Legends of Wrestling II
| Legends of Wrestling II | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Acclaim Entertainment |
| Publisher(s) | Acclaim Entertainment |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2, Xbox, Nintendo Gamecube |
| Release | November 26, 2002 (PS2/GC) (NA) December 5, 2002 (Xbox) (NA) November 25, 2002 (GBA)(NA) February 7, 2003 (PS2/GC/Xbox) (EU) December 6, 2002 (GBA) (EU) |
| Genre(s) | Fighting, Wrestling |
| Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer, online |
Legends of Wrestling II is the sequel to the professional wrestling video game Legends of Wrestling. It was published by Acclaim Entertainment and released on November 26, 2002 for both the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube. It was then released later for the Xbox on December 5, 2002. Legends II contains 24 wrestlers that were not in the first game, though also excludes Rob Van Dam, presumably because he had recently been signed to a WWF contract. However, the game did contain Eddie Guerrero, who, although unemployed at the time he signed a likeness deal, re-signed with WWF when the game was released.
The PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions included video interviews with many of the legends featured in the game while the European version of the game exclusively included four legends from the United Kingdom.
Roster
- Abdullah the Butcher
- André the Giant
- Andy Kaufman
- Bam Bam Bigelow
- Baron von Raschke
- Big Daddy - European version only
- Big John Studd
- "Superstar" Billy Graham
- Bob Backlund
- Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
- Bret Hart
- Brian Knobbs
- Brian Pillman
- Bruno Sammartino
- Captain Lou Albano
- "Cowboy" Bob Orton
- "British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith
- David Von Erich
- Don Muraco
- Dory Funk, Jr.
- Dynamite Kid
- "Hot Stuff" Eddie Gilbert
- Eddie Guerrero
- Fritz Von Erich
- The Grand Wizard
- Giant Haystacks - European version only
- Greg "The Hammer" Valentine
- "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan
- "The King" Harley Race
- "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan
- The Iron Sheik
- Ivan Koloff
- Ivan Putski
- Jerry "The King" Lawler
- Jerry Sags
- "The Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart
- "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka
- Kendo Nagasaki - European version only
- Kerry Von Erich
- Kevin Von Erich
- Killer Kowalski
- King Kong Bundy
- Koko B. Ware
- Mick McManus - European version only
- Mike Von Erich
- Mil Mascaras
- Mr. Fuji
- "Mr. USA" Tony Atlas
- "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff
- Nikolai Volkoff
- One Man Gang
- "The Rocket" Owen Hart
- Rick Martel
- Rick Steiner
- Ricky Morton
- Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat
- Road Warrior Animal
- Road Warrior Hawk
- Robert Gibson
- "Soulman" Rocky Johnson
- "Rowdy" Roddy Piper
- Sabu
- "Big Poppa Pump" Scott Steiner
- The Sheik
- Sid Vicious
- "Dr. Death" Steve Williams
- "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase
- Terry Funk
- Tito Santana
- George "The Animal" Steele
Fictional territorial promoters
Within Career Mode, your wrestler will be working for a specific promoter in each area. By winning the belt for that division and successfully defending it, said promoter will become available for purchase in Shop Mode. Note that the World Region is only available after completion of all the American territories. Each territory has between 8-12 storylines chosen at random with a push of a button. Certain storylines may not be available based on the wrestler used by the player. Each of the promoters in the game were based on famous real life wrestling promoters.
- Belle Jackson (Southeast Region) (Based on Dixie Carter, the President of TNA Wrestling)
- Hiro Natsume (World) (Based on Hiro Matsuda, former president of New Japan Pro Wrestling)
- Randell Scmandell (Pacific Region) (Based on Paul Heyman, the owner of the original incarnation of Extreme Championship Wrestling.)
- Scotty MacDougal (Midwest Region) (Based on Jim Crockett, former owner of Jim Crockett Promotions)
- Tex McGraw (Southwest Region) (Based on Ted Turner, former financial backer of World Championship Wrestling)
- Tony "The Boss" Pavorati (Northeast Region) (Based on Vince McMahon, Chairman of World Wrestling Entertainment)
The game also features a Create A Legend Mode (CAL). Players can create their own custom made characters which can be used for storyline mode as well as exhibition play.
Critical response
The critical response to Legends of Wrestling II was slightly better than that of the original, but still not spectacular; at Game Rankings, the PlayStation 2 version received 59.9%, only a .6% increase from the previous game. The Xbox version was rated highest, garnering a 66.8% (.8% higher than the original), while the GameCube version was the most improved, jumping 5.9% to 60.6%.