Introduction
If seeing the words ’legends of wrestling’ brings images of The Rock, Stone Cold, Chris Jericho, or even the sexy Lita into your head, you have the wrong idea. Move along.Legends of Wrestling is Acclaims ’newest’ wrestling game, featuring wrestlers you havent, or should not have seen in the ring for quite some time. Names like Hulk Hogan, Million Dollar Man, The Road Warriors, The Animal, The Von Erichs, Terry Funk, Mr Perfect. True wrestling legends from an era when wrestling was pure.
Presentation
The first thing I noticed about the game was its fresh presentation. From the menus to the graphics themselves, it has a cool, original look. Wrestlers are kind of deformed and funky looking. Does it really add to the presentation? Not really. But it is a nice touch.On the controls side, this sucks. Changing opponents, tagging, pinning, using weapons. All more difficult than they should be. Considering the amount of wrestling games Acclaim has shoved at us, this isnt acceptable. If you can get over the sluggish controls, they can get bearable.
Graphics & Sound
Like I said above, the graphics take a different approach than other wrestling games. The wrestlers have huge arms and torsos. It looks like something out of a comic book rather than the WWF.The graphics are good, but nothing at all really stands out as great about them. The wrestlers may be modeled fresh, but the textures and animations arent up to par with Smackdown 3. And considering LoW doesnt come close to allowing as many wrestlers on screen at once as Smackdown3, thats not very good. The crowds look ok, but again nothing special about them.
Sound wise, the game is again good. The intro music is typical Acclaim quality(if theres one thing thier wrasslin games do right its music). On some wrestlers it is dead on. Others it is absolutly a shame. Hogans ’Real American’ trademark intro is not in the game. For shame Acclaim.
Another area the game could improve on is crowd reaction(nowhere near Smackdowns range) and maybe including some real wrestler voices.
Gameplay
A longtime gripe with Acclaim wrestlers has been the controls. Having to remember all those different commands. Up Up Down Circle for a Stunner. Left Right Down Triangle for a neck breaker. Very frustrating, especially when you can get clobbered if you’re not extremely quick with the button pressing.Thankfully Acclaim has installed a new controller system for LoW. The result is an easier control setup and easier moves to pull off, if the wrestlers didnt move so sluggish. Also, moves are now much much more limited. I’d say a wrestler in LoW can pull off a 3rd of the moves a wrestler in Attitude could. It really gets boring relying on the same moves over and over.
Another new addition is a combo system. It is awesome, and other companies should look to copy it into their wrestling games. Pull off a move and you’ll see a meter charging. Hit the button is shows at the right time and you will start a combo. Or in a grapple, start up with a head grab, hit the right button at the right time and you’ll perform a powerful move. Hit the wrong button at the wrong time and you will dish out a much weaker move. It’s a nice new feature that adds basically the only depth to this games gameplay.
The modes arent very numerous, and the main mode, the ’championship’ mode if you will, is a joke. Fight your way to the southern championship. Win it and start over for the west. East. No thanks.
There are tag matches, and they can get pretty good if you and your opponent are good enough. The AI is insanely cheap and will frustrate you more than it will entertain you. A CPU player can live through a good 3-4 finishers while you get pimped out after just one, two if you’re fighting a punk like Bret Hart.
While some of the moves are unrealistic, and the gameplay isnt very deep, it is pretty perfect for a rental. With deeper fighting, better controls, and more effective weapons, this game could be a blast.
Also, why the hell is RVD in this game? A gifted athelete and wrestler he is, but he is in no way a legend. Wheres Ultimate Warrior, Sting or ’Ooooh Yea’ Randy Savage?
Lasting Appeal
Like every wrestling game under the sun nowadays, LoW does have a custom wrestler mode. Like the rest of the modes though, it seems rushed and maybe a bit tacked on. It doesnt come close to Smackdown 3s’ editor, or even earlier Acclaim games like WWF Attitude.There is a 2 player option, but good luck finding someone who will sit down with you to play this one for while. In my opinion Acclaim has teased us by removing a tedious control system and crisp moving wrestlers, and thrown in a good control system with slow sluggish fighters. The championship mode will have to be sloshed through if you want to unlock the many secret wrestlers, which pretty much is the sole reason for replay.
Conclusion
If you want a wrestler with old school flavor, pick up an NES and get Wrestlemania1 or 2. LoW tries to be fresh and original with its cast of wrestlers and new control system, but its slow gameplay and long, sleep inducing matches will bore players. With Smackdown 3 on the PS2 already and wrestling games coming to XBox and GameCube, I cant recommend this one to anyone except the most hardcore wrestling fans.
