Day 158, Game 158 - WWE Legends of WrestleMania

I'm a child of the 80's. I don't just mean that I was born in the 80's, but I actually grew up in the 80's, and remember it fondly. Aside from all the awesome toys, clothing styles and TV shows, there was one other thing beginning it's clime to the top of the entertainment realm in mainstream society. 

Of course, I am talking about professional wrestling, and more specifically, the WWE (or the WWF as it was known back then as, before the World Wildlife Federation decided they didn't want to be confused as the juggernaut any longer). 

The 80's is when the "sport" really began to build momentum, but once the 90's hit, Hulkamania had already hit America like a suplex. This time period is referred to as The Golden Era of wrestling, when kids everywhere were falling in love with professional wrestling as a go-to form of media entertainment - and I was one of those kids. 

I grew up watching this stuff, and ever since the very first WrestleMania (WrestleMania VI, if you are curious), I was a fan my entire childhood. Even after the fact, I watched it off and on, mainly because of the nostalgic feeling I always got from it. Despite all the shows and events I watched throughout the year, WrestleMania always remained as my favorite event, mainly because it was the absolute, definitive showcase of the industry's biggest stars, where the biggest names and personalities put on the most impressive show they could. It was the cream of the crop, as they say.

And that is exactly what the WWE Legends of WrestleMania game set out to showcase. They brought in the biggest, best and most popular stars of the 80's and 90's and put them all in one game, instead of the traditional "make them unlockable characters" that every other wrestling game seems to do, essentially getting them lost in the mix among all the modern day "stars." For all of the old school pro wrestling fans, it's almost impossible to not find several wrestlers to suit your fancy in this game.

Another thing this game does exceptionally well is drop the complicated controls and make it more simplistic, more arcade-like. The four face buttons are the only moves you need to worry about, as well as the d-pad/joystick, of course. While all the modern games (like WWE '13) make controlling each wrestler extremely complicated to add to the realism of the experience, this game embraces the simplistic nature of the old arcade wrestling games and focuses more on being a fun game than a realistic one. Honestly, this is the first wrestling game I've picked up in forever that had no real learning curve to speak of, which is fantastic for someone who doesn't want to spend a second more than necessary trying to learn how to play a game. I just want to jump in and go. 

Overall, the game features a few different modes, but ultimately is a little short in the depth category, which is why the true brilliance of this game rests solely on the simple control scheme and nostalgic homage it pays to those who paved the way for pro wrestling to be where it is today. 

If you're a true child of the 80's, you know the importance of Ultimate Warrior beating Hulk Hogan back at WrestleMania VI. And if not, go check out this game, learn a thing or to, and experience start of something great. 

---