Perhaps the only serious contender to THQ's unstoppable Smackdown series, Acclaim's Legends of Wrestling 2, complete with a sound combat system and familiar faces, is here to give Shut Your Mouth a run for its moolah.

Building on the success of the 2001 original, Legends of Wrestling 2 retains its muscle-bound cast of legends, featuring appearances from Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, Sid Vicious, Jerry Lawler and over sixty others. What's more, there are signature entrances, familiar taunts and w ... more >>

Perhaps the only serious contender to THQ's unstoppable Smackdown series, Acclaim's Legends of Wrestling 2, complete with a sound combat system and familiar faces, is here to give Shut Your Mouth a run for its moolah.

Building on the success of the 2001 original, Legends of Wrestling 2 retains its muscle-bound cast of legends, featuring appearances from Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, Sid Vicious, Jerry Lawler and over sixty others. What's more, there are signature entrances, familiar taunts and well known music, setting the mood for a fantastic bout of deadly grapples and back-breaking combos.

This level of authenticity is not only achieved through onscreen action though. The wrestling dynamics and smooth controls also accurately represent what is a skilful sport. Combining the right button presses with the correct positioning can unleash one of hundreds of painful attacks. Fundamentally, it's a beat-em-up with a greater level of strategy. Bouts last longer, and endurance plays a significant role in your quest for the championship belt.

At first glance, the visuals in Legends of Wrestling 2 aren’t quite on a par with those on Xbox, but the difference is negligible. Loading times are reasonable too, but it’s the uniform layout of the PS2 controller that makes this version possible the most tempting of the three. It’s easy to pick up and play, and the controls don’t feel as awkward as they might on other consoles.

In terms of variety, there's a career mode for each individual wrestler, an abundance of tag-team tournaments, Elimination Bouts, Battle Royal, Ladder, a create-a-legend option, a Body Slam Challenge and a Brawl mode. Players will seldom become bored in single player mode, and a four-way multi-player match means there's no end to the fun.

Does Legends of Wrestling raise the benchmark for future wrestling games? You'll have to play it to find out. << less