is a licensed

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

Yuke's Yuke's Co. Ltd. is a Japanese video game developer based in Osaka. It was established on 26 February 1993 by Yukinori Taniguchi. The company is best known for developing the '' WWE'' video game series, based on the professional wrestling promo ...

, released in Japan for the

Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generati ...

and PlayStation 2. The game combines the top stars of

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Puroresu, Japanese professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, the promotion was sold to Yuke's, who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012. TV ...

All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW/AJP) or simply All Japan is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established on October 21, 1972 when Giant Baba split away from the Japanese Wrestling Association and created his own promotion. Many wrestlers had left with Baba ...

Pro Wrestling Noah (stylised as Pro Wrestling NOAH) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2000 by former All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) ace Mitsuharu Misawa after he had led a mass exodus in which 24 of AJPW's 26 contracted wrestlers left the ...

, and freelancers. The Xbox 360 version of the game was temporarily recalled in Japan due to it not saving properly to the system's hard drive. A release event planned for the following two days after its release was cancelled. A sequel, ''

Wrestle Kingdom 2 is a professional wrestling video game for the PlayStation 2. It is the sequel to Yuke's ''Wrestle Kingdom''. There are three different game modes as well as a create a wrestler option and a variety of unlockables. ''Wrestle Kingdom 2'' featu ...

'', was released in May 2007.

Gameplay

''Wrestle Kingdom'' uses a modified engine seen in previous Yuke's games, the ''

WWE Day of Reckoning ''WWE Day of Reckoning'' is a professional wrestling video game released for the GameCube console in 2004. The game is based on World Wrestling Entertainment and many of the wrestlers who were on the WWE roster at the time of release were includ ...

'' series. While not as simulation-based as its Japanese contemporaries, it is also not as frantic and arcade-like as its American counterparts. ''Wrestle Kingdom'' has the basic wrestling video game matches, including singles, tag teams, triple threats, fatal four ways, and battle royals. No specialty matches are featured. The defining mode in ''Wrestle Kingdom'' is the Drama mode. In this mode, players must create a wrestler and train under one of the top stars from each promotion. As they go, they must train to improve their stats. This is the only way to unlock more moves. Towards the end, the player will pick from a list of promotional titles or tournaments, such as the

G1 Climax The is a professional wrestling tournament held each August by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. Though it has sometimes been held as a single-elimination tournament, it is usually (and currently) held as a round-robin, with winners ...

. Depending on which the player selects, they can unlock certain wrestlers and unlock their trainer's move set.

Roster

The game's roster features wrestlers from the top three Japanese promotions -

and

- as well as freelancers and legends. Brock Lesnar and

Giant Bernard Matthew Jason Bloom (born November 14, 1972) is an American retired professional wrestler and professional football player. He is currently signed to WWE, where he is the head trainer at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. Bloom ...

are exclusive to the PlayStation 2 version of the game. Conversely,

Kazuyuki Fujita is a Japanese professional wrestler, mixed martial artist and a former amateur wrestler, currently signed to Pro Wrestling Noah, where he is a one-time GHC Heavyweight Champion. He has most recently fought in Road FC, but is also known for hi ...

is an exclusive to the

version.

Reception

''Wrestle Kingdom'' received generally positive reviews. Alfred Alfonso, writing for American website

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

, enjoyed the PS2 version of the game, praising the Drama mode and graphics, but criticized the length of the loading times.

Release

The game was never released outside of Japan.

References

External links