Giant Gram 2000: All Japan Pro Wrestling 3

Overview

Giant Gram 2000: All Japan Pro Wrestling 3 was made by the Sega/WOW developing house in Japan. This title features wrestlers from the All Japan promotion, and also a wide variety of legendary figures. The legends in this game include favorites from both Japan and the U.S., for example: Rikidozan, Bruno Sammartino, and Bruiser Brody are all playable. Only a few wrestlers featured in this game still remain with the All Japan promotion. Giant Gram 2000 really focuses on the sport aspect of professional wrestling. All of the western stuff you would expect to find in a wrestling game, such as: Steel chairs, steel cages, ladders, tables, and all other unnecessary weapons are left out of this release. The game also features an overhauled “burning” fan system. This system let’s the player build up a meter on-screen, that fills up according to all of the reversals and other moves he or she is performing on an opponent. Once the meter is filled the player then enters a “Burning Rage” which allows for the he or she to initiate devastating combos and other moves to defeat opponents.

WWE's Legends of Wrestlemania video game has taken some of the aspects of this game, including the Historic Mode, which THQ have called, Rewrite.

Controls

The control compared to previous entries in the giant gram series is more realistic. Every aspect is tightened and you have to be precise with button inputs, or else your attempted attack will easily be reversed. This title also focuses more on double-team moves. The counter system is easy to use, but exceptionally difficult to master. The counter system follows three basic rules: throws beat Grapples, Strikes beat Throws, and Grapples beat Strikes. Particular moves can be used to create a combo, by timing button presses. For example a vertical suplex could be converted into vertical drop brainbuster if the right buttons are pressed at the right time, likewise a tiger driver can be converted into tiger driver 91. This game was notorious for having moves that were near impossible to hit. The infamous emerald frosion/fusion could only be accessed through a body slam, but the timing required for button pressing was regarded as impossible.

Venues

Several different locations can play host to battles in Giant Gram 2000, including both the biggest stadiums in Japan, and also the smallest auditoriums.

Characters:

All Japan Wrestlers

• Mitsuharu Misawa
• Toshiaki Kawada
• Akira Taue
• Kenta Kobashi
• Jun Akiyama
• Yoshinari Ogawa
• Takao Omori
• Yoshihiro Takayama
• Hiroshi Hase
• Tamon Honda
• Masahito Kakihara
• Kentaro Shiga
• Stan Hansen
• Vader
• Steve Williams
• Johnny Ace
• Mike Barton
• Johnny Smith
• Wolf Hawkfield
• Maunakea Mossman

Legends

• Giant Baba
• Rikidozan
• Jumbo Tsuruta
• Bruiser Brody
• Gary Albright
• The Destroyer
• Fritz Von Erich
• Bruno Sammartino
• Bobo Brazil
• Gene Kiniski
• Don Leo Johnson

Secret

• The Killer (Antonio Inoki)
• The Crusher
• Young Giant Baba
• Giant Crusher
• Tigre (Tiger Mask)
• Ogami Kongo (Shinzaki Jinsei)
• Hyper
• Mangler (Hashimoto Shinya)
• Cylops (Chono Masahiro)
• Diablo (Super Brodie)
• Tiger Erechthion
• Divine Grace (Gracie)
• The Master (The Great Muta)
• Sky High Edge (Hayabusa)

Modes

• Arcade
• Tournament
• Versus
• Create a wrestler
• Historic battle
• Edit mode
• Practice
• Watch mode