Legends of Wrestling II & Showdown: Legends of Wrestling

[@TadashiNazuka]

These games still have their place in History. A nice change of pace from Smackdown vs Raw franchise. Just a different experience that's worthwhile.

[@DasNordlicht91]

I appreciate Showdown having real-world arenas as venues, something that no wrestling game had done or has done to date.

[@MiKenZeKesArcade]

The roster, the attires, the arenas were amazing and I totally dig arcade style wrestling games so these games were perfect for me.

[@christopheriverson7103]

This series had so much potential 😔......I understand you liked it but I personally was so disappointed. Sad thing is it looks like aew game is using this same wacky ass engine...

[@zacktyler2810]

@@christopheriverson7103 Actually, the AEW game is not using some *"wacky ass"* engine. Lol.

[@thedarknate08]

I remember liking these games alot!

[@UnHolyWible]

@@christopheriverson7103 The AEW game is on a completely BRAND NEW engine....

[@sheriffdraws8789]

Maybe not the wacky ass engine but definitely the stylized art direction

[@evanhanley6437]

I got in touch with one of the designers of the game and he gave me info on it. -The Acclaim team are massive fans of wrestling. They watched it since the 80s, some dated back to the territory days. -They wanted to be as faithful to wrestling lore as possible such as all the various attires taken from different time periods and wrestling events and the arenas. -They never used the same engine for the series. They created a new one for each game. -The Career Mode was created in the style of being a wrestler during the 80s. -The animations were all combined and reused thanks to Acclaim having a animation software dating back to the Nintendo 64 wrestling games they worked on. Most of the team worked on them so they found it pretty easy to work on the game. -They loved working with the wrestlers. They are big fans. -George "the Animal" Steele came into Acclaim one time and saw what the company were doing with the game. He loved it.

[@christopheriverson7103]

From how crappy the games were I would of thought they hated wrestling with a passion..........cool story though💯👍🏾

[@bradylewis1037]

@@gsesquire3441 No kidding. If those were new engines then they wasted a ridiculous amount of resources.

[@dementednun1175]

New engines I don't think so, its a nice story you made up though, from WWF war zone to all the ECW game wwf attitude and showdown legends of wrestling they all play the same the creation mode still has items from wwf attitude in it lol

[@MrReese]

None of this sounds like anything that was quoted in the video and it also does not line up logically (except maybe the first part where Acclaim are big wrestling fans, which makes sense given they have been in the wrestling business since the late 80s).

[@splitter7376]

Awesome but shame they never actually made an actual wrestling game in the end considering how big a fans they were supposed to be.

[@AnsonBeeker]

Younger gamers just don't understand how exciting it was to get the guys in their real attire from different eras.

[@monkeybone1080]

Man that roster. I play modern WWE titles for the Legends and if they had even a third of the roster quality that Showdown did, I would be throwing money at WWE games. Thanks for showing us all these titles!

[@prolificnesss]

The Legends of Wrestling 2 soundtrack had no reason being that damn good. It's in my top 5 video game soundtracks of all time.

[@christopheriverson7103]

Facts💯

[@songokusan9059]

I'm mad he never mentioned the soundtrack. Best music in any wrestling game

[@carltongraham1240]

Love Low 2 soundtrack

[@awesome1ru]

lmfao i was surprised too

[@PontFlair]

Headstrong was in LOW2. Although it wasn't the greatest gameplay, whippin someone's ass to the soundtrack was fun

[@timomajere]

This reminded me of how much I miss Saturday night Main Events on TV. My nephew used to play my games while the shows were on because he THOUGHT it could influence reality by making stuff happen in the games. Thanks for the flood of nostalgia. Now I wish i could watch all the Main events again.

[@tythesneakergod9441]

when I was a kid I got showdown from a yard sell at the time I loved wrestling. But I was poor so my mom was not spending 40 or 60 dollar's on a WWE game. so getting showdown was everything for me and my brother. We always love the game because it showed us matches and a era of wrestling we didn't know about.

[@mattmanzella4721]

Grew up playing legends of wrestling II on my uncles og Xbox, and played it even more after he gave it to me. Maybe not the best of wrestling games, but the roster was great for making dream matches! Thanks uncle Victor

[@jhonnycultura4455]

I think it was different than the PlayStation... But I remember being different

[@Thor-Orion]

The roster is the appeal. The AKI games are so much better. WCW/NWO Revenge has a great roster itself.

[@roryslaine7896]

I haven't watched or cared about wrasslin' in like 15 or 16 years but I never miss one of Wrestling Bios videos! You're killing it mate. You've made it fun again for me!

