‘WWE Legends of WrestleMania’ Review (Xbox 360)

There are two things that are synonymous with wrestling games: controls that are so difficult only true wrestling fans find them enjoyable and unlockable legendary characters. The folks over at THQ decided why not make a game that presents the best of both worlds to the audience. If you could combine simple moves that even your pet chihuahua can figure out with all the great wrestling heroes since WWE was WWF, you would have a sure fire winner. And, thus Legends of Wrestlemania was born.

Play one or two exhibitions matches and you’ll immediately come to love WWE Legends of Wrestlemania. All of the great names are there, including the Ultimate Warrior, Junkyard Dog, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Jake the Snake, Andre the Giant, and of course Hulk Hogan. Sadly. The easy to use controls will make matches quick and painless. Sadly, on further inspection past games two and three, you’ll come to the sad realization that this THQ brainchild was abandoned at conception. On the theoretical side, you’ve got a game that should be the best wrestling game of all time. But, in reality you have one ill-conceived title.

First, let me start off by commending whomever it was that came up with the initial concept of Legends’ Wrestlemania Tour Mode. You get to relive all the nostalgic moments of wrestling, not just as matches, but also with the actual Wrestlemania footage. Someone actually took the time to create some awesome videos of the lead-ins to each Wrestlemania along with the highlights of the actual match. These videos will bring a tear to your eye as you reflect on where you were in life when you watched these wrestlers who appeared to be larger than life way back when.

The first stop on the Tour is King Kong Bundy vs. Hulk Hogan for the title with Bobby the Brain Heenan ringside. Sounds great right? Wrong. When King Kong Bundy appears you’ll wonder just who the heck was in the opening video you just watched for the past five minutes. The game’s King Kong Bundy’s arms look more like the Incredible Hulk on steroids. Hulk Hogan bears a similar over-defined design. I remember being a kid and thinking, “Wow those twenty-two inch pythons are ginormous.” And, back then pythons overshadowed the whole sixty-two inch gut thing you’ll notice in the Wrestlemania lead-in videos. So, why the heck does Hogan have a six-pack in the game? It doesn’t stop there. Every character in Legends is overly designed. Sure, that may be ok for more contemporary characters like the Rock and Stone Cold. And, of course Ultimate Warrior gets a pass being probably the first really fully ripped person in wrestling. But, Andre the Giant with a six-pack? Come on. It just feels bizarre. On a positive note, the actual ring design and settings for each Wrestlemania is pretty spot-on.

Let’s step away from graphics and talk gameplay. Now, any true gamer will start off playing a game without reading the manual. It’s a geek thing we do to prove that we can learn the moves on our own. So, knowing that wrestling games tend to be overly complex, you’ll probably start the button mashing right away. Then you’ll realize there’s no need to button mash at all. Why? Because the game doesn’t use any complex set of button combinations at all. In fact, the game doesn’t even use the entire control pad. You will only have to use the X, Y, A and B buttons. The funny part is that if you check the manual, there’s a diagram labeling your left and right buttons and triggers. Yet, there’s no need to since those buttons are not used at all.

So, I bet now you’re wondering, “Well then how do you access all those great wrestling moves seen on TV.” The answer is you don’t. The game feels like a My First Game Assignment in college. Whenever you have the opportunity to perform a counter or a finisher, you will be prompted to press one of your four buttons to trigger a game animation (or quicktime file). It’s sad to see such rudimentary gameplay in a sports game or on any next-gen console for that matter. You are limited in all of your movements and your move list is only a fraction of what you were used to in WWE Smackdown vs. Raw. Legends of Wrestlemania takes all control out of the gamer’s hands and leaves you stuck with a game that quickly deserves to lose your interest.

Don’t think button mashing is a thing of the past. You’ll have to pound the hell out of the buttons to break a pin. Plus in Tour mode, there is one almost impossible button mashing sequence when you relive Ultimate Warrior’s victory over Hogan. During the initial test of strength, you may have to summon up inhuman strength to out mash the computer.

Remember the lack of realism we discussed in the graphics. Well, there are other things that are just inconsistent. In exhibition mode, anyone can just pick up Andre the Giant and toss him around like a rag doll. Step into Tour mode, and all of a sudden players won’t be able to lift either King Kong Bundy or Andre the Giant. Instead, you get to see Hogan clutching his back in pain. Why this is addressed in Tour mode and not in Exhibition is beyond me.

It should be mentioned that despite having an energy meter, pin falls and submissions are completely random. You can have more energy than your opponent and they’ll pin you without a second thought. Try and out button mash the computer in Tour mode and you’ll quickly find out that your fingers aren’t as strong as you thought.

Legends could have done with an upgraded play-by-lay from J.R. and the King. They repeat their statements over and over again. After I fell down the first time, they were already saying that they don’t know how I would recover from that one. I’ve got to admit, I did like the sound effects added from the crowd when you deliver a chop. They make the “Woo” sound in homage to Rick Flair with each chop.

The game does let you import your full rosters from WWE Smackdown vs. Raw. This is a huge plus if just for the simple convenience of using your prior created players.

Surprisingly, WWE Legends of Wrestlemania can still be fun to play if you’re a fan of wrestling. However, don’t expect to dodge the frustration bullet. All overly muscled wrestlers aside, the poor controls are a severe minus. The game may have brought all of our legends back, but it is clearly not the legend we hoped it would be.