Bret Hart reflects on doing motion capture for Midway's WWF WrestleMania: The Arcade Game.
In the 90s, Mortal Kombat changed the way that fighting games were developed with their use of photorealistic graphics and motion-captured moves. Never one to miss out on a passing trend, WWE, then known as the World Wrestling Federation, had its own Mortal Kombat-like experience with 1995's WWF WrestleMania: The Arcade Game.
Reflecting on the motion capture work he did for the game, Bret Hart recently stated on an episode of WWE This Is Awesome that he was exhausted by the work, saying that by the end of all of the motion capture, he felt as though somebody punched him in the ribs.
"It was actually a really fun experience. I got to go to their warehouse where they had their whole setup. We had to dive and jump, just like you're doing these moves on the invisible man, but nothing's there. It took a lot out of me. I remember that it felt like someone was punching me in the ribs all day long. But it shows in the quality of the game," said Hart.
Featuring 10 of the top WWE stars of 1994, WrestleMania encapsulates a time when Bret Hart was the top star in the company. As such, "The Hitman" was featured in a coinciding Coliseum Home Video release giving players an insight into how the game was made as well as tips and tricks on how to pull off maneuvers.
WrestleMania: The Arcade game would go on to be the most readily-available WWE experience in gaming for that generation. WrestleMania was released on PlayStation, Sega Saturn, DOS, Sega Genesis, Sega 32X, Super Nintendo, and, of course, in arcades.
WrestleMania would go on to spin off a sequel, WWF In Your House. Released in 1996 exclusively on in-home platforms, namely the Sony Playstation, DOS, and Sega Satun, In Your House would feature even more unique fighting areas and special maneuvers.
One of the WWE Superstars featured in that game, Ahmed Johnson, has since reflected on his experience with motion capture during that game's development and the royalties he received from his WWE games appearances. Fans can read his remarks at this link.
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