[@martynodonnell8467]

I’m in the same boat. Have no interest in the current product. However never miss an episode of wrestling bios. The guys a legend. He deserves inducted into the hall of fame for the amount of fan interest he’s generating for the network. I can’t be the only one who signed up to watch everything that’s covered here on wrestling bios.

[@roryslaine7896]

@@martynodonnell8467 100% man. Not gonna lie, I don't have a network account myself but my brother in law lets me use his and because of this channel it made me go back and watch some of the older shows. I legitimately wouldn't have bothered if it wasn't for this channel. Crazy how they try to copyright strike him instead of working with him as Wrestling Bios is the reason a lot of older/casual fans are even watching their dogshit product. I come from the generation who stayed up until 3am to record WWF/E on blank VHS tapes. The thing is just so bland now it's unreal.

[@calvinfolan1736]

I always look forward to your videos man, I especially appreciate your hiphop remix intros such as the one for your Lion's Den match video with 'Homicide' by Logic and 'Gin and Juice' by Snoop for your Eddie Guerrero WWE Champion video. Rock on, my man!

[@andysanchez1215]

me too! I love his videos! 👍🏻🔥

[@DJVm4GOD1]

I had this on the game boy advanced, played it for days on end, I actually really liked the game. Endless fun.

[@renegadeloco9797]

Speaking of dubbed themes, O.M.G, The Von Erichs, and Ricky Steamboat's are some of my favorites. Even LoD's theme had me headbanging like a spastic lol. Also, I can't help but feel somber looking at the outdated in-game memorial knowing that several more legends are no longer be with us.

[@colourfaze86]

I really enjoyed these games. Honestly, this was how I was introduced to some older names and classic venues.

[@wastelander138]

You can really tell that Acclaim were really squeezing the hell out of that engine. Besides the graphical upgrades you can see the WWF Attitude DNA in there.

[@EnigmaticVayne]

The interviews in Legends 2 was a pretty dope feature

[@DJReyzor357]

What I thoroughly enjoyed about Legend's of Wrestling II, was the mini documentary & shoot interviews of each Professional Wrestling Legend... 💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽

[@ZekeThePlumber86]

Appreciate your grind my man!

[@us3l3ssknowl3dg3]

6:38 that trademark Bret Hart moonsault

[@JM1993951]

The WWE games at this time were better than we even knew or gave them credit for. But there’s something to be said for getting back to basics and slumming it. I only played the first Legends of Wrestling game but I appreciated it if only because it gave me a break between HCTP sessions so I was able to avoid becoming fatigued by the Smackdown series.

[@mrowley7300]

Honestly enjoyed low 2 I still remember my playthrough as Jerry Lawler....and not being able to tag Ricky Morton because he kept swapping from apron to the other

[@TheViper4Life]

I have some great timing. Just bought all three of these the other day for PS2, and here you've made videos about them a mere month ago. I had them when I was younger but I don't remember what happened to them...so I'm building up my wrestling game collection again. I remember not loving these games, but 2 and Showdown were at least passable experiences.

[@DaveFu]

Sid with the Shooting Star Splash! Stay off the turnbuckles Sid!

[@Thor-Orion]

King Kong Bundy looks exactly like he did in real life, I don't know what you're talking about.

[@gatmanbegins4040]

You have outdone yourself with that Run DMC remix at the beginning

[@АлехСтоыанофф]

Bio, thank you so much for all your hard work on these videos. I cannot tell you how much I love watching them!

[@dylankdash3935]

Showdown my favorite wrestling game from that era

[@ther0n1nnamed47]

I literally liked everything about the legends of Wrestling games except the gameplay... it was just Warzone/attitude/hardcore revolution/anarchy rulez all over

[@TR-ko2to]

Wrestling Bios! Live from Ireland!

[@dementednun1175]

If showdown legends of wrestling had some mods that would be brilliant, for example even simple edits such as letting men and women use the same hairstyles would instantly increase the creation suite I wonder if there's a way to insert things from the other two games into showdown by opening up the files.

[@MyFootballManagerSeasonsnStuff]

Showdown was absolutely brillaint for nostalgia yes it had bugs but it was fantastic

[@donypaddy6859]

Owned Legends Of Wrestling 2 on PS2 thats were i was introduced to wrestlers like Road Warriors Roddy Piper Sid Vicious The Steiners it was fun game back in the day didn't own Showdown cause of how glitch fested it was which is a shame it had an impressive roster of big names.

[@TheNaturalPatHarris]

I stand by to this day, that out of all the pro wrestling games for the OGXBOX, Legends of Wrestling 2 is the top choice.

