MrRant 0 Report post Posted December 19, 2003 GLEN COVE, N.Y., Dec. 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Wrestling fans with a thirst for nostalgia will once again have an opportunity to see "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes drop his trademark "bionic elbow," as Acclaim Entertainment, Inc. (Nasdaq: AKLM - News) today announced that it has exclusively signed Rhodes to appear in SHOWDOWN: Legends of Wrestling. The video game is currently under development with Acclaim Studios Austin and is scheduled for release in April 2004 across the next-generation gaming platforms. "We're excited to add one of wrestling's greatest champions, 'The American Dream' Dusty Rhodes, to our expanding dream roster of wrestling legends," said David Knies, Brand Director for Acclaim. "Through SHOWDOWN'S era-based Career Mode fans can relive 'The American Dream's' rise through the 70's and 80's and recreate his classic feuds and battles against some of the biggest names in the history of professional wrestling." "When the legend becomes reality, make the legend into a game," added "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes. "'The American Dream' returns to the ring like no other, baby! There's only one 'American Dream,' one bull of the woods and that's me, Dusty Rhodes. I've held championships all over the world and it's an honor to be part of this roster and to work with Acclaim. Make no mistake about it daddy, this April my 'bionic elbow' will be dropped on all comers and we gettin' funky like a monkey." First-ever images of "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes as a virtual wrestler in Acclaim's SHOWDOWN: Legends of Wrestling can be seen at www.legendsshowdown.com. Fans can visit the site and register to become part of "The Legends Legion," a free membership that qualifies them to receive ongoing email updates highlighting the latest gameplay and talent announcements. The SHOWDOWN site also provides visitors with exclusive product information and free downloadable desktop wallpaper. A three-time National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) Heavyweight Champion, "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes wrestled professionally for over 30 years and is still one of the most recognizable names in the history of the sport. Dusty Rhodes's career also includes several behind-the-scenes successes, most notably his tenure as an executive producer with Turner Broadcasting Systems (TBS) and his formation of TurnBuckle Championship Wrestling (TCW), a new wrestling franchise. SHOWDOWN: Legends of Wrestling will be available in April 2004 across the next-generation systems at suggested retail process to be determined. For more information on this game, please visit www.legendsshowdown.com. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MarvinisaLunatic 0 Report post Posted December 19, 2003 I also read that the commentary will be done by Lawler and Tony Schivonne. I read it in some magazine that had a screenshot of the game with Dusty holding Terry Funk over his head. Looked pretty awesome, although I doubt Im going to buy it. Acclaim seems to make tons of promises about their wrestling games but I don't think that their basic concept for a wrestling game has changed very much from WWF Attitude. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Anakin Flair 0 Report post Posted December 19, 2003 Bought the first one, hated it, returned it the next day. I won't be picking this up. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
razazteca 0 Report post Posted December 19, 2003 So the Legends of Wrestling series is selling well? I want Fire Pro on Gamecube in USA will this ever happen? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MarvinisaLunatic 0 Report post Posted December 19, 2003 Bought the first one, hated it, returned it the next day. I won't be picking this up. I bought the 2nd one on sale because it had Andy Kaufman in it. How they could screw that up is beyond me but they did. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PsychoDriver 0 Report post Posted December 19, 2003 They always make these LOW games sound so great.. then you buy them and they turn out just like all of Acclaim's other games. I think I'll just be renting this one... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
