To kind of follow up on my multi-part WWE Video games columns, after playing “Legends of Wrestlemania” I figured I would pass along a few thoughts.

I actually waited awhile before picking up “Legends of Wrestlemania” simply because I had laid down enough cash for “Smackdown vs. Raw 2009” and hadn’t really played that all too much. Didn’t want to drop another $60 for “Legends of Wrestlemania” and have another game just gathering dust.

What changed my mind, and to be honest one of only two reasons I would recommend “Legends of Wrestlemania” to anyone, is that I found out you can import the roster from “Smackdown vs. Raw 2009” into “Legends of Wrestlemania”. Meaning you can now pit Santino Morella against Andre the Giant or have Randy Orton take on Mr. Perfect. The only other reason to pick up this game would be for nostalgic purposes.

I was basically expecting the same gameplay which had been featured on the past couple of “Raw vs. Smackdown” releases, just with modified graphics, and a roster of past Superstars. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case. What made the “Raw vs. Smackdown” titles so much fun to play are the innovative controls, the multiple game modes, and the variety of matches you can choose from. “Legends of Wrestling” features none of those. Instead of GM Mode or Career Mode, “Legends” gives you 4 game play options, “Legend Killer, and on the Wrestlemania Tour “Relive”, “Rewrite”, “Redefine”.

In “Relive” mode, you go back to several famous matches throughout “Wrestlemania” history and replay the match as it was presented. The best part of this option is seeing the old video footage of the feuds leading up to the matches. For instance you get to replay the Hulk Hogan vs. Sgt. Slaughter match from Wrestlemania 7, prior to the match you get a re-cap of what the feud was about and promos from each wrestler, which is pretty cool. In this mode you cannot choose your character, you must wrestle as the pre-designated winner of the match. You can also earn EXP points by completing certain objectives during each match. When you earn enough EXP points you win a medal.

In “Rewrite” mode you are once again presented with a series of famous matches culled from Wrestlemania history. Once again you get original video footage of the feuds leading up to each bout, and you also have certain objectives per match you must achieve in order to gain EXP points in order to win the medal. With this mode, your objective is to change the outcome of the original match.

In “Redefine” mode you again play through several famous matches in Wrestlemania history, only this time you can choose which character you would like to play. You can try and ‘rewrite’ history or ‘relive’ history. Basically it combines elements from the previous two gameplay modes. Once again you have certain objectives to meet to gain EXP points.

In “Legend Killer” mode you fight through a series of matches in 4 tiers. The first three tiers are 10 matches you must win to advance. The final tier is called the “All Star Legends Tier” and you must win 38 matches to finish the level!! What is brutal about this game mode, is that once you start a tier, you cannot save and quit. The game forces you to play through the entire tier before giving you the option of saving, meaning that once you reach the “All Star” tier…you HAVE to play 38 consecutive matches??!!

You also get the standard “Create” a wrestler mode. There really isn’t anything new to this aspect of the game, and if you’ve played any WWE title since the Nintendo 64 you should be familiar with this option.

Gameplay is basically a button mashing game. Unlike the last few titles, the basic gameplay required you to just smash various buttons repeatedly, almost like the old PS1 or Nintendo games. It’s very difficult to block or reverse, meaning that for the most part opponents just take turns punching each other for a period of time.

The graphics are decent, and the inclusion of original video footage from old WWE broadcasts is fun to relive, but there is really nothing stellar, and actually seems as though the graphics don’t “pop” as well as they do on “Raw vs. Smackdown 2009”.

So overall, if you’ve already paid your money for “Raw vs. Smackdown 2009”, I don’t really recommend you drop the dough for this title. The gameplay is fairly weak, the various game modes don’t hold a candle to the “Career” mode or “GM” mode found in recent titles. Unless you are willing to pay for the nostalgic aspect of the game, it’s really not worth it.

Here is the complete roster you will find on the game (of course this doesn’t include the roster you can import from “Raw vs. Smackdown”):

Andre the Giant
Animal
Arn Anderson
Bam Bam Bigelow
Big Boss Man
Big John Studd
Bobby Heenan
Bret Hart
Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake
Davey Boy Smith
Dusty Rhodes
Greg Valentine
Hacksaw Jim Duggan
Hawk
Honky Tonk Man
Hulk Hogan
Hunter Hearst Helmsley
Iron Sheik
Jake "The Snake" Roberts
Jim The Anvil Neidhart
Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka
Jimmy Hart
Junkyard Dog
Kamala
King Kong Bundy
Koko B. Ware
Michael Hayes
Mr. Fuji
Mr. Perfect
Nikolai Volkoff
Paul Bearer
Ravishing Rick Rude
Ric Flair
Rowdy Roddy Piper
Sgt. Slaughter
Shawn Michaels
Stone Cold Steve Austin
Ted DiBiase
The Rock
The Undertaker
Ultimate Warrior
Yokozuna

Pretty solid group of legends….just wish they had been profiled in a better game.