[@MrDp115]

All due respect Def Jam Fight 4 NY was on all three systems.

[@TheNaturalPatHarris]

@@MrDp115 def jam ffny was a fighting game.

[@MrDp115]

@@TheNaturalPatHarris Its also a wrestling game

[@aceassn716]

Def Jam Vendetta??

[@emearg191]

I loved legends of wrestling 2, had hours of fun playing it

[@tonyhernandezpumarejo]

I recently purchased a copy of showdown for the Xbox. Nice to have it and play it from time to time

[@KyyaJoon]

BACK WHEN GAMES CAME WITH THE FULL CONTENT, NO DLCS, NO PATCHES

[@deathsnitemaresinfullust2269]

Super happy to see a video from this channel on my birthday today. 😄👍

[@burnthetrolls5971]

Showdown Legends of Wrestling was my favorite as a kid I played it a lot on my PS2 I loved doing the 8 man tag matches all the time

[@steaveadams7937]

I've always liked how this guy talks.

[@OneCrayGuy89]

I remember my dad and I playing LoW II a lot when I was younger. His favorite wrestler was Rowdy Roddy Piper. We had a great time with the ladder and cage matches. I actually really enjoyed the game. The gameplay wasn't as refined as the SvR games, but I'd still go back to it for the roster and the amount of blood in the game. Also, the soundtrack was a banger, and the interviews were cool. I also loved Showdown, mainly because of Sting and the commentary. It had a very "WCW" feel. Which I appreciated. I purchased the game for Sting alone, as he was my favorite wrestler and was absent from every contemporary wrestling game. I also thought the ghosting effect looked cool. Definitely the best graphics of the series. Throwing weapons was always fun, and it was a good time laughing at the glitches (only the swingset glitch in GTA IV has surpassed it in laughter and good times).

[@TV-Tony]

I enjoyed the different story possibilities in Legends of Wrestling 2. I would have just preferred to be able to pick the story myself rather than having to stop on a number so I could try them all or play my favorite ones, like when you're hitting on the promoter, when the female promoter is hitting on you or The Promoter's Nephew whose a jobber wrestler you can be in a tag team with.

[@charlieanton6785]

I was a kid when these games out and I loved them at the time. I knew the smackdown games were much better quality but I liked that these games felt different, I liked the more basic arcade feel as a nice change from the THQ games, I loved the retro feel and I loved the roster, it was great playing as characters unavailable in the WWE games at the time. Great memories, great video!

[@charlieanton6785]

“I don’t know what strain was smoked when they came up with this idea” 😂

[@greendeli7874]

I actually bought Legends of Wrestling II for the GameCube (which I don’t have yet). I don’t know if I regret it yet or not. I also bought Day of Reckoning 2 though.

[@TopShelfHunters]

Both DORs are amazing lol

[@captainxhulio2929]

Honestly I had more fun playing the LoW series than I did the DoR games. Idk why but I couldn't stand the Day of Reckoning games. They felt very limited and the first DoR looked godawful.

[@snc237]

DoR 2 was and is fantastic

[@MBM1117727]

Showdown is sadly not available for Gamecube but LOW II is still fun!

[@greendeli7874]

@@MBM1117727 Yeah that does suck

[@lilt619]

I love this game i was playing it all the way up to 2010

[@DarkEliteEric]

Blood on the mat looks dope.

[@firewalker1372]

Certainly enjoyed Showdown a lot better then the previous titles. The graphics where much better on top of the game play. Being able to play in the Pontiac Silverdome was also pretty damn cool. They done a great job recreating it and Cobo Hall. It would of been real cool if The Joe was on it.

[@danielliens5360]

That intro music. They are all usually good but I loved that. Better watch the rest of the video now. . . .

[@markmccluskey4594]

Your best mix yet pal. Favourite music

[@Joe_Parmesan]

I had fun with Legends of Wrestling II. It certainly was NOT close to Shut Your Mouth, but it helped familiarize myself with older legends. Showdown looks pretty cool too. Both games seem like precursors to WWE All Stars, which I think is ridiculously fun

[@RikkiRoxxNWS]

I played all three games in this series a ton when they came out. I try very hard not to compare things too much to other, similar things and just find the fun in what's given, and I feel like that's very necessary with the LoW games, especially the first two. They clearly didn't compare to the more polished SmackDown games but they were a fun alternative on their own for fans like me who really don't care much at all about wrestling past 2000 or so. I really appreciated the incremental improvements with each game, rather than just adding new wrestlers and a new match type or two. You could tell they really did try to make each game better. They got the closest with ShowDown, for sure, with the excellent roster and much-improved gameplay. It's definitely the easiest and most fun to play of the three. It's just a shame that all the glitches and bugs put a damper on the experience. My copy of the game froze almost every time I used the CAW mode, which was a shame because that mode was much-improved as well over the earlier games and I really did have fun with it. But glitches aside, I really liked the game and I'd still be playing my copy to this day once in a while, if my PS2 didn't break. Thanks for another great video man.

