Originally Published: October 22, 2010, on ClassicGameRoom.com
I had a chance over Skype to speak to the developers of AAA: Luche Libre: Heroes del Ring.
Tag Archive: wrestling
Originally Published: June 1, 2010, on Examiner.com, PlayerAffinity.com, and ESPNNewYork.com
They are modern day gladiators as fans cheer for knockout blows and bone breaking submissions. It is the fastest growing sport in America and is wowing fans with both the technical precision and sheer brutality its athletes need in order to just be competitive, never mind to try to reach superstar status. Of course, I am talking about MMA and its premiere league, the UFC. As with every sport in modern America though, you haven’t really made the full impact your capable of on the popular culture until you have a successful video game franchise. With that, I present to you the second video game installment of the UFC: UFC Undisputed 2010 from THQ.
The first thing you notice as soon as you pop in UFC: Undisputed 2010 are the near-flawless graphics. Accurate facial designs and tattoos of every UFC fighter through every division makes you feel as if you are watching a live Pay-Per-View event at times. Cuts gushing open, blood splattering and staining the canvas, and bruised ribs shine as highlights of a great visual package. Add in live movies of the UFC ring girls (I love Arianny Celeste) introducing the Classic Matches mode and the game is as beautiful as all those girls.
The audio is spectacular as well. Great, fluid play-by-play and analysis by Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan that even takes your previous matches into account when commenting, something no other sports game really does. Include Bruce Buffer as the ring announcer and quality audio clips from every fighter for pre- and post-match interviews, including UFC President Dana White, and the audio is well played all around.
As with every other sports sim, the storyline is really determined by the results of your own play as you try to write your own story in career mode. If you keep winning, you’ll get title shots and be able to change weight classes and maybe even become a hall-of-famer. If you keep losing, you’ll wallow in the depths of the unknown and remain a nobody.
The biggest questions I had with UFC: Undisputed 2010 came with the decisions made about gameplay. I understand how difficult MMA is. It’s not something you can just pick up and play. You can’t just go outside, tape up your ankles, and start trying to choke out your brother whereas most other sports you just need a ball. Video games though should be something you can just pick up and play and you cannot do that at all with this game. The tutorial is something you’ll probably need to go through three or four times before you can even begin to understand how to perform basic techniques like throws and submission maneuvers and the amount of countering down by the computer can become frustrating even on easier game modes. If you don’t put your time in to learn the basic moves this will turn into a old school button masher for you very quickly.
This lack of pick up and play is a tremendous negative in terms of trying to draw in casual fans. The hardcore fans though will appreciate the work that has to go into making your created fighter the best he can be. The deep, detailed career mode that can follow you from being a scrub to a superstar, including what sponsors take an interest in you as you customize your own gear, is probably the greatest individual career mode I’ve ever seen in a sports game. Include sim modes where you can use an already existing fighter, ranging from Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir to Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz, and BJ Penn, to go after their respective weight classes’ title, to a gauntlet like title defense mode where you have to whittle away twelve competitors in a row and there is enough depth to this game to keep the hardcore fan coming back. But there’s even more! The Classic Matches mode where you relive and, in some cases, rewrite classic UFC matches to earn customization rewards, gives you a rarely seen total amount of depth from a fighting game.
And you can’t forget about the online play. Not only can you take your favorite fighters, real or created, up against other people, you can even join or start your own MMA camp. You can invite your friends to train with you and hone your skills for online play as you try to let people know that you are not only the ultimate fighter, you’re the ultimate trainer as well.
After devoting much of my Memorial Day weekend to this game, I can say that if you are a fan of the UFC, you’re going to love this game. If not, the difficult control schemes could leave you frustrated enough that you might not want to pick it up again, even with the glowing positives that you’ll notice from the second you get to the title screen. If you are on the fence about this game, not being able to just pick up and play is a big enough negative that might make you want to rent this before you make it a full-blown purchase.
Ratings are based on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the best.
Graphics: 9.0: Near-flawless graphics in terms of rendering and arenas and the fighters are so detailed that you would think you’re watching an actual Pay-Per-View.
Audio: 10.0: Great music sets the theme for these modern day gladiators and when combined with tremendous voice over work from every person involved with the UFC makes this one of the better sounding games out there.
