For 20 years, these obscure wrestling sims have been taking players behind the scenesOct 21, 2017 - PC GamerProfessional wrestling is a bit like Santa Claus, in that when you're young you believe in all the magic but when you grow up you realize it's all lies. But unlike finding out Saint Nicholas is a sham, which crushes you and forever scars your sense of wonder, finding out wrestling is all choreography and theatrics actually unlocks a whole other dimension to what makes it exciting. Knowing it's pre-determined allows you to really engage with how much goes into putting on a good show, from the performers to the storylines and everything in between. You can see the athleticism that makes up the big spots, the sense of character and delivery in a great promo, and the deft narrative hand that drives a compelling and nuanced rivalry. Wrestling videogames have often been aimed toward the younger fans and focused on the in-ring action and backstage antics as they'd be shown on an episode of WWE. Almost none of them skew toward the older audience who know how the medium works and for whom the real fantasy would be operating a promotion of their own. The Extreme Warfare games felt purpose-made for the more discerning fan, and the fact they were free allowed them to spread far and wide. Almost none. One series has, over the last 20 years and over half-a-dozen iterations, become the de-facto wrestling management sim: Total Extreme Wrestling. Created by Adam Ryland, it's a wrestling game that places players in control of their own federation. Entirely menu-based, Total Extreme Wrestling involves managing every aspect of a wrestling company, from writing and booking storylines to hiring and firing staff. You negotiate TV deals, handle press, schedule tours, and micro-manage your roster's gimmicks to make sure everyone's happy and comfortable. And just like some of the biggest stars in pro wrestling history, its existence was a happy accident. "It was originally just something for me to practice programming with, then I did it as an A-level project at college," Ryland tells me. "I put it online for a few friends and it ended up becoming huge. There was never any plan for it to become a major game or to lead anywhere." Originally called Extreme Warfare, the game spread quickly among the forums and message boards of the mid-to-late-90s. At that point it was really just selecting match winners along with some accounting elements but, though it was basic, fans responded to this alternative take on what a wrestling game could be. Gradually the series grew, developing a more comprehensive representation of the wrestling landscape and greater mechanical depth. Players could soon work on the popularity of wrestlers, individual contract negotiations and feuds, and plan a calendar of different sized events to further emulate the differing capacities companies can operate in, all with the tongue-in-cheek humor of the industry and its audience. The Extreme Warfare games felt purpose-made for the more discer...
