IPWX Danger Zone

IPWX Danger Zone is a 3D professional wrestling game developed by Pipeworks Studios and published by ACS. It is based on the American wrestling promotion Intense Pro Wrestling X-Perience, and is named after their flagship television show Danger Zone. Released in 2011 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, PlayStation Portable and Nintendo DS. The game is the first, and so far, the only licensed video game based on Intense Pro Wrestling X-Perience.

Gameplay
The game uses a conventional control scheme common in most wrestling games: punches, kicks, grapples, picking up weapons and entering/exiting the ring are relegated to the face buttons, while running, reversals and modifiers are mapped on the shoulder buttons, switching focus is done via the d-pad, movement is done with the left stick, and the right stick is used for taunting. The game incorporates both quick and strong grapples, which depends on whether the player instantly pressed the grapple button for a tieup or held and released it for a certain amount of time.

Each players' HUD consists of the Heat meter, which increases as the player successfully attacks their opponent and decreases as receive significant damage, the Status meter, an electrocardiogram-esque meter which slowly changes color from green to red as the player receives more and more damage throughout the bout, and the body damage indicator, a body-shaped diagram segmented into four parts: head, body, arms and legs, which flashes for a short period of time to indicate which body part gets damaged following a certain attack and changes color from green, to yellow, to orange, and finally to red, to indicate which body part is weakened.

When the Heat meter is filled to its maximum level, the player can activate "Adrenaline Mode", During Adrenaline Mode, the player gains certain advantages, such as added power, speed and reversal success rate, and when the right conditions are fullfilled, can perform their finishing move. Each wrestler in the game has only one finisher. Adrenaline Mode is activated either by taunting or performing one of the wrestler's signature moves, both of which can only be done as the Heat meter is maxed out.

The game utilizes a tug-of-war submission system where the attacker must mash buttons in order to make the defender tap out, while the defender can do the same to escape from the hold, indicated by an on-screen Submit meter. The more damage in the targeted body part, the less opportunity there is for the defender to escape, as the Submit meter veers closer and closer to the attacker's favor. Similarly, pins can be escaped from by timing a moving dot into a marked space in the middle of an on-screen Pin meter. The more overall damage a player receives, the smaller the space becomes, and the harder it becomes to kick out of pins.

The game includes certain match types as seen in IPWX television such as single and tag modes, as well as support for up to four wrestlers on-screen. In-game commentary is provided by Todd Keneley and Jonathan Coachman, the broadcast team for the Danger Zone TV show at the time of release.

Game Modes
The available game modes are as follows: Quick Match, Main Event (Exhibition), Rise Above, Create-a-Wrestler and Options.

Quick Match
Quick Match mode allows players to start a single match against a random opponent, without the need for setting up rules or choosing an opponent.

Main Event
In Main Event mode, players can create a single match of their choice against the CPU or other players. Available match types are as follows:


 * Single Match
 * Triangle Match
 * Four Corners Match
 * Battle Royal
 * Tag Team Match (Normal, Tornado)
 * Cage Match
 * Ladder Match
 * Tables Match
 * Ambulance Match
 * Last Laugh Match

In several match types, players are able to choose between several pre-programmed rulesets that change up the rules of the match:


 * Normal
 * Hardcore
 * Submission

Rise Above
The game features a story mode, known as Rise Above mode, which allows players to take on the life and career of their own created wrestler. Starting off as a backyard wrestler, the player makes a name for himself within the indies, before being scouted to the IPWX promotion by Bob O'Reilly Jr. Upon entering the promotion, the player works their way up to the IPWX rankings, forging alliances and engaging in various feuds along the way, until they eventually reach the top and challenge the current IPWX World Heavyweight Champion to a title match at the promotion's biggest pay-per-view of the year, Rise Above.

