Games

Screenshots? Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 Does It Better

Lex Walker — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:38:00 +0000

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance was a comic-book fan's videogame wet dream. A solid collection of Marvel heroes put into a huge and all-encompassing plot with fully destructible environments. Really, you couldn't ask for more (though we are waiting for DC to follow suit - get on the ball). Like X-Men Legends, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance was begging for a sequel. Rather, the fans were begging for a sequel, because you just can't top a game where you can jump from controlling Deadpool to Captain America to Blade and then finally to Thor. That's just too awesome. Well, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 is kicking up the awesome with two 3D screenshots and a trailer (see below).

[GAME REVIEW] Infamous (PS3)

Julian Moorer — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 11:55:00 +0000

Go anywhere…Do anything…Save the city…Or destroy what’s left. Infamous gives PS3 owners something to finally hold over Xbox fans, But is it worth all the hype?

Infamous follows Cole, a simple delivery boy, who ends up holding a bomb that crushes 6 blocks of his beloved Empire City. Cole unlike many people however didn’t die in the explosion. He became superhuman, gaining control over electricity. Cole begins to realize his powers, but event begin that will forever change his life. Cole is pitted against Street Gangs, controlled by others affected by the blast. Behind the gangs are the mysterious First Sons, who Cole has more in common with than he knows.

Infamous is all about choice. Right from the start, you begin carving a path that will either lead you to being a Hero, or Antihero of sorts. The game offers plenty of chances for true choices, as Cole often must choose between sacrificing his body, to save people who start the game caring nothing for him. These actions are kept track by a karma meter. Simply simply saving an injured civilian can reward Cole, or his karma will go down if he chooses to leech their life and steal their energy. The game has many side quests to supplement the main story arch, and every mission, every single action you take determines wither the people will love you, or fear you.

The gameplay is anything but straightforward. As the Game progresses, so do Cole’s powers. Cole evolves from a simple lighting bolt, to some kick ass shock grenades, a megawatt hammer blast, and towards the end the ability to call lighting down from the sky and raise absolute hell on your enemies. Health and energy (which must be recharged) isn’t hard to come by most times. The game has a very real world feel because anything you can think of that has electricity running through it? Does. Cars, stoplights, the train tracks, air conditioners, electrified dead bodies…anything. This creates a million and one ways to kill the baddies. Got a couple of bad guys shooting you in the ass but standing in water? Go ahead and shock the water! Got a small army running in your general direction? Blow up cars around them! Infamous lets you play out all those sick fantasy you can think of.

If this game falls short anywhere, it’s the John Williams like composed soundtrack. While this is a pretty serious game, the music tends to over hype certain situations, almost like you’re in a horror movie. However in most cases the sound of the electric blast drowns that out fairly well. Infamous all urges a second play to obtain both endings, one for playing the game as a good guy, the other for completely turning evil. I wont divulge anymore of the story because you NEED to play this game. Seriously people Modern Warfare 2 isn’t out till November, so you need a game to get you through the summer. The ending holds a twist that would make M. Night Shyamalan crap his pants. Despite the hefty price, Go ahead and pick this one up. You can thank me later.

EA Pokes Fun at Christians for "Dante's Inferno" Marketing

Arya Ponto — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 05:07:00 +0000

Earlier today, many game blogs were reporting on and taking pictures of a group of Christian protesters gathering outside of E3 to protest Dante's Inferno, EA's upcoming game based on Dante's classic Divine Comedy. The protesters were holding up ludicrous signs like "EA = Electronic Antichrist" and "Hell is not a game," even talking to reporters to explain how the game is disrespectful to the Bible.

Of course, many are quick to be skeptical of the protest, correctly guessing that this is just EA's idea of viral marketing.

nesPod: The iPod Inside a NES Controller

Arya Ponto — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 16:42:00 +0000

To put in a language easily understandable on the Internet, this goes a little something like this: Yo Dawg, I herd you like iPods, so I put an iPod in yo -- Okay, you know what? I'm sorry. Let's not do that ever again.

