Legends of Wrestling

"Well you know something, Brother?"

Legends of Wrestling is a game with great ideas that didn't flow well into a video game. However, it is a decent game that should be given a spin.

Graphics 5/10

The graphics of this game are at best, mediocre. All the characters are larger than their real life counterparts, and the faces look like they were sampled from Hulk Hogan's Rock and Wrestling. Acclaim could have done a better job with this game. The colors are rich, and you can distinguish between characters, but when Hulk Hogan is three times the size of say, Ted DiBiase there is a problem. Some of the characters are re-created entirely too large for this game. Body details, such as ab muscles and muscle definition are great, but I don't ever recall Hulk Hogan having a Six Pack of abs. If you are a wrestling fan, you will know what I'm talking about. Major disappointment.

Sound 7/10

The sound of this game is quite nice. Thuds, weapon smacks, and the crowd sound smooth and create a feel of being at a live event. However, the in ring music will get on your nerves after a while. The wrestlers' themes are all generic rips of their real music, re-done by Jimmy Hart, of course. Needless to say, you'll want to upload your WWF soundtrack and maybe The Vines to play during the background of matches. At least you can change that aspect.

Control 2/10

Ugggh. The curse of all Acclaim wrestling games. It's control. Granted the control of this game is far greater than that of WWF Warzone and Attitude it still suffers. My thumbs had blisters after trying to win a grapple against a harder CPU opponent. I swear we were switching up 12-15 times per grapple. The grappling system is nice and works, but only if you have your opponent dizzy. Trying to pull of moves while your opponet is of sound mind is next to impossible. However, the controls are very sensitive, and must be commended for that. You have to press the corresponding button to reverse at the time your meter specifies. If not, then you may be on your back for the 1,2,3.

Replay Value 8/10

Given it's god awful control, the game has some decent replay value. You will spend a lot of time unlocking the secret characters (for those of us who don't cheat) and the create a wrestler option will allow you to make some of the greatest ring combatants of all time. The create a wrestler feature allows for almost endless replay, regardless of the lame control system.

Overall 6/10

Given it's history with wrestling games, Acclaim may actually be going in the right direction with this series. Hopefully in the next few installments they will clean up the grappling system, make a better combo system, and allow a little more leeway for screw ups. The characters are nicely done with few flaws, and the detail of the moves themselves are done nicely. Legends of Wrestling is a game that I would own, despite it's flaws. If you have no way to play some of the better wrestling sims (Fire Pro Series, etc.) then pick up Legends of Wrestling. I promise you that you'll have a good time, brother.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 12/22/02, Updated 12/22/02