Customer Reviews

Showdown: Legends of Wrestling

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I didn't get to play too much of Legends II but from what I did play I can tell this game is much improved. First off, the Legends seem to have shown up for this installment. Just about everyone you can think of is in this game and I like it. So for those of you who griped about II's roster - This should make you quite happy. Graphically the characters look nice although somewhat disproportioned. My first match was Mr Perfect vs Macho Man and needless to say, Mr Perfect was Never that buff. The wrestlers have fluid moves and they are quite easy to execute. The counter system works like a charm and is really nice to watch. The entrances are almost exact. Two man commentary with Bobby the Brain! What gets better than that? They even talk about old school matches when you are wrestling. Wow, a trip down memory lane - priceless. The menu system is really cool. Even if it's basic, it looks like an old movie board or event board you'd see if you were in Vegas or at a big event showing the matches. There are so many more match types this time around too. This game just racks up cool points. If you're a casual gamer then maybe this is a rental title. If you're any kind of wrestling fan, do yourself a favor and pick up the best installment in the series.

I bought this game about a year and a half ago at K-Mart for like 40 cents in the bargain bin. I wasn't really expecting too much as the first Legends Of Wrestling game was pretty bad. The second one followed and was panned too so i didn't even bother. When I saw this for sale though the price was right and I was really digging on the nostalgia factor with all those great legends i grew up watching from the 1980's and early 90's. I was hoping for at least a decent dose of video game wrestling action and to say i was pleasantly surprised is an understatement! This game is simply one of if not THE BEST wrestling games ever made. The graphics are a little cartoony to be sure but it evokes the wrestling era of the 1980's and early 90's perfectly. The controls are really easy to learn and master with hundreds of moves of every kind from technical, grappling, submission, high flyer, turnbuckle, martial arts and simple brawling. You can cheat too with lots of weapons available at ringside and tables to smash opponents thru! The various matches available make for endless playability with 1 on 1, tag team, 3 on 3, 4 on 4, tournament, hardcore, submission, iron man, first blood, steel cage, table, ladder and the epic royal rumble! The real meat and potatoes of this game however lies in the deep roster of wrestling legends from the WWF, WCW, NWA, AWA and the various territories. This roster includes all the signature finishers, fighting styles, entrances and outfits (4 different for each wrestler) of each legend including managers! If the legend you want to wrestle with isn't here you can create him or her using the custom creator which lets you build up a sizeable stable of wrestlers. My brother and i have about 60 or so additional legends we created to go with the ones already in the game and these all have signature moves, outfits and so on. The action is called by Tony Schiavani, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan and "The Living Legend" Larry Zybysko and while repetitive, adds to the fun with some memorable lines "Blood, beginning To flow!". The game is buggy and will occasional stop altogether mid match but the amount of fun derived from this game is immeasurable and we always end up coming back to play again and again despite the fact that i own an XBOX 360. I've tried the other WWE games and i wasn't at all impresssed. The rosters were too new and no legends made for an unfulfilling experience as i'm no longer a fan of professional wrestling and haven't been interested in it for like 12 years or so. This game is very similar to the WWF Royal Rumble And WWF RAW games for Super Nintendo and the WCW games for N64 and a must own for fans of that era of wrestling. "Just Get To The Wrestling Schiavani!"

When the first installment came out more than a year ago I was extremely excited and couldn't wait. The game included legendary heroes of the squared circle such as Bret " The Hitman" Hart, Don Muraco, Tito Santana, Rick Steamboat, and last but certainly not least, Hulk Hogan. Being a longtime wrestling fan I was one of the ones who could appreciate a game like this which even though the gameplay wasn't exactly a wrestling fan's dream, it was fun none-the-less. One more thing about the engine that reviewers seem to overlook is the fact that old school wrestling is very basic compared to wrestling nowadays. That means you don't need this game to have a ton of moves for it to be good. People like Ted Dibiase wouldn't perform moves like frankensteiners and high cross bodys. It just isn't realistic that way. When Aclaim brought us the 2nd installment I was kind of dissapointed. The graphics were improved and so were other things like, the list of characters, the entrances along with the music, but the gameplay was much faster than the preceeding and that (atleast in my opinion)made it worse of a game. I don't know what they were thinking, like it would be improved with total non-stop action! The pace in the first game was slower and made it much more realistic. Being a fan of the others , you know I should have been on the edge of my seat for Showdown to hit stores, and I was, visiting my usual video gaming site to check for new screenshots and news. Anybody who is a fan of the other games and doesn't think this one blows them out of the water is rediculous. This game tops them all. Along with newly added long-time greats like Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Ultimate Warrior, Dusty Rhodes, and Sting, the game also is improved in other areas like the engine for instance. The camera views are much more intense then they were before. Other areas of improvement are with newly added commentating,new match-types,more arenas and blood. They even have Gary Michael Capetta doing the ring announcing as well. The game does have some flaws such as bugs, repetitive commentating, and a lack of moves. This makes the game not have long lasting appeal, but it "is" a fun game to play and hope they do add a fourth installment in the series!

