WWE WrestleMania 21

"This game is like an undercard jobber: It reeks of mediocre."

This game was very anticipated, but when it shipped we were all disappointed. Beautiful graphics, yet it lagged whenever a match started, and the storyline mode is bland and uncreative. XBox Live is, for all practical purposes, nonexistent for this game. There is hardly anyone on, even at peak hours. The wrestler entrances are not very unique, and Create-A-Wrestler mode does not have enough creativity in it.

Roster: 9/10

There are the usual wrestlers, such as John Cena, the Undertaker, Kane, and Shawn Michaels. Everyone you have seen on Monday Night Raw, Friday Night Smackdown, Heat, or Velocity is featured in this game. The roster is slightly outdated, as several wrestlers featured in this game have since been released (namely Charlie Haas). Physics are incorporated into this game, as the smaller wrestlers are unable to pick up and slam the bigger ones, like Big Show and Andre the Giant. Yes, Andre the Giant of 70s-80s wrestling fame is included.

Gameplay: 3/10

This game is bland button mashing mixed in with some weapons. You must frantically mash buttons repeatedly to get anywhere in this game, and even to counter you must frantically click the R-stick in. Glitches are abound in this game, from the beginning lag to wrestlers not showing up when they are supposed to, to even going through the ring sometimes on a slam. Not THROUGH the ring, per se, but rather the character model glitching through the ring's geometry and getting stuck, forcing you to restart the match. On a few versions, most of which the publisher has recalled, the player could not get past the start up screen because a glitch made them unable to do so. With the game's immense frustrations comes a particular sense of glory when you finally nail that Sweet Chin Music or a Chokeslam on a particularly fierce opponent, then getting the 1...2....3...

Graphics: 9/10

The wrestler models themselves are fantastic. They are well defined and well detailed. The models are so finely tuned you could see each and every one of the Undertaker's tatoos. The only thing wrong in this category is the lack of pyro. Pyro (the fireworks that go off upon an entrance) is very ugly looking and something you would be accustomed to seeing on the original PlayStation. The crowd is very detailed, and you can clearly read the signs in the crowd. You can even see the announcer's table in the background, with good ol' JR and Jerry "The King" Lawler.

Sound: 8/10

Depending on what show you are wrestling on (Raw, Smackdown, Velocity, and Heat) the announcers are different. For Raw and Heat, there is JR and The King, and for Smackdown and Velocity you have Michael Cole and Tazz. The ring makes the appropriate noises depending on what you are doing at the time, and it flows together really well. The crowd boos or cheers according to whether you are the face (good guy) or the heel (the villain) in the match. Taunts are amazingly well tuned to their real life counterparts, and the wrestlers' entrances are well done.

AI: 2/10

The AI in this game is horrendous. In Tag Team matches, it could be mistaken for a 2v1 Handicap match for all the good your partner does. 99% of the time he just stands on the ring apron and watches while the enemy AI is well coordinated and double teams you to hell and back. Glitches are abound, and the wrestlers themselves could be mistaken for monkeys sometimes, as far as AI goes in this game. They don't pin at the appropriate times, and refuse to counter a lot of moves. Run-in interference usually just stands outside the ring without helping, and sometimes the opponent refuses to pin at all.

Replayability: 2/10

There is nothing you couldn't do in this game that you couldn't do in a seven day rental. The entire game can be easily completed in just a few days.

Rent/buy: Definitely rent, for the reasons above.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 10/18/05