Zen-Nippon Pro Wrestling (series)
Encyclopedia
is a series of wrestling
video games based on the professional wrestling promotion
All Japan Pro Wrestling
. The games were developed by Natsume
and released for the Super Famicom and Game Boy
. The second game in the series was localized for Western markets and released under the name Natsume Championship Wrestling
. Subsequent 3D
games based on All Japan have been released, including two using the Zen-Nippon name, but none of them were developed by Natsume.
and Hiroyuki Iwatsuki
.
and features the likenesses of their most famous stars during that era. Following the template established by the classic video games of the genre, the game allows players to play as any of the 16 wrestling stars and then throws him to the ring to fight opponents until one emerges victorious. These wrestlers include Shohei Baba
, Tsuyoshi Kikuchi
, Stan Hansen
, and Naoya Ogawa
. The player can attack his opponent with several moves (unique to each character). Upon "locking-on" by getting too close to the other wrestler, the player can execute grapple
s and throw
s. The game uses 2D graphics from a heightened camera view and includes a plethora of game modes including single-player championship
and tournament
modes (with single or tag team
variants for both), two-player versus, team battle, and a training mode where the player can learn the basics of the game.
developed and published Zen-Nippon Joshi Pro Wrestling Kounin: Fire Pro Joshi All-Star Dream Slam for the Super Famicom. Two 3D games using the Zen-Nippon name were released for the original PlayStation, Zen-Nippon Onna Pro Wrestling (also known as All Japan Women's Pro Wrestling) and Human Entertainment's Zen-Nippon Pro Wrestling: Ouja no Kon. Sega later released a series of 3D arcade games also based on All Japan.
Fighting game
Fighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena. Players must master techniques such as...
video games based on the professional wrestling promotion
Professional wrestling promotion
A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling. Promotion also describes a role which entails management, advertising and logistics of running a wrestling event...
All Japan Pro Wrestling
All Japan Pro Wrestling
is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established in 1972. All Japan Pro Wrestling still remains one of the most popular puroresu promotions still in operation.-The Giant Baba Era :...
. The games were developed by Natsume
Natsume
can refer to:* the Jujube fruit* A type of chaki used in Japanese tea ceremony* Natsume , a Japanese video game developer* Natsume Sōseki, a famous 19th century Japanese novelist* Masako Natsume, a Japanese actor...
and released for the Super Famicom and Game Boy
Game Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
. The second game in the series was localized for Western markets and released under the name Natsume Championship Wrestling
Natsume Championship Wrestling
Natsume Championship Wrestling is a 1994 Super Nintendo Entertainment System video game that was released in North America.This game is widely based on a conversion of , a Japanese video game for the Super Famicom....
. Subsequent 3D
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
games based on All Japan have been released, including two using the Zen-Nippon name, but none of them were developed by Natsume.
Games
The following is a list of games released in the Zen-Nippon Pro Wrestling series. The second game of the series was published in North America as Natsume Championship Wrestling. The music of the four SFC titles was composed by teams featuring Kinuyo YamashitaKinuyo Yamashita
is a Japanese video game music composer and sound producer. Her best known soundtrack is Konami's Castlevania, which was also her debut work. She was credited under the pseudonym James Banana for her work on the Nintendo Entertainment System version of the game....
and Hiroyuki Iwatsuki
Hiroyuki Iwatsuki
Hiroyuki Iwatsuki is a Japanese video game music composer who has contributed to the soundtracks of Ninja Warriors, Pocky & Rocky, and Omega Five...
.
