"Power is at peak capacity!"

There are three levels of special moves for each of the thirty combatants. The power meter is built up every time you connect with a strike or complete a grapple move. In addition, your meter rises each time you take damage from a non-special.

The first level is a powerful strike move, some of which can hit more than once. These are performed by pushing in the left trigger and pressing the A button. Level-two specials require a press of the left trigger and the Y button. These are outrageous grapples (again, from the front or rear) that demonstrate the extreme nature of the Muscle brand of wrestling. Bodies are slammed, twisted, and snapped with shocking intensity and unreal power. Any other game would have utilized this type of super move as the pinnacle of the move list, and we probably would have been content. But as crazy as some of these moves are, and as sickeningly satisfying as the crunches get, they pale in comparison to Ultimate Muscle's real showstoppers.

Level-three special moves are what you will remember most about this game when you sit on your rocking chair and reminisce about the GameCube with your grandkids. Upon reaching the maximum super level, you can hit both triggers simultaneously to lunge forward. If your opponent is unfortunate enough to be in range in front of you, you will set off an anime-inspired cut scene that makes the cinematics in any Yuu Yuu Hakusho or Dragon Ball games I've seen positively wither in comparison.

Not bound by our laws of physics or common human decency (and evidently with iron-clad insurance policies), these masked and mutated maniacs take to the air, run at full speed, leap, dive, seize, spear, and generally try to destroy each other. We're not talking brainbusters from the top turnbuckle or simple spinning piledrivers. The screen splits to close-ups of the combatants' faces, the aggressor scowling up top and the victim-to-be sweating on the bottom, both panels rendered with anime-style light and parallax effects (anyone else remember Hammer Lock Wrestling for the Super NES?). The scene switches to a demonstration of cartoonish brutality that lasts for several seconds (but can be skipped - a wise decision by the developers that only adds to the replay value). These are almost unbelievably fun to watch if you have even the slightest sadistic urge. Bodies are tossed with reckless abandon and Herculean strength, limbs are hyperextended, heads are driven to the mat with astounding impact, and sometimes even weapons are drawn.

In tag matches, if a level-three is performed when your partner's meter is also full and neither of your opponents has been eliminated, you will be treated to a double-team special. If the single specials left you alternately cringing and squealing in delight, some of the double-teams might really knock you for a loop. One or two are not up to snuff with the rest, but the best ones are utterly brilliant. And, yes, both opponents are involved and both suffer damage, meaning a well-timed double-team can kill two birds with one stone. As someone who loved the double-team cut scenes in Giant Gram 2000 for the Dreamcast, I was simply floored by the absurdly brutal, brutally absurd exhibitions here.

In non-tag matches, you can still elect to have a second in your corner. Whether acting as a second or a full-fledged tag partner, a wrestler in your corner can throw in various items and cause various disturbances to help you win the match. Bowls of ramen noodles and cannonball bombs are just the beginning. Different wrestlers bring different items and abilities into play, but interfering does cost a chunk of the wrestler's life meter. The "second" system is even better than the manager and special-referee options we have seen so far for involving extra players in unconventional ways.

It's all about the game

The first time you play the game, only seven wrestlers will be selectable in Story Mode, all "new generation" grapplers. As you beat the game with each of them, you will unlock the corresponding legends and some others. Story Mode consists of short vignettes leading up to and following matches in various arenas. The voice acting is quite good and uses the actors from the cartoon. Once you have get savvy with the engine, it should take about twenty-five minutes to beat the game - less time if you skip through the dialogue.

Each victory brings with it collectible coins, which you can trade in for . . . surprise! - M.U.S.C.L.E. figures. There are hundreds of these to unlock, all in their fully-painted original Japanese glory. Even those of you not particularly excited by that last sentence (what's wrong with you?!?) will probably find the collection of interest. The diminutive brawlers are inspired by everything from actual wrestlers like Dusty Rhodes to aerosol cans and Rubik's Cube.

By now, you may have gathered that you won't be able to faithfully recreate any real-life wrestlers in this game. There is a create-a-wrestler mode, however, with parts based off the ten fighters that are selectable in the multiplayer modes but not in the main story. Each body part has three variations in shape and some color selections, and you can assign a personality and finishing move, which you name. The personality you choose will decide the rest of your move list. Once you are done, you're creation is assigned a password that you can use when you are playing UM at a friend's house. Choices? Yes. Satisfying choices? You know.

Besides telling you that the graphics are initially striking and that the announcers are very repetitive, I think I covered just about everything that needs to be in a review. This is a game that's appealing on many levels, so go out there and experience it. I don't want to spoil it for you. You don't have to be a wrestling fan or a fan of the toys/cartoon (unless you will be playing almost exclusively by yourself, in which case I recommend you rent first). You may not appreciate the references to the nWo or you may be put off by the pace, but sink a little time into this title with a group of friends and you will almost certainly appreciate the experience.

Back to page one of Ultimate Muscle: Legends vs. New Generation review

· · · Nick