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Most underrated pro wrestling game of the 00’s?

When people think about some of the most popular pro wrestling games from the 00’s titles such as WWF No Mercy, WWE Smackdown: Here Comes The Pain, WWE Day Of Reckoning 2 and SvR 2006 are all titles that come to mind. In fact, the games just mentioned are among the greatest pro wrestling games ever made depending on who you ask. There are many people who would definitely agree that THQ had produced more memorable pro-wrestling titles in the 00’s than 2K Sports has during a majority of the 10’s decade. While games such as Smackdown: Here Comes The Pain & No Mercy are considered to be legendary Smackdown vs Raw 2007 does not get mentioned in the same light as those two games despite being better terms of overall quality. The graphics for SvR 2007 were incredible and we saw more advanced gameplay than what was included in WWE Here Comes The Pain & SvR 2006. The roster for SvR was deep and included a large list of main event superstars & legends that could be utilized in various game modes including Exhibition & GM Mode. Also, the season mode in SvR 2007. Players were allowed to create their on wrestler and use them in various game modes; including Season Mode which was one of the many strong positives of SvR 2007.

The storylines included in the season mode of SvR 2007 were highly creative and original and added to the overall replay value of the game itself. Players were placed in certain storylines based on what show they were on; and whether or not they world champions within certain parts of the season. The voice acting within the Season Mode of SvR 2007 seemed better than its ‘06 predecessor despite there being minor issues in relation to commentary. The soundtracks in SvR 2007 were also pretty fun to listen to and players had seemingly endless match options to choose from in Exhibition mode including: Royal Rumble, Hell In A Cell, Elimination Chamber, Buried Alive, Parking Lot Brawl and the Money In The Bank ladder match. There were also many unlockable items within SvR 2007 that could be obtained by winning various trophies throughout the game; giving players plenty of things to do after they have gone through season mode multiple times to see various storylines. SvR: 2007 was such a great game because it found a nice balance between arcade-like gameplay and realistic pro-wrestling which is something that is not seen too often nowadays.

SvR 2007 is a game that does not seem to get the type of credit that it deserves and is one that generally flies under the radar as far as best pro wrestling games ever are concerned. The amount of content included in SvR 2007 along with its high replay value, awesome soundtracks and optimal quality in terms of graphics & gameplay makes it an underrated gem in the eyes of many people who are fans of pro wrestling. There are many people would probably agree that the THQ era of pro wrestling games from the 00’s was epic and SvR 2007 along with many others titles from that decade were the reason why. While some feel that SvR 2007 is highly underrated other believe it was one of the best pro wrestling games to come out of that decade overall. While 2K Sports had produced some decent pro wrestling games such as WWE 12, 13, 2K14, 2K16 along with 2K19 there are retro gamers who are still fans of the older THQ titles from the 00’s decade.

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Retro Gaming 00’s- Dr Mario 64: (2001)

When it comes down to slightly underrated games for the N64 one of the few titles that some people might think of is Dr Mario 64 from 2001. As many people know the very first Dr Mario came out back in 1990 for the 8-bit NES and was considered to be a critically acclaimed puzzle game at the time. The original Dr Mario game was ported for multiple game systems throughout the 90’s decade including Game Boy and Super Nintendo. The plot for the original Dr Mario game was basic and involved players utilizing colored capsules to kill viruses which was a pretty interesting concept. The plot for Dr Mario 64 from ‘01 was a bit different and also involved one of Mario’s arch-rivals known as Wario. While Wario attempted to steal multivitamins from Mario he eventually fails and ends up forming an alliance with him to deal with mutual enemies. The main antagonists for Dr Mario 64 included Rudy The Clown and Mad Scienstein who end up being the ones who actually steal the multivitamins; leading to players having to battle multiple foes from the Wario Land 3 game which was pretty interesting.