I dont know what these people are talking about. My characters dont magically warp around the ring. I do not see the 1-2 second delay when I push a button. What I do see is... Fantastic, yet oversized, graphics. Sure Hitman was never that big, but who cares? The wrestlers are still sized somewhat correctly, Warrior is bigger than sting and smaller than Andre. The controls are great. Better than last year. You have about 12 moves from the front.(and thats not when the AI is bending over or stunned) You can also combine your move i.e. powerslam into a submission or pin. That gives you even more moves.(bret gives a tutorial) The create-wrestler is better. Provide your own music and the announcers say your name, eat that smackdown! You can create such idols as Rock, HHH, Austin, HBK, Kane, Taker,Goldberg etc, but not Lesnar as there isnt an F5. Match types are not just what you see on the box. Tag matches can be up to 4 tag teams at once/and hardcore etc. There is blood, and clothing absorbs sweat over time. Even the hair on the wrestlers moves. Bret moves and his hair actually moves too. Great graphics. Control takes only a few moments to master. Reverses are easy and amazing when they work. You can counter anything. This game does not have a deep story mode. If you are looking for that, get smackdown. This is for the people who want to wrestle with the greats. All in all, great graphics, smooth control, announcers(even to announce your entrance... THIS IS STIIIINNNNNNGGGG!) The most notable problem I see is sometimes the AI will throw a punch and hit itself, lol. And no your finisher will not finish the match. Your finisher is based on momentum like last year. Please the crowd with different moves. No you can not just kick and punch non stop. Sometimes I dont even get my finisher off.(each charachter has 2 different finishers) The in match play is very much like THQ on N64. You can break up submissions too. This is what Ive been wanting since N64 went under. A No Mercy(N64) game with wrestling greats and on Xbox. Lastly, you dont wear or get titles, no backstage areas, stunning can happen at anytime from any move, and the AI is easy to beat. Pick this up and you wont be disappointed.

Three words: The Ultimate Warrior! is back and he is on X-box jack so what'ca gonna do when Hulkamania runs wild on you!.

Good Stuff
Graphics: Improved graphics

New Wrestlers: DDP, Dusty Rhodes,Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Sting, Ultimate Warrior, and Randy "Macho Man" Savage

Sounds: Finally comentary, by the guys from WCW and Bobby "The Brain" Henan

Storyline: Wrestle wrestlers in each era (70's, 80's, 90's, and today)

Extra Stuff: Play classic matches like Hulk Hogan vs. Andre The Giant

Bad Stuff
Graphics: Didn't improve enough

Sound: Commentaters repeat lines

Let's first discuss the reasons why I didn't bother posting reviews about Legends of Wrestling I or II. To be honest here Legends of Wrestling Showdown is far better than both of it's past family. Better roster of legends and in my opinion an all out better game. Keep in mind here that I own the PSX2 version of this game, thus this review is for the PSX2 version of Legends of Wrestling Showdown.

Though I do have to agree with what others have said, that being, it is slightly buggy and can even lock up from time to time which is annoying. This is the sole reason I gave it a four instead of five in the rating department.

If your a wrestling fan of any kind and looking for something different from the WWE or TNA, I'd suggest trying this out. If your a fan of the more older and solid wrestling style, I'd suggest trying this out aswell. It's a decent game and can be alot of fun with friends and girlfriends... whichever company you prefer the most. :)

Looking past the couple of clipping issues and game glitches that dont always happen, its a pretty decent game for die hard wrestling fans. It takes some getting use to the game play but I can say it's pretty fun and has a roster that is the largest one in a wrestling game by far. I say its worth the 10 bucks I spent on it.

This game improves on the last two by leaps and bounds , but is still bogged down by bad cameras , sub par graphics , and alot of bugs . This game is also one of the last acclaim titles released sense acclaim went bankrupted in early 2005 and this also means that there will be no more legends games . The developers of this game must have been dedicated wrestling fans to make a game this lovingly made to appeal to the most jaded and hardcore american wrestling fans who have been watching wrestling for decades . This game isn't just for kids , but for adults as well because of who's all in this game : RODDY PIPER , HULK HOGAN , STING , DUSTY RHODES , JAKE "THE SNAKE" ROBERTS , THE ROAD WARRIORS , AND EVEN THE ULTIMATE WARRIOR (who no kid onder 12 knows about) .
I ONLY HOPE ANOTHER VIDEO GAME DEVELOPER COMES UP WITH A SIMILAR GAME TO THIS UNIQUE FRANCHISE AND HAS SOME WRESTLERS FROM JAPAN & OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD IN IT .

They really could have done something with that game, put in a better engine, less damn collisions between wrestlers.

That game is a disgrace and the ones that followed where even worst imagine.

The wrestlers look very good, the roster is amazing, but when you play the game it just doesnt feel right, you dont feel in control of your wrestlers, and to many glitch in the game make is Yuke.

The best wrestling game right now is still WWE Bring on the pain.

Its is not a pleasure for me to bring down a wrestling game like i am doing right now, and to tell you the thruth i add high hopes when they introduced this one, they said a new engine etc etc, i was really hoping to get something like NO WAY OUT on the N64 but i just didnt.

Sad i am still very much a fan of wrestling and even more a fan to the 80 wrestling.