Wrestling Spirit
Encyclopedia
Wrestling Spirit is a series of professional wrestling
computer games that was created by British
programmer Adam Ryland
for the PC
since 2004. The games are published by Grey Dog Software. The games in the series are seen as complementary games to ones in Ryland's Extreme Warfare
series. The games cast the user as a rookie wrestler who has to make it big in the world of wrestling, in the similar veins of Edge of Survival Wrestling Federation but with a more serious approach.
Many of the main features from the TEW games were included in the WreSpi but were used for different reasons. One example of this is the use of backstage relationships between two workers. In TEW, this feature affected both the booking along with the hiring and firing of one of the worker followed by a change in worker morale if one of these acts were made. Meanwhile in WreSpi, the relationships between workers could affect your chances of possible feuds or even your chances of a job.
One of the main differences that Ryland emphasised between the WreSpi series and the EW series was that while the EW series aimed to try and make a realistic approach to the professional wrestling business, the WreSpi series instead aims for a more "kayfabe
-like" situation and as such, making what would be staged fights in the EW series real fights in this series.
On November 30, 2004, Wrestling Spirit: Rookie To Legend (WreSpi) was released. The game was originally going to be called Fighting Spirit but was quickly changed after it was found out Sony Computer Entertainment
were releasing a game called Fighting Spirits.
Similar to TEW 2004 in its later stages, WreSpi was distributed by ELicense and had a trial that made the user able to play the main game for one game month. Its exhibition mode was restricted in the trial however. WreSpi tries to mix the real-life situations of getting work in a promotion, approaching staff for feuds and fitness regimes with actual participation in the matches and interview segments.
With the game having been programmed in Visual Basic
, the matches in WreSpi are generally textual-based (with the optional aid of pictures of moves and commentary sound) unlike the graphical portrayal on other major wrestling games such as the WWE SmackDown!
series. Despite this, the matches are still challenging, requiring the use of ring psychology, stamina and reaction of the crowd to not only pull a victory but make a good match. Also included are interview segments in which the user faces an opponent in a three-minute war of words, which they must win with the combination of different styles such as toilet humour, mixed metaphors and shoot
comments.
The sequel to Wrestling Spirit, Wrestling Spirit 2 (WreSpi2), was released on June 29, 2006. As well as updated versions of the "Rookie to Legend" and "Superstar Challenge" modes, two new modes called "Pro League" and "World League" have been included consisting of fighting in a sports league
situation. Beta team member Phil Parent has claimed creative paternity of the new modes, something Adam Ryland recognized in an official development chat in May 2006. The depth of the game has also increased with larger movesets, an increased number of moves and more in-depth records. A modified booking AI from TEW 2005 has also been confirmed to be incorporated in this game as well.
Wrestling Spirit was reviewed in the November, 2006 issue of PC Gamer, where it scored 73%.
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...
computer games that was created by British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
programmer Adam Ryland
Adam Ryland
Adam Ryland is a British programmer best known for creating the Extreme Warfare series of games.-Background:Born July 23, 1980 and currently residing in Birmingham, England, Ryland graduated from Aston University in 2001 with a degree in computer science. After graduating, Ryland worked for Wrox...
for the PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
since 2004. The games are published by Grey Dog Software. The games in the series are seen as complementary games to ones in Ryland's Extreme Warfare
Extreme Warfare
Extreme Warfare is a series of professional wrestling management text simulators created by British programmer Adam Ryland for the PC since 1995.- Classic Extreme Warfare :...
series. The games cast the user as a rookie wrestler who has to make it big in the world of wrestling, in the similar veins of Edge of Survival Wrestling Federation but with a more serious approach.
Relation to the Extreme Warfare series
Since the release of Total Extreme Warfare 2004, titles from the Extreme Warfare and Wrestling Spirit series were released in an alternating fashion. Due to this, the first WreSpi continued the story of Ryland's fictitious wrestling world called the CornellVerse from Total Extreme Warfare 2004, showing the fictional world a few months later, and was followed by Total Extreme Wrestling 2005 and Wrestling Spirit 2.Many of the main features from the TEW games were included in the WreSpi but were used for different reasons. One example of this is the use of backstage relationships between two workers. In TEW, this feature affected both the booking along with the hiring and firing of one of the worker followed by a change in worker morale if one of these acts were made. Meanwhile in WreSpi, the relationships between workers could affect your chances of possible feuds or even your chances of a job.
