PAX East 2015 is full of mixed emotions. Chief among them is disappointment, usually in the knowledge that the awesome game you just played won't be out for a long, long time. With Five Star Wrestling the reverse was true. The game comes out in three weeks, but it is a PS3 only title.
That's right, PS3 is about to get an exclusive. Not just any exclusive, either. Five Star Wrestling is one of the best pro wrestling games to come out in the last decade.
What makes it so good? Creator Dan Hinkle explains.
“We cherrypicked from all the other wrestling games and took the bits we liked,” he said. “There’s a sort of nostalgia feel for fans since it’s got a bit of the older games in it and fans seem to like that.”
As a staunch pro wrestling fan , and unapologetic smark, Five Star Wrestling appealed to me instantly. Super Parody, the developing studio, stays true to its name by delivering a roster of almost-bes like Harvee Dee and Ragnabrock. The ref’s name is Ike Chioda. Wrestling nerds will find plenty of laughs in the roster.
Then they'll find the fantastic button mashing required gameplay.
"No other system is really better than that," Hinkles joked.
He’s not wrong though. For sheer fun factor the button masher beats the technical brawler 9 times out of 10.
For example, I played an exhibition with a total stranger and within minutes we were hooting and hollering as we mashed our way around the squared circle. There was an instant connection with the controls and characters. I felt in control of my moves and the directional grappling made each lock up a surprise.
So with a game this good why PS3 only?
"It’s taken us three years to develop for one platform," he said. “Maybe somewhere down the line, never say never, but right now it’s only PS3.”
