, nor why these barking-beefcakes are so damn popular. But in demand they are and also back on the Megadrive for another bout of mindless violence.
Bigger, faster, with new moves and new competitions, the superstars of wrestling are this time fighting it out at the annual Royal Rumble tournament where the only aim that matters is to be the last one left in the ring - eliminating all others through fair means or foul.
There are several new wrestlers making their Megadrive debuts and the player now battles it out with the likes of the weird and wonderful Papa Shango and the self-loving Narcissist. Special moves for all the fighters, all of which are guaranteed to cause havoc. Seconds out, round one...
Total Carnage
Naturally the name of this game is beating several shades out of the other guy but in Royal Rumble there are so many ways of doing it! All the modes of play have two things in common fall mode where you simply have to pin your partner down for the count of three.
Brawl mode is a bundle of fun coz you can't be counted out - it's just a matter of battering the hell out of the enemy, in or out of the ring, until they drop with exhaustion.
Seconds Out
Each wrestler has a special unique move. These cause massive amounts of damage but may only be performed at certain times. Once a wrestler's energy has fallen below 50 percent, his time has come to take a good duffing up.
Bestow on him a string of kicks and punches in quick seccession and the recipient will wobble about like a pickled old tramp. When they're in this condition get in close and use the correct combination of buttons (depending on the wrestler) to produce a devastating finishing move.
Law Of The Rings
If you think boring rules and regulations are going to hold you back - fear not. As well as being able to knock the ref over by jumping off the ropes, for example, when in a tag team, everything is a fair cop. Your partner helps out in every conceivable way. Sometimes, when you've got several tonnes of throbbing meat lying on top of you, your buddy strolls into the ring and heaves him off.
And if you guide your attacker to your corner, your mate often grabs him by the throat while you lay into him. Alternatively, if you're getting a pounding outside the ring, more often than not, your opponent takes out the assailant with a chair over the head - effective stuff huh?
Lucy
When I first started playing this second WWF offering I thought it was more of the same but after cruising through the masses of options then finally playing it for a while I found that there's a hell of a lot more in this game than the original.
There are more wrestlers, more moves, bigger and better sprites who at last have their own special moves, more tournaments and more fluid movements. Unfortunately, although it does involve more skillful manipulation than the first game, there is still an awful lot of mindless button-bashing involved and the game soon loses its appeal against the computer.
Great fun in two-player mode though and well worth a look.
Rich
The screenshots here only hint at the madness that is Royal Rumble! There are many improvements made over the original WWF title, not least the inclusion of each wrestler's trademark techniques.
What with the Royal Rumble itself being such a great laugh too there is everything here any WWF fan could possibly hope to find - all excepting the crazed commentary!
The cheesy glam of any WWF wrestle-fest is shamelessly apparent throughout. It's all so terrible but great fun nonetheless; hardly Street Fighter II but a crazy alternative!
Verdict
Presentation 90%
P. Tonnes of options and a smart intro sequences with luverley piccies of your fave wrestlers zooming in and out.
Graphics 89%
P. Big, bold sprites, nicely detailed backgrounds and great animation - especially in the special moves department.
N. Some of the wrestlers aren't as detailed as others.
Sound 84%
P. Moans, groans and some great head-banging music.
N. Not enough noise during the matches.
Playability 88%
P. A good choice of difficulty levels lets you get straight into the game and increase the challenge as your skills improve.
N. Not much cop in one-player mode after a while.
Lastability 80%
P. Loads of different tournaments to wade through and twelve different wrestlers to master.
N. Once completed, there's no incentive to come back in one-player mode.
Overall 85%
A big improvement on the first game but a bit of a dog when it comes to playing against the computer.