Saturday, August 24, 2019

PrinceWatercress plays WWF Betrayal with all four characters - Part 7 of 8


Believe it or not, back in 2001, there was a beat-em-up for Game Boy that involved the 1999 storyline where Undertaker's Ministry of Darkness kidnapped Stephanie McMahon and made Vince McMahon's life miserable.

This is that game.

Guess what? It's too darn simple, it's too darn repetitive, it's too darn frustrating at times, and it's too darn boring.

The characters you take on at certain points as who is involved in doing what will be different for who you're playing as (as well as who you fight when).

'Taker is in his "Big Evil" gimmick here (or "Biker 'Taker" if you prefer).

Level 1: The Ring


The game starts with your character fighting someone for the WWF Championship. (In this case, it's The Undertaker vs Triple H.) Another wrestler interferes. (Here, it's "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.) The gameplay begins.

Punch out the referees before you head out of the ring. Thankfully, gameplay for this game is really easy. The Control Pad lets you move, A lets you punch and B lets you kick. Double-tapping Left or Right lets you move around, and you can roll your thumb while running to run around in other directions. Just look at who you want to punch, then mash the attack button until their health bar (in the lower-right corner) goes all the way down.

When attacking enemies, you'll want to be just close enough so that the only thing that goes through them is your fist. If your arm is going through them, you'll both be trading blows more than you would like. Learn the distance rule and get used to it quickly, and you'll be fine.

When you fill up the gauge consisting of five squares that is above your health bar (which is really easy to do), you'll be able to perform a finisher on a stunned enemy. (In this case, Undertaker does the Last Ride. Triple H does the Pedigree, Steve Austin does the Stone Cold Stunner and The Rock does the Rock Bottom.) A little kid could actually beat this game.

When you enter the back, WWF/WWE owner Vince McMahon stops you. Apparently his daughter Stephanie has been kidnapped. If you can save her, you can get another title shot.

Anyway, head to the right and punch out the enemies here. Some of the lockers - and other things in the environment throughout the areas you go - have health replenishing cakes and apples if you punch them, but they show up randomly. The apples give the least amount of health (only one unit), followed by the drink cups, the pies, the yellow cans (which fill half) and the cakes (which completely fill it). If you are down to five units of health or left, you can be stunned. Press the buttons and rotate the Control Pad to get out of your stunned state quickly. It is possible for enemies to keep you stun-locked and eventually kill you if you're not fast enough. If you get stunned, you'll regain a little bit of health. The trick is to not get hit too much, or else you'll be in need of a heath pick-up. If you're low on health, this makes it a little easier to not die, which can make losing a life tough. Then again, I guess this makes no-death runs easy.

The security guards have nightsticks that you can use. They look more like metal pipes to me, though. If you are carrying a weapon, you cannot be able to double-tap Left or Right on the D-Pad and run. This is just a nagging flab, however, as the weapons really break the game. Weapons kill enemies in one or two hits compared to five hits with your punches and kicks, and both attacks. Sadly, you cannot double-tap to run when you are holding a weapon, and both attack buttons let you use the weapon. Also, if you get hit to the point that you drop your weapon, that weapon is lost forever and you won't be able to get it back.

Level 2: Parking Garage


Wait for the smoke to come out of the exhaust pipe in the wall before continuing. Dash past it to ensure you don't get hit when it starts shooting out smoke again.

New enemies here include mechanics with wrenches and buffer security guards with stun guns. Wait, did Stephanie's kidnappers pay the entire arena staff off? It's like real life and kayfabe are being blurred here.

When you take the elevator up to the parking lot, be sure to attack the car that's out in the open to refill your health.

The crates are single-use weapons only. Once you throw them, you can't use them again.

The car that is outside of the garage can be attacked for health power-ups.

Once you reach the end, you'll meet the two characters that [b]weren't[/b] in the ring at the beginning. (In this case, it's "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and The Undertaker.) They'll throw Stephanie into the trunk of a limo, and whoever put Stephanie in the trunk will fight you (it's Stone Cold here). Regardless of who you get, just keep fighting him like you would all the other enemies and use your specials whenever you get them. He'll be out like a light in no time.

Unlike the other enemies, you can only perform signature moves on the other WWF Superstars in lieu of your finisher . (For "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, it is the Lou Thesz Press. For The Rock, it is the Spinebuster. For the Undertaker, it is the Choke Slam. For Triple H, it is the facebreaker knee smash.)

Level 3: Street Fight


Break the mailbox at the beginning and you'll be able to refill some of your health. Or not.

Why there are bills or flyers or something posted with The Rock's face on them is never explained.

Bikers? Really? REALLY? REALLY?!? Even the Disciples of Apocalypse did the biker gimmick better than this. The gangsters that you fight on the streets go down with the few hits of a nightstick.

The trash cans work just like the crate from Level 2.

Some time after the ladder leading back down onto the street, there is a tree you can climb. It just leads to an apple.

When you can't go any further to the right, climb up the ladder just by moving up towards it. You'll be able to climb up to the rooftop, take out a few thugs and then climb back down to the streets on the other side. If you're carrying a weapon when you climb up or down a ladder, you will drop it. This is unavoidable.

Level 4: The Subway


Wait...do we just mentally know where the kidnappers are going to be? Then again, this is WWF/WWE. Not much makes sense. At least the places we're going to and from is in a sort-of-logical sequence here.

The enemies will be the same as Level 3 at first, until you fight your way into the subway. You'll meet your first new enemy for this level almost immediately: some guy with a briefcase that can pick you off with a gun hidden inside said briefcase. Finally, some challenge. These guys can hurt you a little more than the others that you've fought so far. One thing worth trying is to punch or kick the guy twice, move away, then do it again when he moves towards you. Also, keep as few enemies on the screen at a time. If an enemy shows up, stop moving.

If you lose all your lives, you have infinite continues. You'll also get a simple four-digit password with all the digits being any number between one and four for in case you want to take a break for whatever reason.

You'll meet the other kidnapper when you get off the subway (in this case, The Undertaker). Just beat the crap out of him from as far away as you can, and run away and rush back in with a dash attack when you need to. The trash can carries a health pick-up if you need it. He's mercifully easy after fighting those briefcase guys. When you win, you'll find out Stephanie has been taken to Titan Towers. So we're in Stamford, Connecticut for the duration of the game? Huh.

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