Post by HeartBurn Kid on Nov 16, 2003 13:50:20 GMT -5
Game: Wrestlemania XIX
System: Gamecube
Gameplay: 5/10
Graphics: 7/10
Sound: 7/10
Overall: 5/10
Sometimes, a game concept is so novel, so interesting, that it defines a new standard in gaming.
Wrestlemania XIX is not one of those games.
I originally rented Wrestlemania XIX because I've had a jones for a good wrestling game (the last one I've played was Fire Pro Wrestling G on PS), but I was wary of the game, seeing as how it has the much-maligned Revenge mode. So, I gambled 5 bucks on a rental, and I came up snake eyes.
GAMEPLAY:
This, my friends, is the real tragedy of this game. You see, the engine is very well developed as a wrestling game engine. B strikes, A grapples. Tapping A lets you do a weak grapple move, which goes off immediately like in the Smackdown series, while holding A puts you into a collar-and-elbow tieup (which the game refers to as a "strong grapple"), from which B gives you strong striking moves and A gives you stronger grappling moves. L is used to block grapple moves, and R to block strikes. In an actual match, the engine works very well. It allows a great deal of strategy while still maintaining an arcade pace. There's even a tutorial mode, hosted by Al Snow, which teaches you the intricacies of the control scheme (making the trainees Matt and John from TE3 was a nice touch).
The problem, you see, is that you don't fight in wrestling matches that often. There is no season mode in WMXIX; there is only "Revenge" mode. In revenge mode, Vince McMahon fires your character, so Stephanie hires you to complete various missions for her to ruin Wrestlemania and bankrupt Vince. Your missions take you to a construction site to throw workers off a high-rise building, to a mall to destroy WMXIX signs while getting the snot beaten out of you by Eddie Guererro, and everywhere BUT a wrestling ring. In fact, the only time in Revenge mode that you even set foot in a wrestling ring is in the final mission: a match at WMXIX against Vince McMahon. And the engine that works so well in matches does NOT work well at all in these stages. You often find yourself on the losing end, due to having to deal with two opponents at a time, an objective, and a time limit. Extremely difficult, frustrating, and not fun at all. Making matters all the worse is that Revenge mode is the only way to earn money to buy unlockable items at ShopZone, so you have to play through it multiple times if you actually want any secrets. LAME.
The multiplayer experience is a lot better, as Exhibition mode is where the engine truly shines. However, there's a distinct lack of match options. Sure, you got your cage matches, your Hell-In-A-Cell, your tables, your ladders, et cetera, et cetera, but there's no anywhere fall matches, and no special referee matches. Considering that these match types were in the PS1 game Smackdown 2, that's unacceptable.
GRAPHICS:
The character models look pretty damn good, but they don't look nearly as good as those in Smackdown: Shut Your Mouth. The GameCube's graphical power is comparable to that of the PS2, so there's really no excuse for this. The arenas are beautifully rendered, though, as are the Revenge stages. Then again, this game has all the clipping errors that wrestling games have been having since WWF Attitude, and it's exacerbated all the more by the "unique" environments you find yourself in in Revenge mode.
SOUND:
The sound effects are excellent, I must say. They have a feel to them that put you right in the ring (or construction site, or whatever). I wish I could say the same about the music. It's all generic bland rock. Yay. Even the custom CAW entrance themes are all the same wuss rock (and there's only six entrance themes to choose from, if you don't want to give them a wrestler's theme). At least most of the wrestlers have their entrance themes (RVD, Kane, Matt Hardy, and Victoria being the notable exceptions), and there's no play-by-play, thank "Bob"
DEFINING MOMENT:
As I'm playing through Revenge mode, and I'm getting the snot beaten out of me repeatedly by rent-a-cops (who, for some reason, seem to fight like The Rock), I start thinking to myself, "Gee, maybe Vince wasn't so wrong to fire me after all."
OVERALL:
It has a novel concept, and it has a great engine, but the two go together like oil and water. If you're looking for a decent multiplayer experience, you could do worse than this, but if you want an actual wrestling game with an actual, wrestling-centered one-player experience, avoid at all costs. Wrestling games should have story modes, just not this POS.
This game has somewhat inspired me, though, and I'll have a piece written up soon about the kind of story mode I'd like to see in a wrestling game.
