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| | Title:
WWE WrestleMania 21
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System:
Xbox
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Genre:
Wrestling
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Publisher:
THQ
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Developer:
Studio Gigante
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Release:
4/20/2005
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Online:
Yes
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ESRB:
Teen
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TV wrestling programs such as World Wrestling Entrainment (WWE) is something that you either love or you hate. There is something about the lights, the ring, the smack talk, and the big bad wrestling stars that either suck you right into the action or will help you fall asleep on your couch every time.
Wrestling games are not anything new to gaming. Wrestling games have been around since the TV series has existed and wrestling fans have enjoyed playing the games on gaming consoles. WWE Wrestle Mania 21 is the newest Xbox wrestling game out at the moment and has a lot to live up too.
Gameplay
If you are new to wrestling games it will take quite a while to get used to all of the controls and how the different moves and specials moves work. There is no tutorial mode so you will have to learn from experience, the instruction manual, and in game tips. When you first start up the game you have the choice to create your own wrestling big shot, enter the Career Mode or play in a number of different Exhibition Matches. In the create your own superstar mode you can customize your player all the way down to the size of their nose. Creating your very own player is fun, but it is even more exciting to watch your creation walk into the ring. In the Career Mode you will use your custom player and rise through the ranks and eventually become the ultimate WWE Superstar. The Exhibition allows you to play any game type (consisting of about 18 gameplay types) and go up against a computer or play a friend on your Xbox.
Going back to the controls, there are actually eleven pages of controls in the instruction manual. So the best way to learn the controls is by first learning the basics (from the manual) and then learning from experience and looking up buttons only when you need them. Now, of course you are wondering, "How could there possibly be eleven pages of controls if there are only about ten buttons on the controller? One per page?” Not exactly, there are the basic controls and then controls for specific situations such as when you are grappled with an opponent, when you are on top of a turnbuckle, while you are running, when using weapons, and much more, as well as different combination moves.
The Career Mode is the core of this wrestling game and is probably the first gameplay type you should enter. You will play with your custom character throughout the entire career mode and slowly but surely rise through the ranks. You start off in a small time league and then as you trash talk your way into fights (very similar to what happens in the television programs) and if you are good enough you begin winning and gaining more respect and showing people who you really are while rising in the ranks. It’s not as easy as you may think though. Chances are that you will find yourself asking for a rematch for just about every match you play, but luckily there are no downsides to this, and you can do this an infinite amount of times.
Exhibition is really quite different from the career mode and gives you much more freedom in what kind of wrestling match you want to play as well as the options of the wrestling match. This gameplay type is used when you either finished the career mode and you are looking for more out of the game, or when you have friends over and you want to challenge them to a match. The gameplay types consist of Normal, Cage, Hell in a Cell, Table Match, TLC, Ladder Match, Bra & Panty, 2-on-2 Tag, Tornado Tag, Handicap, Triple Threat, Fatal 4-Way, Last Man Standing, Battle Royal, and Royal Rumble.
Just like in popular street racing games, where you can spend hours souping up your car and make it look just how you want it, you can do the same with your player. There are a large number of options to choose from and you can spend around an hour if you really wanted to customize your own wrestler to the max. However, you won't be able to create a woman wrestler, which I know many of you out there would love to do. Upon entering the create a superstar mode, you will be able to pick and choose your wrestler's name, nickname, hometown, expertise, and weight class. After these basics are chosen, more options will open up and you can change the appearance of your character. After changing your characters body size and face type you will get to the final options that change your costume, moves, entrances and attributes. This part of the create your own superstar will take the longest due to the amount of things you can change on your player. However, in each category, for instance, for arm bands there is really a limited amount of choices. It would be much more realistic and fun if you could choose from at least fifteen or twenty even if you don't have the time too look through all of them, you know they are there and if you don't like the one you pick, you always have more choices.
The largest flaw in WrestleMania 21 has to do with clipping issues and how the fighters in the ring interact in certain situations. For instance, if you are on the ground and trying to stand up and there a number of people around you (which happens often) sometimes your character will magically teleport to a different position two or three times quickly and then begin standing up. Another huge problem has to do with attacks to someone laying on the ground. If you are going for a ground strike the chances are high that your body will actually pass through your opponent and you will be the one crawling around on the floor because you just slammed your elbow or your behind right onto the floor despite the fact it just magically pasted through your opponent. This is by far the biggest issue with the game and can get frustrating especially when your opponent begins winning after the incident (or incidents).
Graphics
The visuals of WrestleMania 21 just barely outshine its gameplay. The character models are the best aspect of the graphics followed by the unique lighting and the nice looking audience. The character models are well detailed and are pretty close to resembling the actual person. The move animations are well done as well and look realistic. Whether you are twisting your opponent's arm into a pretzel or flying off the top of the turnbuckle its going to look great, as long as the issues with the clipping don't set in. The lighting effects are well done and look like something you would see on TV. The lights will often change when something intense is going on or when performing a special move. The cut-scenes in the career mode are another plus as well, but it would have been nice to see some improved graphics here, but instead they are not much different from what you see in the ring.
Overall
Wrestling games have never really been a major genre in gaming and it probably never will. The few hardcore wrestling fans out there enjoying watching it on TV and playing the games, but other than that must gamers would much rather be playing a first person shooter. Luckily because of this fact Wrestle Mania 21 is the best wrestling game on the Xbox to date. It is the best out there because there is close to no competition. With the latest Xbox wrestling games like Def Jam: Fight For NY and Fight Club this game defiantly outshines them any day, but it still has a long way to go before being one of the best overall games on the Xbox. The gameplay is not that great due to the clipping issues and after the career mode is beaten the only thing really worth playing is Xbox Live. However the graphics are a good plus and the overall package is great for anybody that enjoys fighting or wrestling games. If you’re not sure about your likings in this genre, please try it out before purchasing the full game.
| The Core Score |
Overall
7.3 |
| Fun |
|
6 |
| Gameplay |
|
6 |
| Graphics |
|
8 |
| Audio |
|
7 |
| Replay |
|
6 |
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