I was in GameStop earlier this afternoon to pick up NBA 2K17. While I was in there, I saw a poster promoting the upcoming release of WWE 2K17. Brock Lesnar was prominently featured on the poster. I haven’t played a wrestling video game since the early 2000s. Seeing the poster did remind me of the best one I ever played though. That brings me to this week’s moment in the Flashback Friday series: the WWF Attitude video game.
How I first came across this moment? In the Summer of 1999, I started seeing promos for the WWF Attitude video game on WWF Raw and WWF Shotgun Saturday Night. The reviews online hyped it up as a much better version of WWF War Zone, which I had purchased a year before. I ended up purchasing the game in November 1999, after working a couple of UAB games and the Magic City Classic at Legion Field.
What it meant to me then? In the moment, I was actually very much thrilled by the game. It was far better than War Zone. It had more wrestlers, more match types, and blood. I loved the Create-a-PPV mode. I set up my own events and just simulated them. My friends and I would play the Best 2 of 3 falls and First Blood matches. They were very intense. I loved the grappling technology and the execution of basic maneuvers but one of my biggest takeaways from the game was that there was actually profanity in it. I distinctly remember Jacqueline yelling out “b****” during a match.
What it means to me now? I rocked with Attitude until the Fall of 2000, when I acquired WWF SmackDown!, which happens to be the last wrestling video game I’ve played. It was a little bit better than its predecessor but I’ll remember Attitude more because it may very well be the most impactful wrestling video game I’ve ever played…and that includes WCW/nWo Revenge.
