WWE Legends of WrestleMania

Preview from Cav and Cav - Thursday, 05 March 2009 @ 9:33am

I am yet to confirm this, but I believe (now that Mylo has come and gone) that I hold the title of Australian Gamers' Old Fart. With that claim also goes the fact that older people like to hang onto memories of the past... because things were better then. You never heard of people never getting beat up on the street as often, a McDonalds cheeseburger was 50 cents, I could pay $2.85 for a pack of Winfield Blues (the cigarette most Bogans choose - should I be in advertising or what?) and Professional Wrestling was at its most entertaining... well that is my opinion and I am sticking to it. I believe it was around 1984 when the World Wrestling Federation started being shown regularly on Australian Television. Like clockwork, every Wednesday I would set my top loading Akai VCR to record its near midnight showing and man, wasn't that an epic process! Thursdays at Primary School were pretty much a non-event, due to the fact that I was edging to get home to watch my recorded program. In the days were it wasn't illegal to ride a pushbike without a helmet, I peddled that Cyclops BMX as fast as I could to get home a put the TV on. Today's wrestling is all about the action in the ring. Now don't get me wrong, I am amazed at what these guys can do these days, but there used to be a huge story behind 90% of matches back in the day. It wasn't just wrestlers but managers as well, they would all get on the mic and entertain us verbally, equal to what they did physically. If you have no idea what I am talking about and don't have Pay TV to catch the WWE Vintage Collection on the weekends, WWE Legends of WrestleMania has a tonne of footage to satisfy the most hardened nostalgia seeker!

If this guy needs an introduction, please stop reading now

I was like the proverbial kid in a candy store when I was shown WWE Legends of WrestleMania, which covers events from the first 15 WrestleManias. There is just so much to do in it! The previously mentioned footage is not just a bonus, but it is an actual tool for the game. It was awesome to watch footage then attempt to recreate the outcome, but it's going to be even better to try and rewrite the history books. Although my time with this game was short, I can foresee that there is going to be so much to do in this title, that you might wanna book some holidays or annual leave from your current daytime position, as this one is going to keep you occupied for some time. By the way, I am loving the tag line for WWE Legends of WrestleMania: Relive... Rewrite... Redefine. Spot on there, guys, spot on.

I knew Hulk would eventually become hard of hearning

Don't you even dare expect this title to be Smackdown vs Raw 2009.5 because this time around game play has been tuned down. I'm not saying it's poor, hell no. What I am saying is that the controls have been simplified. My guess is that the change is for those who don't regularly play games, but have been enticed by the images of their heroes of the past. It's nearly an arcade type layout with the buttons. This could be a great idea to bring in some new consumers. As with most of the WWE Titles, you have to fill a meter to achieve abilities, but enhancements can also be achieved by interacting with the one element that I believe is missing currently from the WWE, the Managers. From what I have seen, these guys, including greats like Mr Fuji and Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan and get more involved than they ever have before in any title. This just echoes what was on offer to the fans 'back in the day'.

A Chiropractors dream

The roster is quite extensive, highlighting those superstars that made the WWE what it is today. How could you mention WrestleMania without thinking of Hulk Hogan? And what would the Hulkster be without the late Andre the Giant, the man whom he hoisted up for a history making slam. Superstars more familiar to the younger generation, like Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock are included and deservingly so. I really am looking forward to recreating the Submission Match from WrestleMania 13 between Austin and Hart, one of the best matches in the 25 year history of WrestleMania. The intro music, in all its 80's goodness is there, as well as the matching pyros. Tag teams aren't forgotten either, with the Legion of Doom/Road Warriors and The Hart Foundation. There are quite a few that I feel should be making an appearance like Demolition. Ax and Smash (sorry Crush, you never counted in my books) hold a record 478 day tag title run, the longest in WWE History. I suppose I don't really have to worry that my face-painted favourites aren't included because Create a Legend has been included, so I can go ahead and fill in the blanks. Not only can you 'fill in the blanks', but now those dream matches that you wrestling fans think of while you are meant to be doing something constructive at work can come to fruition. Ever wanted to have Andre face off against The Big Show? How about throwing the Great Khali into the mix for a three way Dance of the Giants? Well, if you own WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2009, you will be able to load characters from that game to combat the Superstars of LoW. Oh yeah, Kamala vs Umaga! That will take the term Jungle Warfare to a whole new level!

The best there was, the best there is, the best there ever will be - Bret 'The Hitman' Hart

Each year I say to you guys 'This is the Wrestling game to have!', as the improvements on SDvR are normally enough to warrant replacing the previous instalment, but this one is in a league of its own. Due out in the very near future, I will be out there looking to have a crack online, so keep an eye out for theCAVman....