Acclaim's Legends of Wrestling - Good Ideas, Bad Execution

[@Larry]

If you cover Legends of Wrestling 2, get the PAL version of the game, it has a lot more wrestlers in it, including British wrestlers like Giant Haystacks and Mick McManus.

[@evrbody]

It also has your uncle, King Kong.

[@GeekExtremist]

Nice, I didn't know that! I definitely need to download the rom.

[@Jiren261]

I remember GamesMaster magazine gloating because our version had Big Daddy

[@jcriniti2644]

Who else was on the roster in the PAL version?

[@Larry]

@@jcriniti2644 I think it was the obvious ones, Big Daddy, Giant Haystacks, Mick McManus and Kendo Nagasaki.

[@TheLuchaBear]

I loved the Legends of Wrestling games and I know they weren't great, but just for the rosters alone I adored them.

[@maxxdahl6062]

Me too they were an awesome idea.

[@justingochioco1121]

@@maxxdahl6062 But it doesn't have my all time favorites The Undertaker and Kane or even Big Show

[@maxxdahl6062]

@@justingochioco1121 And I was fine with that.

[@stevelowe2647]

I do get that, it's cool having different players, especially big names, but give me a great game with a roster of 10 over an okay game with a roster of 100

[@zoltanwilson4277]

@@justingochioco1121 Wow....

[@JayTeeAyy]

This game is amazing when you’re 5 doing 20 springboard dives with RVD to a gymnasium floor

[@barrymk400]

The second game is really good. I loved playing as Sabu and just throwing things like a trash can at the other wrestlers. Plus jumping off the cage was really cool.

[@Thor-Orion]

i said the same thing! The second game was definitely the peak of the series. i played all of them back in the day, i hadn't had a chance to make Hogan tap out to the sharpshooter since the last AKI WCW game.

[@Hulkling93]

II is definitely the best entry overall, also had great soundtrack. Heck, it was the first time hearing Headstrong by Trapt.

[@terrellhatch8191]

My favorite of the series is Showdown. I know there were some problems that everyone keeps saying they had with their copies but idk why I never encountered any of those problems and I'm glad too.

[@Hulkling93]

@@terrellhatch8191 I first got it for the Xbox when it came out in 04 and then got it again 3 years later for the PS2. I believe both copies had glitches.

[@Hulkling93]

@nemo pouncey That's a fact. They kept it going until they couldn't.

[@JM1993951]

I like the grinding element. I know a lot of gamers hate it, but I like taking over maps and territory. It was cool to see in a wrestling game.

[@ReinEngel]

Indeed, fellow grinder.

[@themervynator6374]

@@ReinEngel 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@Sawcon4]

Yes that was cool. I liked the mob guy.

[@Sawcon4]

You know, with the spaghetti😂

[@soulagent79]

I had all three LOW-games, but part two was definitely the best of the series, even though LOW 3 had the most amazing roster ever.

[@TheMenInTightsPodcast]

I agree, the second game was definitely the best of the series.

[@Thor-Orion]

Fire Pro Wrestling is the best game ever for roster, because you can download basically anyone ever.

[@egb11lom7]

The entrance taunts is a good idea in theory. I agree it didn't work in this game but I wish they kept developing it

[@Phan211]

I really liked these games. Legends of Wrestling 2 was especially great I thought, the story mode was a lot of fun. The games weren't great but I still sunk hours into both of them.

[@Phan211]

@aDg 2k18 I only had a GameCube when these games were coming out so I never got to play Showdown.

[@staceyworkman4944]

This was my game back in the day just wished I had more wrestling knowledge to know about the different territories

[@levibradley5098]

The biggest thing I remember from these games is the various noises the game would make when you hit a low blow.

[@user-iw4gz7vh4w]

I loved the interviews you could unlock. They’re all on KZbin. The Terry funk interview is 100% pure gold

[@magdabrownis265]

I remember being really hyped for this when it came out. It was ok but it didn’t meet my expectations

[@willyjf6193]

Dude I just remember once I got the reversals down and figured out the moves It became my fav wrestling game, At first I hated it.

[@maxxdahl6062]

@@willyjf6193 Yeah it's the type of game you hate UNTIL you get the hang of it, then it's fun.