Until next time, visualize world armed insurrection
System: Gamecube
Gameplay: 5/10
Graphics: 7/10
Sound: 7/10
Overall: 5/10
Sometimes, a game concept is so novel, so interesting, that it defines a new standard in gaming.
Wrestlemania XIX is not one of those games.
I originally rented Wrestlemania XIX because I've had a jones for a good wrestling game (the last one I've played was Fire Pro Wrestling G on PS), but I was wary of the game, seeing as how it has the much-maligned Revenge mode. So, I gambled 5 bucks on a rental, and I came up snake eyes.
GAMEPLAY:
This, my friends, is the real tragedy of this game. You see, the engine is very well developed as a wrestling game engine. B strikes, A grapples. Tapping A lets you do a weak grapple move, which goes off immediately like in the Smackdown series, while holding A puts you into a collar-and-elbow tieup (which the game refers to as a "strong grapple"), from which B gives you strong striking moves and A gives you stronger grappling moves. L is used to block grapple moves, and R to block strikes. In an actual match, the engine works very well. It allows a great deal of strategy while still maintaining an arcade pace. There's even a tutorial mode, hosted by Al Snow, which teaches you the intricacies of the control scheme (making the trainees Matt and John from TE3 was a nice touch).
The problem, you see, is that you don't fight in wrestling matches that often. There is no season mode in WMXIX; there is only "Revenge" mode. In revenge mode, Vince McMahon fires your character, so Stephanie hires you to complete various missions for her to ruin Wrestlemania and bankrupt Vince. Your missions take you to a construction site to throw workers off a high-rise building, to a mall to destroy WMXIX signs while getting the snot beaten out of you by Eddie Guererro, and everywhere BUT a wrestling ring. In fact, the only time in Revenge mode that you even set foot in a wrestling ring is in the final mission: a match at WMXIX against Vince McMahon. And the engine that works so well in matches does NOT work well at all in these stages. You often find yourself on the losing end, due to having to deal with two opponents at a time, an objective, and a time limit. Extremely difficult, frustrating, and not fun at all. Making matters all the worse is that Revenge mode is the only way to earn money to buy unlockable items at ShopZone, so you have to play through it multiple times if you actually want any secrets. LAME.
The multiplayer experience is a lot better, as Exhibition mode is where the engine truly shines. However, there's a distinct lack of match options. Sure, you got your cage matches, your Hell-In-A-Cell, your tables, your ladders, et cetera, et cetera, but there's no anywhere fall matches, and no special referee matches. Considering that these match types were in the PS1 game Smackdown 2, that's unacceptable.
GRAPHICS:
The character models look pretty damn good, but they don't look nearly as good as those in Smackdown: Shut Your Mouth. The GameCube's graphical power is comparable to that of the PS2, so there's really no excuse for this. The arenas are beautifully rendered, though, as are the Revenge stages. Then again, this game has all the clipping errors that wrestling games have been having since WWF Attitude, and it's exacerbated all the more by the "unique" environments you find yourself in in Revenge mode.
SOUND:
The sound effects are excellent, I must say. They have a feel to them that put you right in the ring (or construction site, or whatever). I wish I could say the same about the music. It's all generic bland rock. Yay. Even the custom CAW entrance themes are all the same wuss rock (and there's only six entrance themes to choose from, if you don't want to give them a wrestler's theme). At least most of the wrestlers have their entrance themes (RVD, Kane, Matt Hardy, and Victoria being the notable exceptions), and there's no play-by-play, thank "Bob"
DEFINING MOMENT:
As I'm playing through Revenge mode, and I'm getting the snot beaten out of me repeatedly by rent-a-cops (who, for some reason, seem to fight like The Rock), I start thinking to myself, "Gee, maybe Vince wasn't so wrong to fire me after all."
OVERALL:
It has a novel concept, and it has a great engine, but the two go together like oil and water. If you're looking for a decent multiplayer experience, you could do worse than this, but if you want an actual wrestling game with an actual, wrestling-centered one-player experience, avoid at all costs. Wrestling games should have story modes, just not this POS.
This game has somewhat inspired me, though, and I'll have a piece written up soon about the kind of story mode I'd like to see in a wrestling game.
Until next time, visualize world armed insurrection
