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This thread has been linked to the game 'WWF In Your House'.
While the new arcade style WWE game, WWE All Stars, might be getting a lot of praise, it's not the first time we've seen a WWE game that took an arcadey approach. Before All-Stars, there was WWF - as it was known back then - In Your House, from the now defunct acclaim. It's freely downloadable from a number of abandonware sites, and it's not half bad.
It gives you, somewhat unsurprisingly, the opportunity to play as one of ten wrestlers; Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Shawn Michaels, The British Bulldog, The Undertaker, Ahmed Johnson, Goldust, Vader (cue asmatic breathing), Hunter Hearst Helmsley , and The Ultimate Warrior. At least some of whom are still alive today.
WWF In Your House offers three different single player modes, and three different multiplayer modes. The former, once you have selected the costumed psycho you wish to play, pits you against a varying number of wrestlers, depending upon which option you have chosen; the hardest option has you facing wrestlers two and three at a time, culminating in a ten against one fight. Not for the ham-fisted; if your gaming diet consists totally of hex-based military strategy game, this is definitely not for you. But for those of you still reading, be prepared for a tough fight.
Each match takes place in a wrestling ring, as you might well expect; there are a number of rings, each with differing background graphics, matching the persona of the wrestler you are facing. The differences are entirely aesthetic, though, since while you can fight outside the ring, you can't grab items such as chairs from outside the ring, as you can in other games. But you can move freely around the ring, above, below or even behind your opponent, widening the scope for vicious and particularly painful moves you can virtually inflict upon your opponent. You can even climb upon the turnbuckles (those bits in the corners that hold up the ropes), and leap kamikaze style at your opponent. Though if you mis-time this, don't be surprised to find your head embedded in the ring, and your opponent taking the opportunity to stomp on your spine. Of course, you can do the same to him; kicking or punching him when he's down is encouraged, in fact in WWE In Your House it's damn near compulsory.
In wrestling each wrestler has his own trademark moves, such as the Undertaker's Tombstone slam, and all of these have been faithfully duplicated - or at least they were faithful when the game was originally released. These are executed by the usual sequence of keypresses some, but not all of which are listed in the manual. There's none of the hyper-complicated 'spin the joypad five times, then press the seventh kick button with your foot' moves that most beat-em-ups are famous for; you can comfortably pull off most of these with the keyboard. Sculptured Software, the game's designers, have also added a number of other moves that you are less likely to see on television, such as fireballs, and stun attacks. Some characters can whip out various items such as chairs, cards, and headstones, and smack their opponents around the head with them. Hurrah for gratuitous videogame violence. It's never done me any harm. Gibber.. must have raw meat!
Throws and headlocks play a major part in the game; there are buckets of bone-crunching throws; each of which take different levels of expertise to pull off. However, if your opponent tries to get you in a headlock, and pull off a throw, if you're fast enough, you can pull a reversal move which will turn the tables on him, and introduce his face to the canvas. There's also various double damage bonuses for high-risk moves, and even fatality style finishing moves, although there's no blood or flying limbs; presumably the WWF is too 'nicey nicey' for that. And of course, there's the obligatory combos. This game doesn't do things by halves.
All the fighters are digitised, Mortal Kombat style, and will be easily recognizable by viewers of WWE/WWF They're smoothly animated as well; each fighter's ending also includes clips of them fighting in 'real life', which is a nice touch, although fans might already have seen these, having bought the video.. and the t-shirt, and the magazine, and the mug, and the tea-towel. And so on. By recording sound samples from the various WWE/WWF announcers, the makers managed to add a commentary to each bout, which reflects what's actually going on in the ring. Although as is the case with the commentaries on modern games, they tend to repeat themselves a bit too much.
There are different sound samples when you miss a move, smack your opponent in a certain way, leap off the turnbuckle, get knocked out, and various other occurrences. All of these are strung together in a way that enhances the atmosphere of the game enormously. And that's all on top of the bone-crunching thwacks that accompany the various throws and moves. There's also a multi-player mode, allowing for up to 4 players, and various team / vs options. It's playable, fun, and given you can get it for free it's worth a look. Granted, WWF In Your House might look a bit dated today, but can you name another WWE or TNA wrestling game where you can throw fireballs at your opponent?
It gives you, somewhat unsurprisingly, the opportunity to play as one of ten wrestlers; Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Shawn Michaels, The British Bulldog, The Undertaker, Ahmed Johnson, Goldust, Vader (cue asmatic breathing), Hunter Hearst Helmsley , and The Ultimate Warrior. At least some of whom are still alive today.
WWF In Your House offers three different single player modes, and three different multiplayer modes. The former, once you have selected the costumed psycho you wish to play, pits you against a varying number of wrestlers, depending upon which option you have chosen; the hardest option has you facing wrestlers two and three at a time, culminating in a ten against one fight. Not for the ham-fisted; if your gaming diet consists totally of hex-based military strategy game, this is definitely not for you. But for those of you still reading, be prepared for a tough fight.
Each match takes place in a wrestling ring, as you might well expect; there are a number of rings, each with differing background graphics, matching the persona of the wrestler you are facing. The differences are entirely aesthetic, though, since while you can fight outside the ring, you can't grab items such as chairs from outside the ring, as you can in other games. But you can move freely around the ring, above, below or even behind your opponent, widening the scope for vicious and particularly painful moves you can virtually inflict upon your opponent. You can even climb upon the turnbuckles (those bits in the corners that hold up the ropes), and leap kamikaze style at your opponent. Though if you mis-time this, don't be surprised to find your head embedded in the ring, and your opponent taking the opportunity to stomp on your spine. Of course, you can do the same to him; kicking or punching him when he's down is encouraged, in fact in WWE In Your House it's damn near compulsory.
In wrestling each wrestler has his own trademark moves, such as the Undertaker's Tombstone slam, and all of these have been faithfully duplicated - or at least they were faithful when the game was originally released. These are executed by the usual sequence of keypresses some, but not all of which are listed in the manual. There's none of the hyper-complicated 'spin the joypad five times, then press the seventh kick button with your foot' moves that most beat-em-ups are famous for; you can comfortably pull off most of these with the keyboard. Sculptured Software, the game's designers, have also added a number of other moves that you are less likely to see on television, such as fireballs, and stun attacks. Some characters can whip out various items such as chairs, cards, and headstones, and smack their opponents around the head with them. Hurrah for gratuitous videogame violence. It's never done me any harm. Gibber.. must have raw meat!
Throws and headlocks play a major part in the game; there are buckets of bone-crunching throws; each of which take different levels of expertise to pull off. However, if your opponent tries to get you in a headlock, and pull off a throw, if you're fast enough, you can pull a reversal move which will turn the tables on him, and introduce his face to the canvas. There's also various double damage bonuses for high-risk moves, and even fatality style finishing moves, although there's no blood or flying limbs; presumably the WWF is too 'nicey nicey' for that. And of course, there's the obligatory combos. This game doesn't do things by halves.
All the fighters are digitised, Mortal Kombat style, and will be easily recognizable by viewers of WWE/WWF They're smoothly animated as well; each fighter's ending also includes clips of them fighting in 'real life', which is a nice touch, although fans might already have seen these, having bought the video.. and the t-shirt, and the magazine, and the mug, and the tea-towel. And so on. By recording sound samples from the various WWE/WWF announcers, the makers managed to add a commentary to each bout, which reflects what's actually going on in the ring. Although as is the case with the commentaries on modern games, they tend to repeat themselves a bit too much.
There are different sound samples when you miss a move, smack your opponent in a certain way, leap off the turnbuckle, get knocked out, and various other occurrences. All of these are strung together in a way that enhances the atmosphere of the game enormously. And that's all on top of the bone-crunching thwacks that accompany the various throws and moves. There's also a multi-player mode, allowing for up to 4 players, and various team / vs options. It's playable, fun, and given you can get it for free it's worth a look. Granted, WWF In Your House might look a bit dated today, but can you name another WWE or TNA wrestling game where you can throw fireballs at your opponent?
