WWE Legends of WrestleMania
If you’ve fond memories of WWE when it was billed as the WWF, and if your heroes date back to Hulk Hogan we’ve got slobber-knocking news for you.
Before American pro-wrestling got bloody and mean it was merely, well, ‘hellacious’ to quote veteran commentator Jim ‘JR’ Ross. Hulk Hogan was the all-American hero, but even he (literally) looked up to Andre the Giant. Probably the worst thing Stone Cold Steve Austin ever did was drink beer and put his own manager on the receiving end of a Stone Cold Stunner. Everybody loved The Rock – the People’s hero.
The first 15 years of the WWE (previously known as the WWF) are being celebrated in a new Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 game due to arrive in March. WWE Legends of WrestleMania is a purely for fun, golden-years reminisce-a-thon that lets you rewrite, relive or even redefine World Wrestling history. And so in terms of gameplay and the presentation, Legends is pure vintage – a reminder of what makes WrestleMania so irresistible. In other words, “Get comfortable folks, this one is gonna be a classic!”
First we should point out that WWE Legends of WrestleMania shuns some of the gameplay complexities recently added to the Smackdown Vs RAW series – in particular those moves that require twirling the right analogue stick. There are only four basic button commands in Legends: Grapple, Strike, Block and Action. The latter is context sensitive and has you bouncing off the ropes, stomping, or pinning down a weakened rival. Combining buttons for special techniques isn’t too much of a tall order, and can give you taunts or a wrestler’s famous Finisher.
We played a version that starred Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin but there will be 40 wrestlers and managers in the game that ships in March that will include Jimmy Hart, Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels. We’ll use Andre and Hogan to explain how classic encounters are Relived.
It’s ‘to be confirmed’ but appears certain that every wrestler will have his Entrance Theme, which is cool for starters. But in terms of nostalgia, nothing beats seeing the real-thing in action both in the ring and backstage. WWE Legends is the first game of this long-running series to feature video clips of the superstars in their prime. And so for Hulk Hogan versus Andre the Giant we get to see the momentous fighting talk and heart-breaking pleas from Hogan and watch highlights of what happened when these two climbed into the ring in 1987.
To relive a battle you first accept a series of landmark challenges that mimic what actually took place. So if you’re playing as Hulk Hogan you’ll need to ‘Daze the Giant’ and perform the ‘Unbelievable’ (lift the guy off the ground!) among five key objectives worth a total of 100 points.
The game captures the drama of vintage Wrestlemania by introducing a Momentum gauge – think of it as adrenaline, or simply old-fashioned chutzpah. Momentum levels are maxed out in three stages, each one unlocking new and more powerful techniques. In the case of Hulk Hogan, when he reaches ‘3’ he can slam a guy twice his size onto the canvas to win a historic match.
Other details you’re sure to like are ‘off-camera’ stunts by the likes of Andre the Giant’s manager who grabs hold of Andre’s foot to place it on the ropes, denying Hogan an early victory. This is followed by Hogan’s comedic angry retort, complete with pointing finger and blond hair waving wildly.
While all this craziness is going on in and around the ring, the commentary team is reeling out equally memorable one-liners. Most notably between Jim Ross and Jerry “the King” Lawler, such as: “I don’t mind being beaten up, I just don’t want to be talked to while it happens”, and, “That’s what happens when your heart is bigger than your muscles”.
We dare say that WWE Legends of Wrestlemania has the power to make new converts when it is released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 this spring. All the charisma and showmanship is magnificently conveyed in a game that’s terribly easy to pick up and enjoy. Needless to say we’re hungry for the review code because…” This is Wrestlemania! And folks, it don't get no bigger than this.”
