Wikipedia

WWF Superstars

For the 1991 Game Boy game, see WWF Superstars (handheld video game). For the similarly titled television programs, see WWF Superstars of Wrestling and WWE Superstars.

WWF Superstars[a] is a wrestling video game manufactured by Technōs Japan and released for arcades in 1989. It is the first WWF arcade game to be released. A series of unrelated games with the same title were released by LJN for the original Game Boy. Technōs followed the game with the release of WWF WrestleFest in 1991.

WWF Superstars
Arcade flyer featuring "Macho Man" Randy Savage, Hulk Hogan, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, The Ultimate Warrior, Miss Elizabeth, Ted DiBiase, The Honky Tonk Man, André the Giant, and Big Boss Man
Developer(s)Technōs Japan
Publisher(s)Technōs Japan
Director(s)Yoshihisa Kishimoto
Platform(s)Arcade
Release
Genre(s)Professional wrestling
Mode(s)Single-player, up to 2 players (simultaneous)
Arcade systemCPU: 68000 and Z80 with a YM2151 and an M6295 for sounds.

Features

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WWF Superstars features some of the signature moves and trademark mannerisms of the wrestlers in the game. There are also cut scenes featuring Ted DiBiase, André the Giant and Virgil. Mean Gene Okerlund, and Miss Elizabeth make appearances as well. Before the first match, the player's chosen team enters the arena via the "ring cart" seen at WrestleManias III and VI.

Gameplay

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Hulk Hogan and the Honky Tonk Man team up in a tag team match.

Players select two wrestlers to form a tag team. The playable wrestlers are Hulk Hogan, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, The Ultimate Warrior, Big Boss Man, "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, and The Honky Tonk Man. Up to two players can play at once. The players take their team through a series of matches with other tag teams in New York City and then Tokyo.

The game features a basic grappling and attack system. From a grapple, a player can either toss the opponent, throw them into the ropes, or go into a headlock from which two character-specific grapple moves can be performed. Each wrestler also possesses standing strikes, running attacks, running counterattacks, ground attacks, and moves from the top turnbuckle. A referee is present in the ring, but cannot be attacked or otherwise affected by the wrestlers.

It is also possible to brawl outside of the ring, provided the player reenters before a count of 20. There, a table can be picked up and swung at opponents. If both wrestlers go outside the ring at once, their tag team partners automatically jump out to join the fight. Occasionally one of these partners will wander off screen and return wielding a folding chair. Neither the chair nor table can be taken inside the ring.

After three matches are won, players get to challenge the Mega Bucks ("The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase and André the Giant) for the final round. Most grapple moves do not work against André because of his immense size, although two specific grapple moves can be used on him, since they do not require him to be lifted: Honky Tonk Man's noogie and The Big Boss Man's headbutt. The Mega Bucks are not selectable characters, but there are cheats for MAME that allow them to be used (together or separately), the drawback being that if DiBiase or André get a submission victory, the game will think that the player lost. Also, there can sometimes be graphical errors which will make the in-ring opponent disappear.

If the player wins the title match, a newspaper headline heralding the players' tag team as champions is shown. The player is then taken through another series of three matches (one of which will feature DiBiase) in the other city and a final match against DiBiase and André before the game ends.

Reception

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In Japan, Game Machine listed WWF Superstars in their November 1, 1989 issue as being the third most successful table arcade unit of the month.[2] In North America, it was the top-grossing software conversion kit on the RePlay arcade charts in January 1990.[3]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Japanese: WWFスーパースターズ, Hepburn: WWF Sūpāsutāzu

References

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  1. ^ "WWF SUPER STARS". Media Arts Database. Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
  2. ^ "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - テーブル型TVゲーム機 (Table Videos)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 367. Amusement Press, Inc. 1 November 1989. p. 29.
  3. ^ "RePlay: The Players' Choice". RePlay. Vol. 15, no. 4. January 1990. p. 4.
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