WWF Superstars 2 is an Disappointing Game Boy Game

WWF Superstars 2 is a Game Boy exclusive released in 1992 by LJN. Yes, I know that having the LJN logo on it means the game might be terrible, but I will keep an open mind. Not everything you hear or read on the internet is true, and I have stumbled across a few good games that LJN published.

After playing one match, I can say this is a terrible game. Everything I liked about the first WWF Superstars is gone, and the game resembles WWF Steel Cage Challenge on the NES. It is a pretty awful game.

TLDR: A step back from the first game. WWF Superstars 2 has bad graphics and controls.

Narrative

There isn’t a narrative in the game. This is another arcade experience where you need to make up your own story if you want one. In 1992, this was perfectly acceptable for a wrestling game.

Gameplay

There are more game modes in WWF Superstars 2 than in the previous game. This isn’t actually a good thing. It only means you can suffer through the bad controls in a few different ways. Here are the game modes:

• One on One
• Tag Team
• Tournament

You also have the option to have a cage match. Given how awful Steel Cage Challenge was, I figured this would also be awful, and that is exactly what it is. While easier than the NES version, it is still a terrible experience.

For a handheld game, the roster isn’t too bad. There are six playable characters, an improvement from the first game. Here are the wrestlers in the game:

• Hulk Hogan
• Randy Savage
• Sid Justice
• The Mountie
• The Undertaker
• Jake the Snake

Thankfully, Brett and Owen Hart don’t appear in this awful game. Sadly, the characters all play the same. This would become a staple of the LJN games. Why program a few characters when you can just copy and paste?

The game has a grapple system. It is a tug-of-war system that devolves into button mashing. Each character has the same moves, so nothing feels special. It is a very disappointing game.

As far as I can tell, there are no special or finishing moves in the game. This game feels just like WWF Steel Cage Challenge on the NES. Every wrestler is the same, despite the cosmetic changes that give the player the illusion of difference.

Your opponent will randomly regain their health. There is no explanation for it. You’ll be kicking his ass, and he will gain almost all of his health back. I’ll have to check the manual to see if there is a reason for it.

The manual is available online here (link). It explains that you can gain a second wind by pressing the select button. I guess the computer does this when you’re getting close to beating them. If you didn’t have the manual, you would have no idea this was happening or that you could do it.

I could see someone enjoying this game. If this was all you had for the Game Boy, you might’ve liked it. WWF Superstars 2 would have kept you entertained while riding in a car or a bus to wherever you were going. Outside of that, I can’t imagine anyone playing this if they had another option.

Visuals

The game looks worse than the first. WWF Superstars 2 lost all of the fun things from the first game. The wrestlers use the same character sprite, the ring looks boring, and the character portraits look worse.

The taunting screens are gone and replaced with generic introductions. This was one of the things I enjoyed about the first game, and sadly, they were taken out. LJN was at the mercy of whoever Acclaim asked to make the game, and unfortunately, the developers for WWF Superstars 2 weren’t as good as the team that made the first game.

There is one good thing about this game! I think the cage looks better than the one in WWF Steel Cage Challenge on the NES. That is the only thing I liked about the visuals.

The wrestler sprites and portraits use the same base. The developer changed the graphics enough that you might not notice at first glance. This is a staple of what the developers working for LJN would do.

The graphics are acceptable for a Game Boy game. They aren’t terrible, but they are a step back from the first game. The first game had a charm that was stripped away in this game.

5.5/10. Bad controls, bad graphics, and boring gameplay. While it might have been entertaining in 1992, it isn’t very good in 2025.

Conclusion

WWF Superstars 2 is a disappointing sequel to a good but not great game. The graphics and gameplay declined in quality. While this game has more to do, it isn’t as much fun as the first game.

If you liked this post, please check out my other posts about the Game Boy wrestling games, such as WCW Main Event and WWF Superstars.