Newsletter 26

Hello and welcome to the WGU newsletter #25!

In this issue
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1) Are we too late?
2) FAQ
3) Specialty Matches
4) More investors?

1)Are we too late?
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That thought crossed my mind recently after spending some time with a certain wrestling game that was sent to me by a WGU fan who has since become a good friend. The WGU was started because I honestly believed that the perfect wrestling game was nowhere to be found. Sure, No Mercy and Fire Pro D we're each 99.9% flawless but I've been playing this game for a few months now and I've come to a serious conclusion.

I was wrong.

Virtual Pro Wrestling 2 for N64 is a perfect wrestling game. Some of you may have already experienced VPW2 and are no doubt nodding your head in agreement. For those of you who have never heard of the game let me clue you in to what you're missing.

VPW2 was released in Japan by AKI, the same company that gave THQ the gifts of No Mercy and Wrestlemania 2000 and it's been described by some as cross between those two games. It lacks the special matches of No Mercy and is without any of it's "Superstars". So what makes VPW2 so special?

For starters, we've all been crying for a company to put gameplay first and flashy bells and whistles second. AKI did this with VPW2. Gone are the ladder matches and entrance videos but in their place is wrestling gamer heaven! Did you like the No Mercy engine and wish THQ had simply improved it for it's GameCube games? Well that's what AKI did with VPW2. From a strictly gameplay point of view No Mercy is a lesser game. Don't get me wrong, I was surgically attached to No Mercy for months. But the game engine in VPW2 outshines even the great No Mercy. Here are four reasons why:

1) Not one but TWO front and back specials!
2) The combo system from Revenge.
3) NO slowdown during tag matches.
4) A second almost separate "shootfighting" game engine.

Not to mention the best CAW of any of the AKI titles, tons of moves not in No Mercy, a fantastic mask editor, and a real career mode.

But copies of VPW2 are getting harder and harder to find. One day they'll only be available on Ebay for ridiculous amounts of money. My advice to anyone who thought No Mercy was great and was disappointed with WMX8's gameplay and CAW is to order VPW2 as soon as you can. It's the best investment a wrestling gamer can make. You can still buy them new from some online importers (I got mine from JapanVideoGames.com with great service) and I guarantee if you don't buy a copy you'll be kicking yourself a few years from now when they fade away. You may think it's odd that a guy trying to sell his future game to you is begging you to go buy someone else's product but I just can't help but share my excitement for what I feel is AKI's crowning achievement.

That being said, I still believe the WGU crew can improve on perfection.

One thing my experience with VPW2 has done is open my eyes even wider to the truths and realities of the THQ mandate. I'm not confident I have the writing ability or vocabulary to adequately express my views so I'll try to rope Mel into speaking for me in an upcoming rant.

2) FAQ
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Oh boy. Have I got my work cut out for me. When fans got wind of the Pro Wrestling X project my inbox got killed with a spazillion questions about the game. I'm going to abandon the weekly question format and write up a nice fat FAQ instead. Look for it later tonight on the site.

3) Specialty Matches
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You now have another chance to have your voice heard and get some real input on Pro Wrestling X. A recent poll at the Official Unofficial WGU message board asks, "What gimmick match would you most like to see in PWX?"

Ladder
Table
Hardcore
Flaming Midget
etc...

Check out the link below and tell us what you want!

http://pub25.ezboard.com/flilcubeswrestlingringfrm11.showMessage?topicID=58.topic

4) More investors?
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Two WGU crew members have earned a special place in my heart by getting the attention of two potential major new investors. We've been burned before but you just never know. Keep your fingers crossed!

In the meantime and in between time, that's it. Another edition of Wrestling Gamers United.