E3 2008: Legends of WrestleMania First Look

If you're of a certain age--above 30 years old or so--and you're a wrestling fan, you no doubt remember WrestleMania III. March 29, 1987. The Pontiac Silverdome. Detroit, Michigan. 93,173 fans. Andre the Giant versus Hulk Hogan. The Hulkster picking up the Giant, slamming him down, and the torch passing from one legend to the next. It's that nostalgic atmosphere that fuels THQ's latest wrestling game, Legends of WrestleMania. We had a chance to check out the game for the first time at E3 2008, looking to see if this retro wrestling game for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 brought back those old memories of classic matches of yesteryear.

While you can expect to see approximately 40 classic characters on the Legends roster, only three have been announced so far: the aforementioned Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, and Andre's manager during WrestleMania III, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. The character models shown during the game were exaggerated versions of the famous wrestlers we all idolized as kids and, it should be noted, are still works in progress. The Hulk Hogan model, for example, still featured the 24-inch--wait, make that about 40-inch--pythons and lats wide enough to make the Hulkster look like a turtle from behind. The virtual Andre was still his 7-foot-4-inch, 500-pound self, with more defined musculature than was the case in real life. Producers told us that the look of the wrestlers has been purposefully designed to represent the "ideal" versions of those wrestlers--the Hogan and Andre we remember, not necessarily the sometimes less-than-heroic realities.

Though Yuke's is developing Legends, and the game is running on a modified version of the SmackDown vs. Raw engine, the game is going to play much differently than the SmackDown series. While THQ's foremost wrestling series is full of complicated moves designed for the more hardcore crowd, Legends looks to pare down the interface and control scheme for more streamlined action. The controls have yet to be finalized, but as of now, all moves are controlled with the face buttons. There's one strike button (tap for a light strike, hold for a heavy punch or kick), one grab button, and a defense button (tap to reverse a move, hold the button to block). Of course, all of the moves will be context sensitive with regard to the position of the wrestlers and their individual wrestling styles.

The interface in Legends is similarly stripped down. There's no location-specific damage meter like in SmackDown, and the many HUD elements found in that game--such as for reverses and submission minigames--are nowhere to be found in Legends. There will be some new wrinkles, however, including a three-tiered level meter that will change your available moves depending on what level your wrestler currently finds himself in. For example, a level-one grab might be a rake of the eyes, while a level-three grab might be a vicious choke on the mat. You'll have access to your finisher only by getting your wrestler to the level-three moves.

Another new feature is the idea of a chain system. By stringing together a number of attacks against an opponent, you'll enter a minigame where time briefly slows down. At that point, both you and your opponent will have the opportunity to do a move on the opposition. The first person to initiate the move will get an advantage and be able to pull out an additional attack on the opponent. For multiplayer matches, the person who initially began the combo will have a slight edge on timing. We're curious to see how the chain system evolves over time.

While managers don't play a big part in the modern WWE, they once were nearly as important as the wrestlers they looked after. During the match shown between Andre and Hulk, Bobby Heenan was active outside the ropes, moving around, climbing up on the apron, and making his presence known every chance he got. Managers will be able to interfere during matches in Legends and even offer advice to their wrestler, which will give him a small boost to his attributes. We're personally hoping for some classic Heenan shtick in the final version of the game, but we'll have to see how it evolves over time.

As with nearly any wrestling game, a big part of Legends' success is going to ride on that all-important roster. While none of the following are official, it wouldn't surprise us at all to see big-name WWE talent like Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, Junkyard Dog, and Randy "Macho Man" Savage in the game. Nor would we be shocked to see more recent WWE superstars, like Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, and Triple H--all of whom have had illustrious WrestleMania moments--find their way to this game. Look for Legends of WrestleMania's release next spring, coinciding with WrestleMania XXV, which will be held at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas. We'll be bringing you the latest on the game up until then, so stay tuned.