Software:WWF WrestleMania: The Arcade Game

Short description: 1995 video game

WWF WrestleMania: The Arcade Game
Arcade flyer featuring Bret Hart
Developer(s)	Midway
Publisher(s)	Midway Games Acclaim Entertainment (console ports)
Designer(s)	Mark Turmell Jason Skiles Jamie Rivett Jake Simpson Shawn Liptak Sal Divita Joshua Y. Tsui Eugene Geer Tony Goskie
Artist(s)	Sal Divita Joshua Y. Tsui Eugene Geer Tony Goskie
Composer(s)	Chris Granner
Series	WWF
Platform(s)	Arcade Genesis 32X Super Nintendo Entertainment System PlayStation Saturn DOS
Release	Arcade NA: 1995 32X NA: November 1995 Mega Drive/Genesis NA: November 1995 EU: 1995 DOS NA: 1995 PlayStation NA: October 18, 1995 EU: November 1995 Saturn NA: May 30, 1996 EU: June 1996 Super NES NA: November 1995 EU: January 25, 1996
Genre(s)	Sports-based fighting
Mode(s)	Up to 2 players, simultaneous
Arcade system	Midway Wolf Unit hardware Sound CPU: ADSP2150 Midway Digital Compression System (DCS) – Amplified Mono

WWF WrestleMania (released on home consoles as WWF WrestleMania: The Arcade Game) is a professional wrestling arcade game released by Midway Manufacturing Co. in 1995. It is based on the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) professional wrestling promotion.

The game features digitized representations of eight WWF performers who are pitted against each other in fast-paced matches inspired by Midway's Mortal Kombat and NBA Jam games. Commentary is provided by Vince McMahon and Jerry "The King" Lawler, who also appear in the game sitting at the announcers' table to the right of the ring, and Howard Finkel welcoming players to Wrestlemania at the start screen.

Acclaim, who published the console versions of the game, developed a follow-up, WWF In Your House, for the PlayStation, Sega Saturn, and DOS.

Gameplay

Lex Luger faces off against Bret Hart.

Although based on professional wrestling, WWF WrestleMania's digitized graphics and fast-paced gameplay make it more of a fighting game than a sports/wrestling game inspired by Midway's popular Mortal Kombat series. What separates this game from previous and future WWF/WWE video games is its over-the-top and very cartoonish attacks. Examples include Doink the Clown pulling out a mallet out of thin air, Razor Ramon's arm transforming into a blade, or Bam Bam Bigelow's fists catching on fire. While actual wrestling moves are present, matches consist primarily of strike attacks and special moves. There are other similarities to the Mortal Kombat games, such as uppercuts that cause the opponent to go sky high, flawless victories and very tongue-in-cheek character animations.

WWF WrestleMania's one-player mode has the player choose one of eight wrestling superstars – Bret "The Hitman" Hart, The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Razor Ramon, Bam Bam Bigelow, Yokozuna, Doink the Clown, and Lex Luger. A unique feature is that each character can "bleed" an object that represents them. Such "bleeding" objects include dumbbells flying out of Lex Luger and valentine hearts coming out of Bret Hart.

WWF WrestleMania features two single-player modes: the Intercontinental Championship and the WWF Championship. In the Intercontinental Championship mode, the player must win four one-on-one matches, two Handicap 2-on-1 matches, and one Handicap 3-on-1 match to win the title. In the more difficult WWF Championship mode, the player must win four Handicap 2-on-1 matches, two Handicap 3-on-1 matches, and finally a "WrestleMania Challenge," where the player must defeat every wrestler in the game in a gauntlet, starting with a three-on-one setup, with each eliminated opponent being replaced with another until all eight have been defeated.

The game also features two multi-player modes; head to head, a one-on-one match between two players, or cooperative, where the two players team up in a tag team version of the WrestleMania Challenge in which they must defeat the game's eight wrestlers in groups of two to become the Tag Team Champions. In-game music consists of snippets from the roster's circa-1994 entrance music (with the exception of Shawn Michaels, who has the older, Sherri Martel version of "Sexy Boy", and Undertaker with his previous theme when he had the Western Mortician moniker from 1991 to 1994), as well as the opening themes to WWF Monday Night RAW, WWF Superstars, and WWF Wrestling Challenge.

Development

Programmer Mark Turmell stated that "I worked 16 hours a day, seven days a week for six months to get WWF WrestleMania out. People play the game all day in my office and give me feedback, plus artists are always coming in with new ideas for me and my partner, Sal DiVita."

Shortly after the game was released, Midway executive Roger Sharpe claimed that Adam Bomb appears in the game. Many years later, developer Sal DiVita confirmed that Adam Bomb was a hidden character, but also stated that the character in the game was not fully completed.

