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LEGENDS OF WRESTLEMANIA XBOX 360 REVIEW |
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Wrestling
games these days have always emphasized on the
present roster that spotlights on who are the
most baddest names on the WWE block. THQ’s
Legends of Wrestlemania is sidestepping from
this tradition and offering nostalgic wrestling
fans a chance to relive and rewrite some of the
most memorable moments of WWE history. Legends
of Wrestlemania takes place between the early
80’s and late 90’s. One of the best aspects of
THQ’s latest wrestling game is the
“pickup-and-play” controls. The simplified
gameplay makes it easy for anyone to enjoy and
have fun right out of the box. However, those
players looking into a more in-depth wrestling
title might feel somewhat discontented with this
one.
Legends of Wrestlemania doesn’t come with many
of the traditional features you'll find in the
Smackdown series – such as ability to use hot
tags, create tournament ladders, and play tag
team tornado matches to name a few. However, the
game manages to write off some of these
shortcomings by overindulging you with a sweet
list of past legends in its roster and gluing
you with exciting montages of classic
Wrestlemania events. The game features more than
40 superstars, which include Jake “The Snake”
Roberts, Bret “The Hitman” Hart, Bam Bam
Bigelow, Honky Tonk Man, Mr. Perfect, and
several others. You’ll be taking part in every
Wrestlemania event, starting from the first
Wrestlemania all the way to Wrestlemania XV.
Because of the excellent video montage, every
Wrestlemania match feels as though you were
there, reliving that historic moment in sports
entertainment. The best part of it is that each
clip captures all the dramatic encounters that
psyche you up before you head into the match.
Once the actual match begins, you are treated to
a nice representation of the legendary
wrestlers, complete with individual attitudes
that belong solely to that athlete. Beyond their
uncanny physical appearance, these superstars
are incredibly well animated that deliver
extremely smooth action sequences. What's more
is that, the incredible arena backdrop, subtle
lightings effects inside the squared circle,
decent auditory composition, great soundtracks,
and rowdy atmosphere all round off to a
convincing Wrestlemania experience.
The source of the game’s underlying pleasure can
be found in the gameplay itself. It is quite
simple and most of the time, you’ll be pressing
the A button to perform virtually kinds of
attacks and wicked slams. It doesn’t take much
preparation to master these techniques. Needless
to say, what makes the gameplay interesting is
the contextual sequencing that is reminiscent of
Spiderman 3. When you perform certain maneuver,
let’s say a particular grapple, or a signature
move, the screen slows down and a small circular
window prompts you to tap a specific button.
These quick-time events certainly add some
variety to the action. What’s more is that they
provide some sort of good counter measures when
going up against human players as to prevent a
mismatch that can easily lead to your character
being pounded to a bloody pulp. |
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PRODUCT
OVERALL RATING: 8.0 OUT OF 10 |
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One of the
encouraging aspects of Legends of Wrestlemania
that you’ll come to appreciate is the
responsiveness of the controls. The seamlessness
movements give players the edge to deliver that
blast of devastating hits, whether it would be a
quick knockdown punch or throttling for that
sensational finishing move. In addition, having
great control makes it fun to execute some dirty
team work. All you need to do is stand next to
your partner inside the ring while he attempts a
grapple on the computer and both of you will
automatically perform an intricate slam. The
game features several single-player modes
including Royal Rumble and Cage matches but if
you’re going to play solo, Wrestlemania Tour is
the way to go.
Wrestlemania Tour gives player the option of
reliving past events, rewriting history, and
redefining that nostalgic moment by changing
certain conditions of the match. Each match
holds a set of objectives that you can complete
to earn gold medal as well as unlock a number of
extra features such as additional wrestling
modes. These objectives keep the match fun and
interesting as they become increasingly
challenging in each phase of the tour. In some
of the matches, you’ll be required to perform
top-rope maneuvers, numerous finishing moves,
make your enemy bleed, or parry your opponent’s
cheap grapples to obtain “gold” conditions.
While it is fun to achieve that golden reward,
it is also nice to be able to see a repertoire
of expert moves and experience all the
wrestler’s skills, particularly those crippling
finishers.
Legends of Wrestlemania also comes with a Legend
Killer mode. There is a nice twist to this
feature. At first impression, it’s just an
ordinary survival mode. However, upon closer
look, you’ll find that there is more to just
beating up wrestling legends. This particular
mode pits you in 10 consecutive matches in a
lengthy six tiers. The twist is that you’ll need
to import and use your customized Smackdown vs.
RAW character to unlock three of the tiers. The
following matches will test your endurance and
skills as you carry the same health throughout
the grueling ordeal. As such, you’ll be forced
to utilize frequent parrying and special taunt
that refills parts of your energy. Needless to
say, it’s nice to be able to bring into play
your own muscle-bound barbarian from Smackdown
vs. RAW instead of recreating one from the
get-go.
Legends of Wrestlemania is a feel-good wrestling
game that revolves around instant action
gratification and exciting montages of past WWE
events. The game doesn’t have many gameplay
features that you’d normally find in the
Smackdown series but what it does have is engage
you to take on as legendary wrestlers from Hulk
Hogan to the mighty Kamala. What makes Legends
of Wrestlemania so much fun is the simplicity of
the controls. In just a few taps of the buttons,
you’ll be body-slamming and pummeling away the
competition. The unique contextual prompts also
add interesting twist to the fighting sequence.
The best part of Legends of Wrestlemania is
being to relive and redefine some of the
historic events in World Wrestling
Entertainment. Overall, THQ’s latest arcade
wrestler delivers a memorable package that will
certainly strike a good nostalgic chord among
WWE old-timers. |
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