All Star Pro-Wrestling
Square's first wrestling game for the PlayStation 2.
All Star Pro-Wrestling, a 2000 professional wrestling title for the PlayStation 2, was developed and published by Square exclusively in Japan. As the system's first wrestling game, it represented Square's push to create non-role-playing games. Its controls relied on the DualShock 2's analog sticks, with a button-based alternative available. Critics praised the graphics but found the controls awkward, though strong initial sales led to two sequels.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Square
- Producer
- Yusuke Hirata
- Composer
- Tsuyoshi Sekito
- Kenichiro Fukui
- Kumi Tanioka
- Released
- June 8, 2000 (JP)
- Genre
- Professional wrestling
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
- Platforms
- PlayStation 2
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
All Star Pro-Wrestling focuses on Japanese wrestling instead of the American style. Players pick a mode from the "Match Make" menu, which offers exhibition matches, championships, tournaments, and weight-class leagues. Depending on the mode chosen, the player can select different wrestling rings, referees, and time limits. The game starts with 26 real wrestlers, including Jyushin Thunder Liger, The Great Muta, Don Frye, Koji Kanemoto, Antonio Inoki, and Masahiro Chono. Each match begins with an entrance sequence. Two control schemes are available. The default uses only the DualShock 2's analog sticks: the left stick controls movement, the right stick handles attacks. To pin, tilt both sticks upward; pressing both sticks together grabs the opponent, who can then be attacked or thrown depending on how the right stick is tilted. The second scheme, called "Type B," works more like other fighting games, mapping pinning to the triangle button, grabbing to the square button, and punches and moves to the cross button. In Type B, the force of each move depends on how hard the button is pressed. In both modes, the moves available depend on the opponent's position and distance, plus a personal "tension meter" that fills up during the fight. The D-pad changes the camera angle at any time. Wrestlers recover fully between matches, and the game uses the PlayStation 2's internal clock to track victory times and records. A memory card can save progress, battle snapshots, and match videos, which can be either ten-second instant replays or up to three full "Best Bout" matches. Hidden extras include collectible autograph pictures of defeated wrestlers and a few unlockable characters, among them two female models wearing bikinis.
Development
All Star Pro-Wrestling was announced in January 1999 as part of Square's desire to expand into diverse game genres on the PlayStation 2. Square developed the game internally rather than using DreamFactory, which had developed most of Square's previous fighting games, because DreamFactory was already working on The Bouncer. The game was produced by Yusuke Hirata, head of Square's Osaka-based fifth production team. The score, consisting mostly of rock music, was composed by Tsuyoshi Sekito, Kenichiro Fukui, and Kumi Tanioka, and was never released in album form. Square aimed to create realistic wrestlers with accurate body-muscle physics and facial expressions. Screenshots were shown at Square's "Millennium Event" in January 2000 at Yokohama Arena, alongside a playable version of Driving Emotion Type-S. A demonstration battle was played by Hirata and a young Japanese idol at the Tokyo Game Show 2000 Spring at Makuhari Messe.
Reception
All Star Pro-Wrestling topped Japanese sales charts in its week of release with 107,331 copies sold and continued to top charts for the rest of June. It was the 63rd best-selling video game of 2000 in Japan, with 185,616 copies. Famitsu scored the game 31 out of 40, with reviewers praising the graphics but feeling the controls could have been better implemented. Jeff Gerstmann of GameSpot rated the game 4 out of 10, criticizing the battle system severely. IGN stated the default analog controls were "mind-boggling," with pins difficult to execute while some maneuvers could be chained with single button presses. IGN judged the second control type easier to play, though one reviewer noted it wears out the thumb quickly; Gerstmann found it even more difficult. The number of moves was described as low compared to titles like WWF Attitude. Gerstmann and one IGN critic compared the game's fluidity to an "underwater soccer match," with smooth moves alongside simple, three-second movements. Another IGN critic noted the game is more a wrestling simulation than an arcade title. Both GameSpot and IGN praised the realism of wrestlers' appearances, faithfulness to real-life counterparts, and efficient use of the PlayStation 2 Emotion Engine. The ring entrance scenes and amount of blood were appreciated. One IGN critic noted the referee is always on-screen, while another said outdoor arenas "look like they were ripped out of a [Sega] Saturn game" and criticized the presence of only two facial expressions per wrestler. Both IGN reviewers criticized inconsistent collision detection and lack of crowd diversity, with some crowd members looking "like they were made out of Legos." Gerstmann added that walking animations looked particularly unrealistic.
Sequels
The PlayStation 2 saw a follow-up, All Star Pro-Wrestling II, on November 22, 2001. Its main change was swapping the original controls for a more conventional battle system. The roster featured talent from New Japan Pro-Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Noah, and Pro Wrestling Zero-One. Famitsu gave it a score of 31 out of 40. Square Enix released All Star Pro-Wrestling III on August 7, 2003, also for PS2, which added a create-a-wrestler option. Both sequels introduced tag team and battle royal modes for up to five players using a multitap, including a referee. Tsuyoshi Sekito composed the music for both games. DigiCube published the All Star Pro-Wrestling II Original Soundtrack on January 23, 2002, but the third game’s soundtrack never saw a commercial album release.
More in Square Enix Games of the 2000s
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