- NA release: 20th May 1997
- PAL release: 28th November 1997
- JP release: N/A
- Developer: Eurocom
- Publisher: Midway (US) / GT Interactive (PAL)
- N64 Magazine Score: 46%
Mortal Kombat in 3D was the big advertising for War Gods, with lots and lots of emphasis on the 3D. War Gods does not feel like a 3D game at all, though, with “3D” movement being relegated to holding a button and just being nothing more than a basic dodge.
In terms of fighting, War Gods is the kind of game that I can do alright at. This is probably a bad sign for the game, as I’m dreadful at combinations and I’m what people call a “button masher”. I found a few cheap tricks that seemed to work to get through the game. Each character seems to have an annoying “trap” move.
Characters make or break a game like this and War Gods has such an immensely dull cast. For the most part, they’re loosely based on ransom cultural gods or stereotypes and have none of their own personality, with a robot and a few scantily clad women thrown in. None of the characters were someone I actually wanted to play as.
War Gods is also incredibly light on fighters. You start, pick a character then fight through all the other characters. Player 2 can take over these characters and that’s it. There’s no training or practice – there’s not even a versus mode where player 2 can choose their character. It’s an extremely bare bones arcade port of an extremely boring game.
Worst
There’s no consideration of tactical thought, no beauty or style, nothing to involve you with the supposedly visceral action, nothing we haven’t seen a hundred times before. And those characters. Gods? Peter Duncan’s pantomime pals, surely.
Jes Bickham, N64 Magazine #7
Remake or Remaster?
Perhaps throw it in as a bonus in a Mortal Kombat arcade collection?
Official ways to get the game.
There is no official way to get War Gods.
Europe
Japan
North America
N64 Games by Date
1997: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
1998: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
1999: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
2000: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
War Gods might be a bit crap as a competitive fighter, but I do really like its presentation. The announcer voice is great, and the game oozes that OTT mid-90s Midway arcade style. It’s cheesy in a good way, and it certainly entertains; even if it’s all a bit skin deep.
Midway presents… WAR GODS!!
Ultimately a good port of a fairly middling arcade fighter. Not Midway’s best game in the arcades to begin with, but it’s part of a string of quality Midway arcade ports to hit the platform over its lifetime; and it’s at least worth watching on Youtube for its carnie-esc personality.