Customer Reviews

Good on nostalgia, but shallow on gameplay...
Lacking a career mode and general manager mode makes this title a very shallow wrestling game. Being able to replay or rewrite pivotal moments in Wrestlemania history is cool, and the video footage of classic Wrestlemania matches, as well as the superstars trash-talk videos before the events, is a feast of nostalgia. The roster and entrances are also a satisfying trip back to the good old days. However, once you get into the gameplay it has absolutely no depth, and leaves you longing for so much more. Excuses have been made for the lack of a career mode, like the fact that most of these wrestlers are now retired. But I have not heard a valid excuse. The career does not have to take place today. If you can rewrite history on the classic matches, why not with your favorite classic wrestler's career? The roster will bring back a lot of great memories for any long time fan, but there are still some glaring ommissions, such as Macho Man Randy Savage or Mick Foley (in any of his personas), or ANY, yes ANY of the divas either as wrestler or manager, like Sensational Sherry, Elizabeth, or Chyna (there are no female wrestlers at all). The good news is there are a lot of names on the roster, and instead of only getting the most popular stars like Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair you also get names like Brutus The Barber Beefcake and Big Bossman (both of whom I was delighted to see).

The controls are NOT an improvement over other wrestling games of late. The flow of the match is disturbed, and the controls don't feel as natural. The changes were supposedly for "casual" gamers but bad controls are bad controls - I don't care if the person playing is casual or hardcore...

Unless you enjoy doing exhibition matches for countless hours this game will get old fast. The videos are worth reliving. But I would not recommend this game to anyone but serious wrestling fans who long for a trip down memory lane.

Needs more Legendary polish


Ahhh Yukes, it seems like you take one step forward with this genre and take 2 steps back. Not 6 months after SvsR 09 this title comes out and while it has some promise of bringing a whole boatload of legends and legendary matches in the mix, you change and omit things that just seem to frustrate the hell out of everybody. Just like this year's SvsR, while some creative ideas like create a finisher was added, you kill the whole GM mode (which I thought it was fun).

So, let me get into some of the highlights and lowlights of the game.

Controls and Game play: Definently a huge overhaul and a bone of contention with game enthusiasts. It went from being 'sim like' where you had to really know your wrestler's moves to a complete button masher and good for those who love playing games with a "God of War" feel...not that this is a good thing. While I kind of like the control setup somewhat, I feel that takes away a lot of control that you have with your wrestler and you wind up being more of an observer of the action rather than taking part in it. And, it doesn't always work when you need it to. It takes some time to get used to how the game plays using only the face buttons but with a little practice, anyone can pick it up...but in the grand scheme of things the one with the quicker reflexes wins. Also, I feel that with the create mode especially when you go to create moves, the folks at Yukes cut out waaaaay too many of the move sets especially the finishers that has been available in their other titles. To take away created finishers was one thing but to take out a whole slew of them that was in the pre made mode really impacts on who I want to create.
Funny thing is, with the controls set the way they are, this game would be perfect for the PSP.

The Roster itself is a pretty good who's who of 80's WWF (when it really WAS the WWF) personality. While it is great to see who made it in, it's also astonishing to see who DIDN'T make it in. I know that it may be a matter of licensing but here is my short list of folks who I was stunned to see wasn't in the game and if there is another iteration, hopefully they will make it:

1. Macho Man Randy Savage and Elizabeth
2. Irwin R Shyster
3. Demolition
4. The Natural Disasters
5. Capt. Lou Albano
6. George "The Animal" Steele
7. Harley Race
8. Razor Ramon
9. The Nasty Boys
10. OWEN HART !!

Now, on the plus side, if you did plunk down for SvsR 09 you can import the roster and even get previously locked characters and make some dream matches ( The Big Show vs Andre the Giant) fix some tag teams (put the correct Triple H and Shawn Michaels in DX) and more. I do wish they had left in the create a Stables mode as the 80's and 90's did tend to focus more on stables and their managers moreso than just tag teams.

Another issue I have that was absent is the damage indicator that was in SvsR. nothing was more fun than fighting a wrestler and the more you focused on a body part, the harder it was for them to wrestle, just in IRL of fake wrestling...LOL! This could've been implemented here as well but again going for the arcade-ness I guess was why this was left out.

