NES Player - Sumo Wrestling NES Review

Famicom
2 Player
Sports

You are a sumo wrestler trying to become the Yokozuna, the highest ranking you can attain in the martial art. It will give great prestiege and popularity will follow if you accomplish this feat. Will you become the greatest sumo wrestler or just be a jobber and be kicked around?

Plot: This game is very simple to understand. The idea of sumo wrestling is to throw your opponent out of the ring or have his knees touch the ground. You fight 15 opponents simulating a real sumo tournament and increase your rank the more matches you win. I haven't played through this game, but from knowledge of the sport, you have to be undefeated in two straight tournaments to become Yokozuna (15 wins twice consectutively).

Sound: There are a few select songs that you listen to, but they are enjoyable at least. Nothing special, but not a big annoyance. Losing a match sounds just painful!

Graphics: The graphics are excellent for a game made in 1987. The characters are nicely drawn and watching a fat guy jumping and flying 100 feet in the air has to make you laugh.

Challenge: I don't really think of this as a hard game. There isn't really a strategy to winning other than being patient because your character has to power up. Don't expect to get anywhere after your first tournament b/c the top guys will annhilate you within a matter of seconds. The idea is just to play through the game for a long time to gain experienceand "weight" (I'm guessing when that guy eats more and more rice), to gain stamina.

Gameplay: Seems like I am forced to give this game a high rating because there isn't much to do except for mashing buttons. With every push, your wrestler does follow so there's nothing to gripe about. If you get beat, it's probably just that your hands or lazy or you were overpowered before the match started.

......BOTTOM LINE: You are bound to beat this game eventually if you spend enough time on it. I think the game is real repetitive so it gets boring after a while. The game does have a 2 player option, so why don't you challenge a friend to battle? Overall, nicely done game, but due to differences in culture, it wouldn't have been popular.

-LordJD