I've mentioned it before, but I've been a wrestling fan (or "mark") since I was a wee slip of a lad, and even though I know all the ins-and-outs of the business these days (making me a "smark"), I still enjoy the product.
This interest means I've played just about every wrestling game that's come down the line, even those crap-tastic, Mortal Kombat-esque games Acclaim put out years ago. Pickings, however, have been a bit slim since the WWE took all the marbles and became the only company around, so it was with great interest that I watched the development of TNA Impact.
After a bit of a wait, I got Impact in from Gamefly and took it for a spin. My thoughts? Well, first let's check out the good...
-The wrestler models are top-notch, especially in the light of THQ making everyone on the Smackdown games ripped beyond belief. Even the wifey, not a fan of wrestling games, mentioned how much better Impact looked.
-The story, while not exactly a traditional career mode, is a fun little diversion as you lead your wronged character back to the top of the promotion. It really doesn't capture anything about TNA's TV program or the personality of the wrestlers, but props to Midway for trying something a little different.
-DLC support. Impact doesn't have a lot going for it in the way of features, but developers were promising quick and steady DLC, which as already come in the form of 3 characters, contrasted by the last 2 Smackdown games, which had nothing, a little odd considering how the WWE loves to pump cash from its fanbase.
However, we come to the bad...
-Where's the features on this game? I've seen more game modes on a PS1 wrestling game. Not even the semi-famous Six Sides of Steel cage match that's something of a calling card for TNA (they even have a PPV of nothing BUT cage matches!) is included. Boo.
-The Create-A-Wrestler mode is pretty light on options, but that hardly matters because you only get a few slots anyway. What the heck was Midway spending all that time on for this game??
-I'm all for a challenge in a wrestling game, but Impact's cheap-sauce, rubber band AI will have you heaving controllers across the room in no time. An example, if you will.
In both Smackdown and Impact, the damage you do to an opponent is shown as his Body meter going red. In Smackdown, this means your opponent will get slower, clutching their injured body parts, allowing you to hit bigger moves and gain the advantage. In Impact, however, this means nothing, as the AI with ruthlessly reverse almost everything you attempt, moving just as fast as in the beginning of the match.
That is, of course, if you can even get them damaged that far, as you can, for instance, smash your opponent several times with a steel chair and get barely noticeable results, but the AI will punch you five times, hit you with a weal grapple move, and you'll be in the orange.
This is especially frustrating in the Story Mode, as your character doesn't seem to be all that strong to begin with, so the AI will gleefully reverse your sad attempts to attack before polishing you off. Yes, I realize there are some ways to exploit the AI so you can win, but I don't want to exploit the computer so I can survive, I want to out wrestle the computer with skill.
In the end, there are some good, solid ideas here for Midway to explore for a sequel, but apparently the game isn't selling as well as hoped, so even that may end up being out of the question. I would say definitely don't buy this game, and don't out of your way to rent it, but if you've a lazy weekend coming up and you want a semi-mindless wrestling game to fill some time, here you go.
Just don't throw that controller too hard, them things is expensive.
