First Impressions: Hulk smash! Hulk enraged! Hulk...er, Hogan that is.
THQ’s seminal grappler WWE: No Mercy made great strides on the Nintendo 64, featuring impressive collision detection, create-a-wrestler features, location-specific damage and awareness of weight classes. The AKI-developed title is still heralded as some of the finest wrestling action available. Likewise, Yuke’s wrestling iteration, WWE WrestleMania X8, was meticulously and perhaps undeservedly lambasted for its various shortcomings, despite sufficient gameplay and new modes such as Tables, Ladders, and Chairs in addition to Hell in a Cell. However, the overall package could have used some retooling. This time around, the development team is looking to benefit from extended development time and add in a few new features.
Beyond last year’s modes including single matches, tag team matches, triple threat matches, and fatal four way matches, the game will be inundated with the tutorial mode. Featuring hardcore legend Al Snow, you'll be taken through the ropes and into the ring, and will be offered a basic rundown of gameplay fundamentals and strategies. Above that, the story mode will be fleshed-out, much like No Mercy before it. Reportedly, WWE proprietor Vincent Kennedy McMahon has fired your character from the company. Fortunately, his daughter Stephanie McMahon will re-hire you and assign you to destroy various properties Vince owns, including malls, shipments of merchandise at harbor fronts, and other locales for vengeance. While battling anonymous security cards and rambunctious felons, you’ll eventually grasp the pedestal, face off against actual wrestlers, win title championships, and ultimately square off against none other than the big cheese Vinnie Mac himself. FMV footage will be seamlessly intertwined and woven through the 30-stage storyline for enhanced immersion.
Reminiscent of No Mercy’s Smackdown Mall, XIX’s iteration is known as WWE ShopZone, the same name as the company’s online store. As expected, the store will allow you to purchase items as money is accumulated in the story mode. Featuring the sultry WWE diva Stacy Kiebler, purchasing new moves and costumes should extend the longevity of this title as well as serve as a sight for sore eyes.
Enthusiasts infatuated with the game will once again be able to create their own brainchild in the create-a-wrestler mode. In this installment, players can decide whether the character is a “face” or “heel”, which in blunts represents “good guy” and “bad guy” respectively. Nintendo 64 purists will remember this option in WWE Attitude. Indeed, THQ has a lot of catching up to do.
Of my personal complaints about WWE WrestleMania X8, the biggest issue was that players could successfully execute powerful moves, such as a chokeslam or tombstone piledriver or even a superplex, literally seconds into the game using the Undertaker without weakening the opponent. This will hopefully be eliminated with the reprisal of weak and strong grapples in the game. Weak grapples will be reserved for generic moves while strong grapples will be finally assigned strong moves. Another unsettling issue is that any move in the game can be reversed at anytime regardless of momentum, spirit, and overall dominance. Ultimately, the game is turning into a plethora of reversals. Hopefully this will be toned down.
At this point in time, the developer has made no mention of play-by-play or color commentary, nor licensed music. The WrestleMania series from N64 onward has traditionally never offered a satiable aural experience and remained rather destitute with only a modicum attempt at superlative presentation standards. For example, in WrestleMania X8, responses to taunts were limited to silence. At the very least, hopefully the team at Yuke’s will score Lillian Garcia, or preferably Howard Finkel to announce ring entrances, but we’re not holding our breath.
Graphically, the GameCube has continually been home to slightly blurrier textures and cartoony appearances compared to its other console cousins. Despite that, the graphics are looking considerably cleaner and facial animations are top notch. Finer aesthetic details such as tattoos, accessories, and hair remain a cornerstone of the series’ trademark quality appearance as well. Different stances and poses will easily manifest training backgrounds such as martial arts and boxing. Lastly, reactive animations such as a shorter wrestler tilting his head upwards to gaze helplessly at a huge giant-like behemoth will go a long way in expanding the experience. Hopefully Yuke’s will be able to tap the GameCube’s proven power further.
Anyone accustomed to X8 will find familiar territory in its salivated sequel. The controls are essentially the same apart from the addition of strong grapples. Players will also have a 10 second time limit to perform their finishing maneuver in contrast to X8. In the previous game, you could reserve a maximum of three finishers for later use and actually perform three signature maneuvers consecutively.
While it may not be immediately evident, wrestlers will feature individual statistics and their respective strengths and weaknesses. Exploiting those intrinsic disadvantages will surely be helpful as you climb your way to the top. The reprisal of location-specific damage to wear down parts of the human anatomy will be an integral part of the game. As a result, characters will favour a body part and be susceptible to pinfalls and submissions.