[@magdabrownis265]

@@maxxdahl6062 no I was good at it and played it a ton because it’s what I had. Still doesn’t make it good

[@magdabrownis265]

@@willyjf6193 definitely not the best wrestling game or even top ten

[@martynodonnell8467]

Another awesome upload from the greatest wrestling channel on the planet! I owned Legends Of Wrestling on the PS2 back in the day. Was such a disappointment. It wasn’t until Showdown, the 3rd in the series, came along. That things started to improve. With a very stacked roster. The game mechanics did leave a lot to be desired though.

[@us3l3ssknowl3dg3]

Loved these games when I was a kid from 2002-2004 and I learned about a lot of old school wrestlers due to playing this series, but they ABSOLUTELY do not age well due to the piss poor gameplay

[@abeezysportsxentertainment]

The game that made WWE start it doing Legends Contracts.And I remember they was about to do a part two.

[@JeromeDoyle]

nostalgia was a big part of it but I had a good bit of fun with this one despite it having many shortcomings.

[@SCOBigMike666]

I played the hell out of this game back in the day, it was quite addictive, one of the best non big company wrestling games out there

[@neilsmith9066]

A wrestling game that was fun was Ultimate Muscle with Muscle Men figures. It was way different but fun too

[@Hulkling93]

As a 9 year old at the time of the first two entries, it was great learning all the legends before my time or outside of WWE. Great history lesson.

[@yws4645]

This was the first wrestling game I ever owned... Never had any of the sequels, but this game was something I played constantly as a kid. Still own it to this day.

[@TheNaturalPatHarris]

The legends of wrestling series are amazing

[@chrisricketts8059]

I do love the game reviews and appreciate the hell you put yourself through for them. Hope to see them continue

[@RageCityBiscuit]

Being 10 years old In a time before KZbin this game was my only gateway to wrestlers from before my time.

[@RobClooney]

It's great you're covering games I missed: LoW and the Backyard series. I had LoW2 for the GBA, and quickly grew tired of that one. Looking forward to the LoW2 video.

[@dragonrana88]

When I first got my PS2 off layaway, i got it with Madden 2002 and Legends of Wrestling. I played LoW so much, I have good memories with the first 2 games as something different than the Smackdown games. I loved the rosters.

[@mattcaporuscio6956]

I only had Legends of Wrestling 2 and I hated the gameplay but I was always fascinated about a 70s/80s territory story mode game. I don’t think it’ll ever happen again and being honest I’m surprised in 2002 they had most of the legends for that roster. I think the intro for Legends of Wrestling 2 is one of the greatest intros for a wrestling game.

[@extremeking425]

I like that you keep reviewing video games, hopefully you eventually review the Smackdown vs Raw series

[@Aracore]

I remember these being released at the time. I bought them of course... needed something to bridge the gap between the Smackdown games.

[@Yaboiwilsonnnn]

Honestly can't wait to see you play a Matt Dickie wrestling game, it'll be a fever dream

[@evrbody]

He posted a video on Wrestling Revolution 3D a couple of months ago.

[@landeny65]

I like Wrestling Revolution 2D best, if we’re being honest

[@TheOGNoName]

I have really been enjoying these game reviews a LOT. Some of my favorite content on your channel. Hope you keep making more. Thanks for all the entertainment you provide to us.

[@juliusthompson9306]

Mannnnnnnnn, the lead ups to these games were amazing. Revealing a few wrestlers every week, or so. I was hooked!!!

[@Slop_Dogg]

the entrances for these games were hilarious. the heels would just repeatedly look like they were burping at the crowd

[@frankez99]

“I’m a fan of the round system” ~ Tito Santana 1991

[@gh0rochi363]

😂😂😂 a classic

[@JROC2112]

Great videos. Thanks for sharing and playing for us.

[@DJReyzor357]

I had the second one on my Playstation 2 and I absolutely love it. All the characters had 4 different wrestling gears, the themes were good. The extras featuring each wrestler giving a "Shoot Interview" The Late Hawk of The Road Warriors sounded so much like The Late Great Macho Man Randy Savage... My younger brother was excellent playing that game, I enjoyed the second version so much that I went out to the mall a couple months later and got the first version and it wasn't that much better than the first one but since I got it under $20.00, I really couldn't complain. The titantron featured the exact video game version of each wrestler doing their trademark poses with there name flashing across the screen. Great memories 👌 video upload.