Rise Above mode takes players through a complete calendar year of IPWX programming, starting in the first of July, and ending in the last of June. After winning their initial tryout matches, the player starts off as a Jobber, working their way up until they cement themselves as a main event star. Upon reaching Superstar status, they could challenge for the IPWX Tag Team Championship (or the IPWX Cruiserweight Championship, when playing as a cruiserweight), eventually ranking up to Rising Star, where they could challenge for the IPWX North American Championship. Finally, the player would eventually reach Main Eventer status, which makes them eligible to challenge for the IPWX World Heavyweight Championship.

The game is set up much like a visual novel, with various cutscenes and many branching paths available for the player as they get to choose the path they would take, making allies and enemies, as well as dictating which actions they will take at certain scenarios. The game also includes a dating sim element, as players could choose to date one of three IPWX Belles: Lori Layne, Dezrae Banks and Kandi, fulfilling certain goals within matches in order to gain their affection. After each match, the player is rewarded with attribute points, which they can then allocate to each of their created wrestlers' stats, making them stronger in the process.

Create-a-Wrestler
The game includes a Create-a-Wrestler Mode which allows the players to create their own wrestlers, featuring extensive customization features that allow the player to alter their created fighter's appearance, profile, stat and moveset. The game includes a wide variety of wrestling moves, allowing players to create wrestlers from outside promotions. The game includes 30 CAW slots available (15 for the Wii port, 10 for the PSP port). This mode is not available in the DS version of the game.

Roster

 * Bash Corrigan
 * From: Grand Rapids, Michigan
 * Weight: Heavyweight
 * Finisher: Downfall


 * Keith Emory
 * From: New York, New York
 * Weight: Light Heavyweight
 * Finisher: Eagle's Landing


 * Zakk
 * From: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
 * Weight: Light Heavyweight
 * Finisher: Redline


 * Shockwave
 * From: Lexington, Kentucky
 * Weight: Super Heavyweight
 * Finisher: Shock Treatment


 * Khaotik
 * From: "The 9th Circle of Hell"
 * Weight: Super Heavyweight
 * Finisher: Pandemonium


 * To'a Nui
 * From: New Zealand
 * Weight: Super Heavyweight
 * Finisher: Patu Paraoa


 * Ty Fury
 * From: Toronto, Ontario
 * Weight: Heavyweight
 * Finisher: Facelift


 * "Cowboy" Chris Kenney
 * From: Austin, Texas
 * Weight: Heavyweight
 * Finisher: From Texas, With Love


 * Markus Ray
 * From: Newark, New Jersey
 * Weight: Heavyweight
 * Finisher: Jersey Shore Plunge


 * Kenton Kelly
 * From: Long Beach, California
 * Weight: Cruiserweight
 * Finisher: Twilight Splash


 * Adrian Alexander
 * From: West Palm Beach, Florida
 * Weight: Heavyweight
 * Finisher: Clasp of Perfection


 * '''Killah B.
 * From: San Diego, California
 * Weight: Light Heavyweight
 * Finisher: Killshot


 * Houn Dogg
 * From: San Diego, California
 * Weight: Super Heavyweight
 * Finisher: Tha Doggpile


 * Brandon Skye
 * From: Manchester, England
 * Weight: Cruiserweights
 * Finisher: Skye High


 * Bryce Skye
 * From: Manchester, England
 * Weight: Cruiserweight
 * Finisher: Skyewalker


 * Vyron
 * From: "Six Feet Under"
 * Weight: Super Heavyweight
 * Finisher: Unholy Cross


 * Jakob
 * From: "Six Feet Under"
 * Weight: Light Heavyweight
 * Finisher: Bedlam Driver


 * Mike Otto
 * From: Chicago, Illinois
 * Weight: Heavyweight
 * Finisher: Otto Bomb


 * Ace Jackson
 * From: Chicago, Illinois
 * Weight: Heavyweight
 * Finisher: Ace Crusher


 * El Sonico
 * From: "The Planet of Mobius"
 * Weight: Cruiserweight
 * Finisher: Homing Attack


 * Hiroto Sakurai
 * From: Japan
 * Weight: Light Heavyweight
 * Finisher: Kudo Driver


