WWE LEGENDS OF WRESTLEMANIA – Demo Impressions

Ok confession time – during the early 90’s I went through a men in spandex phase. 😀 Not in the way you’re thinking though I suspect…

If the names Ted DiBiase, Jim Duggan and Bret Hart get the hairs on the back of your neck tickled then this is the game for you.

WWE Legends Of Wrestlemania looks to get back to the nostalgic days of WWF and I have to say from the initial impressions it looks like they have done an amazing job capturing the spirit of the time.

Recently the Smackdown Vs Raw wrestling games have been disappointing. As I stopped watching wrestling in the 90’s I had no idea who most of the wrestlers were (praise the lord for Hulk Hogan) and the gameplay itself was clunky and overly difficult.

In Legends Of Wrestlemania you can choose from a straight forward title match of Hogan v Andre The Giant or a ‘Relive’ feature match between The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin. Essentially the former is just a normal match while the latter is a match in which you must achieve objectives based on how the real match played out. In the full game you will also have the option of changing the outcome of the ‘Relive’ matches, which is pretty cool.

So we fired up Hulk Hogan v Andre The Giant, with The Giant also having Bobby The Brain Heenan as manager.

Progressing through the match lots of pop ups arrived with different moves and how to do this and that. While not complicated the sheer number may be enough to put some people off. However you can play this game as a bit of a button masher if you remember a few basics. Effectively square is punch, if you hold x for a few seconds you’ll perform a body slam or the like and once you’ve worn you opponent down it’s square and x together to activate your special move.

Often when perfoming a big move or finisher you’ll be greeted by a QTE (Quick Time Event) – which means press the corresponding button when it flashes up on screen. It’s a nice system that keeps you on your toes.

This game could be the wrestling title we’ve been crying out for ever since the hideous Legends Of Wrestling, which tried to do the same.

What I loved about WWE legends Of Wrestlemania was it captured the spirit of the old skool wrestling matches. In our match we were going toe to toe with Andre and then we spotted our opening – after a big roundhouse punch it flashed up that our finisher was ready.

Once activated we had a QTE. Circle to throw him against the ropes (yes!), x to deliver the big boot to the face (yay!) And triangle to finish with a leg drop (YAY!!!). I could already hear the strains of “Real American” as I pressed circle to pin. 😎

Only on the two count Andre’s manager lifted his foot onto the ropes and alerted the referee who stopped the count. Classic WWF.

We did win in the end but the moment above, for me, describes why I will be buying this game when it comes out.

If you remember the old days of wrestling and are more concerned with having fun than about the how groundbreaking the game is, then I’d reccomend giving this one a spin at some stage.

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