[@systemmonitor5295]

Looking forward to seeing you cover the other two.

[@Jiren261]

I'd love to see this again, using a more updated engine. Since WWE practically own everything territory related they could do another legends game that has you travelling the different territories. Get Cornette & someone to do commentary (JR is in AEW so that's a no)

[@jugghead82]

Awesome Vid As Always I remember playing this game alot back in the day I did like the slow mo effect when performing some moves in the game. They did improve later in future installments

[@kevynhansyn2902]

I was definitely playing the other Smackdown game on a pure grind fest, and it was fun as hell. Playing this, well yeah you were correct on all points. I gave it to a friend back than.

[@joepayne7068]

Just want to say, you do this video game reviews really well. Not something I'm usually into, but your good at it, information + entertainment. I enjoy them

[@binook5312]

this is one of my favorite series on KZbin,gonna be a sad day when you run out of games

[@markjones5647]

This was a good addition to wrestling games great review as always wrestling bios so looking forward to Thursday

[@Tim85-y2q]

One thing I thought was neat was how progress through the career mode wasn't (generally) based on winning or losing, but on how exciting the match was. That's probably the best true simulation of what pro wrestling is out of any video game.

[@michaeljohn8056]

Definitely had this game because i loved the idea of having legends

[@stevelowe2647]

I think the problem is, the *majority* of people who get nostalgia from this era wouldn't be all that interested in computer games because they didn't grow up with it. I got a PS4 & a PS5, but I don't spend hours upon hours every week on them, unlike my stepson who wastes all his free time on playstation games. I was only born in 87 too, so people who remember 87 & earlier would be less attracted to consoles.

[@Thor-Orion]

I was born in 90, I really liked this game, I was always a history guy and I liked the history of wrestling mostly because I’m a big Bret Hart fan, so those older style wrestlers are good by me.

[@Weapon-b3w]

The best roster for 70's, 80's & early 90's. The wrestlers appearance was so real.. it really has the best of it. Excellent job done by acclaim.. Still the best classic roster

[@jackstraughan24]

This was one of my first ever games. Had it on the GameCube back in the day and even though it may not be great I still really enjoy it. Never really knew that the general consensus on it was, so awesome vid

[@tonybeattie3980]

I’m gonna be honest, I’ve never had a chance to play these myself and I know they’re not the greatest, but I feel like the 3rd one would at least be a decent lazy afternoon with a beer or two type of game. I gotta admit as someone who loves (for lack of a better word) studying wrestling history, the roster alone has me intrigued.

[@affoidman123]

I remember going from SmackDown! 2 on the PS1 to Just Bring It on the PS2, me and my brother were blown away lmao good times .

[@velvetdogg7375]

Game reviews are good stuff. I got Oldman Gamer Disorder, " became unable to pay video game's" think it could even be a disability. So this is very therapeutic for me. Keep them going!

[@aron_thejoker4835]

This game bring back some memories I played it toke me a while to get a good hang of it but I finally was able to get good at it it's a pretty alright game

[@glenpemberton4824]

Got this 20 years ago when I was 9 years old at a local store at the time called Rhino Video Games in Cumming, GA. It was ok, my uncle and I played it often. I got all the Acclaim Legends of Wrestling games. This one though will be special because I met Road Warrior Animal in the summer of 2019 at a local arcade and got a pic and him to sign the cover! Such an amazing experience! We know sadly he would pass a little bit of a year later. So this game will always be special to me just for that and I’ll never get rid of it. God bless and may God Rest the soul of Road Warrior Animal (and Hawk) ✝️❤️

[@ace51689]

For anyone wondering, the intro song from the game is "Rookie" by boysetsfire.

[@Rafman316]

I remember my excitement getting this for my birthday and then my disappointment when I got into a match. I tried to convince myself for ages that it was good until finally I admitted it sucked

[@p.d.l7023]

They did try to do the sign wrestlers not in feds for a game and quite recently. Its called "Retromania" and they have: Road Warriors, Austin Idol, Nikita Kolloff and more.

