WrestleMania XXI Patched

Over the weekend, THQ made good on its promise to fix the wayward online functionality of its latest WWE wrestling game for the Xbox, WWE WrestleMania XXI. As reported previously, the initial run of the game shipped with a showstopping bug that prevented players from connecting to Xbox Live from within the game. THQ cited a manufacturing error as the cause of the problem.

Any player looking to download the patch need only attempt to log in to the game's online menu. Once the login is attempted, a message will come up notifying gamers that a required update is available. Once users click OK, they will be spit out to the Xbox Dashboard, and the update will automatically download. Upon restart of the game, it will log in to Xbox Live, as promised.

After getting the game patched, we decided to take the online mode for a spin. What we found was a relatively barren online interface that functioned, though it was missing some key things, like indications as to whether opposing players had voice chat enabled or not. We tried a couple of matches and found that while the game itself ran pretty smoothly online, the controls were nearly unplayable due to lag issues. Every button press required a half second of delay to execute the required action, which made trying to time attacks near-on impossible. We also ran into a bit of choppiness when trying to chat via the Xbox Live headset.

Also of note, the patch managed to smooth out some of the bumps regarding the game's loading screens and replays.

WrestleMania XXI is rated T for Teen and retails for $49.99. For more information on the game, read GameSpot's full review.

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