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What wrestling game came out in 2000?

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The Wrestling Games of Y2K: A Look Back at 2000’s Grappling Greats

The year 2000 was a landmark year for wrestling games, offering fans a diverse range of titles across multiple platforms. While no single definitive “best” exists, the answer to the question, “What wrestling game came out in 2000?” is plural. Several significant wrestling games debuted that year, each catering to different tastes and hardware capabilities. The most prominent titles include WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role for the PlayStation, WCW Backstage Assault also for the PlayStation, and ECW Hardcore Revolution for multiple platforms including PlayStation, Nintendo 64, Dreamcast, and Game Boy Color. Each provided a unique, and often vastly different, wrestling experience.

Spotlight on the Biggest Contenders

Let’s delve deeper into the most notable wrestling games released in 2000:

WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role

  • Platform: PlayStation
  • Developer: Yuke’s
  • Publisher: THQ

Widely regarded as a peak in the early SmackDown! series, WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role built upon the foundation of its predecessor, delivering an improved gameplay experience, an expanded roster, and a deeper Create-a-Wrestler mode. The game featured a robust storyline mode, allowing players to immerse themselves in the drama and rivalries of the Attitude Era.

The gameplay was refined, offering a more fluid and responsive control scheme. The roster boasted a who’s who of WWF superstars, including The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Triple H, Kurt Angle, and many more. The Create-a-Wrestler mode was particularly impressive for its time, allowing for extensive customization of appearance, movesets, and even entrance music.

Know Your Role’s success lay in its accessibility and its faithful recreation of the WWF’s over-the-top characters and storylines. It captured the energy and excitement of the Monday Night Wars, providing a compelling wrestling experience for fans of all skill levels.

WCW Backstage Assault

  • Platform: PlayStation
  • Developer: AKI Corporation
  • Publisher: Electronic Arts

WCW Backstage Assault attempted to deviate from the traditional wrestling game formula, focusing almost exclusively on backstage brawls. Ditching the confines of the ring, players battled it out in various backstage locations, utilizing weapons and environmental hazards to their advantage.

While the concept was intriguing, the execution left much to be desired. The gameplay was clunky and repetitive, and the lack of a traditional wrestling ring alienated many fans. Despite featuring a roster of WCW stars like Goldberg, Sting, and Diamond Dallas Page, the game failed to capture the excitement and drama of WCW at its peak. The departure from AKI’s N64 wrestling game engine (used in titles like WCW/nWo Revenge) was heavily criticized. It’s fair to say that WCW Backstage Assault is considered one of the worst wrestling games of all time.

ECW Hardcore Revolution

  • Platform: PlayStation, Nintendo 64, Dreamcast, Game Boy Color
  • Developer: Acclaim Studios Austin
  • Publisher: Acclaim Entertainment

ECW Hardcore Revolution aimed to capture the brutal and uncompromising nature of Extreme Championship Wrestling. Featuring a roster of ECW legends like Tommy Dreamer, Raven, and Sabu, the game emphasized hardcore action, with weapons, blood, and over-the-top violence taking center stage.

While the game attempted to recreate the ECW experience, it suffered from technical limitations and repetitive gameplay. The graphics were dated, and the controls were often unresponsive. Despite its flaws, ECW Hardcore Revolution appealed to hardcore fans who appreciated its focus on extreme violence and its faithful representation of ECW’s unique brand of wrestling.

Other Notable Releases of 2000

While WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role, WCW Backstage Assault, and ECW Hardcore Revolution were the most prominent wrestling games of 2000, other titles were also released, including:

  • Virtual Pro Wrestling 2: Oudou Keishou (Nintendo 64 – Japanese release): A highly regarded wrestling game known for its realistic gameplay and deep roster.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Which wrestling game released in 2000 is considered the best?

WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role is generally considered the best wrestling game released in 2000. Its refined gameplay, extensive roster, and engaging storyline mode made it a fan favorite.

2. Was there a WWF No Mercy game released in 2000?

No, WWF No Mercy was released in November 2000, making it technically a late-year release. It’s often associated with the year 2000 due to its proximity.

3. Which wrestling game had the best Create-a-Wrestler mode in 2000?

WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role featured a highly regarded Create-a-Wrestler mode for its time, offering extensive customization options.

4. Why is WCW Backstage Assault considered a bad game?

WCW Backstage Assault is considered a poor game due to its clunky gameplay, repetitive nature, and lack of a traditional wrestling ring. It deviated too far from established wrestling game formulas.

5. Did any wrestling games come out on the Dreamcast in 2000?

Yes, ECW Hardcore Revolution was released on the Dreamcast in 2000.

6. Was there a wrestling game released on the PC in 2000?

No, there weren’t any major wrestling games released on PC in the year 2000. PC wrestling gaming was not prevalent at the time.

7. What made WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role so popular?

Its popularity stemmed from its refined gameplay, large roster of popular wrestlers, engaging story mode that reflected the WWF’s Attitude Era, and a robust Create-a-Wrestler mode.

8. Did any of the 2000 wrestling games accurately depict the Monday Night Wars?

WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role did the best job capturing the feel of the Monday Night Wars due to its roster and storylines. WCW Backstage Assault could not be said to have done so because it was a very poor quality release.

9. Which wrestling game had the most realistic graphics for its time in 2000?

For the PlayStation platform, WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role was considered to have very good graphics for its time and on the Nintendo 64 platform, WWF No Mercy released very late in 2000 was visually impressive.

10. What was the main appeal of ECW Hardcore Revolution?

Its main appeal was its focus on extreme violence, weapons, and its attempt to capture the hardcore atmosphere of ECW wrestling.

11. Were there any Japanese-exclusive wrestling games released in 2000?

Yes, Virtual Pro Wrestling 2: Oudou Keishou was a Japanese-exclusive release for the Nintendo 64.

12. What was the general reception of wrestling games in 2000?

The reception was mixed. WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role was highly praised, while WCW Backstage Assault was universally panned. ECW Hardcore Revolution received mixed reviews.

13. Did any of the 2000 wrestling games feature online multiplayer?

No, online multiplayer was not a common feature in console wrestling games at that time.

14. Which 2000 wrestling game had the largest roster of wrestlers?

WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role featured a very large and diverse roster of wrestlers popular at the time.

15. Are the 2000 wrestling games still playable today?

Yes, the PlayStation games such as WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role and WCW Backstage Assault can be played on original hardware, emulators, or on PlayStation consoles that support backwards compatibility. The N64 games like ECW Hardcore Revolution and WWF No Mercy are still actively played through original consoles and emulation.

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