Software:WWE Road to WrestleMania X8

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Short description: 2002 video game
WWE Road to WrestleMania X8
North American cover art featuring Triple H, Rob Van Dam and The Undertaker
Developer(s)Natsume Co., Ltd.
Publisher(s)THQ
Platform(s)Game Boy Advance
Release
  • NA: October 22, 2002[1]
  • EU: October 25, 2002
Genre(s)Sports
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

WWE Road to WrestleMania X8 is a professional wrestling video game released on the Game Boy Advance handheld console by THQ in 2002, based on WWE's 2002 pay-per-view WrestleMania X8. The game featured improved gameplay and grappling techniques compared to its predecessor. This game was the Game Boy Advance successor to WWF Road to WrestleMania from 2001 and was succeeded by WWE Survivor Series in 2004. It was one of two games named after the event, the other being WWE WrestleMania X8 for the GameCube, released five months prior in June 2002. Of the three WWE games developed by Natsume Co., Ltd. for the Game Boy Advance, WWE Road to WrestleMania X8 was the most successful in regard to both sales and reviews.

Gameplay

With the limited number of buttons on the Game Boy Advance, just "A" and "B", WWE Road to WrestleMania X8 employed a simple approach to simulating wrestling moves. It has been likened to how Fire Pro Wrestling based the actions on timed button pressing and strategy.[2] The combination of a button push and a direction choice when the two wrestlers lock up would result in different wrestling moves and also allowed for moves to be reversed if the timing was right. In addition, characters could climb ropes, perform running moves and pick up weapons.[2] The gameplay was seen as an improvement over the "button mashing" approach of its predecessor WWF Road to WrestleMania.[2]

Reviewers did point out that the game lacked a "Create-a-Wrestler" feature, most likely due to the limited memory of the Game Boy Advance.[2] While the gameplay itself was improved, several reviewers noted that the Artificial Intelligence that controlled the computer opponents was easy and predictable. The AI also had problems during multi-man matches, on occasion attacking their own partner during a game.[2]

Match types

WWE Road to WresteMania X8 features four different game modes, Exhibition, Championship Mode, pay-per-view mode and Gauntlet mode. The Championship allowed a player to play through a WWE "Season" from the day after WrestleMania X-Seven until WrestleMania X8 to challenge for various WWE championships. The pay-per-view mode allowed the player to create a number of matches for a specific WWE PPV to play through. In the Gauntlet mode the player must survive against a set number of opponents, one match at a time.[2] The game allows players to choose standard match options like one versus one, tag team matches as well as options such as lumberjack matches, with other wrestlers around the ring, Hardcore matches where weapons are allowed and even play a fifteen-man version of the Royal Rumble match as well as playing an eight-man King of the Ring tournament.[3] Multiple players could play together, as many a four players if they all have the game cartridge and connect by using the GameLink cable.[3]

The roster for the game included only 15 wrestlers (a reduced number from the previous game's 24): Kurt Angle, Booker T, Edge, Christian, Bubba Ray Dudley, D-Von Dudley, Hulk Hogan, Chris Jericho, Kane, Kevin Nash. Rob Van Dam, The Rock, Triple H, Test and the Undertaker.[2] Of the 15 wrestlers selected for the game only Kevin Nash had not actually wrestled at WrestleMania X8, but did appear on the show as he accompanied Scott Hall (who was released from the company during the game's development) for his match against Stone Cold Steve Austin (who also did not appear in the game, likely due to creative issues that year). Test was not part of the pay-per-view broadcast but did wrestle on the pre-show.[4]

Visual and audio

The gameplay takes place in a "side-to-side" view of the ring from a single, fixed point of view providing a view of the wrestlers themselves and the audience in the background.[5] The digitized sprite characters were described to look like as their onscreen counterparts[2] and that they also move rather "smoothly" as well, thanks to an overall increase in animation.[2]

From an audio standpoint the game featured versions of each wrestler's entrance music and the occasional catch phrase, but no ring commentary during the match. The sound was described as "high-quality as well, with punches, kicks, and slams having a crisp meaty sound" that captures the high-impact world of the WWE.[5]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic73/100[6]
Review scores
PublicationScore
CVG8/10[7]
Game Informer7/10[8]
GameSpot8.1/10[2]
GameSpyStarStarStarStar[5]
GameZone8/10[3]
IGN7/10[9]
Nintendo Power3.2/5[10]

The game received "mixed or average" reviews according to video game review aggregator Metacritic, based on a total of ten reviews, four of which were positive and six were mixed.[6] Metacritic's user score was slightly better, listed as "generally favorable" with a score of 7.5.[6] GameZone said that the game does a solid job of emulating WWE wrestling while challenging and entertaining the players and rated it as "great".[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "PR - 10/22/02 - WWE ROAD TO WRESTLEMANIA X8 SHIPS FOR GAME BOY ADVANCE". 2004-04-14. http://www.thq.com/Corporate/PressReleases/press-492.asp. 
  2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 Provo, Frank (December 12, 2002). "WWE Road to WrestleMania X8 Review". http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/wwe-road-to-wrestlemania-x8-review/1900-2901586/. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Lafferty, Michael (November 20, 2002). "WWE Road to WrestleMania X8 - GBA - Review". GameZone. http://www.gamezone.com/reviews/wwe_road_to_wrestlemania_x8_gba_review. 
  4. ↑ Gramlich, Chris. "WrestleMania X8 results". SLAM! Sports. http://slam.canoe.com/SlamWrestlingWM18/mar18_wmgramlich-can.html. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Althof, Jeremy (December 8, 2002). "GameSpy: WWE Road to WrestleMania X8". GameSpy. http://gba.gamespy.com/gameboy-advance/wwe-road-to-wrestlemania-x8/563685p1.html. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "WWE Road to WrestleMania X8 for Game Boy Advance Reviews". https://www.metacritic.com/game/wwe-road-to-wrestlemania-x8/critic-reviews/?platform=game-boy-advance. 
  7. ↑ Francis, Jimmy (December 1, 2002). "GBA Review: WWE Road to WrestleMania X8". Computer and Video Games. http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=83535. Retrieved February 22, 2015. 
  8. ↑ Leeper, Justin (March 2003). "WWE Road to WrestleMania X8". Game Informer (119): 92. http://www.gameinformer.com/Games/Review/200303/R03.0729.1532.50523.htm. Retrieved February 22, 2015. 
  9. ↑ Harris, Craig (November 25, 2002). "WWE Road to Wrestlemania X8". http://www.ign.com/articles/2002/11/25/wwe-road-to-wrestlemania-x8. 
  10. ↑ "WWE Road to WrestleMania X8". Nintendo Power 162: 228. November 2002. 
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

On February 13, 2025, Freyholtz stepped down as the site lead to move onto new projects, leaving operations to Tracy Poff, a veteran coder on the site, and Atari staff.[18]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
  18. ↑ "An update on MobyGames leadership". 2025-02-13. https://www.mobygames.com/forum/3/thread/269628/an-update-on-mobygames-leadership/#post-269628. 
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