While Dr Mario 64 was a pretty coolest puzzle game it did not sell an enormous amount of copies following its release mainly due to the year that it was released. Dr Mario 64 came out the same year that the Nintendo GameCube was released which was 2001; by this time people had already lost interest in the N64 and were focusing on the PlayStation 2 which was released back November 2000. Puzzle games like Dr Mario 64 were not too common on the N64 between the ‘96-‘01 time period especially since there was more emphasis on 3D gaming with a few exceptions such as Capcom’s Magical Tetris Challenge from ‘98. Dr Mario 64 has to alternate endings depending on how players completed the game which gave it a higher replay value than the NES Prequel from 90’s which was seen a positive to some critics. If Dr Mario 64 came out a few years earlier than it did somewhere between ‘96-‘98 it college have been a slightly bigger attraction than it was in ‘01.

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Did the Final Fantasy series reach its peak in popularity between the late 90’s-mid 00’s?

The Final Fantasy series is considered to be legendary within the world of gaming and it been around since 1987. Despite, the Final Fantasy series being around since the late 00’s it seems like some of the best games within the entire series did not come until the mid 90’s-mid 00’s time period with the release of titles such as Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VIII , Final Fantasy IX, Final and Fantasy X-X2. While recent games such as Final Fantasy XIV from ‘16 along with Final Fantasy VII: Remake in 2020 being highly successful entries within the series it seems like games such as FFXIII parts 1 & 2 along with XIV did not standout as much between the late 00’s-early 10’s. Its not secret that turn-based RPG’s are not nearly as popular as they once were during the 16-bit era of the 90’s. Also, it seems like action role-playing games are more popular than traditional turn based RPG’s which is the type of gameplay that heavily contributed to the overall appeal of the Final Fantasy series back in the 90’s and early 00’s. The best selling Final Fantasy game ever made was obviously FFVII from ‘97 which sold close to 10 million copies following its release on the PS1.

As far as the PS2 era of gaming is concerned the best selling Final Fantasy game from the 00’s was FFX which reach at least 8.5 million units in sales following its initial release back in 2001. We also had Final Fantasy XII from ‘06 which reached at least 6 million sales ;which was followed by Final Fantasy X-2 from ‘03 which hit roughly over 5 million in sales. The storylines and the characters of the older Final Fantasy games seemed more appealing during a time where turn based RPG’s were increasing in popularity especially since 3D gaming in general was evolving between the mid 90’s-mid 00’s. To say that the Final Fantasy series has reached its peak in popularity is debatable. Many people feel that Square Enix still as more to offer fans of the series aside from high definition remakes of older games within the series. While Square Enix may never produce another Final Fantasy game that will have the level of popularity/success as the likes of FFVII/FFX they can always add more elements to future games within the series that keeps fans interested. Since Square Enix is arguably one of the greatest RPG video game developers of all-time it would not much of a surprise if they eventually develop new games that are popular as some of the older installments within the series during the 90’s and early 00’s.

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Would the MegaMan Zero series have been more successful during the 90’s?

As many people know the MegaMan series is considered to be legendary within the gaming world. The most popular installments within the MegaMan series came between the mid 80’s-mid to late 90’s time period with the release of the first three NES games along with the MMX series which started on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1993. By the time we got to the 00’s decade the 2D side-scrolling run n gun genre of gaming had declined in popularity. However, hardcore fans of the MegaMan series still enjoyed the MegaMan Zero series which began on the Game Boy Advance back in 2002. While the storylines for the MegaMan Zero games from ‘02-‘07 were impressive and had nostalgic 32-bit gameplay there are many who feel that the series was not quite on the same level as the first three or four MegaMan X games from the 90’s. It makes some people wonder how popular the MegaMan Zero series would have been on consoles such as the SNES especially since the first three games within the series shined significantly on the 16-bit console back in the day.