RecycledGamer made this custom iPod by putting an iPod Mini into a classic NES controller. The result is pretty cool mod.

Twitter? Facebook? Motion Capture? Xbox Unleashes Bombshells At E3

Sean Anthony — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 03:13:00 +0000

It came from E3 and it came on strong. Microsoft has taken its proverbial punch at its biggest competitor, the Nintendo Wii. "Project Natal" is full range motion capture; and I mean FULL RANGE. It blows the Wii out of the water. The system will operate with you as the controller. This is among the many other things that Microsoft has added in and will add upon to its 360.

Sony Reveals PSP-Go, Getting Rid Of UMD

Sean Anthony — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 02:40:00 +0000

That's right! This new PSP-Go has done away with the UMD optical drive for good! With no more UMD drive, the new PSP-Go is lighter than the original, which also means it will boast a longer battery life as well. The PSP-Go rocks a 3.8" screen, 16GB of internal memory and Bluetooth technology. No UMD can only mean one thing...Fully downloadable games from the PS Store.

Say Goodbye to "The Matrix"... Again

Arya Ponto — Sat, 30 May 2009 01:48:00 +0000

Sony Online Entertainment has announced that they will be closing down The Matrix Online servers on July 31st, thus ending the four year long continuation of the Matrix saga. A friend of mine put it best: "I can only imagine how frustrated all four players feel about this."

But seriously, though. Despite the fact that it never became a huge hit, it was an ambitious undertaking to continue the movies' storyline in real time via an online video game. Apparently they killed off Morpheus. If there any of its players reading this, we'd like to hear from you.

Apple Gearing Up To Release Game Console?

Julian Moorer — Fri, 29 May 2009 17:10:00 +0000

Microsoft. Nintendo. Sony. Apple?

The idea may not be so far fetched. The so-called evil empire that Steve Jobs built has been busy behind the scenes, and all the evidence points to making a run at the Game Industry.

This is Why I Love the Wii

Arya Ponto — Sat, 23 May 2009 07:49:00 +0000

People ask me why I play my Wii way more than my Xbox 360 or that PS3 I still don't own, despite Nintendo's obvious shortcomings in graphics advancement and the console's epic lack of hot titles in which you get to play awesomely badass men who awesomely blow people's heads off in badass ways. The answer is simple. For all of 360 and PS3 games' astounding storytelling, realistic FPS, immersive RPGs and HD graphics, the fact of the matter is that the Wii has games that look like they were conceived exclusively as placebo for pill-popping game show hosts going through rehab. Case in point:

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[GAME REVIEW] Terminator Salvation (X360)

Jason Craig — Fri, 22 May 2009 13:51:00 +0000

This game should have been terminated prior to release…

It’s been awhile since we’ve been treated to a good Terminator game and unfortunately Terminator Salvation continues to leave us waiting. Everyone by now presumably knows the history of John Connor and the Terminators, so I won’t bore you to death with going into their backgrounds. In Terminator: Salvation (T:S), you take control of Connor; or at least someone who is named John Connor, as the person is simply a stand-in and is not Christian Bale, nor does he have any resemblance to him at all.

The game’s plot is fairly straightforward when you are actually playing the game. You head off to save some of your comrades that have been captured by Skynet and of course destroy machines. Although this maybe a slight exaggeration, it truly feels as if there is a cut scene every two to three minutes while playing. Some running, some shooting... and then a cut scene. Wash, rinse and repeat. So bad, in fact, that the cut scenes manage to take up half of this already ridiculously short game.

Great Paintings of Video Game Remakes

Arya Ponto — Wed, 20 May 2009 15:00:00 +0000

Enjoying the remake/sequel of Bionic Commando? Wonder what other old games should get the HD graphic facelift? If you feel like you're having a hard time imagining them, why not let artist Orioto aka Mikaël Aguirre help you visualize. Check out this stunning series of paintings he did of classic video game remakes.

Tony Hawk Gets A Serious Upgrade

Julian Moorer — Mon, 18 May 2009 17:59:00 +0000

Let me cut straight to the chase with three little words.