One of the main differences that Ryland emphasised between the WreSpi series and the EW series was that while the EW series aimed to try and make a realistic approach to the professional wrestling business, the WreSpi series instead aims for a more "kayfabe
Kayfabe
In professional wrestling, kayfabe is the portrayal of events within the industry as "real" or "true". Specifically, the portrayal of professional wrestling, in particular the competition and rivalries between participants, as being genuine or not of a worked nature...
-like" situation and as such, making what would be staged fights in the EW series real fights in this series.
Wrestling Spirit: Rookie To Legend
Sony Computer Entertainment
Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. is a major video game company specializing in a variety of areas in the video game industry, and is a wholly owned subsidiary and part of the Consumer Products & Services Group of Sony...
were releasing a game called Fighting Spirits.
Similar to TEW 2004 in its later stages, WreSpi was distributed by ELicense and had a trial that made the user able to play the main game for one game month. Its exhibition mode was restricted in the trial however. WreSpi tries to mix the real-life situations of getting work in a promotion, approaching staff for feuds and fitness regimes with actual participation in the matches and interview segments.
With the game having been programmed in Visual Basic
Visual Basic
Visual Basic is the third-generation event-driven programming language and integrated development environment from Microsoft for its COM programming model...
, the matches in WreSpi are generally textual-based (with the optional aid of pictures of moves and commentary sound) unlike the graphical portrayal on other major wrestling games such as the WWE SmackDown!
WWE SmackDown! (video game series)
WWE is a series of professional wrestling video games developed by Yuke's and published by THQ...
series. Despite this, the matches are still challenging, requiring the use of ring psychology, stamina and reaction of the crowd to not only pull a victory but make a good match. Also included are interview segments in which the user faces an opponent in a three-minute war of words, which they must win with the combination of different styles such as toilet humour, mixed metaphors and shoot
Shoot (professional wrestling)
A shoot in professional wrestling is a term that refers to any unplanned, unscripted or real-life occurrence within a wrestling event. Contrary to popular belief, the name does not originate from "shooting in" for a takedown, as in amateur wrestling - rather it is a carny term shortened from...
comments.
Wrestling Spirit 2
Sports league
League is a term commonly used to describe a group of sports teams or individual athletes that compete against each other in a specific sport. At its simplest, it may be a local group of amateur athletes who form teams among themselves and compete on weekends; at its most complex, it can be an...
situation. Beta team member Phil Parent has claimed creative paternity of the new modes, something Adam Ryland recognized in an official development chat in May 2006. The depth of the game has also increased with larger movesets, an increased number of moves and more in-depth records. A modified booking AI from TEW 2005 has also been confirmed to be incorporated in this game as well.
Wrestling Spirit was reviewed in the November, 2006 issue of PC Gamer, where it scored 73%.
Future projects
Adam Ryland announced on the Grey Dog Software forums that Wrestling Spirit 3 was coming out in Fall 2009, however delayed it till Q1 2010, before being put on a indefinite hiatus so Ryland could work on Total Extreme Wrestling 2010.External links
- Total Extreme Wrestling Wiki at WikiaWikiaWikia is a free web hosting service for wikis . It is normally free of charge for readers and editors, deriving most of its income from advertising, and publishes all user-provided text under copyleft licenses. Wikia hosts several hundred thousand wikis using the open-source wiki software MediaWiki...
- Total Xtreme Wrestling & MMA - It´s your Choice - German Site for Wrestling & MMA Diaries
- CornellVerse Website
- Grey Dog Software
- Extreme Warfare Battleground Forum
- Wrestling Spirit 2's page on GameFaqs
- Gamespot's page on Wrestling Spirit 2 with Links to Reviews
- http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/932970.asp Game Rankings Page]