WWF War Zone Nintendo 64

So you think you're ready for the big time? Do you long for the excitement of challenging the world's best wrestlers? If so, the glitz and glamour of the ~World Wrestling Federation is yours for the taking in Acclaim's WWF War Zone. Choose from 16 of the following wrestlers in your bid to become champion: "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels, Owen Hart, Triple H, Ahmed, Faarooq, The Undertaker, Mosh, Kane, Mankind, British Bulldog, Bret Hart, Goldust, Rocky Maivia, Thrasher and Ken Shamrock.

WWF War Zone also features a detailed Create Player mode that lets you choose your wrestler's name, appearance (including hair, outfit and body type), special moves, personality (fan favorite or rule breaker), theme music and attributes in five areas: strength, toughness, speed, recovery and charisma. While you begin with 25 points to divide among these categories, your created wrestler can earn more (a maximum of 40) by winning different game modes. Up to 30 wrestlers and their accumulated statistics can be saved to the optional ~Controller Pak accessory.

Nine different game modes await wrestling fans: ~WWF Challenge, Versus, Tag Team, Cage, Weapons, Royal Rumble, Gauntlet and Training. The one-player ~WWF Challenge involves moving up the ranks through four stages. Each stage involves winning a certain amount of matches as you strive to earn the ~Intercontinental Championship Belt and then the ~World Wrestling Federation Championship. Players must also deal with Grudge Matches, which are special challenges set by wrestlers you have already beaten. Since you only get three shots at the title, you have to keep winning or the game will end.

Versus Mode pits two players against one another in a standard ring match, while Tag Team involves using a partner to challenge another team of wrestlers. Cage Mode is wrestling within a steel cage that lets your character perform aerial maneuvers by climbing the bars surrounding the ring, and Weapons Mode eliminates the rules of the sport by allowing the use of foreign objects to bludgeon an opponent Royal Rumble pits your wrestler against three other wrestlers as you try to toss each opponent out of the ring. There's one small catch: a new character will enter the ring each time you defeat a wrestler until there are no more left.

Gauntlet, a mode exclusive to the Nintendo 64, challenges you to defeat six wrestlers one after another until you emerge victorious. The difference lies in the fact that your wrestler's health meter does not replenish after each contest If you find yourself losing too many bouts, you can always brush up on some of the moves in the Training Mode, where you can practice certain ring situations or just pound away at a helpless character. WWF War Zone also features three difficulty levels, support for up to four players, three camera angles and an adjustable time limit from five to thirty minutes. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide