Acclaim hasn't exactly delivered the strongest lineup of wrestling games (hello Attitude!), but apparently, we're both in agreement here. At least, in the case of wrestling games. Unfortunately, while it's a noble start, Legends of Wrestling does not qualify as the strongest example of how to take the genre in a direction that's both refreshing and entertaining. Overall, the execution is not as solid compared to the current selection available on the market. Slow gameplay, and an extensive move list requiring the utmost diligence to memorize, is enough to deter both the hardcore wrestling player base and newcomers looking for a game that's offers a user-friendly "plug and play" style. More on this shortly.

The game's biggest selling point lies in the extensive roster of grapplers, all-stars of past and present, who at one time or another were affiliated with the WWF (for the sake of continuity, any future references in the review will be acknowledged under their new label - WWE). There's a lot of folks, who I consider to be from the "old-school" of wrestling, well before the era of Stone Cold and The Rock. Among the cast, includes grapplers like Hulk Hogan, Bret "The Hitman" Hart, and even Lou Albino (do the Mario!). In addition to the standard versus mode, you can intensify the action by going selecting the 3- or 4-Player dance modes, the latter being for the highly advanced (or daring) players. Moreover, stepping into the Career Mode gives you the opportunity to select your favorite wrestler on a quest throughout the country to become the ultimate wrestler of all time. Not satisfied with the roster? Use the Create-a-Legend character, and create a grappler of your choice. This has been one of the most enjoyable staples introduced in wrestling games as of late, and Legends does a relatively solid job in this aspect of the game. Choose from a male or female frame, then select from an extensive selection of options, establishing their body weight, height, hair color, as well as an assorted accessories and apparel from head to toe. There's even a psuedo-Mario Paint editor which lets you create your own custom design (though you can only get but so fancy). The simulation aspect goes out the window though, which, depending on your tastes, can be taken with a grain of salt. For example, if you choose to pick a female, her ability to hustle and bustle throughout the square circle will be no different than using a macho man. And that's not all...but have you ever seen someone weigh 450 pounds, but look like she hasn't gone a day over 130? An oversight at best, but still to be considered one of the game's best supporting features.

On its default setting, Legends is mildly challenging to the point that a player with vague interest in the game could actually beat the AI with ease (and yes, I've seen it done from personal experience). Fortunately, an adjustment to the difficulty setting can be configured so that you'll go from brawler to biatch.

So back to the plug and play. Well, if you're not really hip to the whole wrestling scene, Legends of Wrestling will do little for your enthusiasm. The basic commands are rather easy to pick up, but with over 40 characters in total, each with an extensive move set, you'll need a great deal of patience (and memorization skills) to get the most of what the game has to offer. In addition, the game moves at a relatively slow pace (perhaps even greater than Attitude), which can be a major deterrent to anyone (like myself) looking for an arcade style experience.

Legends feels very technical, with an extensive move list, and a new combo-oriented system known as the Intermediate Start Position. Using this system will allow you to perform your grappler's most powerful moves from the lock-up position. This of course, as highlighted earlier requires you to have your move list down to a science. There's also a Combo/Reversal Meter which you'll need to pay constant attention to throughout the match. When you or your opponent perform combo moves, a bar at the top of the screen will be displayed, along with the designated button that must be pressed to complete the move. The same action must be executed at the right time in order for you to reverse any move when the meter is displayed on your opponent's side.

Although the graphic engine is a slight improvement over its PS2 counterpart, the character models still seem out of place...a bit too shiny for my tastes, looking like plastic wrestlers. The animation is solid enough that "old school" wrestling fans can be in pure delight when they watch Tony Atlus break out Guillotine Scissor attack. I only wish the same could be said for the ring entrances, which is pretty tame compared to the general presentations featured in existing WWF titles. Once you've seen all the introductions, there's very little interest left, and you'll find yourself quickly skipping them to jump into the game. Legends could have taken a page from attitude, provided the fact that the game was being endorsed by the WWE license.

Speaking of which, the lack of detail...short of the trademark taunts and ring entrances, Legends lacks offer any dynamic elements to enrich the matches. Details like sound clips at the very least would've given some added personality to the game. The audio atmosphere is very weak, short of the few sound samples for the referee, there's very little to get you wholly excited.

Bottom Line: Legends is far from being the worst wrestling title ever conceived. In fact, the franchise has potential to take the genre in a refreshing, new direction. In order for this franchise to truly take off, there's definitely a need for elements that enriches the fun factor, lest players will look towards other games such as Wrestlemania X8 or the upcoming Raw is War title in the works. It's unfortunate that a title featuring a well-rounded cast of wrestling "legends", couldn't have offered tighter execution. But with an upcoming sequel on the horizon, Acclaim is stepping back into the ready position, which should garner a substantial niche among the wrestling fanbase.

· · · Bahn