Legends of Wrestling II (LOW2) is certainly packed with a lot of
features. You get a lot of wrestlers, gameplay modes, match types,
unlockables, and even video interviews with some of the wrestlers appearing in
the game. Unfortunately the gameplay itself is lackluster, and what you
are left with is a game that is nirvana for pro wrestling fans but a run of the
mill fighter for everyone else.
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| A classic hold. |
To start off, LOW2 comes with a lot of wrestlers, many from the 70s and
80s. Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, Roddy Piper, the Von Erichs, and even
Andy Kaufman are some of the wrestlers included in the game. While many
wrestlers must be unlocked, the game begins with many of the wrestlers available
including the aforementioned Hulkster. The game's designers deserve credit
for not sticking players with a bunch of lesser-knowns and forcing them to play
for hours just to get the opportunity to play as their favorite wrestler.
The wrestlers themselves bear a good facial resemblance to their real-life
counterparts, but there seems to be a limited number of body styles. The
bodies are a bit cartoon-like, and are either super buffed or mountains of
blubber. Also a wrestler's size seems to have little effect on his moves
or abilities - Andre the Giant can move like a wrestler half his size and can be
lifted into the air by even the smallest of wrestlers. Because of this, it
doesn't matter too much which wrestler you choose. There are
different sets of moves, but they don't differ significantly enough to be a
factor when selecting a wrestler.
Graphically the game is a bit disappointing. I can accept the
cartoonish wrestlers, but their motion looks a little off thanks to clunky
transitional graphics between their moves. The arena graphics are mediocre
and detract from the game, especially when the wrestlers leave the ring.
When they do the camera exposes the crowd's lifeless, flat two-dimensional
models. It's like walking around a movie set and seeing that every piece
of scenery is just painted on placards, it ruins the illusion and brings you
back to reality.
As for the game itself, there are plenty of modes and match types from which
to select. Single matches and single elimination tournaments can be played
one on one, two on two, tag team, or as a four wrestler free for all.
There is even a twenty wrestler Battle Royale match, but the game limits you to
four wrestlers in the ring at a time. Variations on these matches include
adding a ladder to the ring for added vertical for your slams and caged matches.
In addition to these game modes there is a career mode in which you select a
wrestler and guide him through a series of matches as he tries to capture the
championship. You begin by selecting a wrestler and a region in which to
compete. You are then taken to a cutscene in which you meet with the
region's promoter for a short pep talk and a line or two of dialogue that passes
for a storyline. Each region features a number of storylines, but don't
expect much excitement or drama from them. The promoter scenes are good
because they provide a little breather between matches but that's about
it. While the career mode should be the highlight of LOW2, it serves to
demonstrate the biggest problem with the game - the matches are repetitive and
not that challenging.
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