Saturday Night Slam Masters
Encyclopedia
Saturday Night Slam Masters, known in Japan
as , is a 1993
pro wrestling
arcade game
released for the CP System by Capcom
. The game features character designs by manga artist
Tetsuo Hara
, famous for Fist of the North Star
.
The game was followed by an updated version titled Muscle Bomber Duo in 1993, and a sequel called Ring of Destruction: Slam Masters II in 1994
.
Each character has two special attacks: a non-grappling technique and a finisher. When an opponent's life meter is depleted, he must either be pinned for a three-count or forced to submit. Defeating all of the other wrestlers results in winning the championship belt, which must then be defended against the entire roster.
There are two game modes: Single Match, where the player fights in a series one-on-one matches against the CPU; and Team Battle Royale, where the player and another partner (controlled by another player or by the CPU) competes in a series of two-on-two matches. The game can be played by up to four players.
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A Japanese wrestler who dresses with a kabuki
-like theme. He is apparently a rival of El Stingray.
A huge English
wrestler who uses both his size and strength to intimidate his opponents. His backstory explains that he was once a tag team partner to Birdie of the Street Fighter series.
A Mexican luchador who amazes the crowds with his high-flying speed and techniques. He's based upon the Mexican wrestler Lizmark
, who is very popular in Japan.
An Australian wrestler who has a merciless attitude in the ring. He resembles real-life wrestler Big Van Vader.
A wild jungle-like man who acts like a beast in combat. He is always accompanied by his pet monkey, Freak, who happens to be his "manager".
A sadistic wrestler who enjoys making his opponents bleed in his time. He is the right-hand man of the Scorpion.
, Sega Genesis
and FM Towns Marty
. The SNES version retains the Team Battle Royale mode (which can be played with the multitap
for up to four players), while the Genesis version replaces it with an exclusive Death Match mode. The Genesis version is also the only version of the game that allows the player to select The Scorpion and Jumbo for the Single Battle mode. In contrast to the arcade version, which only used Tetsuo Hara's artwork for promotional illustrations, the console versions of Slam Masters for the SNES and Genesis uses Haras actual artwork in the game.
Although the players can choose and pick their team as they please, there are five "official" combinations that the game will recognize and give a name to. The official tag teams are as follows:
(similar to Street Fighter II
), with the action restricted to one plane. The game's configuration was changed to a five-button setup (two punch buttons, two kick buttons and a grappling button). The objective of each match is to deplete the opponent's life bar in two out of three rounds. It is no longer necessary for the player to pin their opponent to win a match, although all the other moves have been retained.
All ten characters from the original Slam Masters returned, along with four new selectable characters: - A legendary champion wrestler who vanished from the ring for years and has come out of retirement. Ortega was the wrestler who appeared in the original game's opening intro. His special move is the backdrop. - A supernatural-themed wrestler from New Delhi, India. His special move is the guillotine drop. - A military-themed wrestler from Calgary, Canada who attacks with dangerous weapons. - A fully costumed wrestler from Hanover, Germany with a spider-motif. Widow's ending reveals that she's actually a female wrestler in disguise. Her special move is the Frankensteiner.
animated series episode "New Kind of Evil", Mike Haggar appears in a fight against Blanka
, and the human forms of the three guys who become monsters resemble that of Gunloc, The Great Oni, and Jumbo Flapjack.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
as , is a 1993
1993 in video gaming
-Events:*March — In Sweden, the Swedish video game magazine Super PLAY starts. The original name is Super Power.*Midway Games embroiled in controversy for its game Mortal Kombat from 1992 when the game is launched for video game consoles in 1993....
pro wrestling
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
arcade game
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
released for the CP System by Capcom
Capcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
. The game features character designs by manga artist
Mangaka
is the Japanese word for a comic artist or cartoonist. Outside of Japan, manga usually refers to a Japanese comic book and mangaka refers to the author of the manga, who is usually Japanese...
Tetsuo Hara
Tetsuo Hara
is a Japanese manga artist famous for drawing the series Fist of the North Star , which he co-authored with Buronson...
, famous for Fist of the North Star
Fist of the North Star
is a Japanese manga series written by Buronson and drawn by Tetsuo Hara that was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1983 to 1988, spanning 245 chapters, which were initially collected in a 27-volume tankōbon edition by Shueisha...
.
The game was followed by an updated version titled Muscle Bomber Duo in 1993, and a sequel called Ring of Destruction: Slam Masters II in 1994
1994 in video gaming
-Events:*Nintendo calls this year "1994: The Year of the Cartridge".*Nintendo Australia Pty. Ltd, the Australian subsidiary of Nintendo Co., Ltd is established and opened by Hiroshi Yamauchi and effectively ends Mattel Australia's distribution of Nintendo's products throughout Australia.*"Project...