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While the new arcade style WWE game, WWE All Stars, might be getting a lot of praise, it's not the first time we've seen a WWE game that took an arcadey approach. Before All-Stars, there was WWF - as it was known back then - In Your House, from the now defunct acclaim. It's freely downloadable from a number of abandonware sites, and it's not half bad.
It gives you, somewhat unsurprisingly, the opportunity to play as one of ten wrestlers; Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Shawn Michaels, The British Bulldog, The Undertaker, Ahmed Johnson, Goldust, Vader (cue asmatic breathing), Hunter Hearst Helmsley , and The Ultimate Warrior. At least some of whom are still alive today.
WWF In Your House offers three different single player modes, and three different multiplayer modes. The former, once you have selected the costumed psycho you wish to play, pits you against a varying number of wrestlers, depending upon which option you have chosen; the hardest option has you facing wrestlers two and three at a time, culminating in a ten against one fight. Not for the ham-fisted; if your gaming diet consists totally of hex-based military strategy game, this is definitely not for you. But for those of you still reading, be prepared for a tough fight.
Each match takes place in a wrestling ring, as you might well expect; there are a number of rings, each with differing background graphics, matching the persona of the wrestler you are facing. The differences are entirely aesthetic, though, since while you can fight outside the ring, you can't grab items such as chairs from outside the ring, as you can in other games. But you can move freely around the ring, above, below or even behind your opponent, widening the scope for vicious and particularly painful moves you can virtually inflict upon your opponent. You can even climb upon the turnbuckles (those bits in the corners that hold up the ropes), and leap kamikaze style at your opponent. Though if you mis-time this, don't be surprised to find your head embedded in the ring, and your opponent taking the opportunity to stomp on your spine. Of course, you can do the same to him; kicking or punching him when he's down is encouraged, in fact in WWE In Your House it's damn near compulsory.
In wrestling each wrestler has his own trademark moves, such as the Undertaker's Tombstone slam, and all of these have been faithfully duplicated - or at least they were faithful when the game was originally released. These are executed by the usual sequence of keypresses some, but not all of which are listed in the manual. There's none of the hyper-complicated 'spin the joypad five times, then press the seventh kick button with your foot' moves that most beat-em-ups are famous for; you can comfortably pull off most of these with the keyboard. Sculptured Software, the game's designers, have also added a number of other moves that you are less likely to see on television, such as fireballs, and stun attacks. Some characters can whip out various items such as chairs, cards, and headstones, and smack their opponents around the head with them. Hurrah for gratuitous videogame violence. It's never done me any harm. Gibber.. must have raw meat!
Throws and headlocks play a major part in the game; there are buckets of bone-crunching throws; each of which take different levels of expertise to pull off. However, if your opponent tries to get you in a headlock, and pull off a throw, if you're fast enough, you can pull a reversal move which will turn the tables on him, and introduce his face to the canvas. There's also various double damage bonuses for high-risk moves, and even fatality style finishing moves, although there's no blood or flying limbs; presumably the WWF is too 'nicey nicey' for that. And of course, there's the obligatory combos. This game doesn't do things by halves.
All the fighters are digitised, Mortal Kombat style, and will be easily recognizable by viewers of WWE/WWF They're smoothly animated as well; each fighter's ending also includes clips of them fighting in 'real life', which is a nice touch, although fans might already have seen these, having bought the video.. and the t-shirt, and the magazine, and the mug, and the tea-towel. And so on. By recording sound samples from the various WWE/WWF announcers, the makers managed to add a commentary to each bout, which reflects what's actually going on in the ring. Although as is the case with the commentaries on modern games, they tend to repeat themselves a bit too much.
There are different sound samples when you miss a move, smack your opponent in a certain way, leap off the turnbuckle, get knocked out, and various other occurrences. All of these are strung together in a way that enhances the atmosphere of the game enormously. And that's all on top of the bone-crunching thwacks that accompany the various throws and moves. There's also a multi-player mode, allowing for up to 4 players, and various team / vs options. It's playable, fun, and given you can get it for free it's worth a look. Granted, WWF In Your House might look a bit dated today, but can you name another WWE or TNA wrestling game where you can throw fireballs at your opponent?