[@Moxleygirl]

I loved these games as a kid, they weren’t the best but it made me look up all the different names I didn’t recognize to learn more about them

[@Braddicusfinch]

I did love these games, mainly Showdown. As someone who was around 8/9 when LOW 2 came out and had only really watched current stuff at the time, these games are what introduced me to people like Dusty Rhodes, "Hot Stuff" Eddie Gilbert, The Von Erich Family, Bruno Sammartino etc. Hell, these games were my introduction to Bret Hart, who I'm now a massive fanboy for. Will always be grateful for that, the excellent Jimmy Hart "Legends of Wrestling" song, the fun as hell ladder/cage/tables matches... And of course that one glitch where Jake the Snake levitated off of the mat about five feet, walked through the cage wall and disappeared off into the night...

[@TheBassJourney]

Really good soundtrack on the 2nd game too

[@riskybitness]

I believe the switch from Acclaim to THQ largely had to do with Jack Friedman's relationship with WWF at the time since he got LJN the license in the first place. When Acclaim purchased what was left of LJN, they got the WWF contract along with it but Friedman left the company shortly after this happened. Acclaim would file bankruptcy by 2004.

[@Cloud121D]

The second game was one of the first games I got for my GameCube (in fact it was the 7th game I bought). I LOVE Legends of Wrestling II. Love the grappling system and countering. My buddy had the Xbox version, and when we would play each other, regardless of version, the matches would turn into counterfests but it was always so tense to see who would make the first mistake that we didn't get annoyed or upset with the countering system. Soundtrack was amazing as well for LOW II, and the generic knockoffs of the theme songs were catchy as well (especially Bret's). I did eventually buy the first one for GameCube as well, and I loved it as well. I was SO bummed when Showdown was cancelled for GameCube, but bought it for PS2 instead. Legends of Wrestling II was the best game of the series.

[@peterversionone]

I think I remember this game, didn’t they have interviews with some of the wrestlers? Duggan was drooling on his

[@RetroJR3379]

They did but it was on LOW 2

[@TonySpike]

That was the second game

[@maxxdahl6062]

Nah duggan was just doing a typical duggan promo. The other guys tended to do a sort of semi-shoot interview, ending their videos with a promo which was cool.

[@RetroJR3379]

@@maxxdahl6062 Yea 1st talked about thier career and what they been doing since and then cut a promo. Hogan was my fave

[@maxxdahl6062]

@@RetroJR3379 I liked them all really.

[@noahbaird8459]

This actually makes me want to play these again

[@Rayla840]

I wanna get this game so much now! If it's on Playstation, I'm buying it. I can still enjoy Tecmo Wrestling for NES. I would definitely enjoy this!

[@aceassn716]

Word Tecmo World Wrestling is the GOAT in NES

[@MrFoxxx47]

The soundtracks and bonus interview videos were the best things about these games lol.

[@Cameron_611]

I haven’t played this game since since the mid 2000s. The pics at the end of the match (especially of Jerry “The King” Lawler and Road Warrior Animal) of the defeated wrestler was really creepy.

[@tonyhernandezpumarejo]

I personally loved the Legends of Wrestling games , specially II and Showdown. I had II for PS2. Right now, I just purchased Showdown for my original Xbox. Can’t wait to play it again

[@dp4925]

Thank you for this Video. You should really check out the King of Colosseum Series, KoC 2 especially. There sure is a language barrier and it is outside the US Wrestling cosmos. But hell, the gameplay and purism of this Series blew me away big time.

[@superstarthomas]

I think now I can see why people hardly talk about this game. I actually played this a good bit in my high school days. Still remember liking the music.

[@firewalker1372]

In the second version of this game you can play in Cobo Arena and the Pontiac Silverdome. I enjoyed the second one much much better.

[@adamkoindustries88]

If the Legends of Wrestling 2 video slams the game as hard as this vid does, we are going to have a problem. I haven’t played the first game much, but Legends 2 is fantastic!

[@HighFalutinTootin]

The AKI games on N64 had the best control interface imo, it was easy to learn made sense and was fun and that's the most import factor, the games weren't pretty but they had their charms.

[@jameshill3403]

Showdown Legends of wrestling really improved on this though that game had a stacked roster and played well

[@martynodonnell8467]

I loved Showdown. I think the game mechanics could have been better. However was much better than what came before.