.
Gameplay
The original Slam Masters plays like a traditional wrestling game, only the game used a view similar to that commonly used in the fighting game genre. The game uses a three button configuration (grab, attack, and jump).Each character has two special attacks: a non-grappling technique and a finisher. When an opponent's life meter is depleted, he must either be pinned for a three-count or forced to submit. Defeating all of the other wrestlers results in winning the championship belt, which must then be defended against the entire roster.
There are two game modes: Single Match, where the player fights in a series one-on-one matches against the CPU; and Team Battle Royale, where the player and another partner (controlled by another player or by the CPU) competes in a series of two-on-two matches. The game can be played by up to four players.
Characters
The game features a playable roster of ten wrestlers. Only eight of the wrestlers are selectable in the Single Match mode. The remaining two: Jumbo and Scorpion, are non-playable boss characters in Single Match and selectable only in Team Battle Royale. In the English localization, Capcom changed the names of all the characters and modified much of the backstory. The English names are used in this article, followed by the original Japanese names (when they differ) in parentheses.- The main protagonist of the series. In the Japanese version of the game, Zalazof is a Russian wrestler who trained under Haggar alongside his rival, Gunloc. No such character connection is established in the English version, although Biff makes a reference to "Comrade ZangiefZangiefis a fictional character in the Street Fighter series of video games. Created by Akira Yasuda for Capcom, Zangief first appeared in Street Fighter II, later appearing in other games, media, and promotions related to the Street Fighter franchise...
" in his losing quote. Alex From Street Fighter IIIStreet Fighter IIIis a fighting game in Capcom's Street Fighter series, originally released as coin-operated arcade game in . Street Fighter III was produced for the CD-ROM-based CP System III hardware, which allowed for more elaborate 2D graphics than the CPS II-based Street Fighter Alpha games , while revamping...
bears a strong resemblance to Biff.
- In the Japanese version of the game, Colt is another apprentice of Haggar and Zalazof's rival, explaining the similar fighting styles. The English version implies that Gunloc is a relative of GuileGuile (Street Fighter)is a fictional character in Capcom's Street Fighter series of fighting games.-Street Fighter series:Guile made his first appearance in Street Fighter II as one of the eight selectable characters featured in the first release of the game...
(from Street Fighter II), a character relation that was mentioned again in the Street Fighter: The MovieStreet Fighter: The Movie (arcade game)Street Fighter: The Movie is a head-to-head fighting game released as a coin-operated arcade game. The game is based on the 1994 live-action Street Fighter movie and uses digitized images of the films cast posing as the characters in the game...
arcade game where it is revealed that Gunloc is Guile's brother.
A Japanese wrestler who dresses with a kabuki
Kabuki
is classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.The individual kanji characters, from left to right, mean sing , dance , and skill...
-like theme. He is apparently a rival of El Stingray.
A huge English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
wrestler who uses both his size and strength to intimidate his opponents. His backstory explains that he was once a tag team partner to Birdie of the Street Fighter series.
A Mexican luchador who amazes the crowds with his high-flying speed and techniques. He's based upon the Mexican wrestler Lizmark
Lizmark
Lizmark is a Mexican Luchador enmascarado, or masked professional wrestler. His ring name is taken from the German battleship Bismarck. He is a multiple-time champion, having held singles and tag team championships in both Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre / Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre and...
, who is very popular in Japan.
- Originally one of the main characters from Final FightFinal Fightis a side-scrolling beat-'em-up game originally released by Capcom as a coin-operated video game in . It was the seventh game released by Capcom for their CP System arcade game hardware...
. The Japanese version establishes that Haggar's appearance in this game takes place before being elected as the new Mayor in Final Fight. However, the English version refers to Haggar as the "former Mayor of Metro City". His daughter, Jessica (also from Final Fight), sometimes climbs to the ring to celebrate with him when he wins a match.
An Australian wrestler who has a merciless attitude in the ring. He resembles real-life wrestler Big Van Vader.
A wild jungle-like man who acts like a beast in combat. He is always accompanied by his pet monkey, Freak, who happens to be his "manager".
A sadistic wrestler who enjoys making his opponents bleed in his time. He is the right-hand man of the Scorpion.
- The game's final boss and antagonist of the series. The appearance of this character was inspired by the legendary "luchador" TinieblasTinieblasManuel Leal , better known as Tinieblas , is a Mexican luchador.-Professional wrestling career:Tinieblas began as a body builder and stunt man who was spotted by luchadores Black Shadow and Dory Dixon. Impressed by Leal's physique they convinced him to begin a career as a "luchador"...
