For an eternity, it seemed like the PC was beneath the notice of pro wrestling, and only recently have we started to see WWE licensed games make their way to the platform. There’s one wrestling developer who has kept the faith for several years, carving themselves out a nice little niche in the PC market by virtue of being the only game in town. Grey Dog Software’s long-running Total Extreme Wrestling franchise is a collection of text database simulators where the player gets to run their own wrestling company. Forget shouting at the television claiming you can do a better job than Vince McMahon, here’s your chance to prove it now that Total Extreme Wrestling 2016 has officially released!
Leading a company to the top of the industry won’t be easy, as juggling the demands of TV broadcasters, dealing with unruly stars, and waging war on other wrestling companies are but a few of the challenges lying in wait. In Total Extreme Wrestling 2016, the player has the option to change the complexity of the game to suit the level of interaction they desire. The game also boasts over 500 new features & improvements, many of them based on fan feedback. More information can be found at the Developer’s Journal where creator Adam Ryland discusses various additions. I've taken the liberty of picking out a few tidbits.
Wrestler's Court: To reflect reality, locker rooms can now have their own 'wrestler's court'. Essentially a self-policing method, a locker room leader acts as judge and can sentence workers who commit minor offences to punishments. This helps improve the personalities of some workers. The user has no say in the wrestler's court, it is something handled independently by 'the boys', but just adds more realism.
Screw Jobs: The user can now choose to perform a 'screw job' on one of his employees via the road agent notes. This involves hatching a plan with his opponent whereby the victim believes he is going to be winning the match, only for you to either have a fast count or 'false' submission happen to make him lose. This risky last resort allows the user to indulge his inner villain and can be useful for taking a belt off someone who doesn't want to do a job...but it may not go down so well with the rest of the locker room.
Dirty Doctor: Added to the backstage rules, companies can now employ a 'dirty doctor'. This morally ambivalent medico will be on hand backstage and will hand out illegal drugs to whichever workers want them. The spread of steroids has benefits for workers, including better looking bodies and the ability to heal quicker, so it can benefit a company to allow the dirty doctor backstage. However, there is the risk that his work will get rumbled by the media, leading to a potentially huge backlash - particularly if a wrestler who works for the company (or recently did) gets busted for drugs, or worse, ends up dying as a result of them.
MMA Hiatus: Workers can now be set as MMA fighters and will take an occasional hiatus to train and fight. Their success of failure can impact their popularity.
Wrestling fans will notice all of this is reported to have genuinely happened in the wrestling business at some point. The Total Extreme Wrestling series puts a strong emphasis on realism and this latest iteration is determined to expand further on that like never before. Total Extreme Wrestling 2016 is available for digital download exclusively at Grey Dog Software and has a demo that runs for 2 months of game time.