[@josephnicolino8529]

Legends of Wrestling 2 was great, can hardly wait for your review

[@DefterNiko]

Gawd I used to love this game. I know it's basic and has a few rough edges. But as a youngster when this came out. It really got me interested in the non wwe "current" wrestlers and get an appreciation for the territory days. I liked the campaign. But again, I was very young lol. A game like this now, would be fantastic!

[@McPoshSquatch]

I LOVED how Hogan looked nothing like himself and his head was literally pea-sized compared to the ridiculously overblown body they gave him. I imagine this would be Vince's wet dream, since he's got a thing for big, muscular guys.

[@EliteEasyE]

Fantastic idea. Virtual Basement is doing something similar with The Wrestling Code. Hopefully they have better gameplay, which I think they will. They've already signed a ton of ECW guys.

[@Jamessmith-xk3fh]

I wish some of my KZbin wrestling channels would give us some updates on the Wrestling Code game because I haven't heard anything lately about the game

[@steelcurtain187]

I wanted to love this game so much at the time. The roster was amazing the game just wasn’t very fun and something you would come back to after a few days unfortunately

[@Garrison_Sisk]

This was the first wrestling game I owned, I enjoyed the game. I still like this game, I have amazing memories of it.

[@harveywright3878]

I Have The Legends Of Wrestling Games On Playstation 2 And XBOX And I Enjoyed Playing All Of Them.

[@RetroJR3379]

Out of the 3 I think the 2nd was way better especially with thier actual ring music just like Hulk Hogan WCW theme

[@ArcherSuh4721]

"You can use weapons and fight outside as much as you like, so every match is a hardcore match." I know it was like twenty years ago but I don't think I'll ever get over how the one thing that was imperative to the ECW games wasn't there, but it was in Legends of Wrestling...

[@dannyrivera8300]

I Remember having my eye on this one but never actually picking it up ... this one and WWE Legends of Wrestlemania

[@simplesimonhadapie]

wwe legend of wrestlemania is fine as a simple wrestling game and so cheap worth picking up now

[@80srocknroller]

My favorite Legends Of Wrestling game was Showdown: Legends Of Wrestling which I should played dream matches or recreate some classics of the 1970's, 1980's and 1990's

[@robertlawrence4719]

I really enjoyed the LOW games. They were buggy yes, but so are the 2k games. And I enjoy them to.

[@EliteEasyE]

Love the back street venue. Nice Easter egg of that Iguana venue.

[@stevengrvp]

I had this for the Xbox it was cool to win the title with Brett heart

[@michaelchamberlain2424]

This is a dream for us older fans i have wwe 2k22 i wish they released legends again in packs instead of these no names

[@chrisasst]

Loved that game. I think I still have that somewhere in my house

[@thomasdenham2142]

Another underrated game I loved showdown legends of wrestling

[@therealjaycentury69]

Brings me back to my childhood

[@adjay1995]

Great videos brings back memories looking forward to seeing you review low 2

[@biggjoshhardcore]

I like this Game. I enjoyed it more than most players did.

[@lja8187]

enjoying the video game throwbacks!

[@luisortiz1203]

I remember being so excited for this game, Legends of Wrestling like Hell Yeah, play as ppl from the 70's, and 80's I remember renting this game from either blockbuster or Hollywood Video, My memories are very Vague, however I do remember being disappointed to the point that I never rented the game again, and decided not to purchase it.

[@MrSkullHead1250]

This game has a bit of nostalgia for me personally. I had a good time with it when it came out. I since sold my copy, quite a while ago now, but I still have fond memories of it. LOW 2, I still own, and it is a better game.

[@billybattle]

I rented this game from blockbuster as a kid and I really enjoyed it. So much so that I got it afterwards.

[@yourhighness409]

Wrestling bio's about to hit the 300,000 mark. You deserve a chin lock Sir.

[@solidsnake5317]

I enjoyed this game as a kid. Never played the second one but it was something new to play and different

[@crutchddaddy95]

Great games gameplay may not be no mercy level but you can tell it was a game made by actual wrestling fans. Unlike the 2K games of today where attention to detail is severely lacking

[@EliteEasyE]

Man this would have rocked on the AKI engine. Hell would have been decent on Acclaims own Anarchy Rulez engine, But I get that fans were sick of that aging engine and button combos. Which is probably why the geniuses at 2K and Visual Concepts thought to bring back combos lol, tho, the ISP engine might be a version of that old engine.