Plot/Plot Development: N/A: It’s a sports sim and therefore you make your own plot.
Gameplay: 6.5: The only real negative for this game is that you can’t just pick it up and start playing. Having to devote a lot of time to tutorials and building up your fighters and technique might turn off more casual fans.
Replay Value: 9.0: An in-depth career mode, title and title defense modes, and classic matches mode coupled with online play that includes building your own MMA camp will keep hardcore fans practicing their submission maneuvers long into the night.
Overall (not an average): 7.0: The lack of accessibility to casual fans and newcomers will turn this into something we don’t see much of nowadays, a button masher. Being unable to just pick up and play this takes it down a notch from a must buy to a must rent and is only recommended for the ultimate fan of the UFC.
UFC Undisputed 2010 is available now for PS3, PSP, and Xbox 360.
-Ray Carsillo
Originally Published: March 18, 2010 on 1050ESPN.com (now ESPNNewYork.com)
He is one of the most compelling figures in wrestling history and a clear hall of famer when he decides it is time to step aside. Of course, he may not have much of a choice in that matter as he takes on The Undertaker Sunday, March 28th, in Phoenix, Arizona, at Wrestlemania 26 where he puts his career up against Undertaker’s undefeated Wrestlemania record.
I am talking about the one and only Shawn Michaels. A three-time WWE Champion, Shawn has been wowing audiences for more than 20 years in the ring and so it was a no-brainer for me and Robin Lundberg when we had the chance to talk to him about everything from his career up to this point to his upcoming match at Wrestlemania.
To listen to Robin and I interview The Heartbreak Kid, The Showstopper, Mr. Wrestlemania, Shawn Michaels
CLICK HERE!
-Ray Carsillo
Originally Published: October 14, 2009, on 1050ESPN.com (now ESPNNewYork.com) and Lundberg.me
He is a three time world champion and has had countless matches that will forever live in infamy. His accomplishments include countless broken bones, two missing teeth, and the loss of an ear. Still, he comes back for more and that has earned him the title of the greatest hardcore wrestler of all-time. He is also one of the nicest men I have ever had the pleasure of meeting and is a New York Times bestselling author.
Of course, I am talking about Long Island’s own, Mick Foley. Mick swung by the studio and Robin Lundberg and I had a chance to talk to the living wrestling legend about everything from his upcoming match this Sunday at TNA Wrestling’s Bound for Glory against Abyss to his quest to be recognized by LeBron James.
CLICK HERE – to listen to Robin Lundberg and I interview the living wrestling legend, Mick Foley.
-Ray Carsillo
Originally Published: April 17, 2009, on 1050ESPN.com (now ESPNNewYork.com)
When you think of hardcore wrestling, there are only a couple of men that shoot to the forefront of everyone’s minds. One of those men is Mick Foley.
Mick has had a long and illustrious wrestling career from being the King of the Death Matches in Japan to a 3-time WWE Champion and has a chance to add TNA Heavyweight Champion to his list of accomplishments this Sunday in Philadelphia at TNA’s Lockdown.
Mick will take on “The Icon” Sting in “Six Sides of Steel”, TNA’s take on the steel cage match, at TNA’s most hardcore Pay-Per-View of the year, Lockdown. So, if you can’t get down to Philadelphia to see the show live, you can order it through your local cable provider to see Mick Foley in a match he helped put on the map.
In my interview with Mick, I asked what his thoughts were going into the steel cage once again at this stage of his career. We also chatted about getting snubbed from WWE’s Legends of Wrestlemania video game, his decision to come to TNA Wrestling, and the possibility of being in TNA’s next video game, TNA Impact 2, due out later this year.
CLICK HERE – to listen to my interview with The Hardcore Legend, Mick Foley.
Originally Published: April 3, 2009, on 1050ESPN.com (now ESPNNewYork.com), ESPNVideoGames.com, and Lundberg.me
It’s that time of year again: Flowers are blooming, birds are chirping, 250-pound men are hitting each other with steel chairs and baseball bats covered in barbed-wire…
That’s right, it’s time for Wrestlemania! Wrestlemania has grown over the years into an event that encompasses an entire weekend and the days leading up to the event, almost like the Super Bowl. The WWE Hall of Fame ceremonies are always the night before and with Friday Night Smackdown, ECW on Tuesdays, and Monday Night Raw, the buildup is almost as big as the Pay-Per-View itself.
