Rumble Roses

"Maybe the biggest guilty pleasure game I've played since DOA Volleyball"

Kind of a lame headline, I admit, but I didn't think gamefaqs.com, would like it if I used my original idea for a headline, which I'm refraining from sharing in hopes of getting this review posted.

I usually kick off my reviews by talking about the game's story, although this being a one-on-one fighting game each character has their own cheesy and extraneous story, so I'll try to keep it short: there's this new female wrestling association, Rumble Roses, and a bunch of model-esque women have decided to compete in it for various reasons. One has to live up to her legacy as the daughter of the world's greatest female wrestler, one needs money to save her orphanage, and one (I'm completely serious) joined just to get one of her students to return to class. Whether they succeed or fail depends on who you choose to take to the top and your skill in doing so.

Story: Each character has their own little biography, their own reason for joining the female wrestling league that is Rumble Roses. But let's face it, nobody bought this game caring a bit about what the story was. 6/10 for trying, anyway.

Graphics: Yummy, although not perfect by any means. The girls look great, the spectators don't look bad, and the signature moves and submission holds look like they really hurt. But often during a hold or a grapple, the characters sometimes wouldn't actually be in contact, or their arms, legs or heads would pass through each other as if nothing was there. When Showbiz enters the ring that feather boa of hers goes right through her leg. If the selling point for your game is the visuals (and let's not pretend otherwise, hmmm?), don't let this stuff happen. 7/10

Sound: Each wrestler, like in real life, also has their own distinctive theme song that plays when they enter the ring. These are pretty bad, but you're allowed to skip them so it could've been worse. The vocal samples and cries of pain during the matches aren't bad, but they're pretty run of the mill. Somebody sign Aigle up for speech therapy, though. 5/10

Game play: It's wrestling, and while I admit I don't play many wrestling games, this one seems to me to be pretty solid in the control department. You've got melee strikes, grapples, throws, submission holds, and, once you've done enough damage to your opponent, Killer, or even deadlier but condition specific, Lethal, moves become available.

Most of the game takes place in a normal wrestling ring, but in exhibition mode, or in one battle during story mode, there's also a match in a mud pit, but come on, like you weren't expecting it.

Interesting is that each wreslter has two forms, heel and face, or bad girl and good girl for those of you not up on your wrestling terms. By beating the story mode, the character's other side becomes unlocked, as do a couple alternate outfits (the second player version of her regular outfit and swimsuit, and that's it). The alter egos tend to be the exact same character with sluttier clothes and the same lines, though. Dixie's alter ego is a crooked cop in black leather. Wow, that's...creative. The seemingly Avril Lavigne inspired Candy Cane becomes a peppy cheerleader once you unlock her other side. Yawn. Bloody Shadow's face form is seriously the exact same woman with lighter hair and ninja costume. On the other hand, the face form of the devilish Evil Rose is a superheroine called Noble Rose who looks to me like a rip off of Cutey Honey.

In the exhibition mode, there's a "vow system" where you can set conditions on your character's performance to change their attitude so that they become more of a heel or face, to change them from their bad to good form or vice versa and allow them to be used in title matches when they become 100% of either attitude (which prevents you from staging a fight between the heel and face versions of the same character, as only one side is ever available at a time, which kind of disappointed me). There really isn't much point in bothering with all that, though, unless you really want to see what a particular character's alter ego is like, or unlock their lame gallery mode function, which lets you listen to their entrance music, voice samples, or an interview if you just sit and watch them do stretches in the locker room long enough.

Of course, that's why we all bought this game, wasn't it?

Other than that, there's little to sustain interest. Besides the alternate forms of the main characters, there's only one "secret" character to unlock.

All in all the gameplay is okay, but a bit lacking for interesting extras to keep things fresh. 6/10

Replayability: After you beat the game as one character, there isn't a reason to play her again in story mode unless you want to beat it with her in her bathing suit the whole time. The story modes for the alter ego characters tend to pretty lame, too. 4/10

Final word: Rumble Roses is an okay wrestling game, but sells itself primarily on its visual appeal, which can only take a game so far. As enjoyable as this was to the cave man in me, I'd be rather surprised to see a Rumble Roses 2. 7/10

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 12/14/04, Updated 12/26/05