Wireless, Skateboard, Controller.

More "Fallout 3" DLC To Come?

Sean Anthony — Thu, 14 May 2009 13:30:00 +0000

With all three of the DLC for Fallout 3 now out, there has been rumor and talks of there being more possible DLC to come. This comes on the heels of Broken Steel, which allows you to go to level 30 and gets rid of the awful ending where you or Sarah Lyons die and is followed by a sequence telling your tale (lame, I know).

In OXM's talk with Bethesda PR rep Pete Hines, he says the DLC has been "hugely successful." So that leaves us with what the hell else can Bethesda do for this gravy train?

Apple To Buy EA? Could It Happen?

Sean Anthony — Fri, 08 May 2009 08:12:00 +0000

Needs expansion and sources. What strategist? What other options? Also, try to give more speculations to make this stand out.

[GAME REVIEW] Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena (X360)

Sean Anthony — Wed, 06 May 2009 20:59:00 +0000

Action games nowadays have become so bland or basic that it is quite sickening. It is either shoot the baddies and save the hot chick, save the world and shoot the baddies or simply, shoot the baddies. Well I was hoping that would change with this game, Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena. The first CoR: Escape from Butcher Bay was a great achievement and was hailed as a great game which is intriguing considering it is a game based upon a movie character, which usually suck. Alas, we have here Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena, the question is will be we yet another great game and addition to the Riddick series? Or a nasty flub that not even Ulaks can save. Continue on to find out…

Story:

First off, the game has both Dark Athena as well as the original hit Escape from Butcher Bay and this review is done solely on Dark Athena but to throw it out there Butcher Bay is a solid 8 out of 10.

You are Richard B. Riddick, one of the most dangerous men in the known galaxy and have just escaped Butcher Bay with the man who originally tried to leave you there for the bounty, Johns. On the journey from Butcher Bay your ship is docked while everyone is in cryogenic sleep, except your pod unlocks before being breached. Riddick of coarse stays with his stealth tactics to avoid detection before boarding the Dark Athena himself.

After boarding the Dark Athena you are forced to fight through the storage part of the ship which is littered with drone (Drones are humans that are fused with machine parts and used as basic watchdogs…with machine guns) sentries. The sentries are easy kills as they are controlled by a merc within the ship, so they are just husks with guns being controlled by an operator.

You finally locate Johns who is completely KO’d and also meet several other captives who help you to escape by their own means and with their own prerogatives. You find out that Gale Revas has hijacked the ship through mutiny from the original captain and XO and now she and her XO Skinner are in command and running amuck on the galaxy.

Your job is to stop them and find a way off the Dark Athena. If only you could find a pair of Ulaks…oh wait…there they are…

Gameplay:

CoR plays throughout in 2 variations, FPS styled and stealth styled. FPS is obvious, you run and gun but have to be careful early on while your health is relatively low. While in FPS you can utilize your array of guns you’ll find such as a shotgun, machine gun and the drone guns.

You utilize Riddick’s night vision just the same as in Butcher Bay which is actually also on this same game disc. Your going to have to use your stealth to get kills on mostly the drone soldiers and stay hidden, don’t forget to drag the bodies into the dark to avoid detection or all hell can and will break loose on your ass.

While the shooting in the game is fun and enjoyable it is truly all about the stealth kills and the game is perfectly in a 70-30 split within the game. Most of the game you need to creep around and use melee (fists, ulaks, knifes) to quickly and quietly take out your enemies. In other situations you have to use your ranged guns (shotty, SMG, MG) to take out the mercs. The parts that have FPS as the main battle technique are fast paced and exciting, while the stealth silent kill parts are exciting and pulse pounding in that creep around take peeps out kind of way.

The gameplay is solid and really easy to get into. It keeps you interested by changing the pace between slow melodic stealth and fast paced FPS all while keeping Vin Diesel a giant badass who will kill (literally) anything in his way.

