WWE Legends of Wrestlemania

Rating: T

Score: 6.5/10

What do you call two professionals in one ring beating each other down? Wrestling! Two big names in wrestling games are Smackdown Vs Raw and Wrestlemania. Is Legends of Wrestlemania the best wrestling game ever, or does Smackdown continue to hold the title? This game is available for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and even the iPhone and iPod Touch.

To differ itself from Smackdown, this game contains a few unique features. First are the controls. The controls are simple, extremely simple. One button is to attack, one is to grapple, one is to leave the ring, and one is to taunt. Getting up when knocked down, climbing up the cage in a cage match, and some other moves require button mashing one or all of the face buttons. Consequently, between button mashing attack and button mashing the face buttons, your thumbs will hurt. There’s also quick time events, where you’ll need to press a button faster than your opponent. Neither action is complex or engaging, but they work, and it’s simple for newcomers and fans alike.

The second big difference is the Wrestlemania Tour, where you relive, or rewrite, a previous Wrestlemania match. In re-live, you replay a match, playing the winning character. You can watch a short video about the match beforehand, and see what happened during that match. There’s criteria you can follow to gain points, but it’s optional. One of these matches includes Hulk Hogan versus André the Giant. True to his name, André is 7 foot 4 and weighs 500 pounds. You’ll see the movie where you learn the background info on the match (how it began, who challenged who, the pre-game talk, and other important/interesting info) and highlights and outcome of the match itself. You’ll then play as Hulk Hogan, and defeat André. Likewise, re-write is where you change the outcome of the battle by playing as the loser of the match. Both are a treat for Wrestlemania fans, and can even grab the interest of non-fans.

You have plenty of other exhibition modes once you have had your share of Wrestlemania. There are cage matches, normal matches, Tag Team, Triple Threat, and Battle Royales. In Tag Team, Triple Threat, and Battle Royales, the action can get pretty chaotic. Multiple people in the ring, managers getting knuckle sandwiches, and people getting thrown from the ring like paper. It’s a wonderful cycle.

Wrestlemania was created with older Wrestlemania fans in mind. Wrestlemania Tour offers a nostalgic feel for older fans, and a look at the older matches for new fans. However, its simple button-mashing style may prevent hardcore Wrestlemania fans, who may be more experienced and would expect a complex fighting system, from fully enjoying the wrestling experience. WWE Legends of Wrestlemania appears to be for a general target audience. Pleasures all, satisfies none.