This year is extra special because it is the 25th Anniversary and in that vein the WWE has released a new video game titled Legends of Wrestlemania. This game takes 38 of the greatest WWE wrestlers to ever grace the squared-circle and allows you to pick your favorites as you re-enact the greatest matches of all-time.
Before we even get into how great this game is, though, I had a chance to catch up with the voice of the WWE, “Good Ol’ J.R.”, Jim Ross, and talk to him about this year’s Wrestlemania matches, Hall of Fame class, and the video game itself.
CLICK HERE – to listen to my interview with the voice of the WWE, Jim Ross.
Now, like I said above, Legends of Wrestlemania is amazing. Unlike other wrestling games that struggle to find a storyline or to immerse you in the action, this one is all set in that regard because the storylines were used 10-25 years ago and show they stand the test of time in terms of immersion because everyone remembers where they were when Hogan body slammed Andre at Wrestlemania III, when Bret Hart won back the WWE Championship against Yokozuna at Wrestlemania X, or when Stone Cold stunned the Rock twice at Wrestlemania XV. And if you forgot (shame on you!), there is a short 2-3 minute montage highlighting the development of the rivalry between the opponents before each match which can be reviewed anytime you like in the movie gallery. The opportunity to play through “Relive” mode for these great matches is one of the key selling points of the game and if you are a fan of wrestling then you don’t need much more than that.
But wait! There’s more! Along with the “Relive” mode for all those great matches, there are also “Rewrite”, “Redefine”, and “Legend Killer” modes. “Rewrite” mode has you take on the role of the loser of some of the greatest matches in Wrestlemania history and has you complete objectives to “rewrite” history like Junkyard Dog vs. Greg “The Hammer” Valentine in Wrestlemania I for the Intercontinental Championship.
“Redefine” mode adds new stipulations to classic matches from Wrestlemania lore like turning the Undertaker vs. King Kong Bundy in Wrestlemania XI into a No Disqualification Match or Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka vs. Rick “Ravishing” Rude at Wrestlemania VI into a Steel Cage Match. It’s a great way for the game to introduce different match dynamics, from climbing ladders and steel cages to throwing your opponent around the arena for some hardcore action, without forcing you to sit through a tedious tutorial; or reading what should be an instruction booklet, but what looks more like an instruction novel.
Then there is the “Legend Killer” mode, which has you use the expansive “Create a Wrestler” feature and put your fictional wrestler up to the test as he takes on a random stable of legends in 10-man gauntlet matches. If you win all the 10-man gauntlet matches, you can also test your mettle by taking on the ultimate gauntlet match, a 38-man gauntlet comprised of the entire roster of Legends of Wrestlemania.
There were only a couple of things I found this game lacking. Some really great legends were excluded and the fact that there are no special unlockable wrestlers also takes away from the time you can spend playing the game. No “Macho Man” Randy Savage, “Mankind” Mick Foley, or George “The Animal” Steele is a real disappointment.
There were also no female wrestlers in the game. Being a geek who watches wrestling, one of the major drawing factors is the divas in the WWE (sex, violence, and humor sells what can I say?). I understand that there weren’t as many lady wrestlers as there were guys 25 years ago, it’s just the way the business was, but a handful in their primes might’ve been a nice touch.
Another problem was that the A.I. is beyond simple. I would run through gauntlet matches with nary a punch being landed on me. Only a handful of the objective based “rewrite” matches gave me any difficulty and even then it only took the second or third try before victory was again within my grasp.
Aside from a lackluster A.I. and dearth of wrestler choices, this game delivers everywhere else. Gameplay was as solid as it can be for a wrestling game, with only a minimum of physics problems and glitches (wrestlers falling through one another when missing a clothesline, for example). The attack/counter system is easy to pick up and the new “chain” attack system for certain grapples is a true test of reflexes where you have to punch in button combos to execute moves or counters. When playing in the standard-equipped multiplayer mode, this is a great safety mechanism to prevent relentless friends or online opponents from bashing you into submission.
