Showdown: Legends of Wrestling
- June 23, 2004 12:33 PM PST
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The legends get much better treatment this time around, but there are still some missing pieces.
The third offering in the Legends series reinvents itself for the better but still has a ways to go to be the champion.
Heart of a Champion
When the first Legends of Wrestling was announced, fans who fondly remembered the early years of the squared circle declared joy. While combatants in those days wore wildly flamboyant outfits and the acting was less polished, the fire of competition seemed more pure. Unfortunately, the first and second Legends only scratched the surface of that magic, plus the gameplay and presentation were not as good as its modern-day competition. Thankfully, Showdown: Legends of Wrestling features a brand-new and much more fluid grappling engine. To get you adjusted, the game has a series of video tutorials narrated by Brett ?The Hitman? Hart and optional onscreen help buttons. Controls feel a tad sluggish, but they do mimic the level and pace of the action of the time. Moves are easy to pull off, but there are some collision problems that pop up from time to time.
Pump You Up
The visuals get a big facelift with better arenas, good character likeness, and nice wrestling animations. Audio also gets a boost with new musical compositions from Jim ?Mouth of the South? Hart and decent commentary from a three-man booth. The previous installment had awesome interviews with a number of the greats featured in the game, but sadly, no comparable extras are to be found in Showdown. The new single-player mode takes you through the different eras in wrestling, re-enacting famous feuds and world-class matchups. The only quirk is that your character inevitably wrestles in a nonnative time period, making it feel more like a novelty and less like reliving history.
Although there is still work to be done, Showdown: Legends of Wrestling?s new look and play style is a big step in the right direction. Fans looking for a walk down memory lane aren?t going to be disappointed.