| Japanese Title | English Title | System | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 全日本プロレス | Zen-Nippon Pro Wrestling | Super Famicom Super Nintendo Entertainment System The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short... |
July 16, 1993 1993 in video gaming -Events:*March — In Sweden, the Swedish video game magazine Super PLAY starts. The original name is Super Power.*Midway Games embroiled in controversy for its game Mortal Kombat from 1992 when the game is launched for video game consoles in 1993.... |
| 全日本プロレス’ 世界最強タッグ ダッシュ | Zen-Nippon Pro Wrestling Dash: Sekai Saikyō Tag | Super Famicom Super Nintendo Entertainment System The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short... |
December 28, 1993 1993 in video gaming -Events:*March — In Sweden, the Swedish video game magazine Super PLAY starts. The original name is Super Power.*Midway Games embroiled in controversy for its game Mortal Kombat from 1992 when the game is launched for video game consoles in 1993.... |
| 全日本プロレス ファイトだポン！ | Zen-Nippon Pro Wrestling: Fight da Pon! | Super Famicom Super Nintendo Entertainment System The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short... |
June 25, 1994 1994 in video gaming -Events:*Nintendo calls this year "1994: The Year of the Cartridge".*Nintendo Australia Pty. Ltd, the Australian subsidiary of Nintendo Co., Ltd is established and opened by Hiroshi Yamauchi and effectively ends Mattel Australia's distribution of Nintendo's products throughout Australia.*"Project... |
| 全日本プロレス ジェット | Zen-Nippon Pro Wrestling Jet | Game Boy | July 15, 1994 1994 in video gaming -Events:*Nintendo calls this year "1994: The Year of the Cartridge".*Nintendo Australia Pty. Ltd, the Australian subsidiary of Nintendo Co., Ltd is established and opened by Hiroshi Yamauchi and effectively ends Mattel Australia's distribution of Nintendo's products throughout Australia.*"Project... |
| 全日本プロレス2 3・4武道館 | Zen-Nippon Pro Wrestling 2: 3-4 Budōkan | Super Famicom Super Nintendo Entertainment System The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short... |
April 7, 1995 1995 in video gaming -Events:*May 11 – Introduction of trade magazine GameWeek *May 11-16 — The 1st annual Electronic Entertainment Expo is held in Los Angeles, California... |
Summary
The video game is based on the Zen-Nippon Pro Wrestling LeagueAll Japan Pro Wrestling
is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established in 1972. All Japan Pro Wrestling still remains one of the most popular puroresu promotions still in operation.-The Giant Baba Era :...
and features the likenesses of their most famous stars during that era. Following the template established by the classic video games of the genre, the game allows players to play as any of the 16 wrestling stars and then throws him to the ring to fight opponents until one emerges victorious. These wrestlers include Shohei Baba
Shohei Baba
was a professional wrestler and co-founder of All Japan Pro Wrestling. He was also known as Giant Baba. Baba, along with Antonio Inoki, became one of the most famous Japanese wrestlers of his era, with a popularity in Japan comparable to Hulk Hogan's in the United States of America...
, Tsuyoshi Kikuchi
Tsuyoshi Kikuchi
is a professional wrestler currently working as a freelancer. He has previously worked for All Japan Pro Wrestling and Pro Wrestling NOAH. Kikuchi idolized and patterned his style after the Dynamite Kid....
, Stan Hansen
Stan Hansen
John Stanley Hansen, Jr. is an American former professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Stan Hansen. As a wrestler, Hansen was well known for his stiff wrestling style, which he attributes to poor eyesight, as he is nearly blind without glasses...
, and Naoya Ogawa
Naoya Ogawa
Naoya Ogawa is a Japanese former world judo champion, Olympic silver medalist, professional wrestler and mixed martial artist...
. The player can attack his opponent with several moves (unique to each character). Upon "locking-on" by getting too close to the other wrestler, the player can execute grapple
Submission wrestling
Submission wrestling or Combat wrestling in Japan, is a formula of competition and a general term describing the aspect of martial arts and combat sports that focus on clinch and ground fighting with the aim of obtaining a submission using submission holds...
s and throw
Throw (grappling)
A throw is a martial arts term for a grappling technique that involves off-balancing or lifting an opponent, and tossing them to the ground in Japanese martial arts referred to as nage-waza, 投げ技, "throwing technique"...
s. The game uses 2D graphics from a heightened camera view and includes a plethora of game modes including single-player championship
Championship
Championship is a term used in sport to refer to various forms of competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.- Title match system :...
and tournament
Tournament
A tournament is a competition involving a relatively large number of competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses:...
modes (with single or tag team
Tag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
variants for both), two-player versus, team battle, and a training mode where the player can learn the basics of the game.
Legacy
In 1994, Human EntertainmentHuman Entertainment
Human Entertainment was a Japanese computer and video game developer and publisher. The company produced games for a number of platforms, including Dreamcast, Game Boy, Nintendo 64, TurboGrafx-16, PC , PlayStation, Saturn, Sega CD, Super NES, TurboGrafx-CD, and WonderSwan...
developed and published Zen-Nippon Joshi Pro Wrestling Kounin: Fire Pro Joshi All-Star Dream Slam for the Super Famicom. Two 3D games using the Zen-Nippon name were released for the original PlayStation, Zen-Nippon Onna Pro Wrestling (also known as All Japan Women's Pro Wrestling) and Human Entertainment's Zen-Nippon Pro Wrestling: Ouja no Kon. Sega later released a series of 3D arcade games also based on All Japan.
See also
- Fire Pro WrestlingFire Pro WrestlingFire Pro Wrestling is a long-running professional wrestling video game series originating from Japan, started in 1989 by Human Entertainment and continued by Spike in 2000.-History:...
- List of Super Famicom and Super Nintendo sports games
External links
- Zen-Nippon Pro Wrestling (Super Famicom games) at superfamicom.org