WWE WrestleMania 21

"Not as bad as people think"

Wrestlemania 21 for the XBOX really isn't that bad once you get to play with it as much as I have.

Graphics - 6/10 - It has it ups and downs. On the positive side, the wrestler selection screen shows the in-game models' faces and man, they are too accurate to be true. Honestly, when has Lita looked so accurate in a video game? When in a match the models still look like the wrestlers, but now you can see many pixels and the crowd is absolutely horrifying. Definitely not up to par wit XBOX.

Sound/Music/Commentary – 7.5/10 - Well what can I say, the sound effects were pretty accurate, I was taken by surprise. The music in game is basically taken from Smackdown vs. Raw with a few new additions but I can't complain too much, can always turn it off. The commentary, like the music, is basically ripped off of Smackdown vs. Raw with a few new lines, and a little better interaction between the announcers, I can't truly complain there. One huge plus with the commentary is during career mode they'll talk about what happened on your previous match.

Create A Wrestler - 2/10 - Man, it lacks. I can't believe how disappointed I was! There is hardly any thing to choose from, and you can't customize it as much as Day of Reckoning 2 and Smackdown vs. Raw. When you get to the moves, it really lacks, there are little to no choices for a lot of the categories. And you are required to use a background music track or a custom music track that you burnt to your Xbox, using superstar's music is unavailable.

Gameplay - 6/10 - While some people say the gameplay is slow, well so are real WWE matches. Of course it has negatives. Like during a ladder match……..how they hell do you get your opponent down when he is swinging from the belt and you're about to lose? On top of that, the Royal Rumble seems nearly impossible. Even if you're close to the ropes, your opponent will not always go over the top rope. Sometimes there is a slowdown, which can cause severe annoyance. The match types are pretty good with the same selection you will get in Day of Reckoning 2. The challenges are good too as you are required to complete them to buy more valuable items which does add to replay value. I can't rate xbox live online play because I don't have an account and personally, I don't want to pay 50 bucks a year especially with XBOX360 comingout.

Story mode – 9/10 – Even though it doesn't branch out, this has to be the greatest story mode I've played in a long time. The wrestler's voiceovers are definitely filled with emotion to make the story more believable, and even your CAW will have a voice, unfortunately its only one voice. The one negative is the fact that you have to win every single match. I defiantly prefer this over day of reckoning 1+2 story and maybe even Smackdown. Honestly, I'd take the game's storylines over real life WWE storylines any day of the week. Its too damn addicting

AI – 3/10 - Yeah, I gave it its own category, I'll tell you why. The AI is annoying as can be Once they get you down it will be submission after submission after submission. Also if your in a multiplayer match and a computer opponent is not fighting anyone, expect him to taunt a lot. The funny thing is once he or she gets special, they won't finish you right away, but when they do, its kind of annoying. Also, its annoying that I've managed to have matches against computer that take less than a minute, but sometimes they can go really long.

Controls – 7/10 – Honestly, once you get used to, the controls are basically a cross over of Smackdown and Day of Reckoning. Like you press the A the button for a quick grapple but hold it for a strong grapple. It's the same thing with the B button except the grapple types are signature and submission grapples. From there you press any direction and either the A or B or X button and there you go. It should be noted that when in a grapple A and B perform the same grapple moves but X is a striking move. L to climb stuff, Y to run, and Down + A to pin. A lot like Day of Reckoning and Smackdown if you ask me.

Overall 7/10 - This game has its ups and downs, I might get flamed, but I kind of like this better than Raw 2. The story mode is the big start of the game. The gameplay while annoying, is good enough to be in a wrestling game. Most of the commentary and music are basically taken from Smackdown vs Raw, but truly no complaints. The AI does need work with putting on a match. This game is really fun though especially for diehard WWE fans and for gamers who don't care about little glitches

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 10/05/05