Graphics were solid for a wrestling game and the audio was as good as could be, with “Good Ol’ J.R.” and Jerry “the King” Lawler doing ringside commentary, and with original entrance themes as the soundtrack for the game. Authentic entrances are always nice to see and having ones like the movable mini-ring to escort the wrestlers through the crowd at Wrestlemania III with accurate character graphics introducing each wrestler was a great touch and shows the meticulous detail that went into this game to make it feel like you were watching the moments live all over again.
Another nice detail is that wrestlers who traditionally had managers, also have them in the game and they make certain matches even more difficult. It isn’t easy trying to avoid Mr. Fuji’s white powder AND wrestle Yokozuna; or how about Bobby “the Brain” Heenan jumping onto the ring apron, when you wrestle Greg “The Hammer” Valentine, distracting you just enough for Valentine to apply the Figure-Four Leg Lock. Jimmy Hart isn’t a picnic when you wrestle Honky Tonk Man either and Paul Bearer wielding that damn golden urn is especially a nuisance when wrestling the Undertaker.
This game delivers for the most part on every front you would want from a game highlighting the greatest matches in wrestling history. The few minor complaints aside, if you are a fan of wrestling or are just getting into it and need a history lesson, then this is a must-have game.
Ratings are based on a system of 1 to 10 with 10 being the highest.
Graphics: 7.5: This has the standard graphics for a wrestling game on this generation of consoles. The only real unique effect is that when you make someone bleed, the blood will usually stain the mat like in real life, which has been a complaint for years. Still though, audience members look only good in the distance, for when you get close shots of them in an entrance or a match that ends up around different parts of the arena, they look like polygon zombies. That’ll shock you back to reality.
Audio: 8.5: All the original entrance themes for the wrestling roster serve as the soundtrack (I forgot how much I loved “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes’ theme). Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler is a great touch as the legendary ringside commentators for the WWE, but their limited phrase track begins to get tiresome quickly and is a major factor for me taking points away.
Plot/Plot Development: 5.0: There isn’t an original plot to the game, but that is also part of the appeal. If you picked this game up, it is because you most likely remember the storylines and matches when they happened live and you want to be a part of those historic moments. Still, the plots and development were great on weekly TV 20+ years ago, a 2-3 minute montage fills in the necessary gaps, but doesn’t give all the details you would want as a wrestling fan, and for that the score has to suffer.
Gameplay: 8.0: A sub-par A.I. takes key points away from the greatness of the game. The physics system has a couple of glitches, but that is to be expected with most wrestling games considering the complexity of many maneuvers and this game is fairly smooth compared with those that have come before.
Replay Value: 6.5: After beating all the gauntlets and individual matches and their variations, this game doesn’t have a real lasting appeal. It has a standard multiplayer mode with online capabilities that you can get in any wrestling game. It barely gets a passing score.
Overall (not an average): 7.5: This is a game devoted to the hardcore wrestling fan and that is all. It does not pull any punches by trying to deviate towards any other audience and it is that single-minded focus that makes it so great and yet so flawed. Only the lack of a broad appeal takes it down a notch. The bottom line is: If you’re a wrestling fan, this is a must have.
Legends of Wrestlemania is out now for the PS3 and XBOX360.
-Ray Carsillo
Originally Published: September, 30, 2008, on 1050ESPN.com (Now ESPNNewYork.com)
Now stepping into the Geek Stuff Arena is the TNA World Heavyweight Champion, the Samoan Submission Machine, SAMOA JOE! I had a chance to sit down and talk with Joe and try to bring out the big man’s inner geek a little. We talk about the new TNA Impact video game and his participation in the Game of Fame on XBOX 360, his upcoming title defense against “The Icon” Sting at Bound For Glory in Chicago on October 12th, only available on Pay-Per-View, and much, much more.
Click here – To Listen to my interview with TNA World Heavyweight Champion Samoa Joe.
Originally Published: September 23, 2008, on 1050ESPN.com (Now ESPNNewYork.com)
Imagine a steel chair slamming into your face at 100 MPH; in a good way, of course. That is what TNA Impact does to you from the very first match you play. You can either jump right into a match with some of your all time favorites like Sting or the “Samoan Submission Machine” Samoa Joe or you can take part in the expansive story mode that will take six to ten hours for you to complete depending on fast you pick up on the nuances of the game. And it’s those little nuances that make this game one of the most enjoyable wrestling games to come out in years.
