Legends of Wrestlemania

"Relive, Rewrite, Redefine...THQ and Yuke's really made this work"

As an avid wrestling fan and a hardcore video game player, I find that the combination of the two can make for either a good game or a bad game. Things with the Smackdown vs. Raw series have been up-and-down over the years, but THQ has shifted gears for a moment and dropped this into our hands: WWE Legends Of Wrestlemania.

For those familiar with Acclaim's Legends Of Wrestling series, this should be no surprise; featuring over 40 legendary superstars and managers from over two decades of WWF/WWE wrestling, this game allows players to take their favorite legend and pit him against other legends in various match types, such as Cage, Ladder, Iron Man, and the ever-feared Hell In A Cell.

Many of the well-known legends are here: Hulk Hogan, Andre The Giant, Bret "Hitman" Hart, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Dusty Rhodes, and The Rock are some of the obvious ones featured. The game doesn't stop there, however. Other classics include Big Boss Man, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Yokozuna, The Honky Tonk Man, King Kong Bundy, and Arn Anderson. The wrestlers featured may not be of the same caliber as the big names (like Hogan, Andre and The Rock), but still relevant to the history of WrestleMania, which this game focuses on.
On top of that, if you have a save file from Smackdown vs. Raw 2009, you will be able to import all of the wrestlers (except Divas) to the game, allowing for interesting matches, such as Andre vs. Big Show, or Matt & Jeff Hardy against the Legion Of Doom...now you don't have to imagine it; you can actually do it now.

Aside from the usual exhibition matches, you have Legend Killer Mode, which allows you to take a created superstar and face off against six tiers of legends (five if you don't import from SvR 2009). This mode is used to raise the stats of your created superstar, much like the Career Mode of the SvR series. The highlight of the game, however, is the WrestleMania Tour Mode, which gives the player the ability to, as the back of the box says, "Relive, Rewrite, and Redefine" history.

"Relive" has the player participating in legendary matches in WM history, such as Steve Austin vs. The Rock at Wrestlemania XV, and Hogan vs. Ultimate Warrior at Wrestlemania VI. "Rewrite" has the player changing the outcome of certain matches, such as the Iron Man Match between Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania XII (making Bret win it instead of Shawn). "Redefine" has the player altering the match to take place differently, like making the Andre vs. Big John Studd match at Wreslemania I a Hell In A Cell match. A little far-fetched, I'll admit, but why not? It's a video game!

Okay, enough of the recap. On to the actual review:

First, the graphics. As with the SvR series, the graphics are excellent. Each legend is faithfully rendered with accurate features and attire based on their history (alternate attires are unlockable for certain wrestlers). While the proportions are a little off (When seeing Andre vs. Hogan, Andre is a little smaller, while Hogan is a little bigger), it's a small detail that shouldn't get in the way of an otherwise pleasing display. The arenas (Wrestlemanias I through XV, and a Royal Rumble Arena) are shown true to their actual display in history, which adds even more nostalgia to see the old stage setups once again. As expected, the game is usable with a high-def TV, which will make it even better for all the HD nuts out there.

Next, the sound. Commentary is done by Jim Ross and Jerry "The King" Lawler, which is quite interesting. Obviously they couldn't get Jesse "The Body" Ventura and the late Gorilla Monsoon, but it's still a good pair, even if they're commentating about wrestlers from the past (before either one of them was a commentator). The theme music is also a solid piece of the game, though not everyone has their original music, or the music from the era depicted in the game. For example, Big Boss Man uses his Attitude-era music, while his attire is from his earlier years, or Michael "P.S." Hayes doesn't have "Badstreet U.S.A." as his theme, but through custom soundtracks, you can make the changes as you see fit. You want Shawn Michaels to have his original music, with Sensational Sherri on vocals? Go for it. It's your choice.

Onto the features. I already mentioned the various game modes, but how about the create modes? Obviously, you have the Create-A-Legend mode, which gives you the ability to put together your own legend (or legend killer), or import your characters from SvR 2009. Numerous other CAL pieces are included, which will allow you to make many other legendary favorites, such as Owen Hart, Goldust (his current bodysuit is featured), and Razor Ramon. The customization is quite immense, which is great; this particular mode gets better and better each time. You can also make your own tag teams/stables. Create a Tully Blanchard and an Ole Anderson CAL, team them with Arn and Ric Flair, and you've got the Four Horsemen. Again, the customization goes deeper with each new game that THQ and Yuke's puts out, so they got something going here.

Now let's talk gameplay. Ditching the conventional controls of the SvR series, Legends of WrestleMania uses an arcade-style "chain" mechanism to do various moves. Punches and kicks are still done normally, but for grapple moves, you can chain them together and make a combination. For example, a body slam to a sleeper hold, or an headlock to an irish whip to a powerslam. They also set up finishing moves, like Hogan's Leg Drop, or Warrior's Ultimate Splash. It is an unorthodox approach at first, but after some time, you can get used to it. The only problem will be going back to SvR's controls. Had some trouble with that myself :p

What's the downfall, then? I've named all these good things, but there's gotta be something that's not-so-good. Well, there is. First, the overall gameplay can be a little repetitive at times. You might find yourself repeatedly slamming your opponent just to be able to do your finisher, or you might have trouble trying to kick out of the pin before the three count, but these are issues that can be worked out through patience...then again, not many gamers I know have patience. I guess you just have to get used to it, or make the best of it.

Second, the game doesn't have too much replay value...for now. After going through the main modes of the game, there's not much left to do except play exhibition matches and watch the classic wrestling clips that are featured in the WrestleMania Tour Mode. That issue may most likely change, though, thanks to downloadable content (DLC). The latest batch of DLC for SvR 2009 (which can be exported to LoW) includes Earthquake, The Bushwhackers, Doink The Clown, and Vader, so that's a start. It'll be hard to tell which legends may or may not be featured next. I'd hope for someone like Sycho Sid, or "Macho Man" Randy Savage (Pair with Hogan and make the Mega Powers live again). You never know...

All in all, this is a good game. A few issues with using the controls, and a couple things that they could have left out/put in, but it's at least worth a try. If you're wanting something different than the SvR series, this is the one for you. "Welcome to WrestleMania", indeed.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 04/20/09

Game Release: Legends of Wrestlemania (US, 03/24/09)