Sound:

The effects are truly wonderful. The slashes from your weapons (primarily the Ulaks) are just beautiful and have that food commercial sound where the only thing missing is a BAM! from Emeril. The several kills you can do with each of your weapons (which are all unique) and the sounds that they create are a beautiful blood bath that is as awesome as it is exciting.

The effects of the game are exactly like Riddick’s movie series, bloody, creepy and frightening. The sound creates a pure ecstasy of violent perceptions that can only end with pretty much everyone dying in some way or another. The fear that you create with your kills is evident in the other mercs you haven’t yet downed which creates the hunter mentality that we all enjoy from time to time.

Visual:

Simply wonderful. From start to finish it is a game that makes love to your eyes. Riddick’s night vision makes the game even more stealth and gives you that night walker feeling to where no one but you can do whatever you want. The build of the Dark Athena is awesome looking and gives that futuristic look and feel that makes it unique and keeps its identity fresh. The game truly makes graphics important without sacrificing one thing for another and the visuals of the game are evident of that.

The visuals in the Butcher Bay redux are better looking and made for this next gen compared to its look on the original Xbox. The game detailed the characters and everything and just remade an already great looking game even better.

Replay:

The games online is decent but not the mainstay of the game itself. The game contains pretty good replay value simply that it contains 2 separate but equally great games. Dark Athena is a great addition to the Riddick series which I consider one of the most badass action stars today, and the redux of Butcher Bay added into all of this just makes the game that much better.

The game has good length to both campaigns and continues it with the multiplayer which is pretty good but definitely not COD or Halo 3 esque not that it was expected to be but you get the point. Either way Riddick’s newest Chronicle is one worthwhile and who knows we could see another movie if this game does relatively well.

Final Analysis:

Riddick is a hybrid and unique First Person game that is not married to guns and lasers, but makes you work for most of your kills and keeps the run and gun to a minimum. Riddick employs a great weapons system that can easily switch between 2 preferred weapons (Ulaks and Shotty we’re my picks) with the D-pad up and down commands.

The game as I said before employs a great switch between shooting and stealth options where you can use either or but one will make life easier and in your opponents case death quicker. Your enemies are not easy take downs most of the time so your hope of sitting back with an MG is a rough hope at best most of the time that and it is way more fun to stalk and assassinate your enemies and make them bleed everywhere. The fun thing is to let another soldier see the dead body and watch the panic ensue. I’m kinda perverse eh? Either way the game is solid and a great addition to any FP lover and this is a game that requires you to use strategy as well as tactics in the field and makes you prefer the low profile over the hit and run oh shit there’s someone here that most FP style games contain. Riddick is one of the more fun and open games I have played in a long time and is a worthwhile buy considering your 2 for 1 you’re actually getting. Grab your Ulaks and your dark specs and join the hunt!

[GAME REVIEW] Wanted: Weapons Of Fate (X360)

Jason Craig — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 00:31:00 +0000

Quick... Someone *BOOM* headshot me and save me from this monotony!

It just boggles the mind when I read a review on a *popular* entertainment/gaming review website and it goes through and to its credit points out all the faults of the game and then awards it a decent score? Wanted: Weapons of Fate isn’t even close to deserving a decent score. I’ll explain.

[GAME REVIEW] The Godfather II (X360)

Jason Craig — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 20:38:00 +0000

A stunning disappointment…

I thought back to the original Godfather game and remembered the reason why I never became a ‘Don’. I grew tired of running around taking over a great number of businesses just to achieve that title. The same can be said for Godfather II (GFII). After an introductory level you are given advice on why it is important to take over as many rackets as you can. In GFII, when you or a competing family controls every business in a given racket, a reward is unlocked. Some of the rewards are bullet proof vests, decreased costs for guards, extra ammo and more. If a rival family is sporting the latest in bulletproof-wares, all you have to do is take out a single business in the racket that rewarded them; to do so you either have to take it over or bomb it and they lose those spiffy vests. Just remember that it works against you as well.

