WWE WrestleMania X8 (video game)

WWF WrestleMania X8 is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and released on the Nintendo GameCube by THQ in June 2002. The game was succeeded by WWE WrestleMania XIX for the GameCube. It was the first professional wrestling game released for the GameCube.
==Gameplay==
The game's development was complete before the World Wrestling Federation's lawsuit with the World Wildlife Fund, however it was released afterwards, causing the packaging to be quickly changed to feature the new World Wrestling Entertainment logo. Although the packaging and paraphernalia feature the WWE logo, the actual game still contains the WWF logo.
WrestleMania X8 features a simple grappling system. Each wrestler has five front grapples, five rear grapples, and miscellaneous grapples, such as an evade and grapple in which a wrestler will dodge and then perform a hold or throw. There are meters based on color for the competitors in a match, and a pin is possible when the player's meter is fully red and their opponent's is fully blue. A large portion of the gameplay revolves around counter moves, with different buttons countering different maneuvers and allow different responses, such as strike and grapple. The game features a wide selection of signature moves used by wrestlers, and all wrestlers in the game has his/her unique entrances. There are a variety of weapons available, as well as the ability to perform a number of different grapples with them.
The game features a variety of match types, including Standard, Hardcore, Table, Ladder, TLC, Battle Royal, Steel Cage, Hell in a Cell, and Ironman. The number of participants in the match can also be chosen, including a singles match, a tag team match, a handicap match, Triple Threat, Fatal Four-Way, Battle Royal, and Royal Rumble. The Hell in a Cell match features the ability to utilize unique grapples on the walls of the cell, as well as the ability to climb to the roof of the cell and fight atop it, with the option of throwing an opponent through the roof to the mat below.
===Modes===
The game features a Path of a Champion mode, a single player mode in which a player can attempt a championship path and make an attempt to win it. The titles offered are the WWF Championship, WWF Intercontinental Championship, WWF European Championship, WWF Light Heavyweight Championship, WWF Hardcore Championship and World Tag Team Championship. There are four difficulties in which to play the mode, and there are a variety of unlockables for winning championships with particular wrestlers.
Another mode in the game is the Battle for the Belts mode, in which a player can go after one of 51 fictional belts. A player can challenge either the CPU controlled wrestler who holds the belt or another player who has the belt in an attempt to win it. A player can customize the belt by naming it and changing its color. The game also features a Create-A-Wrestler mode in which a wrestler can be created with customized appearance, moves, ability, profile, fighting logic, body figure, face, hair, and a wide variety of other options.
==Reception==
WWF WrestleMania X8 got average review scores. It is criticized for lack of a true career mode, poorly designed character models, stiff looking animation, and a variety of collision detection issues, and average review scores were anywhere from 7.0-7.6/10.
Category:Video games
Category:World Wrestling Entertainment video games
Category:Wrestling video games