WWE Wrestlemania XIX

Video Games have been around just as long as Professional Wresting has. So it’s only natural to bring the two together. From Nintendo’s early days of wrestling games on the NES, to THQ’s new addition to the genre: WWE Wrestlemania XIX, exclusively for the Gamecube. Wresting games have appeared on every Nintendo system to date, and it doesn’t look like they are going anywhere anytime soon.

The graphics for WWE Wrestlemania XIX allow the superstars of the WWE to shine brighter than ever. With more realistic intros than ever before, for a second you might forget you’re even playing a video game.

The game will bring your favorite characters to life in ways that have never been attempted, with the new enhanced character models for each wrestler, which will support location-based damage which allows you to use your powerful attacks more efficiently by targeting specific areas of your opponent’s body.

Another new feature is the improved grappling system, with which you can determine the strength of each grapple. Each move you do, from a simple punch, to a special one of a kind finisher, can be reversed, which may make the difference between a horrible defeat, to a glorious victory. Both of these brand new features will pull you more into the gameplay, and make everything more realistic.

WWE Wrestlemania XIX features a huge 50 character roster, which consists of 46 playable characters, such as The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Goldberg and Rob Van Dam, and 4 non-playable characters such as, everybody’s favorite ring side announcers, Jim Ross, and Jerry “The King” Lawler. But of course, no Roster would ever possibly be complete without…You! With the most in-depth create-a-character mode ever, you’ll be able to create a superstar (yourself, or any other person, fictional or otherwise) and design your appearance, clothing, and own personal list of moves.

The gameplay offers no less than you would expect, including such favorites as: Hell in the Cell, Cage Match, T.L.C. (Tables, Ladders, and Chairs); and because the game contains blood, there will be the ever popular: First Blood Match. You will also be able to play through the single-player story mode called “The Revenge Mode”, where you will have to battle through 30 different missions, to regain the championship belt that was so unfairly stripped from you.

WWE Wrestlemania XIX explodes into stores September 9th. Look for our review shortly after.