I’m a little more forgiving when it comes to the Acclaim wrestling games. They aren’t great games, but they have a charm that I like. I consider them to be average games on the PS1, N64, and Dreamcast.
The Game Boy conversions are a different matter altogether. There was no way the developers could port these games to the handheld, so they needed to do something different.
The version of WWF Warzone I played was terrible, so I’m not looking forward to the Game Boy Color version of WWF Attitude. I’m going to keep an open mind about it, or as much as I can, given my previous experience. I’m going to cross my fingers and hope for the best.
TLDR: A good version of an average game.
Narrative
There isn’t a story in this game. You can play the career mode, and it is cool to see that in the game. There seemed to be fewer concessions when bringing this game to the handheld.
I’m not sure where to put this, but I find it funny that Gangrel has his own trademark. It is in the disclaimer when you start up the game. It is just a funny thing, I wanted to point it out.
Gameplay
The gameplay is pretty good. It isn’t amazing, but it is better than some other wrestling and fighting games on the Game Boy. I don’t like it as much as Hal Wrestling, but it is one of the better wrestling games I’ve played for the Game Boy.
You can’t access the move lists in the game. This is a big change between the console games and the handheld. This means you’ll need the manual, or one of the websites that has a list of the moves, like this one (Link).
Every wrestler has the same basic set of moves, but they have a special move/finisher. This is an understandable concession for the Game Boy. It makes things easier, and because the Game Boy only has four buttons, limited combinations are available.
The top rope attacks are hilarious. Your opponent will lock onto you and fly across the ring until they hit you. I don’t think you can avoid it. It is one of the best parts of the game because of how stupid it is
There are quite a few game modes in WWF Attitude. This was a welcome change from the other Game Boy wrestling games I’ve played. The developers were able to get most of the modes from the home console games into this one.
WWF Attitude on Game Boy Color has a good roster. I’m not sure how close it is to the active roster, but I like it. There are a few strange choices. For example, I’m not sure how many people wanted to play as Sable, but whatever.
Overall, the gameplay is pretty good. The controls take some time to get used to, but once you do, they translate to each character. This is a decent wrestling game for the Game Boy Color.
Visuals
This game looks pretty good for a handheld game. WWF Attitude on the Game Boy Color looks very good. The sprites are good, the digitized photos of the wrestlers are decent, and the presentation is good.
WWF Attitude is an exclusive game for the Game Boy Color, and it is a nice-looking game. I’m grading it on a curve because it is a handheld game, and I’m not expecting much. The wrestlers look good enough, even though you can tell that a few base sprites are repeated. There are a lot of tan guys with long hair in this.
The moves look good. I didn’t notice any issues with the animations. The aerial attacks from the top rope look hilarious. Like, how the hell do they follow you across the ring like a heat-seeking missile.
Overall, the graphics aren’t going to impress anyone, but they look good for a handheld. It looks much better than a few of the games on the Game Boy.
Reviews at the time
I think the reviews were a little too harsh on this game. It is a stark contrast to how they viewed the console versions. The Game Boy Color mostly got 6s, with one review giving it a 4.5/10.
I could only access Game Informer, which gave the game a 6.5/10. This was the highest score the game received. It praised the amount of content in the game, but criticized the sound and turnbuckle moves. They said this was the only wrestling game for the Game Boy Color, which isn’t totally accurate, as you can play regular Game Boy games on the handheld.
Even Nintendo Power gave this game a lower score. These were average reviews for the time, so I guess I’m not too far off from them.
7.5/10. This might be surprising, but I think the developers did a good job with this one. It is a little better than most of the other Game Boy wrestling games and is leaps and bounds ahead of WWF Warzone.
Pros
- Good Roster
- Lots of Game Modes
- Good Graphics
Cons
- Every Wrestler is the same
- Repetitive
Conclusion
I think this is an above-average wrestling game on the Game Boy/Game Boy Color. It is one of the few Game Boy Color exclusive wrestling games. I like it, but it has problems.
I like the graphics more than the gameplay, and it has some funny moments in it when you try turnbuckle attacks. WWF Attitude on the Game Boy Color offers more to do than other wrestling games on handheld.
I would still rather play Hal Wrestling. I don’t think anything is going to pass that game. WWF Attitude is better than WWF Warzone, but it isn’t a great game.
If you liked this post, please check out my other reviews, such as Hal Wrestling and WWF Superstars.