WWE WrestleMania 21

"This one drops like a sack of bricks"

Everyone that owns a X-Box is waiting for a great wrestling game. WWE Wrestlemania XXI is not that game...

Graphics: 6
The character models are decent. The way they stagger and move isn't monotonous at all. However, everything does seem just a bit pixilated. The crowd looks good at first, but just wait for a close-up. The rest of the crowd is a poorly rendered video.

The interface, especially in the create-a-wrestler mode looks very cheap, as well as the facial models. You can change any part of the face, however, it just doesn't feel like X-box quality.

Sound: 7
This game has a decent soundtrack, however, just like Raw 2, the music loops over and over again. Maybe Gigante should have taken a hint from EA and put a playlist style soundtrack at the bottom of the screen.

This game has voice overs. They're actually not that bad. Eric Bichoff sounds very close to the show if you ask me. For the most part the acting is pretty good.

Overall, the sound isn't bad at all. Punches sound like punches and kicks sound like kicks. Thats about it.

Gameplay: 1
The gameplay is simply cheaper than an off-brand controller. It feels very fake. The ladder match is the cheapest mode I have ever seen. No matter how bad you pummel your opponent, he/she will get right back up as soon as you touch the ladder. They will then pull you off of the ladder and take the belt before you have a true chance to gather what just happened.

Not only that, but it is extremely difficult to figure out the controls. The book that comes with the game has a million and one different set-ups on it, but none of them seemed to help my friend and I figure out how to put anyone into submissions.

The gameplay was just so bad that it ruined the game for me. The game was just out to get you. The game isn't difficult, just cheap. You don't get any help and the computer will get up out of nowhere, despite being busted wide open and having his entire body in danger.

Create a Wrestler: 2
This is a wrestling game and ever wrestling game should have its CAW mode checked out. This mode is just outright bad.

First off, it is slow. I think it took my friend an hour and a half to make one character appearance. He hadn't even gotten to moves yet. Second, as I said earlier, it feels cheap. The clothing and whatnot aren't that customizable. Thirdly, it was over complicated. There isn't much help from that stupid book either.

The thing that really burned me was the fact that you couldn't have a customizable audible nickname. Raw 2 had Lilian reading hundreds of samples off. You could make your own! Secondly (wow) Neither my friend or I were able to fit our names in the text box. I think you could only submit 10 letters. My name is more than double that in length!

On the upside, (after fiddling with the engine for an hour) we were able to create a pretty true-to-life face of my friend. The graphics aren't as smooth as they could be, but the structure was dead on. You are allowed to adjust any part of the face. Lips, nose, jaw, eyes, everything.

RENT THIS GAME FOR A CHEAP THRILL
$50 IS A WASTE OF YOUR MONEY.
JUST GO PLAY RAW 2 UNTIL SOMETHING GOOD COMES ALONG.

In summary, this game just doesn't stack up. I think the only way the X-Box will get a ridiculously good wrestling game will be only if there is a Raw 3, or if a smackdown somehow makes its away onto the console. This game had so much potential, thats why my friend bought it. But man does it suck. We couldn't wait to return this one...

Reviewer's Score: 3/10, Originally Posted: 05/03/05