TNA's first game manages to focus on good solid gameplay. Though flawed, the series and its future looks promising.
The format is simple, a six sided ring, focus on known personalities spanning from recent to those from the old days of WCW. The X division is best classified as a division without limits and there are no "Divas" just Knockouts who focus on brutal slams and agility then just looking pretty. This is TNA.
The game however is a completely different story.
To compete in a market ruled by one wrestling game (Smackdown vs Raw) TNA decided to trust in Midway to break in. Now TNA is known for its gimmick matches, but in this case, only one of them makes the game. See originally TNA and Midway made alot of promises, "Over 2000 Mocapped moves", "King of the Mountain", "Full Metal Mayhem", "All your favorite superstars", "All your favorite moves, ect. Two and a half years later, we got somewhere around 18 or so total front grapples in the game!
The list of cons is pretty big. The game is flawed. The AI, though challenging is extremely single minded and the games idea of hard is, how much damage the opponent does to you per ratio of how much you do to it. That and just how much they will reverse your moves. Ps3 version does have some glitches. It is likely one would notice them from time to time, fortunately, nothing major.
Another flaw is the lack of moves as previously stated. Everyone feels the same. The only personality that feels well, like themself, is AJ Styles. That is because all his original moves are in the game but...every high flyer gets them. Also this takes out so many other superstars signature moves. Honestly, they have videos of them mocapping different submission moves that arent in the game. Sting doesnt have the deathlock, Angle doesnt have the anklelock, and some people dont even have their proper finishers. You can play several matches with several different wrestlers and beleive me, you might verywell see every move in the game minus the finishers.
Some of the wrestlers dont even reflect their persona. I am sorry but Robert Roode does not enter the ring like Robert Roode. James Storm is not getting drunk when he walks out from the enterance. This of course is minor, but considering how well known these gimmicks are, they come off as generic. In the ring, they all walk the same, many punch the same. And don't get me started on the taunts.
When it comes to the generic wrestlers, they give them the same move sets, all with "The Cradle" manuever. Trust me, I like this move, but you cant tell me that half the world uses that move!
A small list of what cons remain are the AI, the "move the stick" game, and tag matches. The AI as stated can be pretty cheap. Except for a select few of wrestlers, they all have the same game strategy, you may find almost every match at some point the AI opponent, be they face, heel, known hardcore wrestlers, or just Eric Young (who I would bet is scared of weapons) will leave the ring and come back with a chair.
The kickout system can be a pain unless mastered, which is not the easiest thing to do. Many times, one will find that they are in the orange, or barely red, and when the opponent goes for a pin, they cant kick out. They move the stick as hard, as fast as they can and they keep losing. The AI, kicks out like a pro. It has been the center of ALOT of frusteration. Especially being that storymode requires you to win each match.
Tag Matches can be fun, problem is the camera stays zoomed out and your partner is practicly no help. Good news is, sometimes the opponents partner isnt to bright either. However some fights become one sided when they are breaking up all your pins and your good old partner isnt going to do anything for you. Also, no taq team or double team moves. We are looking at an era based off the awesomness of The MCMG, LAX, and many others, and we dont even get tag team moves? Whats even more embarrasing is watching as known tag teams come into the ring one by one, rather then a group.
Other then these issues, this game is fun. The graphics are awesome when viewed with an HDtv. There is such a high attention to the minor details it almost blows your socks off. I have to say that graphicly, its next gen wrestling at its best. And what works is the scenery is so well done, each venue has its own feel to it. Wether its the indy venue of a mexican small town square, a warehouse in an army base, or the grand hall of Washington DC, they all look beautiful and work.
We also get 60 fps (frames per second) and let me say, it makes a difference. Especially with the mocapped moves, at 60 fps, it honestly almost makes the competition look bad with its core gameplay.
Gameplay itself is were the fun comes in. In this game the fun is inflicting damage on your opponents, and with every reveral, punch, or innovative finishers, it sells well. I kid you not, punching looks painful, sweeping a guy off his feet can make someone say "OH!" In short, its fun to punch, its fun to reverse and its fun to do all the moves you got. For the most part, when the AI isnt cheating you, its basic simplicity of gaming at its best. And this is where the game really shines.
Other gameplay highlights: Almost everything is reversible, even reverses. Every move is interuptable, if the opponent is going for a powerbomb, and a person dropkicks him, he wont be finishing that powerbomb while he is on the floor. Every move flows, so much so, it looks like you are merely hit him with a combo that ends in an arm drag, death valley driver, chokeslam and so forth. Also, its so easy in FFA (Free for all's where its everyone for themself first to pin wins) to break up your opponents pin rather then trying to get the right focus and hitting the attack buttons hoping to hit. This can make these matches draw out for quite some time and especially if your with freinds, these things can make for some good memories.
This game is easy to pick up and play at will, hard to master. Also the CAW feature is simple, easy and more realistic then the others. Granted I cannot go all out unlike the other games, but I will say my wrestlers look and feel more realisticly like the wrestlers I want to create then in other games. However I wont be able to create any famous wrestlers with outstanding gimmicks anytime soon. That can be a drawback for some gamers.
The story mode is a breath of fresh air. It doesnt play like the season modes of other wrestling games or story modes, however it does have its drawbacks. Fighting generic wrestlers can be fun, infact it is. But when your in TNA and you are fighting generic wrestler after generic wrestler...its unrealistic. Also some characters in this game are flat out unlike their tv counter parts. Eric Young and Christopher Daniels steal the story mode with their performances. Everyone else... but its no big deal. All I will say is, dont expect a TNA experiance from the storyline.
Also their is an excellent amount of content. Five or so actual TNA wrestling macthes so you can catch up on your wrestling history, char bios, Tutorials, small loading times, and good behind the scenes footage.
I give this game a strong 7.5 .
If they added more gameplay modes, expanded controls, better AI, a few mechanic tweaks and stuff, I will not lie, this could have been the best wrestling game ever, and they have the future ahead of them to improve. But for now, we have a rushed final product with limited moves, basic gameplay and downloadable content coming in the future. So yes, this game falls short of greatness but succedes in its own right, just fails to make the leap past that final barrier.