, one of the first MexicanMexican peopleMexican people refers to all persons from Mexico, a multiethnic country in North America, and/or who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity....
wrestlers to tour Japan in 1974.
Ports
The original Slam Masters was ported to the Super Nintendo Entertainment SystemSuper Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
, Sega Genesis
Sega Mega Drive
The Sega Genesis is a fourth-generation video game console developed and produced by Sega. It was originally released in Japan in 1988 as , then in North America in 1989 as Sega Genesis, and in Europe, Australia and other PAL regions in 1990 as Mega Drive. The reason for the two names is that...
and FM Towns Marty
FM Towns Marty
The FM Towns Marty was a fifth-generation video game console released in 1993 by Fujitsu, exclusively for the Japanese market. It was the first 32-bit home video game system, and came complete with a built in CD-ROM drive and disk drive. It was based on the earlier FM Towns computer system Fujitsu...
. The SNES version retains the Team Battle Royale mode (which can be played with the multitap
Multitap
A multitap is a video game console peripheral that increases the number of controller ports available to the player, allowing additional controllers to be used in play...
for up to four players), while the Genesis version replaces it with an exclusive Death Match mode. The Genesis version is also the only version of the game that allows the player to select The Scorpion and Jumbo for the Single Battle mode. In contrast to the arcade version, which only used Tetsuo Hara's artwork for promotional illustrations, the console versions of Slam Masters for the SNES and Genesis uses Haras actual artwork in the game.
Muscle Bomber Duo
Muscle Bomber Duo - Ultimate Team Battle, released in Japan as Muscle Bomber Duo - Heat Up Warriors, is an updated version of the original Slam Masters which eliminates the Single Match mode from the original game, focusing solely on the two-on-two Team Battle mode. The same character can now be chosen by more than one player and each wrestler now has two additional special moves: a dual side attack and a vacuum move. Duo is the only game in the series to retain the Muscle Bomber title for its international releases.Although the players can choose and pick their team as they please, there are five "official" combinations that the game will recognize and give a name to. The official tag teams are as follows:
- Hyper Cannons (Biff and Gunloc)
- Exotic Warriors (Rasta and Oni)
- Deadly Brothers (Titan and Stingray)
- Knuckle Busters (Haggar and Grater)
- Silent Assassins (Scorpion and Jumbo)
Ring of Destruction
Ring of Destruction - Slam Masters II, released in Japan as Super Muscle Bomber - The International Blowout, is a sequel to Slam Masters released exclusively for the arcades as a CPS-2 game. The game's format was changed to play like a traditional one-on-one 2D fighting gameFighting game
Fighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena. Players must master techniques such as...
(similar to Street Fighter II
Street Fighter II
is a competitive fighting game originally released for the arcades in . It is the arcade sequel to the original Street Fighter released in and was Capcom's fourteenth title that ran on the CP System arcade hardware...
), with the action restricted to one plane. The game's configuration was changed to a five-button setup (two punch buttons, two kick buttons and a grappling button). The objective of each match is to deplete the opponent's life bar in two out of three rounds. It is no longer necessary for the player to pin their opponent to win a match, although all the other moves have been retained.
All ten characters from the original Slam Masters returned, along with four new selectable characters: - A legendary champion wrestler who vanished from the ring for years and has come out of retirement. Ortega was the wrestler who appeared in the original game's opening intro. His special move is the backdrop. - A supernatural-themed wrestler from New Delhi, India. His special move is the guillotine drop. - A military-themed wrestler from Calgary, Canada who attacks with dangerous weapons. - A fully costumed wrestler from Hanover, Germany with a spider-motif. Widow's ending reveals that she's actually a female wrestler in disguise. Her special move is the Frankensteiner.
In Other Media
In the Street FighterStreet Fighter (TV series)
Street Fighter is an American animated series produced by InVision Entertainment based on the Street Fighter live action movie, which was in turn based on the Street Fighter video game franchise. The series aired as part of the USA Network's Cartoon Express and Action Extreme Team lineups...
animated series episode "New Kind of Evil", Mike Haggar appears in a fight against Blanka
Blanka
is a video game character from the Street Fighter series of fighting games. Blanka is depicted as a feral savage, with green skin and long orange hair, resembling a monster more than a human...
, and the human forms of the three guys who become monsters resemble that of Gunloc, The Great Oni, and Jumbo Flapjack.
External links
- Saturday Night Slam Masters at 1UP.com1UP.com1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....