Ever want to see a rematch between Hulk and Andre? Or maybe you want Austin Vs Rock one more time? Or how about a repeat of The Undertaker's wrestlemania debut against Jimmy Snuka? Well now you can...if by 'see' what you really mean is 'play simulations of' which, for the benefit of this review, lets just say you did.
Im a wrestling fan...there i said it!
And like many wrestling fans i can quite happily watch the product, bitch about it, and continue to watch it!...because that makes perfect sense! also, like many wrestling fans, i remember 'the good old days', the days when Hulkamania ran wild, when a Hitman claimed to be 'the best there ever will be' and when a man could call himself 'the bird man' and not be laughed out of the arena. These are the days that THQ attempt to bring back in their nostalgia driven title 'Legends of Wrestlemania'.
At its heart, Legends of Wrestlemania' really seems like a game that's constantly screaming 'HEY, REMEMBER THIS GUY!!?' and 'HEY, REMEMBER THIS FIGHT!!?' and to be honest, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that, in fact it provides the major pull of this game and what's wrong with nostalgia? Nothing....unless its the only reason to buy this game...which, many would say, it is.
Many have slated this game for its simplistic controls, its exaggerated aesthetics (I don't care how awesome Ted Dibiase's laugh was, he was never that ripped) and its limited game play I cant really disagree with any of these, but in my opinion, all of these 'disadvantages' have a purpose.
From what I can tell, 'Legends of Wrestling' acts as almost a harken back to the old WWE (then WWF) arcade games, its simplistic controls take the game from the semi simulated controls of SvR to a much more basic, almost 'beat em' up' style which is complimented with the cartoonie, action figure-like, overly muscular characters.
As far as limited game play, yes, their ar less match stipulations available than in the SvR series, but its roster has the potential to be vastly greater. Not only does the game have 38 playable legends and 4 managers (but in my book, Bobby “the brain” Heenan should count as two) but it also has the ability to take the basic roster from Smackdown Vs Raw 2009 as long as you have a save of it. This means a hell of a lot match possibilities...which means you could make a better opponent for Chris Jericho than what he actually got at WM25, Steamboat aside...im just saying.
This brings me to the roster, and let me tell ya, I have problems with that but thats nothing new, lots of people seem to and most of the hate towards the roster seem to revolve around one man...a macho, macho man!
Yes Randy Savage, the internets ironically favourite wrestler, Mr “BE A MAN HOGAN!” himself, is absent from this game leaving 'slim jim' fans around the world in shock and outrage. I understand that he's in Vince's bad books but any game with the tag line that states you can 'relive, rewrite and redefine' the greatest moments in wrestlemania and doesn't let you create a rematch of Savage Vs Steamboat from mania 3 is kind of a joke. That's all im going to say about that, because its already been said.
Oh and Dynamite Kid should be in it!
Aesthetics? Yeah, it looks good, a little plastic, but good. I mean, we all remember how jacked Jake Roberts was right?...right?...ok, I know iv defended the games choice to make the wrestlers look like lou ferrigno but it just gets silly at a point, yes, we know the 80s and 90s were full of steroids but Andre the Giant? That's a little too far.
The basic mechanics are just that...basic, perhaps the most noticeable change to 'the norm' of THQ wrestling games is the 3 point finishers which basically sees each wrestler with a couple of 'build up' moves before they perform their finisher (no guessing for what Hogans ones are!) which takes the form of...well is I said 'God of War' what would you say? BINGO! Quick Time Event!...huzzah?!?
In the past, I have been called a 'Nostalgia Whore', someone who will think better of something if it reminds me of my childhood, or reminds me of 'how good something used to be' without realising that most of that wasn't true, and instead, I am merely looking through 'rose tinted glasses' to the past. This may be true, but then again, if it was, id be giving this game 5 stars...which im not...im giving it five. The reason? It just doesn't excite me or give me any real joy after the initial nostalgia rush. If you get some friends over who remember the 'Glory Days' of wrestling, you may have fun but the single player options just don't last.