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When I receive a new game, I take a look a look at its box art and the back. “Legends of Wrestling II” features the same box art of its Gamecube counterpart but a look at the back reveals some rather “shaky” graphics.
I decided to disregard that and popped the cartridge into the GBA. I figured that if the console version wasn’t half bad, this shouldn’t be either. Well, sadly, I was wrong.
Powerhead Games’ greatest accomplishment in Legends of Wrestling II is the inclusion of forty wrestling legends. A few of the most noteworthy people in the game are Hulk Hogan, Bret Hard, Scott Steiner, Andre the Giant, Rowdy Piper, The King Lawler. Yes, you heard right, that is the best part about the game. Each wrestler has an unique taunt and a finishing move; the second accomplishment of the game.
Powerhead Games really needs to work on their collision engine. There is very little actual collision detection or sense of control in the game. A vast majority of the time your punches or kicks are thrown wildly into the air. Often times, you’ll need to find the exact location of your opponent in order to hit them. If your opponent is stunned, you’ll need to find the exact location to be above him and be able to touch him. There are a few times, where the game behaves as it should, but you’re stuck with the shady collision detection for the most part. While you are moving around trying to find your opponent, the crowd turns against you since you aren’t doing anything. The collision detection could be more overlooked if the game was quicker, but it isn’t. Everything is painfully slow. This makes “high-flying” moves a joke and makes the game look like a slow-motion replay.
Luckily, Powerhead Games was able to include a few gameplay modes. Maybe, just maybe, you’ll be able to play through them without giving up on the game. You can find one-on-one matches, three way dances, four way dances, and a tag team match to boot. If you get tired of exhibition, you can always play the game’s career mode. Here you will advance through a “story” in between of the “exciting” matches. During the career mode you will be guides by Captain Lou and Jimmy Hart, which is a good addition to the career mode.
My initial thoughts about the game’s graphics were correct. I have seen much prettier Game Boy Color games than this. Well, let’s break down the graphics. The game’s menus are decent looking. Once you begin a match, the entrances are… so-so. The actual match, though, is painful to watch. The wrestlers are barely recognizable and look insanely similar. The animation is very robotic and there are few moves that seem natural. The whole thing just irritates your eyes. Soundwise, the game features a solid rock soundtrack. The same thing seems to loop around the whole game, making it rather repetitive, though.
I’m not sure why this game was released. It isn’t very similar to the console counterparts, and isn’t a good game on its own. Wrestling games on the GBA, for the most part, aren’t good. Legends of Wrestling II, though, takes the cake as the worst.
-- Jose Liz, PGNx Media
---- Feb 7, 2003
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