[@Magnazar-nx6wz]

I still have my copy of Legends of Wrestling 2 for the Xbox, over the years I've had them signed by Bret Hart, Ted DiBiase, and Roddy Piper. Bret also signed my classics super stars figure that's MISB, and Piper also signed my SVR '07 copy.

[@radjackson69]

Best roster of all time!

[@martynodonnell8467]

Showdown? I would agree. It had the potential to be the greatest wrestling game of all time with the stacked roster it had. I sank quite a few hours into Showdown back on the PS2. Unfortunately what let it down were both the lack of match options. Aswell as the very lackluster game mechanics. It was a decent game however could have been so much more.

[@justafanofnerdculture7602]

@@martynodonnell8467 No doubt, I agree wholeheartedly.

[@ebertrivera6930]

The legend of wresting showdown was by far my favorite of the series ! Yeah it can be a bit clunky but it has so much replay value imo countless dream matches !

[@MordecaiandMonroe]

I played showdown when it came out as a teen with no knowledge of legends 1 or 2 and it was a blast for the time

[@andy24386]

Another awesome video as usual. Love your video game vids and all your others of course. You should covers Legends of Wrestlemania next. Keep up the good work 👊🏻.

[@martynodonnell8467]

That game was such a let down. I’m really unsure as to why such a poor game ended up on the shelves. Giving what could have been and who the publishers were. I think a wrestling bios video on the game and exploring why such a crappy boring wrestling video ended up on the shelves giving the potential it had.

[@soundsurfer57]

I played the hell out of this one as a youngster one new years eve when we rented it

[@RisingJericho]

Showdown seems like it could be a banger with some mods to the gameplay, all the makings are right there

[@sly7998]

the roster is still impressive for the time with captions never seen in a game like Fritz Von erich for example and 4 gears per person is pretty cool

[@Rob_Thorsman]

Damn, King Kong Bundy is an absolute unit! He looks bigger than Yokozuna!

[@jmalb42]

Despite all the flaws, I love this game!

[@nuqjatrh]

Showdown LoW gameplay looks amazing. AEW should take notes ...

[@80srocknroller]

I used to play both games and I liked it because of the interviews and reliving the classic matches like Abdullah The Butcher VS Andre The Giant

[@ericseitzler81]

Yea let's just Abdullah didn't give Andre hepatitis.

[@80srocknroller]

@@ericseitzler81 Andre did gain respect in Puerto Rico

[@dustinb1359]

The Legends series was my introduction to most of these wrestlers. I would play as a wrestler for a while. Then I'd fire up our dial-up internet to search for more information on that wrestler. Rinse & repeat.

[@SolidMike84]

Great video! LOW2 was kinda my teacher of different legendary pro wrestler before I started to understand so much more with later dvd and internet researching, so have good memories of it despite being inferior to the WWE franchise it had its charm for me. Especially the interviews on it that was awesome to get a little insight of these people. Showdown on my Ps2 was a glitchy mess that constantly froze XD

[@evrbody]

I had the PS2 version of LOW2. When I carried Hacksaw Jim Duggan to the Northeast Territory title match against Bob Backlund, the game would crash. Speaking of Duggan, the interviews are mostly chill and candid shoot interviews, with the exception of Duggan, who is fully in character (and boy does it show).

[@mitchwooten5150]

The intro is 🔥 what a classic game. Brings back some good ole memories 👍

[@rodneyrankin3878]

I have A LOT of love for this title. In terms of atmosphere, this game nails it. Plus a match here just FEELS more fun than a more modern 2k offering.

[@merkcityboy834]

Imagine if Warzone Attitude and the ECW games had this engine back in the day man one can only dream.

[@midsectionmark8956]

Ever since I bought Showdown legends of wrestling about a couple years ago, I’ve been loving it! It is a game I wish I could grow up with. I would loved to be able to play Sting, Macho man, Ultimate Warrior, Andre, Road Warriors, and Hogan. Along with some other wrestlers we couldn’t get in the smackdown series. I do love the arenas and roster but tbh its roster is absolutely not the best roster we have seen in a wrestling game. I’d argue Here Comes The Pain, WWE 2k14, 2k16, and 2k19 off the top of my head has some amazing amount of wrestlers in their roster. I’m a 90s baby so only about 50% of the wrestlers I have an attachment to and even going back watching plenty of of old school wrestling at least helped me understand why other people think this roster is better than it is.

