Legends of Wrestling

"An under-rated game with potential"

Legends of Wrestling is a very under-rated title with a lot of potential for a sequel. As far as I have heard, a sequel is indeed planned, but you have to wonder if wrestlers like Hulk Hogan and Rob Van Dam will be in it, since both have recently signed to the WWF.

The wrestlers included in this game are a veritable Who's Who of wrestling history. Personally, it's always been a dream to play a modern wrestling game featuring guys like Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, Ted DiBiase and Brian Pillman. The problem some people have is that a lot of the wrestlers have movesets that are not accurate to a specific wrestler. I know guys like ''Superstar'' Billy Graham weren't proficient in the use of Chokeslams or ''Rock Bottoms'', but to be honest, the game would be kind of boring if the wrestlers' actual movesets were replicated. Back in the 1970s a headlock was a finishing move. So basically, more ''modern'' moves serve to keep the game interesting for younger fans. Plus the wrestlers' finishers are pretty accurate, so overall the choice of moves is not a problem. Well with an amazing roster and a decent moves list, why isn't the game a 10? Let's break it down into categories and see...

Graphics: 8
The graphics aren't the most realistic out there, but they accurately depict the different wrestlers. Some of the bodies are exaggerated to the point of being ''cartoony''. King Kong Bundy, for example, is WAY too fat. All in all, the wrestlers and their moves animate well, despite some collision detection problems. The addition of blood that stains the ring is a nice touch.

Sound: 7
Some of the wrestler themes sound really good and fit the wrestler, others are merely filler. The opening song of the game is well-done, and goes great with the action and various game footage. There is no match commentary, which is probably a good thing, but there is a ring announcer that introduces each wrestler before the match.

Story: 7
Not much of a story, but then again wrestling games are action-driven so it's hard to weave a compelling story. The story that is there, though, is decent. Just like wrestling's old territory system, you start off wrestling in one area of the country, fighting in various matches and small arenas until you win that area's title. Then you move on to the next territory and repeat, finally winning the United States title before moving on to the World circuit, which consists of Mexico, Canada and Japan. Whether you are a face (good guy) or heel (bad guy), either Jimmy Hart (face) or Capt. Lou Albano (heel) will accompany you to ringside, and interfere in matches if necessary. Your manager will even give you advice during cutscenes between matches. Pretty pointless but a nice touch. During matches you must win crowd support by doing a wide assortment of moves in order to gain popularity and earn title shots. My biggest problem was that a lot of the wrestlers seem to be active in more than one territory, thus making the entire ''win matches in various parts of the country'' kind of pointless. Dynamite Kid, for example, was a huge superstar in Japan as well as his native Canada, but what is he doing wrestling a tag match down in Texas? Moreso, why AREN'T Texas legends the Von Erichs down there instead? Little things like that detract from the otherwise realistic territory system.

Gameplay: 7
This wrestling engine is quite interesting. It can be either the best or worst wrestling engine, depending on your preference. As far as realism, this is the most realistic wrestling engine ever. Every single punch, kick, grapple, hold or suplex can be countered or reversed in some way. Any moves you do can be turned into a pin or strung together to form complex combination moves. Press a button to lock up, then another to put your opponent in piledriver position. If your opponent doesn't counter, either piledrive or powerbomb him. If you powerbomb him, you can either let him hit the mat, or press a button to turn it into a pin, OR press yet another button to grab his legs upon impact, then lock on a submission move. It can be quite complicated, and definitely takes split-second timing. Luckily a meter under your wrestler's name shows you exactly when to press the button for the combo move you desire. Doing these complicated moves helps your wrestler get a better crowd reaction in Career mode, so it is vital to learn them. Those people addicted to games like WWF SmackDown (yes, I am one) will have to take their time and learn the moves step by step. Sometimes the computer can reverse a move too easily, other times your moves don't respond quickly enough to the button press. The main problem with the grapple system is speed. The game moves pretty slow, but then again so did most of these guys in their prime, so it fits well. During matches you can retrieve weapons from under the ring, knock out the referee (you can't actually perform moves on him but you can run into him and knock him down, the game actually rewards you for this), and do double team moves. Every wrestler's finisher is done by pressing the right analog stick when your finisher meter is flashing, but sometimes it is confusing because each finisher has its own situation involving when to press the stick. Hulk Hogan's legdrop requires you to run at your fallen opponent, then hit the stick right before you run into him. Bret Hart's Sharpshooter, however, requires you to knock your opponent down, grab his legs, then hit the stick and lock on the hold. It will take a lot of patience to figure out some of the moves, plus the finishers don't always seem to do enough damage.
Bottom line on the gameplay: If you want a complicated yet realistic wrestling engine, this game has it. But if you want a simpler, faster, more arcade-style engine, SmackDown kills this game. I'm adaptive, I play both.

Create-A-Wrestler: 7
Any wrestling game worth anything these days has to have a create-a wrestler option. The one in this game is decent, but mediocre. You only have one face to choose from, but there is a wide variety of masks, patterns, scars and facial hair to choose from, so not every one of your CAWs will look exactly alike. Clothing is pretty limited, but again, patterns and designs can add a lot of variety. You can also create some of your own designs. After you create a wrestler, you pick what type of wrestling style he uses, then pick moves accordingly. For example, if you choose a strictly mat-based wrestler, he will have no moves off the top rope to choose from, that option will be locked when you pick moves. If you take your created wrestler through Career mode, moves can be unlocked for him, therefore he will ''improve'' as he goes on, just like wrestlers in real life. The coolest thing about the Create-A-Wrestler is that when you pick a name, you can pick names and hometowns from a list that the announcer will say when he introduces you. Yes, no more asinine nicknames like ''Flying Man'' for your wrestler. No more being called ''Player One'' until you want to put the TV on mute. There is something thrilling about hearing the announcer say, ''Introducing, from Glascow, Scotland... 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper!'' You can't make every name but you can make several. There are tons of first and last names to choose from, like Scott, Kevin, Ric and Randy, which go perfect with the provided last names like Hall, Nash, Flair and Savage. If only all wrestling games did this.

Overall, the game isn't perfect but I'm hoping for big things from the sequel. Maybe a little faster engine, more responsive control, a more detailed create-a-wrestler and some specialty matches. Sadly there are no cage matches or anything like that in this game, maybe in the next. I think this franchise is only going to get better. If you hate Smackdown, try this game for a more realistic alternative. Even if you love Smackdown, try this anyway and stick with it for a few hours until you learn the moves and start winning matches, you may be pleasantly surprised.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 02/25/02, Updated 02/25/02