Tecmo World Wrestling (NES) Playthrough
393A playthrough of Tecmo's 1990 wrestling game for the NES, Tecmo World Wrestling.
In this video I play through the entire single-player mode with Dr. Guildo.
If you were to conduct a survey asking NES fans about their favorite wrestling game on the 8-bit console, I imagine that two names would quickly float to the top of the list. One would be Nintendo's Pro Wrestling (https://youtu.be/2E8XOw8ed-s), released in 1987, and the other would be the game featured in this video, Tecmo's World Wrestling.
Pro Wrestling didn't have a licensed roster of superstars to lean on, instead winning fans over with its imaginative line-up of fictional fighters, fast action, intuitive controls, and its fantastic multiplayer mode.
Tecmo took a similar approach with their game, giving players their choice of ten flamboyant personalities (loosely based on real life wrestlers) who each have access to a large pool of easy-to-use moves including multiple strikes, throws, holds, and finishers. The controls are simple and rely a bit much on button-mashing, but there's plenty enough depth to the gameplay to keep you coming back for more as you learn how to effectively use each wrestler.
The game is as much fun to watch as it is to play, too. Tecmo's games were well-known for their cinematic flair, and Tecmo World Wrestling is no exception. The in-game characters are large and fairly well animated, the arena is appealingly gaudy and bright, the story sequences will instantly feel familiar to anyone who has played Ninja Gaiden or Tecmo Super Bowl, sportscaster "Tom Talker" provides nonstop running commentary along the bottom of the screen, and finishing moves are all accompanied by flashy animated cutscenes. Suffice it to say, Tecmo World Wrestling is a good looking NES game. It sounds pretty good, too - the music carries that signature Tecmo sound, and all of it is catchy. I especially loved the Ninja Gaiden-style mix of Fly Me To The Moon that plays for the first few matches.
Tecmo World Wrestling has aged surprisingly well - far better than its WWF-branded contemporaries - and it's a game that's easy to jump into and to have fun with right away, whether you've played it before or not. If you liked Pro Wrestling, you're sure to find a lot to like here, too.
_____________
No cheats were used during the recording of this video.
NintendoComplete (http://www.nintendocomplete.com/) punches you in the face with in-depth reviews, screenshot archives, and music from classic 8-bit NES games!