June 23, 2004 - The more we think about it the more we realize that 2004 is the most crowded year we've ever seen for wrestling videogames. From THQ's Smackdown vs. RAW and Konami's Rumble Rose, to Eidos' Backyard Wrestling 2 and EA's Def Jam: Fight For NY, the sheer number of grappling titles out there is really quite amazing. But with the majority of those franchises not due out until the autumn or winter seasons later in the year, it's Acclaim's Showdown: Legends of Wrestling that's first to hit store shelves just in time for the summer.

Now for those of us who grew up watching wrestling on our local television channels rather than on a big time cable network, the fact that Legends is first to market should come as good news. After all, from the moment it was announced that the franchise had an all-new developer and expanded its roster, fan expectations and their anticipation had reached an all-time high. Throw in the fact that Acclaim was focusing on streamlining the grappling system while adding plenty of historically accurate goodies, and there was early hope that this third iteration of the series could finally overcome its storied bout with mediocrity.

But while dedicated fans of the previous Legends titles will no doubt find it easy to get excited over the game's large number of wrestlers and apparent bevy of visual improvements, we can't justify doing the same. Especially when considering just how much of a backwards step Showdown really takes.

A False Sense of Security
Perhaps what makes Showdown's downward spiral all the more heartbreaking, is the fact that at first it doesn't seem very busted at all. Boasting what can arguably be called the best lineup in the history of the genre, Legends of Wrestling sports an absolutely incredible list of historically significant ring generals. With a grand total of more than 70 personalities, the catalog of big-time names here is staggering. Haley Race, Andre the Giant, Hulk Hogan, Ricky Steamboat, Randy Savage, and Terry Funk are just a few of the Hall of Famers that join guys like Jerry Lawler, Paul Orndorff, Jimmy Snuka, and Kevin Von Erich in full retro glory.

In this shot, Hogan tries the old "No, the mustard is on the other cheek" trick to get the upper hand.

There are dozens of other big names to toy around with in here too, with representatives from practically every organization imaginable somewhere in the mix. Fans of old-school regional grappling federations should take note, however, that they'll see a lot more NWA and AWA superstars on the roster than our beloved "in-betweeners" from the USWA and Pacific Northwest (Billy Jack Haynes, where for art thou?).

Another impressive feature for Showdown is its considerable list of fantasy and real-life venues. Extremely accurate and very different from one another, the various stadiums and arenas provide an assortment of locations like Dory Funk's Gym and the Pontiac Silver Dome in addition to Madison Square Garden, the Mid-South Arena, the Boston Gardens, and several others. There's a lot of wrestling history to be found in these locales too, so historians of the sport should go hog wild over the prospect of hopping into a Cow Palace ring before smashing their opponent into oblivion. Though sadly, Pepper Gomez and Crippler Stevens have not been included.

On paper, this assortment of game modes sounds rather enticing with de facto staples like Quick Play and Versus options joining the meatier Showdown Challenge and Create-A-Wrestler selections. Cage matches, First Blood competitions, Ladder contests, and table and hardcore bouts make up the majority of the available match types, with other popular modes like Battle Royale, Iron Man, and Best of Three adding further weight. Bret "The Hitman" Hart even has a built-in tutorial that shows you how to play the game, and the developers have included a special memoriam section for deceased wrestlers that populate the roster.