It gives you, somewhat unsurprisingly, the opportunity to play as one of ten wrestlers; Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Shawn Michaels, The British Bulldog, The Undertaker, Ahmed Johnson, Goldust, Vader (cue asmatic breathing), Hunter Hearst Helmsley , and The Ultimate Warrior. At least some of whom are still alive today.
WWF In Your House offers three different single player modes, and three different multiplayer modes. The former, once you have selected the costumed psycho you wish to play, pits you against a varying number of wrestlers, depending upon which option you have chosen; the hardest option has you facing wrestlers two and three at a time, culminating in a ten against one fight. Not for the ham-fisted; if your gaming diet consists totally of hex-based military strategy game, this is definitely not for you. But for those of you still reading, be prepared for a tough fight.
Each match takes place in a wrestling ring, as you might well expect; there are a number of rings, each with differing background graphics, matching the persona of the wrestler you are facing. The differences are entirely aesthetic, though, since while you can fight outside the ring, you can't grab items such as chairs from outside the ring, as you can in other games. But you can move freely around the ring, above, below or even behind your opponent, widening the scope for vicious and particularly painful moves you can virtually inflict upon your opponent. You can even climb upon the turnbuckles (those bits in the corners that hold up the ropes), and leap kamikaze style at your opponent. Though if you mis-time this, don't be surprised to find your head embedded in the ring, and your opponent taking the opportunity to stomp on your spine. Of course, you can do the same to him; kicking or punching him when he's down is encouraged, in fact in WWE In Your House it's damn near compulsory.
In wrestling each wrestler has his own trademark moves, such as the Undertaker's Tombstone slam, and all of these have been faithfully duplicated - or at least they were faithful when the game was originally released. These are executed by the usual sequence of keypresses some, but not all of which are listed in the manual. There's none of the hyper-complicated 'spin the joypad five times, then press the seventh kick button with your foot' moves that most beat-em-ups are famous for; you can comfortably pull off most of these with the keyboard. Sculptured Software, the game's designers, have also added a number of other moves that you are less likely to see on television, such as fireballs, and stun attacks. Some characters can whip out various items such as chairs, cards, and headstones, and smack their opponents around the head with them. Hurrah for gratuitous videogame violence. It's never done me any harm. Gibber.. must have raw meat!
Throws and headlocks play a major part in the game; there are buckets of bone-crunching throws; each of which take different levels of expertise to pull off. However, if your opponent tries to get you in a headlock, and pull off a throw, if you're fast enough, you can pull a reversal move which will turn the tables on him, and introduce his face to the canvas. There's also various double damage bonuses for high-risk moves, and even fatality style finishing moves, although there's no blood or flying limbs; presumably the WWF is too 'nicey nicey' for that. And of course, there's the obligatory combos. This game doesn't do things by halves.
All the fighters are digitised, Mortal Kombat style, and will be easily recognizable by viewers of WWE/WWF They're smoothly animated as well; each fighter's ending also includes clips of them fighting in 'real life', which is a nice touch, although fans might already have seen these, having bought the video.. and the t-shirt, and the magazine, and the mug, and the tea-towel. And so on. By recording sound samples from the various WWE/WWF announcers, the makers managed to add a commentary to each bout, which reflects what's actually going on in the ring. Although as is the case with the commentaries on modern games, they tend to repeat themselves a bit too much.
There are different sound samples when you miss a move, smack your opponent in a certain way, leap off the turnbuckle, get knocked out, and various other occurrences. All of these are strung together in a way that enhances the atmosphere of the game enormously. And that's all on top of the bone-crunching thwacks that accompany the various throws and moves. There's also a multi-player mode, allowing for up to 4 players, and various team / vs options. It's playable, fun, and given you can get it for free it's worth a look. Granted, WWF In Your House might look a bit dated today, but can you name another WWE or TNA wrestling game where you can throw fireballs at your opponent?