E3 2002: Legends of Wrestling 2 preshow report

Acclaim has released information on Legends of Wrestling 2, the upcoming sequel to the wrestling game the publisher released last year. Like its predecessor, Legends of Wrestling 2 will draw from professional wrestling's ranks to populate its roster. Acclaim is stating that more than 65 of the most famous wrestlers of all time will be included in the game, though it's only revealed the names of a fraction of them. Famous personalities like Hulk Hogan, Andre "The Giant," Rowdy Roddy Piper, Bruno Sammartino, Bret "The Hitman" Hart, Sid Vicious, "Big Poppa Pump" Scott Steiner, Jerry "The King" Lawler, and Big John Studd have already been mentioned by the publisher.

Reference has also been made to some of the tag team combinations that you'll encounter in the game, and these include The Road Warriors, the Steiner Brothers, the British Bulldogs, the Nasty Boys, and Rock-n-Roll Express. Furthermore, outside of actual combatants, Legends of Wrestling will feature some of wrestling history's more colorful ringside personalities, including Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, The Grand Wizard, Captain Lou Albano, "The Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart, and Mr. Fuji. Each of the wrestlers will boast signature entrances and taunts, which will help bring them to life. Acclaim is also promising that the engine's new dynamic hair and cloth system will help to more realistically portray the wrestlers in the game, though we have yet to see it in action.

Legends of Wrestling 2 will let you engage in various match types, aside from the standard one-on-one bouts. Six- and eight-man eliminations will be featured, as well as cage matches, battle royals, ladder and table matches, and three- and four-way "dances." The game will also feature a special event called the "$15,000 Body Slam Challenge," which will presumably pit you directly against Big John Studd. The game's career mode will be suitably upgraded, according to Acclaim, and will let you travel through the US, and eventually the world, to gain the admiration and respect of promoters and fans and dethrone each area's regional champion.

Legends of Wrestling 2 will also feature an enhanced create-a-wrestler mode, wherein you can build a fighter from the ground up both in terms of appearance and how he or she will behave in the ring. Finally, Acclaim has announced that a set of DVD-style bonus features will round out the package and will be composed of interviews with the stars themselves, wherein they discuss the highlights of their careers.

We'll have more information on Legends of Wrestling 2 for you from the E3 show floor, where it will be on display at Acclaim's booth.