Being able to save in game is also a big issue. Although I have played Legend Killer so far, I don't like that fact that you can't save mid game and come back later and then guess what, the final tier is ALL 38 WRESTLERS!

Thankfully though you can continue should you lose.

Graphically speaking, while the game looks great, most of the characters look uncharacteristically incorrect. Most of them have way too much definition muscle wise and some aren't quite represented the way they should. Hulk Hogan doesn't do his signature flex upon ring entry, the Undertaker is a little too animated as opposed to his 'acting dead' persona or his in ring sit up and something is a bit off with The Rock's entrance as well. Although some of these and other character idiosyncrasies are there to be found, it's up to the player to decide if it takes away from their gaming experience. The managers add flavor as well but the only minus is that you can't control when you need them. While the idea of them being game changers was a good one, I hope they improve player control for this in the next iterations of both games.

Overall it's in some ways what SvsR 09 could have been but just like that game, this also needs some polish and tightening and if Yukes ever gets the message, then one day we can a worthy wrestling title that can incorporate the past with the present.

No Career Mode & Horrible Controls = No Fun
My biggest problem with this game is the LACK OF A CAREER MODE. The Relive, Rewrite, and Redefine modes are unique & interesting, but they should not be the primary ways to play this game. Legend Killer Mode, as previously stated, is absolutely horrible. I find myself only playing in Exhibition Mode, and keeping track of my wrestler stats by writing them down on a piece of paper after each match... yes, that is how much I miss having a career mode.

I was a fan of wrestling as a kid, but not so much anymore. I am also what developers would consider a "casual gamer"... I fit perfectly into the target audience this game was intended for. The developers have stated that they wanted to make this a pick up and play, arcade-style game targeted at people like me. Well, all I can say is that the SvR controls are MUCH easier to pick up and play! Legends controls are simple & limiting, making the actual wrestling experience repetitive & boring. If I want "arcade-style" wrestling, I'll go to an actual arcade and play Technos WWF WrestleFest. That game is 18 years old & STILL better than this one.

The only great things (5 star) about this game are the vintage video clips & ring entrances. Luckily, I didn't blow $50; I just rented this game. When I return it, I think I'll rent some of the old Wrestlemanias on DVD - that will be a much better way to "Relive" these classic matches.

REQUEST - When SvR 2010 comes out, it would be great if the developers allowed players to import the Legends roster. That way I could finally play a good wrestling game with all of my favorite wrestlers.

One last note - aside from Macho Man and the others mentioned, I'd like to see Hillbilly Jim, Earthquake & Barry "O" featured in the next version.

UPDATE...

I am not a follower of MMA or UFC... regardless of that fact, UFC Undisputed 2009 is so realistic and engaging; I have found myself playing it for hours on end. I consider myself a 30+ yr old casual gamer. What I love most about this game, is that unlike THQ's WWE Legends of Wrestling, UFC doesn't cater to what the developers THINK 30+ casual gamers want in a fighting game (i.e. dumbed down, overly simplistic, button-mashing). Instead, they have created a game that is challenging & DOES NOT INSULT MY INTELLEGENCE. I would much rather lose match after match & have little mastery of the controls (playing UFC), than win dumbed down match after dumbed down match with overly simplistic controls (playing WWE Legends).

UFC also has an in-depth CAREER MODE!!! The only issue with the UFC Career Mode is that your character does not age.

I wonder how many people who rated WWE high when it first came out are still playing the game? I doubt many are... UFC's depth & realism, however, make it much more replayable. The only things I like more about WWE Legends, are the fighters and the fact that the fighters have entertaining ring entrances (entrances have been omitted from UFC for some reason).

I know MMA/UFC and WWE are not the same thing. When it comes to video games, however, fighting is fighting. When it comes to fighting, I'm glad to see THQ redeem themselves with UFC. I have been playing a rented copy of UFC 2009. I like this game so much I have decided to purchase it. You couldn't pay me to play WWE Legends again.

UFC Undisputed = 10/10
WWE Legends = 0/10


oh... and I was joking about Barry "O".