 * Tristan Grace
 * From: Westboro, Massachusetts
 * Weight: Cruiserweight
 * Finisher: Fall from Grace


 * Shaun Crawford
 * From: Australia
 * Weight: Heavyweight
 * Finisher: Rear Naked Choke


 * Ian Cross
 * From: Montreal, Quebec
 * Weight: Cruiserweight
 * Finisher: Devil's Triangle


 * Prince Ganesh
 * From: India
 * Weight: Light Heavyweight
 * Finisher: Mumbai Magic


 * Bob O'Reilly Jr.
 * From: St. Paul, Minnesota
 * Weight: Heavyweight
 * Finisher: Inverted Piiledriver

DLC

 * '''Bob O'Reilly Sr.
 * From: St. Paul, Minnesota
 * Weight: Heavyweight
 * Finisher: Inverted Piiledriver


 * "Qwik" Kidd Flash
 * From: Atlanta, Georgia
 * Weight: Cruiserweight
 * Finisher: Da Freakout

Stables

 * Fashionably Perfect
 * Members: Kenton Kelly & Adrian Alexander
 * Skye Brothers
 * Members: Brandon & Bryce Skye
 * Age of Crimson
 * Members: Vyron and Jakob
 * The E.O.P. (Entourage of Pain)
 * Members: Mike Otto & Ace Jackson

Arenas

 * Roy Wilkins Auditorium
 * Gangelhoff Center
 * Backyard Federation
 * Japan Arena
 * Mexico Arena
 * United Kingdom Arena

Mats

 * Danger Zone
 * Intensity
 * Awakening
 * Critical Point
 * Inescapable
 * No Limit
 * Path to Glory
 * Rise Above
 * SummerHeat
 * Riot!
 * Full Force
 * Vendetta
 * Tokyo Stampede
 * Red Alert

Soundtrack
IPWX Danger Zone features 8 licensed songs from various artists and bands, most of which fall under rock/metal, with one hip-hop song.

The Sick Puppies song "War", which served as the intro theme to the Danger Zone TV program at the time of release, is featured in the game's intro, but does not play during the menus.


 * Big Scoob (feat. Krizz Kaliko, Mr. Whitebear, Tech N9ne & Txx Will) - "Stik @ Move"
 * Breaking Benjamin - "I Will Not Bow"
 * (hed) P.E. - "Renegade"
 * Killswitch Engage - "Starting Over"
 * Maylene and the Sons of Disaster - "Just a Shock"
 * Powerman 5000 - "Show Me What You Got"
 * Three Days Grace - "The Good Life"
 * Trust Company - "Close Your Eyes ('Til It's Over)"

Ports
Besides being released for all three 7th generation consoles, IPWX Danger Zone is also ported to the PSP and Nintendo DS. The PSP version is a straight port of the original game, with a few changes to the controls due to the PSP's lack of a second analog stick. The Nintendo DS version, however, plays vastly different from every other version, omitting several match types and Create-a-Wrestler mode, altering the controls to utilize the DS's touch screen, and replacing Rise Above mode with Championship mode, an arcade-style gauntlet against 8 random opponents. The PSP port of Danger Zone was developed by Backbone Entertainment, while the DS port was developed by DoubleTap Games.

Trivia

 * Originally slated for a 2010 release, the game would be pushed back several times before eventually arriving in spring of 2011.
 * Prior to this game, ACS had previously developed and published the Power Pro Retsuden series of Japan-only wrestling games for Dreamcast and PlayStation 2.
 * Several early trailers for the game hinted at the inclusion of IPWX's signature Quarantine Cage match as a playable match type, but it was was scrapped for unknown reasons.
 * Pipeworks Studios, developers of Danger Zone, would later go on to develop the Ring of Honor: Unchained and Bellator: MMA Fury games for ACS, with the former series utilizing the engine from this game.
 * The game feature a license from Sega and Sonic Team in its credits. This was due to a deal between ACS and Sega in order to allow the inclusion of El Sonico, a luchador whose gimmick borrows heavily from the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, in the game.