Despite, the Game Boy Advance being a more successful game system than the SNES reaching over 81 million units in sales within nine years; the SNES was a more iconic game system in general which arguably had better 2D graphics and sprites overall. Also, games such as Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire from ‘02-‘03 ended up becoming the main attraction for the Game Boy Advance by reaching over 16 million copies in sales considering how big the series was in general at the time. On top of that we got to see high profile Mario & Zelda titles on the Game Boy Advance during the 00’s along with the beginning of the Sonic Advance series. There is no question that the MegaMan Zero series could have been every bit as popular as the first three or four MMX games during the 90’s especially since 3D gaming was still at a base level before it started to evolve dramatically during the 00’s.

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Retro Gaming 00’s- Crash Nitro Kart: (2003)

One of the few racing games from the early 00’s that was definitely overshadowed within it genre was Crash Nitro Kart. For those do not know Crash Nitro Kart was published by Universal Interactive and developed by Vicarious Visions and appeared on multiple game systems including the PS2, Xbox and GameCube back in the early 00’s. Crash Nitro Kart was considered to be a sequel to the Crash Team Racing game from ‘99 while being the ninth Crash Bandicoot game within the entire series. Crash Nitro Kart contained over 20 playable characters including Crash, Coco and Crunch Bandicoot and introduces a few new characters such as Fake Crash along with N-Trance as well. Crash Nitro Kart also saw the return of Doctor Neo Cortex who was the main villain in the very first Crash Bandicoot game from ‘96. We also saw the return of Nitrous Oxide the main villain from Team Crash Racing in Crash Nitro Kart as a leader of his own group known as “Team Oxide”. The game has a rather interesting plot that saw the main villain Emperor Velo XXVII abduct Crash & Neo-Cortex’s group while forcing them to compete in a racing tournament.

The possibility of Earth’s destruction plays a role in both Crash and Doctor Neo-Cortex’s group agreeing to participated the race with the winning team receiving freedom from the Galactic Emperor Velo XXVII. The story for Crash Nitro Kart has alternate endings depending on which team won which added to the game’s overall replay value. As cool as Crash Team Racing was back in ’99 many would argue the Crash Nitro Kart was a more superior game despite not being on the same level in terms of popularity. Crash Nitro Kart was challenging and the gameplay was highly enjoyable since it felt like Naughty Dog’s version of a 3D Mario Kart game. But unlike many Mario Kart games we have seen in the past Crash Nitro Kart has an actual storyline which in some ways makes it better than some Nintendo’s past racing titles within the Mario series.

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Retro Gaming 00’s- Left 4 Dead 2: (2009)

When we think about memorable first person shooters from the late 00’s one of the few games that instantly comes to mind is Left 4 Dead 2. For those who do not know Left 4 Dead 2 was developed and published by Value Corporation and was released for the Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows back in 2009. The Left 4 Dead series began back in ’08 and the sequel that we got the following year in ’09 was arguably a better title than its predecessor. The plot for the game itself revolves around players trying to defend themselves against hordes and following zombies following the aftermath concerned a deadly pandemic. Left 4 Dead 2 including both single & multiplayer gameplay as players controlled survivors who could utilize melee attacks along with various weapons to stay alive. The replay value involving Left 4 Dead 2 was very high especially since the game included at least five different campaigns. Out of the five Campaigns included in Left 4 Dead 2 many would argue that Dark Carnival & Hard Rain were among the best that the game had to offer. The mini-games included in Dark Carnival along with the environmental obstacles included in Hard Rain seemingly stood out the most out of the five campaigns that were included in Left 4 Dead 2.

Ever since, its release Left 4 Dead 2 has been praised by critics and various gaming entities as being one of the best video games that Valve Corporation as ever made. Despite, the technical issues that players may of had with Left 4 Dead 2 regarding multiplayer online gameplay it was still a well polished first-person shooter game that rivaled the likes of Wolfenstein and Fallout 3 in terms of popularity. Left 4 Dead 2 was seemed every bit as good as its predecessor and managed to reach at least four million Cop in sales before the end of 2009. While Left 4 Dead 2 was enjoyable on the Xbox 360 it seemed more addictive to PC gamers during a time period were online gaming was starting to increase in popularity. In fact, the first person shooter and survival horror genres of gaming were beginning to become more mainstream as it related to 3D gaming between the late 00’s and the 10’s decade. Left 4 Dead 2 was huge attraction back in ’09 and its a game that would probably hold up well in year 2020 if it were remastered in high definition for a current generation console.

