What ya gonna do brutha
Legends of Wrestlemania
For many years, in fact for as long as I can remember, I have been a fan of wrestling. Be it the good old pantomime style British wrestling with the likes of Giant Haystacks and Big Daddy or the fabulously over the top American wrestling, I loved it.
This is not the same old WWE game with a new outfit
Over the years, as WWE has taken over everything, I have started to lose some interest. This has become true for the yearly WWE games releases. There was a time when I would buy a games system based on the latest wrestling releases (yes N64, I mean you). But now the formula, though great, has become a bit tired.
So it was with mixed emotions that I heard about Legends of Wrestlemania. First of all I had horrible flash backs to the dog that was Legends of Wrestling, but then I saw that it was being handled by THQ, so knew that at least the game engine would be sound. On the other hand I was overjoyed at the concept of putting on the boots of legends such as Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant. But still, nagging in the back of my mind, I could not help but worry that this would just be Smackdown vs. Raw with a slightly brighter Lycra finished. I needn’t have worried!
Legends of Wrestlemania has a basic premise… recreate great historical Wrestlemania matches. There is no story mode, which judging by recent WWE efforts can only be a good thing. Instead we have Wrestlemania Tour.
There are a few modes in Wrestlemania Tour, plus a couple of extra modes that I will come too.
First of all let’s get down to business. Relive mode. In this you take on the role of a superstar in a Wrestlemania main event. You must then recreate the match, including several key moments and of course the outcome. So for instance, you may be playing Hulk Hogan in his epic battle with Andre the Giant at Wrestlemania 3. As well as winning the match you are asked, among other things, to pick him up and body slam him. Sounds simple, but is actually a very effective way of adding some replay value to the match.
Before you get started you are treated to some of the actual footage building up the original event and from the fight it’s self. This all build up the feeling of epic nostalgia! Memories will flood back of the good old days!
The next mode is Rewrite. In this you have to take the part of the loser of the match from Wrestlemania and change the outcome. The most satisfying of these is of course, Bret Hart beating HBK! Again there is footage from the original match and goals to achieve.
Finally there is Redefine, a kind of what if mode. What if a certain match had been held in a steel cage, who would have won!
These are all great modes, although they are a little short lived. Once you have done each match and completed all the tasks, there is not a lot to bring you back.
Roll up Legend Killer mode. Here you must create your own Legend, using the tried and brilliant Create a Wrestler system from previous WWE games. You must then compete against 6 tiers of various legends to increase your stats. The first 4 tiers will have you fighting 10 superstars in a row, and then you must take on all of them. If you have Smackdown vs. RAW you can import wrestlers from there to fight!
As I said, this is not the same old WWE game with a new outfit. The controls have been significantly changed. You still have basic strikes, grapples, blocks etc, but many of these will trigger Quick Time events. Now normally I can not stand QT events, but here they seem to work perfectly. They help you recreate classic moments from each match, such as body slamming Andre the Giant, or slamming the Rock off the Wrestlemania sign. There are a lot of them, but they really add to the game, rather than feeling like a lazy way to get some cool animations in like so many other games out there.
Legends of Wrestlemania looks great. Most of the models look fantastic, although I am not sure what happened to the Ultimate Warrior!!! The moves look satisfying and overall you are really drawn into the game by its looks.
Sonically it does not disappoint either. I will admit that some of the Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler stuff can get a little repetitive, but at least it matches the action for the most part!
All in all this is a fun and solid trip down memory lane. It may not have the longevity of some games, but you will keep coming back to relive some magic moments of your child hood!
Hulkamania most definitely lives!!
The Bad: Limited life span. Some models look a bit mad!
Silver Y Award