WCW vs. the World
Encyclopedia
WCW vs. the World is a professional wrestling
video game released in 1997 for the PlayStation video game console
. It was the first game developed by The Man Breeze (who later became the AKI Corporation) to be released outside of Japan
and the second wrestling game for the PlayStation, following Power Move Pro Wrestling. WCW vs. the World marks the first title in the Japanese Virtual Pro-Wrestling series and would be the first World Championship Wrestling
video game released during its rise amidst the Monday Night Wars
.
as opposed to American customs.
The game includes many other establishing features that would carry on and improve in future AKI wrestling games. A "spirit meter" replaces the traditional but more linear energy bar
to better suit the momentum of a wrestling match. However, it also features modes surrounding the winning, defense, and even creation of championship belt
s which would be entirely absent from the game's immediate successor, WCW vs. nWo: World Tour
. The latter, however, would achieve far greater popularity thanks to its introduction of the intuitive "grappling
system" not yet developed in WCW vs. the World.
.
noted, "There are some problems with the play, and the sound is a bit lackluster, but the sheer number of characters and options make up for the deficiencies." Allgame
's Mark Kanarick gave it a 4/5 star rating.
A "Passable" 6/10 rating was given by the IGN
staff who claimed, "The control is a little off [...] but the sheer amount of options should keep most wrestling fans happy." However, in a 2008 retrospective on the history of wrestling video games, IGN
's Rus McLaughlin lamented, "WCW vs. the World took a strong step towards 3D gaming on the PlayStation without putting a solid game behind it." He concluded that AKI's follow up, WCW vs. nWo: World Tour
, would make for the company's "revolutionary" foundation in pro wrestling gaming.
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
video game released in 1997 for the PlayStation video game console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
. It was the first game developed by The Man Breeze (who later became the AKI Corporation) to be released outside of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and the second wrestling game for the PlayStation, following Power Move Pro Wrestling. WCW vs. the World marks the first title in the Japanese Virtual Pro-Wrestling series and would be the first World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
video game released during its rise amidst the Monday Night Wars
Monday Night Wars
Monday Night Wars is the common term describing the period of mainstream televised American professional wrestling from September 4, 1995, to March 26, 2001. During this time, the World Wrestling Federation's Monday Night Raw went head-to-head with World Championship Wrestling's Monday Nitro in a...
.
Gameplay
WCW vs. the World features various modes including League Challenge, Best of Seven, Exhibition, Elimination, Tournament, League, and Double Title. Such modes are predominately characteristic of Japanese pro wrestlingProfessional wrestling in Japan
Puroresu is the popular term for the predominant style or genre of professional wrestling that has developed in Japan. The term comes from the Japanese pronunciation of "professional wrestling" , which is shortened to puroresu . The term became popular among English-speaking fans due to Hisaharu...
as opposed to American customs.
The game includes many other establishing features that would carry on and improve in future AKI wrestling games. A "spirit meter" replaces the traditional but more linear energy bar
Health (gaming)
Health is a game mechanic used in role-playing, computer and video games to give value to characters, enemies, NPCs, and related objects. This value can either be numerical, semi-numerical as in hit/health points, or arbitrary as in a life bar....
to better suit the momentum of a wrestling match. However, it also features modes surrounding the winning, defense, and even creation of championship belt
Championship belt
A championship belt is a large, extravagantly designed belt used primarily in combat sports such as boxing, mixed martial arts and professional wrestling to signify the champions of the promotion or company, much like a cup or trophy in other sports...
s which would be entirely absent from the game's immediate successor, WCW vs. nWo: World Tour
WCW vs. nWo: World Tour
WCW vs. nWo: World Tour proved to be one of THQ's biggest hits and was awarded the title of "Fighting Game of the Year" by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. It gained Player's Choice status with over a million copies sold and its 1998 re-release was instrumental in THQ's 59% revenue...
. The latter, however, would achieve far greater popularity thanks to its introduction of the intuitive "grappling
Grappling
Grappling refers to techniques, maneuvers, and counters applied to an opponent in order to gain a physical advantage, such as improving relative position, escaping, submitting, or injury to the opponent. Grappling is a general term that covers techniques used in many disciplines, styles and martial...
system" not yet developed in WCW vs. the World.
Roster
The game features an impressive 51 wrestlers. In addition to its WCW/nWo roster, in keeping with the game's title, WCW vs. the World also has several "fictional" foreign wrestlers. These performers are actually renamed counterparts of real-life Japanese wrestlers that could not be properly represented in the game's American version due to copyright restrictions. This practice of altering Japanese performers for American games would carry on through two more AKI games for the Nintendo 64Nintendo 64
The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
.
Reception
Despite establishing numerous standards for future, highly successful AKI wrestling games, WCW vs. the World would not make a significant commercial impact; however, it sold enough copies to merit a Greatest Hits re-release. The game also received generally positive reviews with the majority of praise aimed at its broad selection of gaming modes and wrestlers. Jeff Gerstmann of GameSpotGameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
noted, "There are some problems with the play, and the sound is a bit lackluster, but the sheer number of characters and options make up for the deficiencies." Allgame
Allgame
Allgame is a commercial database of information about arcade games, video games and console manufacturers.Allgame is owned by All Media Guide, along with Allmusic and Allmovie....
's Mark Kanarick gave it a 4/5 star rating.
A "Passable" 6/10 rating was given by the IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
staff who claimed, "The control is a little off [...] but the sheer amount of options should keep most wrestling fans happy." However, in a 2008 retrospective on the history of wrestling video games, IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's Rus McLaughlin lamented, "WCW vs. the World took a strong step towards 3D gaming on the PlayStation without putting a solid game behind it." He concluded that AKI's follow up, WCW vs. nWo: World Tour
WCW vs. nWo: World Tour
WCW vs. nWo: World Tour proved to be one of THQ's biggest hits and was awarded the title of "Fighting Game of the Year" by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. It gained Player's Choice status with over a million copies sold and its 1998 re-release was instrumental in THQ's 59% revenue...
, would make for the company's "revolutionary" foundation in pro wrestling gaming.