Are you ready for some pro wrestling? How about pro wrestling set in space?
Let me start off by saying that back in the day when I was younger I LOVED the WWF (Yes, kids it was called the WWF back then!) I would watch it on tv. I would buy magazine about it. I went with friends to set it live, when it came close. Side note – Miss Elizabeth was as pretty in real life as she was on tv!
I had mentioned that I had bought magazines about wrestling then. I recall seeing an ad in the back of one for them for a wrestling game that was based around werestling, with a twist of Sc-Fi thrown in. It was 12.00 back then ( I think) I can recall making the decision to spend my money for it back then. and I LOVED IT. My friends and I would set up a full card of fights and host events. A great time for my geeky wrestling self back as a kid.
Let’s fast foward to present day. I must admit I don’t really keep up with wrestling anymore. It’s just not the same to me. There was something magaicl about being a kid and watching it. Now I think I know better and it’s all a “show”. I was talking with a friend about some of the things we used to do as a kids, and he had mentiond that wrestling game that I used to have. I said Oh ya what was the name of that, Google was my friend and I figured out it was Champions of the Galaxy.
I was in complete shock when I found out that it was still being made! And had been updated since I played back in the day.
I sent an email to the company that makes it. Filsinger Games. They said they would send me a copy of the best of starter set for review.
Inside the package includes all four game charts, dice, instruction book, game roster, and 16 amazing game cards! They are:
- Kevin Steen (ROH game card) currently wrestling as Kevin Owens.
Macho Man Randy Savage (Limited Edition card)
Bryan Danielson (ROH game card) currently wrestling as Daniel Bryan.
Claudio Castagnoli (Chikara game card) currently wrestling as Cesaro.
Diamond Dallas Page (Cauliflower Alley Club game card)
2 Cold Scorpio (National Pro Wrestling Day game card)
Jay Lethal (ROH game card)
AJ Styles (ROH card)
Cheerleader Melissa (Shimmer game card)
Lance Hoyt (Inspire Pro Wrestling game card)
Adam Pearce (Championship Wrestling from Hollywood game card)
Sami Callihan (Combat Zone Wrestling game card)
Johnny Gargano (Evolve game card)
Kimber Lee (Combat Zone Wrestling game card)
Marion Fontaine (Olde Wrestling game card)
Matt Cross (Absolute Intense Wrestling game card)
I was surprised to see the original cards that I recalled from the set I bought back in 87 as well!
A Bit of backstory about the game first
Champions of the Galaxy burst onto the scene in 1987. The first edition introduced 24 iconic characters including Star Warrior, Thantos, and Wolf, and proved to be a launching point for over 40 expansions and counting as well as over 100,000 games sold worldwide!
The first edition told the history of the GWF (Galactic Wrestling Federation) which was called the Galaxian Federation at the time. Here is some of the history from the original Champions of the Galaxy game handbook:
The Galaxian Federation was founded late in the 21st century, when space travel and colonization linked the cosmos. The ancient sport of wrestling, which was popular on many planets, grew to cosmic proportions as talented fighters from all over the galaxy came together to battle for the Galaxian Belt.
In those early days there were no heroes or villains and no battle lines drawn. There were only talented fighters who waged war as individuals representing their cosmic homelands.
All this changed when Thantos betrayed the Galactic Code and created an alliance to battle his former mentor, Omega. Ever since this action by Thantos, the Galaxian Federation has become a battleground of two camps – the Galaxian Heroes and the Galaxian Villains.
The game play is easy to pick up. All you need is to pick the 2 wrestlers you want to fight with and the dice.
The game begins with each of two players deciding which wrestler they want to be in a match. The wrestler’s playing cards will be used throughout the match. Players will take turns rolling the dice and seeing what happens on their wrestler’s playing card. One player makes an offensive move, then the opponent makes a defensive move, and so on throughout a match.
The object of the game is to win the match by pin, disqualification, or count out.
I must admit that I had all sorts of memories come back to me as I set up a match with Thantos (Always my favorite back in the day) Vs Star Warrior.
It was a back forth battle, but alas Star Warrior pulled it out at the very end.
The game is easy to pick up and play. If you wanted to set a full event you could host a full card and host your own “Pay Per View” style event. It’s all up to you!
I did run a few matches with some of the new wrestlers of today as well.
My final thoughts are this, I think if your a fan of wrestling or have ever been you will love this game. As I said above, I had so many memories flooding back of playing this when I was a kid.
Matches can go either way, it all depends on the dice and charts, which adds some great replay to it. If your not a fan of wrestling you might not like this at all.
I think you must have a small little place in your heart for the crazy world of pro wrestling to really appreciate this game.
I know one thing for sure, Thantos shall have his revenge on Star Warrior at some point!
You can find out more about Champions Of The Galaxy at the official website
A big thank you to Filsinger Games for providing the review copy.
Recent Comments