[@martincann5052]

Nice RunDMC/Quiet Riot mix, my man.

[@justinwalker2928]

I remember renting Showdown from block buster in 2005. I was seven at time. My parents grow up on 80s WWF and NWA so they know a lot of the wrestlers on the roster. I was familiar with some like hogan, Flair, Dusty, Sting, and the Road warriors. One thing that stuck with me was Owen Hart’s entrance. When he would enter the ring, he would jump on top the ring ropes like he was gonna springboard but instead would fall face first. After my parents told me how he had dyed ( they were watching Over the Edge 99 live on Pay-per-view when it happened) I wondered if they that as a Reference to his death.

[@MBM1117727]

He doesn't do that.

[@fuzzmountain7583]

I remember liking showdown alot when it came out. I started watching in the 80s so having Bret, Jake, Macho and all my old favorites In a current game was awesome

[@markjones5647]

Love Sundays post and also Tuesday u are awesome Thursday is this greatest when reliving the war is on you do spoil us man best wishes and thanks for all the entertainment u give to all us retro lovers

[@chrisharper8158]

This is my favorite wrestling game ever

[@solaflair]

I loved this game as a kid. Awesome roster and even though it has a very arcade feel, there was great arenas and rings.

[@thethairishsun]

Graphics on that second game look great. I've never heard of it before

[@manraisedbypuffins9080]

Titles and music 10 outta 10 my man!! ❤❤👌

[@JSKIDNB]

I didn't know it had different covers, I had all the consoles back in the day and bought this for ps2 but it had the GameCube cover

[@mrtongue]

I can’t wait till you start tackling the Smackdown series WB! Keep it up bro!

[@joeblow-slaboney1428]

I can't believe you missed the opportunity to play as the wrestler everybody who lived in Englands Mum talked about whenever you watched wrestling, Big Daddy!

[@martynodonnell8467]

Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks. Were big back in the day. Along with Mick McManus and others. When British wrestling was in its own boom period. That be an interesting video idea to be covered here on Wrestling bios 🤔

[@joshmeads]

Seems like with another six months they could have made Showdown a classic!

[@jdalvo9391]

I remember trying to make the Rock in Legends of Wrestling 2

[@dalesanteford7432]

I really enjoyed playing Legends of Wrestling 2 it was a lot more easy to play really enjoyed the story mode also Showdown when the best roster for all your Legends

[@cfairfax85]

A company needs to revisit this idea. I would still be interested in buying a new offering with today's tech.

[@chinodelchicano8332]

One of my favorites

[@thebigbop5866]

That remix 😋 I have to request a thoughts video on the DX/McMahon-Helmskey regime now, DX were just a part of it, a shadow version of DX kind of, but they had that whopper Run DMC remix which I'll always love.

[@smiththers2]

as a person who grew up with only an snes, the only wrestling games i played and liked were wwf royal rumble and wwf raw. i liked the game mechanics, but i wish there were more players to pick from

[@RC99_Productions]

We need a remix of that Run DMC/Quiet Riot mashup in the intro ASAP

[@iamdb1990]

Sabu vs Ultimate Warrior glitched ridiculously for me, the hair and boot tassels went insane and then just stopped and I gave up after that, but I enjoyed it for what it was

[@leemcdowell8946]

Love your content bro!!

[@acedibiase7038]

Great video. I had both these games but not the first. The gameplay really hurt this series of games

[@jasonmohning1708]

Kevin Von Erich looks a lot like Paul Orndorff in these games.

[@christopheriverson7103]

I use to love that dude when I was a kid....

[@94253474]

This Channel Intro is enough to look upto.

[@samamv9893]

oh i really want to try it

[@samuelaarredondo397]

Good stuff. Thanks for mixing it up. Kick or be Kickin'! ✌🏽

[@pezpowerproductions2602]

This entrance is amazing!!!!!!!!

[@slykilla1593]

Hoping you have a look at the tna impact video game soon

[@Trill_4_Life]

I still have all 3 LOW video games on PS2- 6/15/22

[@MR.__G]

If I’m not mistaken I believe this is the game that had Headstrong on their playlist. That alone is a big plus lol

[@Beautifulgame636]

Hey! Thanks for doing what you do! Your channel has the jam!!!! Would love to see a profile video of the mountie from 80's wwf....ty...love ur content