Wrestling has
always been an under appreciated aspect of pop culture. From time to time,
wrestling explodes in popularity and then everyone jumps on the wrestling
bandwagon. T-shirts, Super Bowl ads, you name it and there is probably some
type of wrestling connection. But to me wrestling has always been a guilty
pleasure, since I grew up watching wrestling. I was lucky enough to live in one
of the top wrestling regions in America. Wrestling was a huge attraction for
years in this area, and it was a springboard for some wrestlers into the big
time. Jerry Lawyer, Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, the Undertaker, and just about
anyone else that was in wrestling would wrestle in my hometown on a weekly
basis. There was always a block of wrestling on television every week. I tried
to make it a point to never miss these programs, and in the process grew to love
wrestling. When the first Wrestlemania happened, I could have never imagined
that wrestling would become so popular. Since then, Wrestlemania has always
been the biggest wrestling eventof the year.
With
Wrestlemania XIX on Gamecube, now you have the opportunity to jump into the
squared circle and compete on the biggest stage of them all, Wrestlemania!
There are several gameplay modes available in Wrestlemania XIX, Exhibition,
Tutorial, King of the Ring, and Revenge. There are also other options available
in the game as well, Create a Superstar, Shopzone, and Superstar Profiles. The
Exhibition mode allows you to compete in several types of matches: Single, Tag
Team, Triple Threat, Fatal 4 Way, Handicap, Royal Rumble and Revenge States.
With a match selected, you can then select 8 different match types: Normal
Match, Hardcore Match, Ladder Match, Table Match, TLC Match, Cage Match, Hell in
a Cell, and Ironman Match. The different match types should please more
wrestling fans. You can then select from 45 different wrestlers to compete with
and against.
The Tutorial
mode is a great lesson in learning the controls of the game. You can compete in
several different training lessons with Al Snow as the trainer. Al offers words
of encouragement if you do well and will blast you if you make a mistake. I
recommend everyone take the time to finish the tutorial mode to learn the
controls. The control scheme in Wrestlemania XIX is close to what I consider
the Holy Grail of wrestling games, No Mercy on N64. The game has a grappling
system similar to No Mercy but with a few changes. You can lock up with your
opponent by pressing a single button on the controller. Then once you’ve locked
up, you can then press a button to execute a move. There are also different
moves you can perform by pressing the control stick in a different direction
when locked up with your opponent. This is very similar to No Mercy on N64, but
Wrestlemania XIX still lacks in comparison to No Mercy when it comes to the
controls.
During the
tutorial mode everything seems simple and easy with the controls, but this
changes during an actual match. The game seems to drop the grappling system
during an actual match. It always seems you have a better chance of succeeding
by just striking your opponent. The computer doesn’t give you enough time to
perform a grapple move since he/she is consistently striking at you. Of course
you can wear the opponent down by performing strike after strike, but even then
this defeats the purpose of the grapple system. There is also a reversal system
you can use during a match. By pressing the “R” button you can counter a
striking attack. The “L” button allows you to counter a grapple attack. As
mentioned earlier, this works great in the tutorial mode, but seems useless in
an actual match. The game even offers a short visual clue as to which button to
press, but you have to press the button at the exact moment in order to execute
the reversal. If you can get the timing down on when to press the button, this
can and will help in a match. But when the computer keeps striking over and
over again, it seems useless to try to perform a reversal. After a few minutes
in a match it felt like I had no choice but to keep striking the computer to
stay in the match.
The King of the
Ring mode allows you to compete in a tournament against other WWE Superstars.
There are six different match types available: Single Non Title, Single WWE
Championship, Single World Heavyweight Championship, Tag Non Title, Tag WWE Tag
Team Championship, Tag World Tag Team Championship. After selecting the match
type you then select the arena to compete in, the rules of the match (No DQ,
First Blood, etc) and the number of entrants. You can have up to 16 Superstars
to compete in the tournament.
Revenge is the
story mode for Wrestlemania XIX. The story itself is interesting but is
something most fans have already watched on WWE Television. You take control of
a wrestler who’s been thrown out of the WWE by Vince McMahon. Stephanie McMahon
has a plan to take over the WWE, and she can use your help to taking out her
father. The plan is simple, make Wrestlemania XIX a financial disaster and
force Vince to sell the company to Stephanie. Now as a big wrestling fan, I
always expect a story mode in any wrestling game that is released. Revenge is
not what I expected and probably not what most wrestling game fans will expect.
Instead of competing in the ring to settle the score and take out Vince, you
fight in an urban setting. There are 24 stages to complete, which are composed
of 4 different locations and 6 different stages to finish. One location is a
Construction site; another is a Shopping Mall, a Parking Garage and a Harbor.
