Big Bang Pro Wrestling

In reviewing a game like Big Bang Wrestling you really have to know a few things about the reviewer. As a television watcher, I am NOT a wrestling fan. Oh sure, I can appreciate the technique and the skill involved, but I'm not really into the dramatics of the whole thing. I worried early on that I may have some lingering biased towards Big Bang Wrestling for this very reason, but after looking at the steps of emotion this game gave me I think you'll agree that this is a fair and balanced review.

Disdain:

The first several times I played Big Bang Wrestling I was furious with the handling, graphics, and general speed of the game. I couldn't get into it at all. In fact, I was extremely vocal about how horrible the game was. Since the game uses only two buttons it's extremely difficult to get off a lot of different moves, and even the ones you can perform are slowed down by a sluggish frame rate. I was appalled that this would even be released on the system.

Acceptance:

Upon my second serious sit down of Big Bang Wrestling I realized that perhaps the game wasn't nearly as bad as I had made it out to be. So I searched for a character I could learn, and perhaps even beat the game with. I also started to experiment a little more with the control scheme, and found a few features I didn't realize were there ... including several super attacks, a bunch of take downs, and a REALLY NEAT animated move (see middle picture above).

Joy:

After accepting what the game had given me I finally found the character I could win with. And win I did. For eight straight fights I didn't lose. Not one round. I learned how to take down, how to hold, how to jump attack ... I was a master of the control by the end of the game! I was still sad that the game featured such a slow frame rate, but the game was beginning to grow on me.

Denial:

Even though I could only find two characters I was any good with, I still couldn't speak ill of Big Bang Wrestling. Sure it's horrible controlling, and you better believe it's dull. And sure the back grounds really don't change that much. And hey, the fighters are pretty small and look like they were transplanted from the Nintendo Entertainment System. But I was happy with the game. I could accept it's faults. Perhaps even recommend it.

Conclusion:

Even though the game is flawed it's not the worst wrestling game on the market. Perhaps you may even find some fun in it, but for me it was as average as they come. I was hoping for a little more depth, what I got was the shallow end of the local pool.