Legends of Wrestling II

"A fun and entertaining trip into history!"

Introduction
Legends of Wrestling 2 is the sequel to Legends of Wrestling, made by Acclaim. Acclaim has a pretty deep history when it comes to Wrestling, they put out the first WWF games on the Playstation and later released the underappreciatted ECW titles.

Gameplay
I enjoy playing it, it is VERY hard at times, but exciting. The only thing I would complain about is the reversal system, it is good, but it has 1 flaw. You see, to reverse, let's say a suplex, you have to hit the ''X'' button at the right time. You know when the right time is by looking under your wrestlers name looking at a meter. But if you spend all of your time looking at the meter, you never get to see yourself WRESTLING.

Story
I like this games ''Career'' mode because it is like the old days. With regional titles, and earning a name for yourself in a region, moving on to another region where you are nobody. That is the way wrestling was back in the day, before the days of ''The Rock'' and ''Brock Lesnar'' there was ''George The Animal Steele'' and ''Kerry Von Erich''.

Graphics/Sound
The graphics are pretty good, the same problem from the last game continues, they make Owen Hart as muscular as Brock Lesnar. But I also believe that when they designed the appearance of this game, they were going for more of a ''Super Human'' type look. Back when wrestlers were as unbelievable at cartoon characters. The sound is good if you like modern crap music, I just don't like bands like ''Saliva'' and such. Although I think it is funny, the opening video is played to ''Superstar'' by Saliva in which they say ''Make me a SuperStar'' in a game where you are a LEGEND. I just found that amusing.

Roster
The roster here is good, for old time wrestling fans it is great. Of course, some people I consider Legends won't be in it, but you can argue all day as to who is a legend, but either way the selection is fun. It is missing out on a few key elements though, Abdullah The Butcher WITHOUT a fork? Whats up with that?

Play Time/Replayability
It will take a while to fully complete the game. Replayability is high, to unlock things they took a page from Mortal Kombat : Deadly Alliace. You have to purchase your hidden things with ''Coins'' which you earn from winning matches. You then have the option to ''Gamble'' them in hopes of getting more valuable coins. It is a fun task, although sometimes tedious.

Final Recommendation
I say go get it if you can appreciatte a GOOD, SOLID, wrestling experience. If you are nothing but a WWE Fan Boy don't waste your time, you won't be pleased. But if you are like me, growing up in the 80's watching all the wrestling you can, it is worth it. My friend, the day he was brought home from the hospital when he was born crawled to the TV and watched wrestling (He has a video to prove it). We both enjoyed it ALOT, plus, in a time when the WWE is too concerned with there appearance, it is fun to play this game because you can cover the mat in your opponets blood.
So go get it, and relive HISTORY.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 12/10/02, Updated 12/10/02