No one would question the claim that wrestling has been in a slump since the late 90s and early 2000s. The days of Stone Cold, The Rock, Sting, Goldberg, and all of the other fan favorites have faded away into a current wrestling economy dominated by has-beens, and shouldn’t-bes. During this trying time for wrestling fans, TNA promised a safe haven where viewers and longtime wrestling watchers could find good ol’, classic rastlin’ action without the super corny modern gimmicks. They brought out big names from the past, came up with some new matches the WWF and WCW never would have tried, and tried their damndest to make wrestling a national craze again. Unfortunately they just couldn’t compete with the might of the former WWF/WCW Empire, and while entertaining even TNA is a shadow of what wrestling used to be.

In a sense, Midway’s new title (and presumably first in a series) TNA Impact! feels the same way.

Powered by Unreal Engine 3.0, the game looks fantastic. Each and every wrestler is a spot-on representation of their real life counterpart. The animations flow smoothly, and from dropkick to powerbomb the action looks real, and looks intense.

Powered by Unreal Engine 3.0, the game looks fantastic. Each and every wrestler is a spot-on representation of their real life counterpart. The animations flow smoothly, and from dropkick to powerbomb the action looks real, and looks intense. Unfortunately, the graphics are the brightest light in an otherwise overcast title. Being that it’s a brand new IP and was under some deadline pressure, it’s understandable how Midway could miss out on adding some of the heftier features other modern wrestling games, such as a massive story mode and a huge archive of moves and animations. What’s not understandable, however, is how archaic aspects of the game seem to be.

For example, the create-a-wrestler mode—considered a staple in any wrestling game since the PSX era—is woefully underdone. There are very few options in every department (less than No Mercy, an N64 title). What makes it even worse is that you can’t preview any moves, entrances, or animations. Not sure what that specifically named move is? Does it sound cool? That’s pretty much how picking most moves will go for most gamers without an intimate knowledge of the wrestling maneuver lexicon. The lack of previewing entrances also hurts as you’ll have to blindly guess which entrance suits your already lackluster CAW. Pick a number, go with it, and hope for the best.