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Retro Gaming 00’s- Need For Speed: Underground (2003)

When it comes down to high profile racing games from the early 00’s it’s almost impossible to have a conversation about that topic without discussing Need For Speed: Underground from 2003. Need For Speed: Underground was developed by EA Black Box and published by EA Games and was released for multiple systems including PlayStation 2, GameCube and Xbox and was considered to be one of the best racing video games of ’03. Need For Speed: Underground has a variety of offline game modes including Drifting, Circuit, Knockout, Sprint along with Drag Racing which added to its overall replay value. The car customization mechanic was also something that was praised by many fans and critics as well. While Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 from ’02 was praised by critics NFS: Underground had more game modes opposed to players simply trying to evade the police which made for a worthy successor. However, despite how popular Need For Speed: Underground became many would argue that its sequel NFS: Underground 2 was the best entry in the series as it pertains to the 00’s. Need For Speed: Underground was one of the few high profile racing games that stood out within the 00’s decade along with the likes of Race Driver: Grid, Project Gotham and Forza Motorsport all can with Midnight Club II & III.

The visuals for Need For Speed: Underground looked good for its time and the gameplay seemed balanced especially since a player’s performance depended on how they customized their cars prior to races. Even though, Need For Speed: Underground came out in ’03 some might argue that the game deserved to be remastered between the late 00’s-early 10’s time period for either the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360; seeing how popular the series had become especially during the mid 00’s onwards. Need For Speed: Underground was not quite as popular as NFS: Most Wanted from ’05 but then again it was the first installment within the series to include a storyline within its Career Mode which was groundbreaking at the time. There were stages in the game that looked very impressive considering the fact that they mirrored real-life cities such as: New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco in terms of looks. Need For Speed: Underground was a memorable racing classic from the 00’s; despite not being the most popular game within the series it was still highly successful reaching at least 7 million in sales by ’04.

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Would KOF: Maximum Impact 2 be considered underrated?

When many people think about some of the most iconic games to have come from the KOF series some of the installments from the 90’s come to mind. In fact, KOF ’98 was arguably the greatest fighting game that SNK made and was probably one of the best 2D arcade fighting titles of all-time. While SNK’s games within the KOF series has improved visually as time progressed many gamers are only aware of the 2D installments from the 90’s, 00’s and the 10’s decade. Following the release of KOF ’98 we got to see critically acclaimed 2D entries such as King Of Fighters XI-XIV between ’05-’16. However, the 3D KOF games do not get mentioned nearly as much as the 2D installments; which is understandable considering the fact that the series began in 2D towards the mid 90’s. After KOF Maximum Impact 2 was released in ’06 there were casual gamers who may have been impressed with features such as 3D gameplay along with character voice overs during story mode cutscenes. The gameplay for KOF: Maximum Impact 2 felt similar to that of a Soul Caliber which was cool considering how popular the Soul series has become during the 00’s.

King Of Fighters: Maximum Impact 2 looked and felt way different from many other installments within series; similar to how the Street Fighter EX did from every other 2D SF title from the 90’s. While some fans thought that making a 3D KOF game with voice acting was a step in the right direction others felt that titles such as Maximum Impact 2 deviated away from what made the series popular during the 90’s. For a 3D fighting game KOF: Maximum Impact 2 looked pretty decent by mid 00’s standards and would probably turn heads within the gaming world it was remastered in high definition. However, the demand to see a remastered version of KOF: Maximum Impact 2 is not very high especially since there are much better games within the series that the public adore even more.

