"There
isn't a Tuesday morning where I come into the office and
hear rants and raves about how The Rock laid the
smack-down on the Undertaker, or the ongoing drama that
takes place behind the scenes. I realize that modern
wrestling is more of a soap-opera for boys, but heck
when it comes to video game laying the smack-down or
simply beating the pulp out of someone always sounds
intriguing."
Intro
My most recent disappointment was Legends of
Wrestling last month. I anticipated some old-school
goodness, but ended up with good whack to the face as I
tossed the disk across the room. The much hyped Wrestlemania
X8 was destined from glory from previews. My first
impression without even laying hands on the game, was
that it was produced by THQ; which happens to feel the
brunt of most of my video game angst. Set up as the
major leading in wrestling games, they also have
volleyed themselves as one of the crappiest developers
in the world. Needless to say, my attitude prior to play
was quite "extraordinary".
Can you smell what the Rock is cooking? Mmmm...
Tacos!
The first time playing this, I was sure to include a
friend who knows the show like the Bible. His first
impression was a good one, claiming the game does the
show justice. He also claimed that much of the
"drama" still permeated the style, which is
good for you wrestling-junkies out there. I was also
informed of the whole "WWF/WWE" thing
which really threw me for a loop...
When it comes to wrestling games, and sports titles for
that matter, success or failure surrounds one aspect of
video gaming... control. For the most part, THQ
stuns me and the gameplay is actually enjoyable. In
general, the game relies on good old-fashioned button
mashing consisting of the two major buttons. So, we have
the punch/kick stuff going on as well as the
finesse/grapple moves. And where would a wrestling game
be without the "signature" moves that each
character has? The signature moves were done
brilliantly, even though achieving the move took little
thought by the developers to produce. An
"adrenaline" meter (sigh) fills as the
action unfolds. So near the end of your opponent’s
health, you can put the nail in the coffin and execute
that final special blow.
Where I had to give kudos to THQ was for the fact that
they are paying attention to real fighting games.
Much of the gameplay is button mashing, but I am
starting to see elements of Street Fighter and King
of Fighters starting to influence these hybrid
fighting games. The best example is the use of the
shoulder buttons. No offensive move is 100% guaranteed,
because if timed right the defender can counter the move
to avoid the whack. This keeps the game moving,
interesting and more life-like.
Experimenting with button combinations for moves was
really good, but in the same breath terribly
frustrating. Since the majority of combos are a
combination of more than one button press, I found
myself doing something totally different than what I
intended. Instead of suplexing someone, I ended up
running into the turnbuckle with a nice faceplant. Aside
from the quirky button-combos, I found the control and
physics to be enjoyable and reasonably fun... at least
when playing a human opponent.
This leads me to my biggest gripe with the game.
The AI was unforgivably horrible. The intelligence for
opponents was simply insane. Standing in one place won't
tempt your opponent to attack you. I stood there for
five minutes as the guy just walked in circles looking
like a mad sheep. At other times, I laughed my hat off
as other opponents would climb on the turnbuckle all
pompous like and meet their doom as they missed me
completely. It's not that I have Jedi like instincts,
it's because I was on the opposite side of the ring...
To make things worse, THQ has, yet again failed
make a decent create-a-player function. Many fans were
hoping for the classic series to continue the
Playstation legacy of the create-a-player, so what you
got is what you got. The customization is fairly
mind-boggling, but the induction of your character is
not only cheesy but also ruthlessly stupid. I would
stick with the pre-rendered characters. It's not a
terrible thing, for there is a hefty lineup of players
to choose from. Those willing to fork out the dollars on
the game, will be a bit disappointed in the single
player modes even though there is every conceivable
match imaginable; but the multiplayer options (up to
four) really make the game a blast to play against
friends/foes.
Blood and guts splattering on the crowd!
Ahhh.. I wish. Wouldn't that just make a game brilliant
if you could wallop someone as brain matter splattered
on the crowd? Well, you won't find that here simply
because wrestling is somewhat family entertainment. I
mean, I personally don't get it but supposedly families
just love the sport/drama. Anyway, onto aesthetics...
As my buddy was critiquing the game next to me, he was
most excited about the intros (again, don't ask me)
for the players. The pseudo-motion video was awesome,
along with some kickin' wrestler-specific soundtracks.
Most of the visuals are definitely next-gen touting some
sweet lighting effects and dynamic damage to the ring
and items that might enter the ring (chairs, signs,
etc.). The damage continues throughout the match...
nice. The character modeling was mediocre, and even I
could tell what character was what. But as my friend
mentioned, that it seemed that size didn't
matter. While the real-life counterparts have different
body styles, the game seemed to take one model and go
from there. Hoping for more of a distinction much of
this was loss in the cloning of the wrestlers.
Other than the decent graphics I felt the game was still
a bit unpolished. I found many times the performance was
fair but things would "magically" move.
Players on the ground would move like they were on an
ice-rink and mysteriously move. This happened a good bit
during multiplayer modes and in tag-team matches. The
audio however, was a bit less impressive as the
graphics. Now again, the intros were good, the
voice-overs good but the worse part had to be the
graveyard of a crowd. After finally getting into the
game, I was ready to pull off the finishing blow to my
opponent and wanted to hear the crowd roar... Looking
around the crowd looks and acts like they are watching
an opera and not Wrestle-freakin-mania X8. Argh! Anyway,
the pitiful crowd really squelched any highlights in the
audio category...
66 Says:
As with most wrestling games, it's best to give this a
rental prior to purchase. Die-hard fans will receive
loads more fun than non-fans. Just because I'm not a WWE
fan doesn't mean I can't appreciate a good butt-whoopin'
game. Heck, one of the best NES games ever was their
flagship release of Pro Wrestling. I still
remember good 'ole Fighter Hyubusa smacking around
Starman like a wet rag...
The bottom line here, is to remember what you are
looking for and what you expect. This is full-on rental
material. It was a blast to play with friends, but the
single player modules really left me wanting a lot more.
High-five for THQ trying to use the create-a-player, but
I felt it was fairly shallow. Others, however, may find
that to justify a purchase. The game still was quite
fun, but I can't see paying 60 clams for it...
5.5
