For personal reference more than anything else.
Played it for a little bit to compare with 2007 and to also write this. Have played it before a fair few years ago but not enough for me to really remember playing that much, came back to it a little in the last year.
I went in to this one today not really expecting much, when I've played it recently I didn't think much of it and its the next game after 2007 so I figured at best there'd be a couple of improvements with the only real noticeable change being the graphics as its going from a PS2 game to a PS3 one. I was wrong though as this really seemed to improve a lot from the last game and multiple issues I had with 2007 were now either gone or changed for the better.
Difficulty is the main thing as the game is easier now, the reversal system seems the same but it just felt like I was able to actually reverse moves more often here which stopped fights being incredibly one-sided. Tap any button repeatedly sections are still here, but from what I could tell it was only when my character was on the ground and the time spent on the ground before being able to get up felt a lot shorter compared to the last game, gradually as the match goes on and my character took more damage they would be on the ground for longer but that's how it should be I think. So basically, button mashing isn't necessary for long. This does mean that the submission minigame has changed and I don't think I particularly like it, its just move the right stick until you either can't or shouldn't any more and its just kind of weird and dull.
The difficulty options themselves are mostly better now as normal and hard are fun to play, although they are a bit too easy I think now. Easy is kind of boring but funny at the same time as most of the time the opponent will just look at you and not do anything which makes it feel more like a practice mode perhaps. Legend is actually what I was looking for though as it doesn't feel too easy but its not too difficult either, it feels like a good balance and led to matches I could get really invested in and enjoy playing, there was an initial problem with the opponent being able to reverse basically everything all the time but thankfully this can be adjusted in the options and after that it finally felt right.
Some scattered thoughts:
• Customisation was better in this game as there were more moves to choose from but still the same amount of slots in create a moveset. Create a superstar was also better as while it was mostly the same, it just felt like there were more options and due to the graphical upgrade the characters you can make just look a lot better than the ones in 2007.
• Saving was no longer annoying as shit as the game could auto-save, so even though the game saved just as much as 2007 did, it wasn't constantly asking if I wanted to save or not.
• There are some things where my opinion just hasn't changed, I still don't really care about the career mode and I like the roster although how character selection works leaves much to be desired.
• The soundtrack though is another story as the music seems to be the same kind that was in 2007 but because I haven't really spent time with it I have no interest in it at all.
• There was this strange sense of slowness and awkwardness when it came to movement but I was just able to roll with it and quickly got used to it.
When I first realised that this game was a lot better than 2007, I was admittedly kind of pissed off because it felt wrong to have a higher opinion on this game that I have no real attachment to, instead of 2007 where I have a much stronger attachment. Its kind of a stupid feeling I think but it does come from a place of genuine surprise due to how much of an improvement was made between games, it is wild to me just how much more enjoyable this game is. I may not have particularly strong emotions regarding this game but I really like it and its a perfectly acceptable choice for when I want to play a wrestling game.
Played it for a little bit to compare with 2007 and to also write this. Have played it before a fair few years ago but not enough for me to really remember playing that much, came back to it a little in the last year.
I went in to this one today not really expecting much, when I've played it recently I didn't think much of it and its the next game after 2007 so I figured at best there'd be a couple of improvements with the only real noticeable change being the graphics as its going from a PS2 game to a PS3 one. I was wrong though as this really seemed to improve a lot from the last game and multiple issues I had with 2007 were now either gone or changed for the better.
Difficulty is the main thing as the game is easier now, the reversal system seems the same but it just felt like I was able to actually reverse moves more often here which stopped fights being incredibly one-sided. Tap any button repeatedly sections are still here, but from what I could tell it was only when my character was on the ground and the time spent on the ground before being able to get up felt a lot shorter compared to the last game, gradually as the match goes on and my character took more damage they would be on the ground for longer but that's how it should be I think. So basically, button mashing isn't necessary for long. This does mean that the submission minigame has changed and I don't think I particularly like it, its just move the right stick until you either can't or shouldn't any more and its just kind of weird and dull.
The difficulty options themselves are mostly better now as normal and hard are fun to play, although they are a bit too easy I think now. Easy is kind of boring but funny at the same time as most of the time the opponent will just look at you and not do anything which makes it feel more like a practice mode perhaps. Legend is actually what I was looking for though as it doesn't feel too easy but its not too difficult either, it feels like a good balance and led to matches I could get really invested in and enjoy playing, there was an initial problem with the opponent being able to reverse basically everything all the time but thankfully this can be adjusted in the options and after that it finally felt right.
Some scattered thoughts:
• Customisation was better in this game as there were more moves to choose from but still the same amount of slots in create a moveset. Create a superstar was also better as while it was mostly the same, it just felt like there were more options and due to the graphical upgrade the characters you can make just look a lot better than the ones in 2007.
• Saving was no longer annoying as shit as the game could auto-save, so even though the game saved just as much as 2007 did, it wasn't constantly asking if I wanted to save or not.
• There are some things where my opinion just hasn't changed, I still don't really care about the career mode and I like the roster although how character selection works leaves much to be desired.
• The soundtrack though is another story as the music seems to be the same kind that was in 2007 but because I haven't really spent time with it I have no interest in it at all.
• There was this strange sense of slowness and awkwardness when it came to movement but I was just able to roll with it and quickly got used to it.
When I first realised that this game was a lot better than 2007, I was admittedly kind of pissed off because it felt wrong to have a higher opinion on this game that I have no real attachment to, instead of 2007 where I have a much stronger attachment. Its kind of a stupid feeling I think but it does come from a place of genuine surprise due to how much of an improvement was made between games, it is wild to me just how much more enjoyable this game is. I may not have particularly strong emotions regarding this game but I really like it and its a perfectly acceptable choice for when I want to play a wrestling game.