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Retro Gaming 00’s- Metal Slug 3: (2000)

As many people know the 2D run and gun genre of gaming was popular mainly during the 90’s with games such as GunStar Heroes, Mega Man X, Contra III: Alien Wars, Sunset Riders and many others. It should also be noted that 90’s was the same decade the Metal Slug series began when SNK developed the very first game back in ’96 for the Neo Geo Arcade System. By the time we got to the mid 90’s the 2D run and gun genre of gaming was starting to decline in popularity; but despite the growing popularity of 3D from the mid 90’s onwards the Metal Slug series was still appealing to many casual gamers along with hardcore fans of the run and gun genre. Despite, the very first Metal Slug game coming out in ’96 a majority of gamers would argue that the best installment within the series came towards the start of the new millennium. Metal Slug 3 from ’00 was initially developed and published by SNK had received an arcade release that same year before appearing on the Neo Geo AES worldwide. Following its Neo Geo release Metal Slug 3 appeared on the PS2 in ’03 before coming to Xbox during 2004.

Metal Slug 3 is quite possibly one of the best run and gun video games of all-time as pertained to gameplay. In Metal Slug 3 players had the opportunity to utilize various assault vehicles throughout different levels of the game including a Slug Mariners, Ostrich Slugs, Elephant Slugs, Astro Slugs and others. Players were also allowed to engage in melee combat through actions kicking or utilizing a knife to destroy their opponents who were also skilled combat as well. As players plow through various enemies within each level of the game they have the ability to obtain numerous upgrades to their weapons before confronting a boss at the end of each stage. One of the most interesting features about Metal Slug 3 was its branching path system; players could take multiple paths in order to complete each level and included different sets of challenges depending on which route they took. The action within Metal Slug 3 was nonstop and saw players complete missions underwater, in the air and even in space as they gained access to various equipment that would allow them to do so. One of the more realistic elements of Metal Slug 3 is for players to become zombies after being infected by toxic chemicals which had an adverse effect their character’s movements. Becoming infected by toxic chemicals in the zombie state lead to death and made players think more strategically while trying to complete various levels within Metal Slug 3. Despite, not doing too great in sales the early 00’s was a time period where 2D gaming along with the run and gun genre were no longer mainstream; first and third person shooter games had become increasingly popular throughout the 00’s decade. If Metal Slug 3 were released anytime between the early to mid 90’s there is no question that the game would of became far more successful than it did in ’00.

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Retro Gaming 00’s- Gradius V: (2004)

When we think about popular Konami games that came out between the 90’s-early 00’s titles such as Contra III: Alien Wars, Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night, Dance Dance Revolution and others. It seems like most of Konami’s best video games came out during the 99’s which is a statement that many would agree is accurate. However, in the early 00’s we did get to see some cool games that Konami was involved with such as: Silent Hill 2 and Gradius V which were titles that both appeared on the PS2. Gradius V was considered to be the sequel to Gradius IV which was an arcade exclusive in Japan following its release in February 1999. As people know the Gradius series started back in 1985 back when the scrolling shooter of genre was more popular. The side-scrolling shooter genre started to decline in popularity around the mid 90’s onwards and it a bit surprising that Gradius games were still being made between the late 90’s-early 00’s. Gradius V was an arcade line shooter with optimal visuals that allowed both single and multiplayer gameplay. Throughout, the game power-ups can be acquired through destroying enemies in game modes such as Score Attack.

The Weapon’s Array Screen allowed players to choose what type of power-ups they could utilize throughout different levels; players also had the option of customizing the Vic Viper ship using various different weapon combinations which made Gradius V intriguing. As far as sales were concerned Gradius V obviously did not do too well since the scrolling shooter genre of gaming had declined in popularity by the early 00’s. If Gradius V were released a few years earlier sometime around the mid 90’s between the ’94-’97 Time period it could have possibly of been a much bigger attraction than it was on the PS2. As a side scrolling intergalactic shooter game Gradius V was praised by various gaming publications including GamePro & IGN and was seen as game that looked like it belonged in the 90’s decade