Backyard Wrestling: Don't Try This At Home - PS2

The wrestling game has been around for a long long time, making appearances on virtually every home platform since the 80's. And since the early 90's, most of these titles have been licensed by the WWE, formerly known as the WWF. But there are a few exceptions that throw caution to the wind, disposing of glamorous arenas and hideous spandex costumes. One such title is Eidos’ Backyard Wrestling for PlayStation 2.

In what is perhaps Eidos’ most violent offering yet, Backyard Wrestling pits players as aspiring wrestlers as they ruthlessly fight dozens of opponents in a bid for the prestigious BYW title. In many cases, gamers will literally fight in the backyards of people’s houses as they learn to master grappling moves, throws and basic hand-to-hand combat. And if your physicality isn’t enough to gain an outright victory, there are several 'props' on hand to make your wrestler even more lethal. Thumbtacks, barbed wire, light bulbs, baseball bats, tables and even fire are all available to cause a little extra damage - just bear in mind that your own wrestler is subject to the same risks.

The game features well-known BYW wrestlers including Josh Prohibition, MDogg20 and Sabu, and each of them looks very similar to their real life counterparts. The game world itself also looks great, boasting detailed environments, a steady camera, and the smooth animation that is so essential to a game of this type.

It’s violent and controversial, but it is only a game, and it’s one that wrestling fans should love every bit as much as an official WWE outing. more