[GAME REVIEW] Tokyo Beat Down (DS)

Sean Anthony — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 01:16:00 +0000

Ah how I love games that perform well and also shake my funny bone at the same time. A game that does itself justice as well as rags on itself among other things is one of those rare treats we all get once in awhile and today’s treat is called Tokyo Beat Down. Does the game really measure up with the DS’s capabilities or is it too slapstick for its own good? Read on to find out…

Story:

In TBD you are Beast Cop Lewis Cannon (you also play as a few other characters) and you are a volatile cop who always takes it too far. Whether they bombed a building or ran out on a dinner check you will beat their ass accordingly. This obvious gets you into trouble with your superiors, but they tend to overlook it due to your abilities. After beating the crap out of some thugs that ditched on a dining ticket (see I told you about the overreaction) the station gets a phone call about something involving fireworks. You can’t tell if it is a threat or a prank until the downtown mall gets bombed and riots and looting ensue.

In this cut scene they seemingly rag on those who stood in lines for Wii’s by one character asking why there are so many people here, and Cannon replying that the newest game system comes out the next day. From here you fight on several gangs of thugs and enter a building where you make some of the worst catch phrases of all time;

“Third floor: clearance sale on lingerie… and justice!”

Yeah, it’s like that.

The thing is that the story can be dictated by your own actions which add a big twist to how it stems along. Depending on which places you go and certain things you do later in the game you could end up fighting the crime lord(s) or watch your comrade’s fall. Your decisions make the butter churn. This is really the true strength the game brings besides the obvious yet characterized humor due to it being different from many other not just DS, but games in general. It is a game that is technically a side scrolling beat em’ up game, but it is truly more than that when you look beyond face value. You have a strong story fallowing several characters and the way it develops is based solely on what you the user do.

The game transcends the genres it has combined by creating a fast paced yet unrefined piece of work. It side scrolls but it plays more like a true fighting game yet it allows you to make critical decisions to the games direct ending as well as your characters. By making this fusion of styles into a worthwhile playable entity you have to applaud the works put into it and appreciate the product. It has a thick story full of characters, baddies and an RPG for those not so fresh feeling times.

Gameplay:

As said before, this is a side scroller but it is not a typical one. It offers you choices which again dictate your ending. The gameplay is just the same in the sense of simple yet magnificent. To be honest when I first turned it on I went, “oh yay I bet I will struggle wanting to play this,” I really have to admit I underestimated and was wrong about this games gameplay.

While in game you punch with Y and kick with X, A picks up weapons, ammo, health and B jumps. B and Y together allow you to grapple you opponents and each character has a special grab move which are all equally funny and doubtfully actually used by police…ok maybe some but definitely not the powerbomb one. The left trigger button draws your gun and the right button blocks. You can dash by double tapping the D-pad in whatever direction you want to go.

Like I said the controls are basic, but fun and create for a damn good beat down involving time. The controls allow you to string together many attacks to take down your adversaries and in the latter part of the game combos are everything. It is one of those games you know how to play and is pretty self explanatory but it is just too much damn fun to put down.

Graphics:

Let’s be honest we’re talking DS here so graphics are not truly the heavy focal point. The graphics for the game seem more Playstation meets PS2 right in the middle. The graphics are acceptable and pretty decent standard wise for the DS. The game is much more based on gameplay and story and the graphics are simple yet work wonderfully for the game.

The pixilated characters work in great unison with the DS and the graphic system it has. With the mix of artsy cut scenes and decent DS graphics it creates a good combination of good looking art and acceptable graphics. The graphics are not the most important part of the game and it is obvious, but the game makes up for this weakness with strengths in the gameplay and storyline.

Sound:

The music in the background has that retro 80’s cop movie feel which keeps you in that get shit done mindset. You feel like it is a mix of Lethal Weapon and Beverly Hills Cop where it is a technical drama, but includes comedy throughout as well.

The sound is essential to the feeling you have and keep throughout the game and really impacts your mind when you’re playing. It is a side scrolling beat em’ up cop game, but it transcends by successfully pulling off humor, drama and damn good fighting all in one smooth motion. It is not an easy thing to do but the music and effects used truly create for an exciting and enjoyable play.

