WWE WRESTLEMANIA XIX ON GAMECUBE MINI-REVIEW 

Last year publisher THQ brought its WrestleMania franchise to Nintendo's next-generation console to mixed reactions.
Players were pleased that developer Yuke's, the end play mechanics and grappling moves seemed to lack the finesse
and depth of the N64 titles. Meanwhile, while the wrestler's visuals were suitable, it still lacked a selection of
features, including what is often the biggest selling point in titles today, a strong story mode. THQ listened to
the complaints and in some sense went back to the drawing board. The result is WWE WrestleMania XIX, which is set
to debut exclusively for GameCube this August. The game, is in every way a deeper wrestling experience, according to 
THQ, with a host of enhancements and additions that are sure to finally satisfy demanding GAMECUBE owners. 
WWE WrestleMania XIX is still in pre-alpha stage, but it's already up, running and looking good. The title will have a
changed focus -- it'll play faster than Raw but not quite as speedy as Smackdown. The grappling system of old will
be back, but significantly tweaked with several more grapple types. The title will sport more than 50 wrestlers, 
many of them WWE superstars, including everyone from The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin and Hulk Hogan to
Booker T, Triple H and Scott Steiner. Each will come complete with unique wrestler entrances. Also, each 
features his or her individual attributes, strengths and weaknesses. So, for instance, while the Undertaker is
very strong and deals out fierce, damaging blows, Rey Mysterio relies heavily on his speed to evade attacks.
Interestingly, because there were criticisms that the wrestlers looked "too cartoony" in X8, the development
team completely scrapped the old player models and created new ones from scratch. The new models are much
more realistic in nature. To this end, the game will likewise include blood -- a first for any wrestling game this 
generation. Control will be both familiar and improved. Executing a player's special move is roughly the same as
last year -- hit A+B once and the wrestler's special animation will begin, and then the player must hit A+B again
at the end of the animation to complete the move. XIX will also feature location-specific damage. For example, if a
player wears down their opponent's ankle, the opponent will limp around the ring and eventually that part of his 
body will be worn down and more susceptible to being pinned similar to SMACKdown!. Of course, the biggest
addition of all comes in the form of the game's story mode. Last year's game included a 'Path of a Champion' 
mode as the main single-player option, but this time around the story mode is where it's at. Here players pick 
a superstar and then helplessly watch as Vince McMahon strips them of their status. One's wrestler is promptly 
kicked out of the WWE, and the goal of the game is to seek revenge and regain his or her dignity. Wrestlers will 
fight in many different backstage areas on a mission to destroy McMahon's commercial assets and bring honor 
back to their name. On top of everything else, the game will still feature other classic play modes including King 
of the Ring and Royal Rumble, a host of new and old match types, and even a tutorial mode in which players can
learn the ropes of the entertainment. Additionally, THQ says, the create-a-superstar feature from last year's game 
will be back except with a list of options that run much deeper. Expect full multiplayer support, too. 

Outlook
Last year's WWE game was more of a testing ground for the franchise than it was a complete wrestling entry.
 This year THQ, working closely with Yuke's and former Aki members, has set out to create a far deeper sequel.
 If the execution is right, this could be on of 2003's biggest GameCube projects. Stay tuned for more 

-J-