Legends of Wrestling

"Overall review with comparison to AKI /THQ N64 games (like No Mercy)"

Note: This is for the Nintendo Gamecube version only!!!
Also, this review refers to single player only! I have not
played it with any friends yet, so I do not know how fun
it will be with everyone using similar strategies.

Background:

First of all, I need to compare this game to the AKI/THQ N64 wrestling games such as No Mercy and VPW2. I have never played the Smackdown series. I LOVE the AKI/THQ games. I love old school grappling, not fighting games, not button mashing. So I was hoping that Legends of Wrestling could live up to the standard set by AKI/THQ.

I have also played/owned Six Man Scramble for the Saturn, so I am familiar with the Fire Pro Series as well. Although the Fire Pro Series has the best create-a-wrestler in video games, I prefer the gameplay/3D graphics of the AKI series. Thus, while the Fire Pro series is great, I would give a slight edge to AKI/THQ titles.

Here's the honest truth. First of all, Legends of Wrestling is amazing. It's the best wrestling game I have ever played....but please read on, there are some flaws.

Review:

Ok...the game is not as easy as the AKI series at the beginning...The first night I played it, I was disappointed. There were too many buttons, I could never
do any reversals or combos while the computer seemed to do them all the time. I could never remember how to do moves and it was very frustrating.

The biggest problem is that the instruction manual is USELESS. I mean, it leaves out SO MUCH it isn't even funny...I don't even think it tells you how to pin!!!
So most of the stuff you learn by trial and error....which can take days. This might be why so many people (including myself at the beginning) hate the game particularly if they just played it for an hour or two.

However, once you get used to it, (after about 8 or 9 hours) the majority of the gameplay is just as easy as
the AKI series. Any grappling move (ie throws, submissions, etc) can be done just as easily as the AKI series. Basically press X to grab, either X, Y, A or B to put the person into an Intermediate Start Position (ISP), and then X, Y, A or B after that to do a specific move. Of course, the moves are not random and you can edit what you're wrestler does for each button. The ISP system is cool, for instance after grabbing ifyou press X again, you'll stick the opponent's head between your legs. From there, if you press any of the buttons, you'll do different moves, but they'll all start from
that position, like a pile driver or power bomb, for instance. Another ISP is the suplexposition, etc. It's actually cool and it makes the action more fun. Besides, you canpick up any wrestler and have a general idea of how to do his moves without knowing specifics. For instance you can grab the guy, and then X always puts his head between your legs and if you hit A you might get a pile driver or a power bomb but you won't get
a suplex, or slam or something unrelated. So playing with new wrestlers is kind of fun.

The combo/reversal system is really cool and a major addition. Essentially, certain (not all)
moves can be linked together with proper timing. For instance, if you slam somebody, their head
should be at your feet. Well you can sometimes Immediately grab their hair and pull them
up into a chin lock after a slam if you time it right. Essentially, there is a meter with a slider that goes from left to right. One part of the meter is green, the rest is red. If you press the appropriate button when the slider is over the green part, you'll execute
the move. One button press. Pins are often tied in as combos.

Reversals are similar to combos in that pretty much every time a wrestler tries something on
you, then you can get a chance to reverse it. It's actually fun and it becomes an act of
skill to reverse moves.

Some moves and some combos are easier to perform than others and certain wrestlers are better at some than others. By easier to perform, I mean that the slider doesn't move as fast and/or there is more green on the bar than red. It seems that the wrestler's
attributers and abilities (such as Strength, Ground Fighting, Grappling, etc) play a role but
I can't figure it out perfectly, yet. But most wrestlers have certain things in common such has
it's easier to block/reverse a pile driver than a punch or kick. Basically, the more damage a move
does, the harder it is to do.

Another cool, and VERY IMPORTANT part of the game, is that wrestlers can become stunned after
certain moves. They can either be stunned standing up, in which case they just kind of wobble around,
or stunned on the ground, in which case they just lie there for a while. When an opponent is stunned,
you'll see a meter and a big A button on the screen telling you to bang the button to get out of it.
This is the only button banging (other than a pin) in the game.

The combo/reversal system does not tie up the game at all or bog it down. It's not a
game about meters. There's lots of action. The meters just allow stratedy and skill rather than
randomness for things like reversals. I can usually tell when I can reverse someone's move as soon
as they try it...likewise, I almost never get my moves reversed anymore (other than punches and kicks),
because I've learned to only try the big grappling moves when the opponent is stunned and cannot
reverse a move!!

Honestly, the grappling system is BETTER than AKI's once you get used to it...

The career mode is really cool...fighting from territory to territory, winning belts and improving
your wrestler (unlocking moves, increasing abilities, etc).

Also, the PS2 version was apparently sluggish or something but I did not find that at all with the
Gamecube version.

However, there are some flaws...

Running and doing moves is kinda hard...well, I played with Snuka the whole weekend and he has a
0 for 3 on ''Charging'' Skill which might have something to do with it...take that with a grain of salt.

Throwing people into the ropes / turnbuckles and doing moves is a bit tricky...AKI was better.

The create a wrestler is very good about moves/abilities but lacking in the appearance part. There is
only one face!!! Lots of hair, makeup, skin color, etc but still. There just isn't a lot in looks
to play with. So, if you want to make a cool generic wrestler, or customize someone's moves/abilities,
then it's fine. AKI was better here, too.

The graphics are great, in my opinion. I was worried about the ''cartoon'' look from screenshots
but believe me, when you play the game, it looks fine. No problems there...better than AKI.

Another flaw, is that there are no countouts and no disqualification. In other words, every match
can be considered a ''hardcore'' match, where you can get a steel chair or whatever from outside the
ring, bring it in and use it in front of the ref without DQ. Also, you can fight outside the
ring for eternity since there is no countout. At first, I was really disappointed with this,
but I got used to it. I hope they put in countouts and DQs in LOW2, though.

Overall, I like the game better than AKI. The actually wrestling (grappling) is more fun in LOW,
although AKI has better running moves and irish whipping. The create a wrestler was better in
AKI but it's passable in LOW.

Bottom Line: If you love AKI games, and LOVE old school wrestlers, GET THIS GAME. If not, rent it
but please do yourself a favour and give this game at least 2 days before you pass judgment.
It's tough to get used to but once you learn it, believe me, it's easy (and fun) to play.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/04/02, Updated 06/04/02