Replay:

The replay value is somewhat dependent upon your personal enjoyment so it turns more into how much you really liked it. It has multiple endings and your story can change throughout the game with each playthrough. It solely depends upon what your take of the game ends up being.

The game offers some decent reasons to play it again and the multi endings really are the big attraction to it. The game is enjoyable, but it is up to you for the second play and if you think it deserves that. Your choice and enjoyment determines it.

Final Analysis:

The game itself is one of those DS games that is worthwhile. The story is big and interesting and has a lot to offer. The gameplay is simple and straightforward but offers a lot of fun at the same time. The fun characters, thick story, decent graphics and sound that works well with the game it creates for a damn good time and a worthwhile play. The DS has very few games that are funny and decent fighting games and this is one of those games. Side scrolling is something that usually isn’t done nowadays but it is done correctly and done well with this game. If you’re looking for a game that is fun and has a great storyline to add into it, this is one of those games you’ll be surprised that you like. You’ll enjoy kicking the asses of random gangs and shoot people as well you’ll love Tokyo Beat Down.

Who Else Could Go "Rock Band" After Beatles?

Sean Anthony — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 21:24:00 +0000

The songs will be from the upcoming re-mastered album that is set to drop on Sept 9th 2009 which is also the same day that the game itself releases too. Beatles: Rock Band, made so you can keep your drummer in obscurity as well. Well the real thing here is that this is one hell of a precedent when you think about it. With AC/DC, The Beatles and Metallica out there and have their own game what other bands could fall in line with this trend?

Through my research and guessing ability I possess (as well as a crystal ball I got for $5 at a local thrift store), I have found 5 bands that I think have the best chance of lunging themselves at these music making phenoms.

[GAME REVIEW] Legends of Wrestlemania (X360)

Sean Anthony — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 20:33:00 +0000

With WWE’s Wrestlemania coming up here soon, I felt it would be a good idea to take a look at their new installment in the games area, WWE Legends of Wrestlemania. The game makes you an active participant in history’s best and most well known wrestling matches. From Andre vs. Hogan to The Rock vs. Stone Cold, it has a large array of matches. The real question is can it be better than SVR09? Legends of Wrestlemania allows you to connect your SVR09 roster to this game allowing you to use your characters from SVR09 in LoW. So let’s see if the game is going to hit its finisher and claim victory or if it is going to get con-chairto’d.

Story:

The story of the game is through different modes that you can play through. Let’s start with the headlining part of it known as Wrestlemania Tour Mode. In Wrestlemania Tour Mode it gives you 3 options to do with matches from the past; relive, rewrite and redefine. It is a real strength that the WWE has finally brought into its continual failure that was the Legends series of their wrestling games. It gives you a chance to redo (or correct if you must) history and make your favorite wrestlers (a.k.a. “superstars” ) win the matches you felt they should have. Think Andre should have beaten the Hulkster? Make it happen. Think the Corporate Ministry should have beaten the Texas Rattlesnake? Make The Rock layeth the smacketh down. It gives you a fun chance to right wrongs and change outcomes which is awesome. It is definitely the crowning feature within the game.

The other mode called “Legend Killer Mode” is used to boost your created characters attributes and is used in the same way that career mode from the SVR series is used. In LK mode there are 7 tiers each with 10 legends to battle. The mode is enjoyable, but only really worth playing one maybe two times depending on your obsession with creating characters. It is fun, but only for that limited amount of time and really wares you out and becomes boring after x amount of gameplay. It is a decent feature, but nothing more.

The match types are nearly identical to that of the SVR series minus the Money in the Bank match and the Inferno Match. While the main meat of the story is within the tour mode, it becomes more taxing that entertaining after awhile. After completing the relatively short tour mode (6 hours max, took me 2 1/2) it relies totally upon its multiplayer and honestly it holds up to a degree. The gameplay which is coming up next here, really is a big turn off and hurts the game very much.