Ports

Ports were developed for Mega Drive/Genesis, 32X, Super NES, PlayStation, Sega Saturn, and MS-DOS. The Super NES release omits Bam Bam Bigelow and Yokozuna. When the maximum of three characters are on screen simultaneously, the game slows down. It also lacks several voice and commentary samples and damage taken by in-game fighters from attacks was reduced.

The Genesis version retains most of the voice and commentary samples from the arcade and allows for four wrestlers on-screen, also with slow down. The 32X release is similar to the standard Genesis version, but with improved graphics and audio. However, the frame rate was reduced to 30 frames per second in the 32X port compared to 60 frames per second in all other versions.

The PlayStation version omits most of the background music especially during the matches, match transition and title screen and plays the theme songs of the victorious wrestler on a small loop only after one on one victory between two players, and the only other music played is during the end of the Intercontinental, World Wrestling Federation tournaments, the end of the Tag Team rumble, and during the credits. But includes much more improved graphics with no slow down when the maximum number of wrestlers are present in the ring. Also introduces an introduction by Howard Finkel and the theme song for Wrestlemania 8 through XIV on the character select screen.

Reception

Reception
Review scores Publication Score Arcade PS Saturn Sega Genesis SNES AllGame N/A N/A N/A CVG N/A N/A N/A N/A EGM N/A 9/10 N/A N/A N/A GamePro 19.5/20 19.5/20 18/20 16/20 17/20 (32X) 6.5/20 IGN N/A 7/10 N/A 5.5/10 (32X) N/A Mega Fun N/A 86% 86% 86% 83% Next Generation N/A N/A N/A Total! N/A N/A N/A N/A 88/100 Video Games (DE) N/A 75% N/A 74% 74% Sega Saturn Magazine N/A N/A 86% N/A N/A
Award Publication Award GamePro (1995) Best 32X Game

RePlay reported WWF WrestleMania: The Arcade Game was the third most-popular arcade game at the time. Bruised Lee of GamePro gave the arcade version a positive review, particularly praising the "unmatched" level of detail in the digitized characters, the wacky sense of humor, and the accessible controls. He summarized, "Lose the basketball from NBA Jam, take away the blood from MK, throw in some famous wrestlers, and you have WWF Wrestlemania, one of the most addictive arcade games to date." A reviewer for Next Generation similarly described WWF Wrestlemania as a sort of bloodless Mortal Kombat, and said it is similar to but "much better" than WWF Raw. He applauded the "cleanly digitized" characters, variety of moves, ability to play either head-to-head or two-on-two cooperative, and sense of humor.

The PlayStation version was even more enthusiastically received by critics, who praised the game for having combos which are easy to stumble across, engaging commentary and other sound effects, and an extensive combination of realistic wrestling moves and comical magic moves which tap into the fantasy appeal of wrestling. GamePro's Scary Larry gave it a 4.5/5 for control and a perfect 5/5 in every other category (graphics, sound, and FunFactor), calling it "a great wrestling game, a great fighting game, and a great as-fun-to-watch-as-it-is-to-play game." A reviewer for Next Generation opined that it "looks great and plays even better." The two sports reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly both gave it a 9 out of 10 and an "Editor's Choice Platinum" award, and remarked, "[Acclaim and Williams] have turned out the lights on anyone thinking of making a wrestling game for the PlayStation."

Scary Larry said the 32X version is "no match for the PlayStation title" and lacks many of the sound samples of the arcade version, but at least has better graphics than the Genesis and Super NES versions, and overall is a must-have for 32X owners. GamePro's Air Hendrix commented that the Genesis version suffers from "excessive graininess" and conspicuous slowdown, and that the gameplay is somewhat shallow. He nonetheless found the game is enjoyable and outshines earlier wrestling games for the system. Scary Larry said that while it would be unfair to compare it to the PlayStation version, the Super NES version does not compare well even to the Genesis version. He criticized the reduced character roster, slow game speed, smaller sprites, and tinny sound effects.

Scary Larry described the Saturn port as an "almost flawless" conversion of the PlayStation version, with the only shortcomings being some graininess around the edges and slowdown in the cooperative mode. However, he also said it was a disappointment that there was nothing new in this version despite it coming out almost a year after the PlayStation version. Rob Allsetter of Sega Saturn Magazine maintained that it was "worth the wait", applauding the gameplay and humor. He remarked that the key to the game's excellence is "its immediate accessibility. After about five minutes you'll find yourself able to perform some of the most outrageous moves." In 1996, GamesMaster ranked the Mega Drive Version 10th on their "The GamesMaster Mega Drive Top 10" In the same issue, GamesMaster ranked the SNES version 10th in their "The GamesMaster SNES Top 10."

See also

• List of licensed wrestling video games

External links

• WWF WrestleMania: The Arcade Game at the Killer List of Videogames
• 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. 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". This approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months. 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. A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.

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. 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. 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.

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount. This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign. 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). Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel, and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million. The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager. 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. This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.

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

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.

See also

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