WWF WrestleMania 2000 (video game)

Did You Know?

• In a TV commercial, The Rock becomes furious at the game including his name, likeness, and move-set, and threatens to shove copies up Santa Claus's 'candy-ass'.
• Some copies shipped with a special card containing four holograms of in-game action, such as a wrestler's entrance or finishing move.
• A normally non-selectable 'Computer Intelligence' mode can be accessed using a GameShark code, along with WCW and nWo ring aprons.

Gameplay

WWF WrestleMania 2000 uses the same game engine as WCW/nWo Revenge. More than 50 WWF wrestlers are included, and all but existing superstars' move sets can be freely edited. The Create-a-Wrestler mode is extensive, allowing players to build a highly detailed wrestler from a large library of moves, many carried over from previous AKI games. Standard modes include Royal Rumble, King of the Ring, and a pay-per-view mode that lets players recreate or create unique events with television-style features. Up to eight championship belts can be created and defended in Exhibition mode. The Road To WrestleMania mode places the player as a rookie who works up to main-event at WrestleMania 2000. The story mode is long but has no branching storylines; losses are recorded in the win–loss record. When the player holds multiple championships, all must be defended during a single pay-per-view event. Feuds occur in the storyline, with wrestlers sometimes interrupting matches. The season continues regardless of wins or losses, and created wrestlers persist across new seasons.

Features

The game includes several arenas from WWF events in 1998 and 1999, as well as venues based on Sunday Night Heat and Raw is War, plus other pay-per-view locations. It is the first WWF game to allow free editing of superstars' costumes and alternate attires, with four templates per character switchable via the C buttons. A default button resets edited costumes. It is also the first THQ-produced N64 title with a Create-a-Wrestler mode. Beyond default and secret characters, the create-a-wrestler mode includes likenesses and movesets for figures such as The Road Warriors, Hulk Hogan, Taka Michinoku, and Davey Boy Smith, and taunts and moves from WCW/nWo Revenge allow creation of WCW wrestlers like Goldberg, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Diamond Dallas Page, and Macho Man Randy Savage. Limited memory restricts the number of slots, but each template can hold four characters with separate appearances, though they share moves. Matching two superstars' entrance music causes them to be introduced as a tag team if they are a real-life pair. New features not in WCW/nWo Revenge include cage matches and First Blood mode, and reversals and counter moves are expanded. A non-selectable Computer Intelligence mode and WCW/nWo ring aprons can be accessed via GameShark code.

Reception

The Nintendo 64 version received favorable reviews, while the Game Boy Color version received mixed reviews, according to GameRankings. Daniel Erickson of NextGen said the N64 version's wonderful gameplay overshadows the lack of quality audio. Stuart Clarke of The Sydney Morning Herald noted the strong gameplay would appeal to non-wrestling fans and praised its four-player simultaneous play. In Japan, Famitsu gave the N64 version a score of 28 out of 40. GamePro's The Enforcer called it the best wrestling title that year, while The D-Pad Destroyer described it as very fun for four players and easy to learn. Nintendo Power ranked it number 223 in its list of best Nintendo console games, citing its massive roster and gameplay. The game sold over one million units by January 2000. It was a finalist for Console Fighting Game of the Year at the 3rd Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, losing to Soulcalibur.