WWE Legends of Wrestlemania Xbox 360 Review

WWE Legends of Wrestlemania

Xbox 360 Review
Developer: Yukes
Publisher: THQ
Released: March 25, 2009

When it was first announced that THQ was going to release a second WWE game outside of their yearly release, I was a bit skeptical.  I believed that they may have truly started to milk the franchise, but after playing the game I can safely way, I was wrong.  WWE Legends of Wrestlemania will on the Xbox 360 is going to please fans, young and old.

WWE Legends of Wrestlemania is not a spin-off of the Smackdown vs. Raw franchise in any way, instead it is an entirely different beast.  The game plays completely separately from their other wrestling game, has a different vibe, etc.

The big selling point of this though is that it allows you to play as all of your favorite stars of the past.  You can play as the old Hulk Hogan, Andre The Giant, Mr. Perfect, etc.  You can even have the old managers such as Bobby The Brain Heenan walk that aisle with Ric Flair yet again.

The game features a roster of over 40 legends, with just about anyone you could ever want, even the Ultimate Warrior.

This is not simply a new version of Smackdown vs. Raw though, as it plays completely differently.  This is more of an arcade-style of wrestling which relies more on pulling off signature moves and having a pick-up-and-play style for anyone to enjoy.

The grapple moves and such are all mapped to the face buttons, with a lot of reversals and exchanges being handled simply by pushing a sequence of face buttons when prompted in QTE sequences.

These all work well, but the biggest issue with it all is that there really is not that much depth.  You do not have the control here that you do over your wrestler such as the control you have in the SvR franchise, but it still plays very nicely.

In regards to the game modes, there is plenty here such as the Create-A-Legend feature that will let you create just about anyone who is not already in the game.  You also have the ability to import your roster from Smackdown vs. Raw 2009 into the game to give yourself the ability to play as more guys.

The main game mode is the ability to either Relive, Rewrite, or Redefine history.  This is where you have the ability to play through a variety of matches from all of the Wrestlemania events up to Wrestlemania 15.

You also have the ability to try and complete goals as you go to move on to the next matches.  So if you are playing as Hulk Hogan, a goal is going to be to try and slam Andre the Giant.  These matches are preceded by actual footage which brings you back to the hype to the matches before throwing you right in there.

Once you are done with these great little video features, you are presented with the match itself, which has some amazing visuals.

The graphics here are really well-done as the characters look true-to-lie, with the crowds and everything really setting the tone for the event.  The developers even went as far as to re-create the various arenas where every Wrestlemania was held.

I cannot recommend WWE Legends of Wrestlemania enough to true wrestling fans as it is a joy to play this arcade-style of wrestling with all of these classic superstars.  In future releases an expanded roster and more refined controls would be welcome, but for now, this is a must-own for wrestling fans on the Xbox 360!

Graphics: 8.5 Very well-done animations, great character models, crowds, etc.  A fantastic-looking game.

Sound: 8.2 The commentary could have been a bit improved, but sound effects are well-done.

Gameplay: 7.4 The arcade-style works well, but there are clearly some spots where the gameplay could be refined.

Replay Value: 8.0 There is a lot of replay value here in just having a blast with friends in the multi-player.  There are tons of Wrestlemania moments to relive as well.

Final Score: 8.2

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