Gameplay:

Between the redux’d SVR09 controls and LoW putting in a just as lackluster system, it is hard to see where the appeal fallows through. It does give a more basic feel just like in the old days of wrestling where a leg drop (Hogan’s Atomic Leg Drop) and a fisherman’s suplex (Perfectplex) were finishing moves. The grapple system is done by tiers, yes I will explain what that means further; it means that you have 3 tiers of move-sets and through chaining attacks you can move up the tiers. You must get to the third tier to get your finishing move. You can also taunt to regain health, increase speed so forth and so on. While the arcade-like experience is somewhat fresh it also becomes very demanding to your memory and your patience. The LoW series has always been one with more faults and it unfortunately has still not fixed them.

It does have strengths though, the arcade styled gameplay does give that old school feel as I said above and to add in the characters really enhance the games overall worth. From the Honky Tonk Man to the “American Dream” Dusty Rhodes you can be an elite number of former greats and some still greats in their old looks (Triple H is in his old Englishman attire with complying music). It really gives the game vigor and life and a hopeful chance to be good. The roster is really one of the biggest around and when you add that in with being able to mix it with the SVR 09 roster; you have an enormous roster to work with and a lot of great matches to be a part of.

As I said before the real problem isn’t just with this games controls it is with both this game and SVR 09 which has redone its controls 2 or 3 times over and honestly for the worse. I understand the simple system for this game due to it being a legends game where basic moves of today are finishers of yesterday. The game is so-so in the gameplay department and when it comes down to it, the game really relies on its story and its fan base to overlook the lackluster gameplay.

Graphics:

The graphics are really good and a strength that stands out. All the characters are done really well and their entrances are met with very good realism. Graphics have always been a strength for the WWE’s wrestling game franchises and this is no different. The game offers great arena’s and realistic old school fighting.

The games weakness though is within certain character looks. For example, if you do a match with Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant you will notice that Hogan is not much smaller than Andre. Hogan was never really a small guy standing in a 6 and a half feet and some 250 plus, but Andre was a 7 footer plus and some 450 or 500 lbs. So the difference should have been way more obvious than it was. This was one of those things you pick up and get kind of annoyed about but willingly overlook it.

The graphics are solid with some minor liabilities, but nothing enough to truly raise any alarm. The game has few strengths and this definitely one of those things that it relies on. The game graphically is just as strong as previous SVR titles and is the latest in the graphics department.

Sound:

Sound in this game is honestly more of a one trick pony. When you think wrestling you think of entrances and music and this game is no different my friend. It excels in its strengths with music and entrance effects like fog or lighting fixtures. The style is done just like SvR09 so it is done really well. The in game wrestling has decent sound and does its job, but really nothing beyond that. The game has decent sound effects and does its job but does not WOW you.

Replay:

The replay value depends totally on how much you enjoy the game series of SvR, play online and if your friend’s play as well. The game is truly fun and can keep your interest for a decent amount of time, but without enjoying online play or having friend’s that play as well you will find this on the shelf very quickly.

Final Analysis:

The game offers some great fights between old school rivals and a fun and lengthy story mode. The game has a large amount of yesteryear superstars and their finishers to help. The game connects with SvR09 and allows you to use both rosters of wrestlers which ads to the games overall value. The big problems are obvious ones that truly stand out, the controls and fighting style are annoying and rough to deal with and the game has rough replay value which depends too much on factors (see above).

The game offers another chapter into the WWE universe with this installment and is definitely the best legends based wrestling game that has come out. The game gives you that old school feeling which is a much needed in the Legends of Wrestling series and finally gets it right without taking too much from the wrestling. The game has some promise, but lacks in the replay value department to an extent and overall is an alright product.

Legends of Wrestlemania is a game that is good for those who are WWE fans and fans of wrestling games in general, but will only be truly valuable to those who play online and with friends as stated earlier. The game is one that takes time to learn and is worthwhile to those who are bi on the genre itself. The game is a hit and miss factory.