The Wrestlemania– Pay-per-view is WWE’s premier event of the year and was held in early April 2005. So the Xbox offshoot is late reaching Europe, but that doesn’t matter much: apart from the catchy name, the virtual wrestling doesn’t have much in common with the event. THQ hired a different developer this time, and they got the job Tao Feng-Maker Studio Giant.
With the new team comes a new control: Depending on how long you press two buttons, four different grip variants and the resulting throws can be used. You run and hit with the remaining buttons, precisely timed counterattacks are carried out with the shoulder buttons.
Around 40 WWE wrestlers battle each other in all PPV and show arenas, hard-working athletes unlock a few legends and alternative locations. In individual ‘friendship’ fights or online duels, you can play in (almost) any standard match type. Alternatively, a linear career mode is tempting, in which you make a self-made star from a newcomer to a Wrestlemania star. Particularly authentic: the original stars synchronize their virtual images in the story sequences.
