BreakABone
09-10-2003, 02:09 PM
Well being that I'm a fan of X8, and Shut Your Mouth, well of most any wrestling game not made by Island, take this as you will.
Now for the boring stuff
Graphics:
They look like wrestlers, have weird animations when they walk, but other than that it's ok. Some of the wrestlers look a little too muscular, but eh.
Sound
Sound has really improved since X8. It features no commentators, which from prior experience is a big plus in my book. The crowd is a whole lot more lively this time, not just for big moves or entrances. They are there throughout, and will start to chant for your wrestlers if they are winning or getting their ass kick. Different for heels and faces. Some entrance themes are missing, which you can't really hold against the developes since some people just ask for too much money I guess.
Ok, I think that takes care of that now for the real meat.
GamePlay:
The best way to put it is a No Mercy, SmackDown: Shut Your mouth and WrestleMania x8 combination. It takes bits and pieces from each of those games and inject it's own creativity to give you this game. It has strong and weak grapples ala No Mercy, but the wak grapples are done in a manner which most SmackDown/WrestleMania x8 fans would know, well the strong grapples are more akin to the AKI engine with some differences.
One major difference from the AKI engine and this for strong grapples is, you only have 5 instead of 8 since A plus a direction does a move and B plus a direction does a combination of strikes which may or may not be grapples. This of course leaves the door open for combination. So you can go into a grapple deliver a right punch and then a left punch and then suplex the person. Or you can just beat the living snot out of them. It also adds a bit more strategy on defense as you got to predict whether it's a strike or grapple and press the corresponding button to reverse.
Reversals in this game are handled in pretty much the same manner in which they were handled in X8, even though it is a lot tighter now so it calls for timing than button smashing. They fixed up some reversals such as breaing up a grapple and stuff.
The speed of the game is rather nice, not too hectic like the SmackDown games, and faster than Raw. I believe it's also faster than No Mercy, which many won't agree with, but that is a plus in my book.
I always thought that WrestleMania X8 created the best system for a finishing moves. Now Yukes has expanded on it, in a way that shows the hybrid once again. Like SMackDown, you "stock" up on specials, there is a total of 3 slots you can fill. Once you have one of them filled, you can activate your special with a press of the "A+B" button. Your wrestler will do a short taunt much like in any AKI game, then your meter will start to glow, you have something like 10 seconds to pull off as many finishers as you can fit in that time. So if you are say Goldberg, you can nail someone with a spear, pick them up and JackHammer them. Of course, it would be a bit unfair to the oppenent so like X8, you have a chance to reverse finishers, if you reverse it, you gain one special bar so it's a bit of planning on both parts. I till think that system of doing it is the best, since it's a bit more unpredictable, and fun.
Controls have been fixed somewhat. I somewhat like the lay-out they used for X8 better, but once got annoyed with the combination. Now there is really only three combinations "A+B" to activate and deliver a special and "L+R" to reverse a special and "L+R+A+B" to steal your oppenents special (it's actually a lot easier to press those 4 buttons than I imagined). But most of the buttons serve double purposes which may or may not be good. X is used to pick up a wrestler, X is used to turn around a wrestler and X is used to pick up a weapon, you can just imagine how fun TLC or Ladders or even Hardcore matches are when the wrestler lays near a weapon. Y is used to run as well as enter/leave the ring and ascend the turnbuckle, again it takes some work, but it's ok. In what I consider the dumbest move of all, the C-stick is no longer used to focus on different oppenents, I thought it worked well, and considering that it's only used in Revenge mode, I don't think they should have changed it.
Overall, I think the game has improved in spades, it still needs some work, but it's fun.
As for those wondering why I didn't mention Revenge mode, well um.. I'll mention it later. I got class soon anyhow. Also didn't mention the CAW and CAE which is leaps and bounds improved over X8.
Now for the boring stuff
Graphics:
They look like wrestlers, have weird animations when they walk, but other than that it's ok. Some of the wrestlers look a little too muscular, but eh.
Sound
Sound has really improved since X8. It features no commentators, which from prior experience is a big plus in my book. The crowd is a whole lot more lively this time, not just for big moves or entrances. They are there throughout, and will start to chant for your wrestlers if they are winning or getting their ass kick. Different for heels and faces. Some entrance themes are missing, which you can't really hold against the developes since some people just ask for too much money I guess.
Ok, I think that takes care of that now for the real meat.
GamePlay:
The best way to put it is a No Mercy, SmackDown: Shut Your mouth and WrestleMania x8 combination. It takes bits and pieces from each of those games and inject it's own creativity to give you this game. It has strong and weak grapples ala No Mercy, but the wak grapples are done in a manner which most SmackDown/WrestleMania x8 fans would know, well the strong grapples are more akin to the AKI engine with some differences.
One major difference from the AKI engine and this for strong grapples is, you only have 5 instead of 8 since A plus a direction does a move and B plus a direction does a combination of strikes which may or may not be grapples. This of course leaves the door open for combination. So you can go into a grapple deliver a right punch and then a left punch and then suplex the person. Or you can just beat the living snot out of them. It also adds a bit more strategy on defense as you got to predict whether it's a strike or grapple and press the corresponding button to reverse.
Reversals in this game are handled in pretty much the same manner in which they were handled in X8, even though it is a lot tighter now so it calls for timing than button smashing. They fixed up some reversals such as breaing up a grapple and stuff.
The speed of the game is rather nice, not too hectic like the SmackDown games, and faster than Raw. I believe it's also faster than No Mercy, which many won't agree with, but that is a plus in my book.
I always thought that WrestleMania X8 created the best system for a finishing moves. Now Yukes has expanded on it, in a way that shows the hybrid once again. Like SMackDown, you "stock" up on specials, there is a total of 3 slots you can fill. Once you have one of them filled, you can activate your special with a press of the "A+B" button. Your wrestler will do a short taunt much like in any AKI game, then your meter will start to glow, you have something like 10 seconds to pull off as many finishers as you can fit in that time. So if you are say Goldberg, you can nail someone with a spear, pick them up and JackHammer them. Of course, it would be a bit unfair to the oppenent so like X8, you have a chance to reverse finishers, if you reverse it, you gain one special bar so it's a bit of planning on both parts. I till think that system of doing it is the best, since it's a bit more unpredictable, and fun.
Controls have been fixed somewhat. I somewhat like the lay-out they used for X8 better, but once got annoyed with the combination. Now there is really only three combinations "A+B" to activate and deliver a special and "L+R" to reverse a special and "L+R+A+B" to steal your oppenents special (it's actually a lot easier to press those 4 buttons than I imagined). But most of the buttons serve double purposes which may or may not be good. X is used to pick up a wrestler, X is used to turn around a wrestler and X is used to pick up a weapon, you can just imagine how fun TLC or Ladders or even Hardcore matches are when the wrestler lays near a weapon. Y is used to run as well as enter/leave the ring and ascend the turnbuckle, again it takes some work, but it's ok. In what I consider the dumbest move of all, the C-stick is no longer used to focus on different oppenents, I thought it worked well, and considering that it's only used in Revenge mode, I don't think they should have changed it.
Overall, I think the game has improved in spades, it still needs some work, but it's fun.
As for those wondering why I didn't mention Revenge mode, well um.. I'll mention it later. I got class soon anyhow. Also didn't mention the CAW and CAE which is leaps and bounds improved over X8.