The different stages are unique and detailed but go against what wrestling is
all about. You compete in the ring to settle your difference.
Why do I need to
fight a security guard in the mall? Why couldn’t I fight the Rock in the ring
after working my way up the rankings? Most wrestling fans I know would rather
have the option to compete in the ring to settle their differences. The one
advantage of completing the different stages in Revenge mode is the opportunity
to earn cash. You earn cash by finishing the stages, and the amount of damage
you do to the stage and your opponents. You can spend the cash at the Shopzone
mode and purchase additional items for the Create a Superstar Mode.
The Create a
Superstar mode is an extremely detailed create-a-wrestler program. You have the
option to create up to 16 different superstars. You have extensive control over
the different moves your character can use. The amount of control you have
over the different moves, and appearance of your character is very impressive.
If you want a character that uses power moves for their repertoire of moves, you
can assign which moves to use. You also have a unique control of your
characters’ faces. You can stretch their nose out, increase the size of their
skull, increase the length of their chin, and several other options. The Create
a Superstar mode also includes a Paint Editor program. You can create your own
logos, and patterns for your wrestlers. Probably the only thing missing was a
wide assortment of masks. But if a mask style wasn’t available right away it
might be available in the Shopzone section for purchase.
Wrestlemania XIX
is a good wrestling game that will please the casual wrestling fan. Hardcore
wrestling fans will probably find the lack of a “standard/old fashion” story
mode very discouraging. But the Create a Superstar mode should please all
gamers with the amount of control and options available. With Wrestlemania XIX,
you have the opportunity to experience the excitement of wrestling in your
living room.
Gameplay 7.6
As mentioned
earlier in the review, a grapple system is the control scheme of Wrestlemania
XIX. But you’ll spend more time striking your opponents instead of using the
grapple system. When you do get the opportunity to use the grapple system, it
can be touchy at times. My characters would perform a light grapple even though
I thought I pressed a hard grapple. But this is only a minor issue, since the
biggest issue is the striking system. The reversal controls are a great idea
and work great, when you can get them to work. It always seems you’re late in
trying to perform a reversal. But when you have the time to use the grapple
system properly it is a very easy control scheme to get used to.
Graphics 8.5
The graphics for
the different wrestlers are detailed and smooth when in the ring wrestling.
However the graphics for the different wrestler’s entrances can be stiff at
times. The wrestlers seem to walk with a limp to the ring during their
entrance. However the entrance videos are spot on to the actual graphics from
the WWE television shows. The ring graphics and audience graphics are very
good. Each ring setting is very detailed and accurate to their real world
counterparts. The animation of the audience members is rather bland and
repetitive.
Sound 8.0
Each wrestler
has his/her own music in the game, which is a great addition. The sound effects
of the crowd are also impressive. They will start chanting certain phrases that
are specific to a certain wrestler. There is no commentary during the matches,
but it isn’t missed. The in game music, especially during the Revenge mode,
does get a little repetitive after a while.
Difficulty
Medium
Getting used to
the controls is probably the hardest part of any wrestling game. The tutorial
mode will ease this problem tremendously. The actual matches that take place in
the ring can be troubling at times. Just like in “real” wrestling your opponent
can come back at any moment in the match. This can be frustrating, especially
when you want to use a particular move on your opponent and he/she just won’t go
down. The repeated use of strikes by the computer adds to the difficulty as
well. Since you spend most of your time striking and not using your more
powerful grapple moves.
Concept 7.5
The Revenge mode
is a different idea for a wrestling game, but it only takes away from the game.
The true essence of any wrestling game should be competing in the ring. The
Revenge mode completely removes you from the ring. Since this is the only story
mode available in the game, this takes away from the overall score. The rest of
the game is a tried and true wrestling experience. You compete in the different
type of matches available and beat up your opponent.
Multiplayer
7.5
The game
supports up to four players. So you and up to three of your friends can compete
in the squared circle. The majority of the game modes support 4 players.
However you cannot have multiple players competing during the Revenge mode.
Overall 7.8
Wrestlemania XIX
offers a solid, entertaining wrestling experience for Gamecube. The excellent
graphics, sound effects and create a wrestler mode add to the game. But to
those looking for the complete package, this isn’t the wrestling game for you.
The grapple system, while finally starting to come back into popularity, isn’t
perfect. The game still feels like you can finish it without focusing on the
grapple system. The story mode is also a big disappointment for hardcore
wrestling fans. I don’t watch wrestling to see a wrestling fighting security
guards in a mall or at a construction site. For those looking for the next
wrestling game on Gamecube, then Wrestlemania XIX will fit the bill. But it
doesn’t compare against a game that was released over three years ago.
