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Legends of Wrestling |
| Developer(s) |
Acclaim Studios Salt Lake City |
| Publisher(s) |
Acclaim Entertainment |
| Release date(s) |
December 3, 2001: Playstation2
May 27, 2002: Xbox & Gamecube |
| Brand(s) |
Legends |
| Rating(s) |
T for Teen |
| Platform(s) |
Gamecube, Playstation 2, X-Box
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| WG Review Date |
8/25/07 |
| WG.com Average Rating |
4/5 Stars |
| Game Navigation |
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Preview
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Review
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Match Types
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Backstage Areas
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Roster
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Media
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Cheats
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Created Wrestlers
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Review
"I never thought...This could be me..." are the first words you hear as you put Acclaims latest wrestling attempt, Legends of Wrestling. A game where fans of 80's professional wrestling comes alive again with such greats as Hulk Hogan, Bret "The Hitman" Hart, and "The Million Dollar Man" Ted Dibiase and many more. Also two of the WWF's current fan favorites in Rob Van Dam and Jerry "The King" Lawler make appearances in this game. So this game can appeal to wrestling fans old and new alike. This review will cover the basics of this game. And how Acclaim did with their first attempt at this new impressive engine...
Game Play
Make no mistake about it when you put Legends of Wrestling inside your PS2, your not just gonna be able to play one match and think your king of the world. Nope, It doesn't work that way. This is a brand new engine unlike anything I have ever played. As DDP would say...That's not a bad thing...That's...a GOOD thing! I for one think this is one of the best wrestling engines I have ever had the privilege to learn. I would say the learning curve takes about 5 matches to learn. Just about every move you can think of is reversible and it makes for a very interesting match. Each wrestler has their own unique move set that you have to study and learn. Most of the button controls for each wrestler are the same, but some differ. If you really want to get ahead. I would suggest buying the LOW Strategy guide.
Audio
Probably the only thing I don't like about this game. I mean don't get me wrong here, the sound f/x are outstanding. The music during the match is cool and all. However, I for one was kind of hoping that they would have been able to get the license for some of the wrestlers old music. But you can't win them all. RVD's theme from the ECW games was indeed in the game so that was a breath of fresh air. Although I kind of just wish the entrance music would have been a little better.
Graphics
Three words describe the graphics for this game. Larger than life. I love the graphics for this game. It gives LOW a very unique feel to the whole style of the game. I like how high Hogan can get on the leg drop. It looks amazing. Its one of the few games where you are actually run against the ropes for the running leg drop. You don't just stand by the head and drop it. I haven't seen it done right since WWF Wrestlefest was in the arcades. There are twelve different arenas in this game and it really shows you the different wrestling territories there were through out the United States. Some of them are filled with glamour and some are old and run down from years of pro wrestling being there. If you are on the outside of the ring you can notice the people in the front row are mostly all 3-D. The rest of the crowd is standard 2-D, but not much more is to be expected. Its only a crowd. Its not a key focus in pro wrestling games. Well at least it shouldn't be.
Season/Career Mode
I cannot say enough good things about LOW's career mode. For all the people that complained about the length of WWF Smackdown's so called Story Mode. Or as I like to call it...Week in the WWF mode. This career mode will not be done in one sitting. You start of in the USA where there are different territories where your wrestler will start. Whether you are a heel or face it will choose who you are managed by. If you are a heel you will be managed by Captain Lou Albano and if you are a face you will be managed by "The Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart. Before and after just about every match you will get pep talks from your manager. It's a very cool idea. In the end, either way for some reason, the manager still gets booed ,but I find that funny. Win or lose you still build up an advantage in this game. You cant just go into a match and bodyslam someone to death and get the win. The crowd is key. You have to please them in the match. Such things as blood, weapons, and move variety. The quicker you win over the crowd in that territory the quicker you get a shot at that regions title. In the end of Season you will be wrestling world wide in places like Japan and Mexico. Its a very fun mode for people who like pure wrestling. However, if you are looking for angles like run ins and backstage attacks, you wont find that here. Remember people this is a base game.
Creation Mode
Some of it I love...Some of it I don't and I'll tell you why. Some of the options they have put in here are great. For the ring announcer to announce your name. By putting words together. Like you can announce Randy Savage or Ric Flair.....or hell if you want even Britney Spears. It gives a more real feel to the game and actually makes you think your wrestler was already in the game. But for some reason the CAW isn't as good as Acclaim's past games. Everything is great about it besides the things for your face. You have one set face and that's it. You can't change the eyes, nose, and mouth, which kind of puts a damper of making some stars, but its not really that much of a set back. I made a perfect Stone Cold Steve Austin and he looks just fine. It all depends on how in depth you want to get into your create a wrestler.
Overall, I want to give Acclaim big props on bringing out the best wrestling game they have ever made and to think, this is a base game.
(NOTE: This review is a port from now-defunct WWFWrestlingGames.com and was written by Matt Black)
| Score Board |
Game Play
4/5 Stars |
Audio
3/5 Stars |
Graphics
5/5 Stars |
Story Mode
5/5 Stars |
Creation
3/5 Stars |
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OVERALL SCORE:
4/5 Stars |
| Final Thought |
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"Legends of Wrestling, brings 80's wrestling back to life on the Play Station 2 console. The grappling and game play system is like none other. want to give Acclaim big props on bringing out the best wrestling game they have ever made and to think, this is a base game." |
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Released: July 31, 1999
Dvlpr: Acclaim Studios Salt Lake City
Publisher: Acclaim Entertainment
System(s):
Nintendo 64, Playstation, Gameboy, Sega Dreamcast
2/5 Stars |
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