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Lemme tell ya something about Legends of Wrestlemania, brother!
First off, I’d like to say that I’m no longer a fan of professional wrestling. Not anymore. Today’s WWE doesn’t have that certain degree of spectacle that the WWF had in the 80’s and 90’s. It seems like today’s wrestlers just don’t have the personality that the superstars of yesteryear had. And that’s why I truly enjoyed Legends of Wrestlemania.
Actually there are two different reasons. First of all, it was a throwback to glory days of Wrestlemania. My Second reason is because it was also a throwback to the simplicity of old wrestling video games. It seems like I was one of the few people who really enjoyed that last part.
I read several reviews of this game, and they all had the same two complaints: The controls are overly simplified, and the look of the wrestlers was too exaggerated. They just described the two things I liked best about this game. This game is very much what I would describe as an “arcade” style wrestling game. Just a joystick, four buttons, lots of mashing, and a few quick time events thrown in here and there.
The character list is pretty impressive. Found myself going through it the first time with excitement as I recalled classic wrestlers that I had completely forgotten about, then having a warm feeling of nostalgia wash over me. The game has pretty much every wrestler that was worth a damn in the last 25 years of Wrestlemania (and some that aren’t).
That being said, however, I was confused as to why certain wrestlers where not included. Like Macho Man Randy Savage, and his manager Miss Elizabeth, or Doink the Clown. There is a Create A Wrestler mode, and I suppose you could make any wrestler that’s not in the game, but it just wouldn’t feel the same. I don’t really have many other complaints than that.
As I said earlier, I really did enjoy the exaggerated look of the wrestlers. They almost look more like their action figure counterparts. It was like they tried to make the characters look like how our ten year old minds would have perceived them and not what they actually looked like. So they look larger than life, and almost cartoonish. It adds a certain charm I think.
Every wrestler also has their classic over-the-top intros. Complete with fireworks, cheesy rock anthems and all. You know what, though...as corny as it seems, I wouldn’t want it any other way. The first time I fired up the game and saw Hulk Hogan walk out and his theme music start up while he riled up the crowd. I nearly shed a tear of joy. Suddenly it was 1986 again, and Hulkamania was running wild!
There are several different game modes as well. There’s the exhibition mode you basically just pick a type of match and start fighting. You can do just a regular match, steel cage, Hell in a Cell, Iron man, tag team, triple threat, battle royal, and my personal favorite, the Royal Rumble. This mode features six wrestlers in a ring at once with more on the way. You can do 10, 20, or 30 man Royal Rumbles.
The main mode of the game is called Relive, Rewrite, and Redefine. In this mode you replay famous matches throughout Wrestlemania history. In the first mode, Relive, you try to copy the match as it actually happened, in Rewrite, you try to change what happened, and in Redefine, you take what happened and put a bit of a twist on it. Each stage is started with an actual clip taken from the Wrestlemania event it recreates. Which was a pretty nice touch, I felt.
You can also create your own wrestlers like I mentioned before. It’s simple to do so, and actually has quite a bit of depth. Other than your wrestler’s looks you can also edit his moves, and even his entrance. Also, if you have Smackdown Vs Raw 2009 you can import wrestlers from that game as well.
I had a lot of fun with this game, and am still playing it. I’ve finished all the main “story” modes, and just enjoy an occasional Hell in the Cell or Royal Rumble now and then. This game gets Even better if you can find people to play with, as it supports four players simultaneously.
The real question is, is it worth $60? No. Sixty bucks is kind of alot to ask for a game like this. I bought it for around $35, and think it’s worth that, though. Otherwise you might just wanna rent it. It’s a fun game, and fun to play multiplayer, but not $60 fun.
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System: |
Xbox 360
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| Genre: |
Wrestling |
| Experience: |
Finished main modes, and played a lot of Exhibition matches. |
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