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WRESTLING AND MARTIAL ARTS GAMES THAT ARE WORTH A LOOK

If you’d like to get involved in the world of wrestling or martial arts but are not quite ready to take to the ring, the online age has a solution. This is a gaming genre that has always been popular, from the earliest days of home computers – as anyone who can remember wrestling with the keyboard combination for the flying kick in Konami’s Yie Ar Kung Fu can verify.

That was well over 30 years ago, and in the intervening years there have been scores of games looking to build on those early foundations. Here, we take a look at some of the best, on a variety of platforms. 

WWF No Mercy

It’s almost 20 years since this game appeared on the scene for the Nintendo 64, yet many aficionados believe it has yet to be surpassed. The loyal following and continued popularity of the game has led to countless mods for those who want to include the latest fighters. But even in its original form, the game remains engaging and hugely replayable thanks to the sheer depth of the roster and the different types of matches and tournaments available. 

Ninja Ways

In the online casino era, you’ll find a slots game to suit every taste. There are a few wrestling and martial arts themed options out there, but Ninja Ways is probably the most popular. Better still, you can play on mobile as well as desktop if you choose the right casino site. It’s a lovingly created game, with superb attention to detail, with the reels spinning to traditional Japanese music. Best of all, however, is the six-reel layout which offers more than 4,000 ways to win. 

WWE All Stars

Here we have a case of what might have been. At a time when there were very few arcade-style games out there, and even fewer wrestling organizations willing share their licenses with developers, WWE and THQ came together to create this offering for PlayStation and Xbox. The gameplay is challenging enough to keep you interested without getting frustrating, and there is a fabulous roster of players past and present. It’s a shame that THQ went out of business before the game could be developed further.

Mortal Kombat

Despite its shortcomings, WWE All Stars came within a whisker of being awarded the Best Fighting Game of 2011. Ultimately, however, it lost out to Mortal Kombat 9. No discussion of fighting games is complete without a look at the most famous franchise in the genre’s history, which released its 24th version, confusingly known as Mortal Kombat 11, earlier this year. Everyone has their favorite, but when it comes to sheer spectacle, the latest offering has everything. As well as being the most technologically advanced version of Mortal Kombat to date, it pays tribute to the game’s 27-year history using a time-travel plot device. This gives you the opportunity to engage with combatants from across the entire timeline, and even means some fighters can engage with their younger selves. 

 

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