Top 10 WWE games

WWEs latest contribution to the gaming world, WWE 2K14 will have tough task in matching the expectations laid down by the previous top 10 WWE games listed down by us. WWE 2K14has been a worldwide success in the span of the last few months. Many of the critics have come out and said that the game is one of the best that was ever released from by WWE. Thats a statement worth exploring since the company has a knack for delivering some top WWEgames. Most of the games released in the past might not match up to the latest version in terms of graphics or game mechanics, but most of them had that essence which every fan and gamer wanted. WWE have made more than 50 games in their pursuit to recreate the viewing experience in the gaming world while some 20 more titles add to the list from the banks of WCW and ECW.Latest never is the greatest in a gamers book, so lets take a look at top 10 WWEgameswhich could give 2K14 a run for its money despite having many limitations.

#1 Honorable Mentions

SmackDown Know Your Place

WrestleMania X8

WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2010

#2 WWE Day Of Reckoning 2

WWE Day of Reckoning came out in 2005 and was the last wrestling game under the GameCube. A vastly improved graphics system and a feature of letting the player choose many paths in the storyline were its most notable highlights.

The four move submission set was another notable feature as it had Taunt, Rest, Drain and Regular moves each with a specific damage inflicted.

Steve Austin was depicted as a legend for the first time as well which proved to be a repetition in the ones that followed.

#3 WWE 12

A strategic game from the bank of THQ, WWE 12 had a system which had a move set based on the opponent’s state instead of set based on people’s strength.

It was the fourteenth game in the THQ series and also the first to be under the WWE tag. Disruption of finishing moves and preventing Royal Rumble eliminations were added to this game along with the ability to have more than one finishing move.

The Road to WrestleMania also was featured for the last time as later it was replaced.

#4 WWE Raw 2

It was released in 2003 exclusively for Xbox and featured the lights of almost every big name from the era.

Raw 2 also had some historical significance as well since it was the first WWE game to introduce the storyline gaming. Though the storyline lacked dimension and the only aim was to win the World Heavyweight championship, it was something new back then.

Another feature was that the players could edit the WWE superstars meaning you could dress up the lights of Hulk Hogan and Undertaker like a ten year old girl.

#5 WWE Legends of WrestleMania

A pure legend based game; it had a great list of superstar list which had the lights of many Hall of Famers. Legends of WrestleMania were released in 2009 to mark the 25th edition of WrestleMania and went on to become a success due to the arcade style and combo system.

Moves in the game were aided by a HUD bar which showed health and a number. The increase in number was the player’s queue and by increasing it the gamer could end the match with his finishing move.

#6 WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011

Mostly known for its improved Physical engine this game was released in 2010. Steel cage matches and TLC matches were made more realistic thanks to the new engine as the players was able to interact with the chairs and ladders in more interactive way.

In another Hardcore move, the Hell in a cell match expanded, allowing the players to get the weapons under the ring and get more violent in the ring.

WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011 was the last from the versus series as well and it was a good move to be precise to remove that versus tag.

#7 WWF War Zone

Released in 1998, WWF War Zone was the first wrestling game to feature 3D game play. The actions and graphics for the game were actually motion captured which made it more realistic during that time.

It also came with the legendry voice of Jim Ross and none other than Vince McMahon himself in commentary.

One of the most notable feature of the game was a momentum system which built up when the player performed his various moves. It also was the first game to have a create a wrestler option, thus War Zone has a lot of historical significance and influence on the bigger games which followed.

#8 WWE SmackDown Shut Your mouth

It was the first game under THQ which had superstars from both brands following the draft picks. The superstars included names from WCW and ECW as it was the time when Vince McMahon bought both the companies after they went bankrupt.

Wrestlers like Randy Orton and Brock Lesnar also made their first appearance in this game which also had Hulk Hogan, Rob Van Dam, Diamond Dallas Page, Torrie Wilson and many more.

Released in 2002, Shut your mouth was also the first game to be released under WWE’s new guise.

#9 WWF No Mercy

Arguably the most well received wrestling game by fans and critics alike, WWF No Mercy was the last WWE game to feature in the N64 console. It had an extensive storyline compare to its previous versions.

The players had the luxury of taking up legendary feud like the one with Triple H and Mankind, Stone Cold and Rock, and many more from the early days of Attitude Era.

It was released in 2000, it also allowed the wrestlers to defend their titles in exhibition mode which didn’t happen in the future games.

#10 WWE SmackDown Here Comes The Pain

The last SmackDown game in the WWE game series, it was also the first to feature wrestlers like John Cena, Batista and Rey Mysterio.

Here come the pain was the first SmackDown game not to be associated with a Rock catchphrase. Succeeded by the “versus” series, it also had Steve Austin and Rock as SmackDown superstars for the last time.

Along with this it holds some historical significance as Undertaker was seen dropping his biker gimmick while Kane was without his mask.

But apart from all these one of the most exciting moments from the game was the player climbing the top of Times Square and chokeslaming his opponent to the limo parked below.

#11 WWE 13

The last installment before the 2K series, WWE 13 was groundbreaking on various aspects. It took away the Road to WrestleMania mode and replaced it with the Attitude Era mode in which players were able to play out some major Storylines from the Era.

It bought back the predator technology system and had a new WWE Live audio system which took the realism to a new level.

Last game published by THQ before the company’s demise, It was well received by everyone and also got nominated for the Spike Video Game Award for Best Individual Sports Game.