WWE Legends of Wrestlemania hands-on

For those Boomtown readers of a younger age, I should inform you that wrestling never used to be the butt of jokes and endless ridicule. At one time it was a must-see show on a Saturday evening, and when the WWE (or WWF as it was back then) became ‘sports entertainment’, stars such as Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant and Ultimate Warrior were real draws. Of course, it’s all gone downhill since the end of the Attitude era, and now even hardened wrestling fans struggle to find enthusiasm for a form of entertainment that’s become tired and seems to have run out of ideas.

It’s on the back of this then that THQ and Yukes have returned to the glory days of WWE and are focusing on the pinnacle of the WWE brand – Wrestlemania. The yearly event has provided some of the WWE’s most infamous matches, and made some of the ‘legends’ that we know today. The question is whether a game based around the wrestlers of yesteryear can succeed in a market dominated by the Smackdown series with its ridiculous match-types, wealth of superstars and fairly comprehensive career mode(s).

Legends of Wrestlemania’s main mode sees you taking part in the some of the classic Wrestlemania matches, the example we played being Andre the Giant’s match with Hulk Hogan at WMIII. The key words in this mode are Relive, Rewrite and Redefine, giving players the option to do three things with each match; relive it, where you essentially just play out exactly what happened in the match; rewrite it, where you can alter the outcome of the match; and redefine, where you can change the match type by introducing weapons, cages and outside interference.

It’s a nice idea, and the presentation certainly builds up the atmosphere in a positive way. For the first time, the WWE has allowed footage from matches to be used by Yukes in the creation of the game, so expect pre-match hype, build-up and drama in the form of genuine footage from each match and feud. It paints the picture for people too young to remember what happened in Wrestlemania’s gone by, and serves as a nice nostalgia trip for those who watched it unfold live at the time. Sadly, after the impressive openings, things start to unfurl in the ring.

Visually the game hasn’t changed much from the recent Smackdown games, with overly pumped up character models and all the flashiness and razzmatazz you’d expect. The problems lie in the actual wrestling. In either an attempt to recreate the style of the matches back in the 80s and early 90s, or what’s perhaps just a poor design decision, there’s a stunning lack of variety in the types of moves each wrestler can perform. Striking moves are mapped to one button, and there’s a grapple move available via another and one of the four directions on the d-pad. And that’s it. Yes, there are moves for when your opponent’s grounded, or when you’re running or on the turnbuckle, but even wrestling games on the N64 had more variety than this.

If it is indeed a restriction put in place in an effort to mirror how wrestling was, you can understand why it might have been done, but the truth is that after being spoilt by numerous grapple types and context specific moves in recent wrestling games, going back to two button gameplay feels like a step backwards. The wrestling in the game has essentially been stripped down to bashing one button for some striking moves, and then seeing out some quick-time events to reverse and pulling off some limited grapples.

Given that in the Relive mode you have to adhere to certain stipulations regarding which moves you can and can’t attempt, for the sake of the match happening how it did back in the day, it feels even more limited than it would otherwise. Matches soon become repetitive and as scripted as the real thing.

Thankfully exhibition mode is on hand to provide any match type with any wrestler, although the same traits soon come through and can hinder the experience. Newer superstars such as The Rock and Stone Cold were available in this mode, so we gave them a good slobber knocker in the ring, but it still wasn’t enough to offset the limited gameplay. Legends of Wrestlemania is certainly a nice idea, and the arcade style action and nostalgic touches will appeal to wrestling fans of old, that’s for sure. Plus with online multiplayer, a sizable roster and some more modes that are yet to be revealed, there’s a chance that Legends of Wrestlemania could yet come good. At the moment though, the game feels stuck in the past and could already be out for the count when it arrives for review. We’ll let you know whether it’s a champ or a chump when it’s released next month.