Unlike another popular wrestling brand’s video game series, TNA Impact is more of homage to what makes wrestling as great as it is. It combines over-the-top non-stop action with an engaging storyline and a versus/online mode to keep you coming back for more with friends and strangers alike. Add its stunning visuals and this game is a winner through and through.
The first thing you notice is the awesome graphics. For the first time ever, the crowd is not a sea of sprites, but instead every person is a 3D model that comes to life as your match progresses. The details of every wrestler and every move they make are as sharp as a honed blade and the facial expressions are remarkably detailed. Add in that every wrestler and commentator voiced themselves (and did it well) and you feel like you’re watching TNA sometimes instead of playing it.
To create this sense of realism, there had to be a few cutbacks, though. Such as limits on your weapon selection and on exactly where you can go with the wrestlers. Aside from the immediate area outside of the ring, you are confined to fight in-between the ropes. It would have been nice if you could have gone up the ramp or into the crowd like so many of the great matches of the real TNA. Also, your only weapon is the customary steel chair, with a handful always scattered about the ring.
This limits your hardcore experiences, but it does give you a chance to focus on your moves. And every wrestler has his old standbys. Kurt Angle performs the Angle Slam with precision and if that doesn’t work, he’ll break out a series of submission maneuvers that almost make you want to tap your chair in hopes of making it stop. Kevin Nash comes across with all the power you would expect from all 7′ of “Big Sexy”. And all the guys from the X-Division fly high and fly far from the top ropes.
Only thing about the moves is sometimes the enemy A.I. gets a little reversal happy, though, and if you have trouble mastering the reversal yourself, you might get frustrated at times from this. It’s hard to find that mix of needing reversals and just being able to go for your moves in a wrestling game and this is another game in a long line that might want to look more into that. Maybe a reversal meter to go with your finisher meter?
The other thing that stands out by itself, but isn’t without fault, is the story mode. The fact that they have a complex story mode is amazing in and of itself because a proper story is something that has been lacking in wrestling games for a while. This might be the best game since WWE: No Mercy (largely considered the best wrestling game of all time) for the N64 just because it has a really compelling, well written story mode to it. The only thing it lacks is open-endedness. The story suffers because you are not in control of the choices your wrestler makes. You just keep winning and advancing through one story. A few options or consequences for losing would be nice.
Overall, this was a great first installment. TNA and Midway should be proud of this game. It’s fun, engaging, and aesthetically pleasing. It needs work though. They need to find a way to expand where your wrestler can go and what weapons he can use, they need a little more variation in the commentary, and they need to expand the story mode for this to be a complete smash hit. Otherwise, if you are a wrestling fan and a looking for a little old school, in your face, off the top rope action, you need to get this game.
Rankings are based on a score of 1 to 10 with 10 being the best.
Graphics: 10.0: This game is beautiful. Everything about it was great visually from the wrestlers’ entrances to the crowd to the wrestlers themselves. This game could not have been better visually.
Audio: 10.0: In terms of audio, this game could not have been better either. Having every wrestler and announcer voice themselves was great. The commentary got a little repetitive after a while, but it didn’t take away from the experience so I can’t take away points.
Plot/Plot Development: 8.0: The story mode is expansive for a wrestling game and really draws you in. The only problem, and it’s a big one, is that the story is too linear. You have no choice in how the game plays out aside from you winning or losing in the ring and having to either replay the match or continue on.
Gameplay: 9.0: Stellar. Only a handful of notable glitches to think of. Even the easy setting made the wrestlers somewhat difficult to beat unless you master the timing for the reversal button. Making you rely on the reversal or the steel chair in some matches to win though became tiresome, but I can’t blame someone for making a difficult, old-school wrestling button masher.
Replay Value: 7.0: A lack of options in the story mode make this a less than ten hour ride, but the multiplayer and online options are the bread and butter of wrestling games for the most part.
Overall (not an average): 8.5: TNA and Midway have the makings of a hit franchise on their hands, but it needs some work. More options in the story mode, more creative reversal format, more weapons, and more diverse commentary. Basically what every good first installment inspires from its fans. THEY WANT MORE. That alone means that TNA Impact might just be the must have wrestling game of 2008.
RayCarsilloWrites.com 