deancoles 0 Report post Posted December 20, 2003 Shame there's no wwf outfits. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DerangedHermit 0 Report post Posted December 20, 2003 Shame there's no splotch (if there is, I can't see it) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MillenniumMan831 0 Report post Posted December 21, 2003 Double shame he's not on commentary w/ Tony Schiavone. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MarvinisaLunatic 0 Report post Posted December 21, 2003 Double shame he's not on commentary w/ Tony Schiavone. Yeah, but you get Tony and Lawler which could have quite possibly been the worst announce team ever in real life. Tony: "This is the biggest night in our sport!" King: "Puppies! Whoohoo!" Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest mesepher Report post Posted December 21, 2003 So the Legends of Wrestling series is selling well? I want Fire Pro on Gamecube in USA will this ever happen? That would be a glorious day, having Fire Pro onto the GB. It'd definitely be another reason for me to get one (the first being those Star Wars RS games!) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jebus 0 Report post Posted December 21, 2003 Double shame he's not on commentary w/ Tony Schiavone. Yeah, but you get Tony and Lawler which could have quite possibly been the worst announce team ever in real life. Tony: "This is the biggest night in our sport!" King: "Puppies! Whoohoo!" Have you seen the XWF shows? The worst has already happened, my friend... *shrugs* Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
2GOLD 0 Report post Posted December 21, 2003 He doesn't even really look like Dusty He looks more like that actor who played Scrooge in "A Christmas Carol". And I don't mean Patrick Stewart. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Man Of 1,004 Modes Report post Posted December 21, 2003 He doesn't even really look like Dusty He looks more like that actor who played Scrooge in "A Christmas Carol". And I don't mean Patrick Stewart. How do you mean? His face? all the legends' faces look a little different. Its' aclaims fault...or however you spell the company name. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest JumpinJackFlash Report post Posted December 21, 2003 QUOTE (2GOLD @ Dec 21 2003, 01:50 AM) George C. Scott? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MarvinisaLunatic 0 Report post Posted December 21, 2003 Double shame he's not on commentary w/ Tony Schiavone. Yeah, but you get Tony and Lawler which could have quite possibly been the worst announce team ever in real life. Tony: "This is the biggest night in our sport!" King: "Puppies! Whoohoo!" Have you seen the XWF shows? The worst has already happened, my friend... *shrugs* Nope, never seen an XWF show. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Karnage 0 Report post Posted December 22, 2003 I thought it was Heenan, not Lawler. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Slickster 0 Report post Posted December 23, 2003 I thought it was Heenan, not Lawler. Nope, Lawler did the XWF tapings on 11/13-14/01 and returned to WWE TV on 11/18/01. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Dynamite Kido Report post Posted December 23, 2003 Shame there's no splotch (if there is, I can't see it) I'm sorry but if there is no splotch, then it's not really Dusty IMO. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MillenniumMan831 0 Report post Posted December 24, 2003 Acclaim's Legends of Wrestling franchise has had a rather shaky start to life with two entries that haven't lived up to the potential of the series' premise. Although, to be fair, any game that tries to pull together some of the most memorable wrestling personalities of the past decade into one game has an awful lot to live up to. The first two entries in the series benefited from a virtual who's who of wrestlers that were drawn from some of the most memorable eras of the sport, but, unfortunately, these entries stumbled in their executions due to weak gameplay. For the third entry in the series, Acclaim's Austin studio has consolidated its staff with the Salt Lake studio, which worked on the previous games, and together they're doing quite a bit of work on every aspect of the game in hopes that the third time will be the charm for the promising franchise. Showdown: Legends of Wrestling is the latest entry in Acclaim's promising wrestling franchise. While Acclaim is keeping pretty quiet about the make up of the game's roster, so far they've announced the inclusion of such old-school wrestling favorites as Ultimate Warrior, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, and "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes. Additionally, Bret "The Hitman" Hart will be on hand to offer a wrestling tutorial. Expect to find more than 70 wrestlers in the game, including returning favorites from the previous installments. This time out, the exaggerated art style used for the various wrestlers has been tweaked to maintain the larger-than-life look used in the earlier games, but it offers a less cartoony appearance. As for the venues in the game, you can expect to see all-new classic venues to fight in. The overall presentation will also have an extra layer of polish, thanks to cutscenes that have a distinct television broadcast look. While the improved visuals are nice to see, the bulk of the work being done to the game is focused on its gameplay. The flawed core gameplay mechanics from the previous offerings are being replaced with a new system that the Austin team hopes will offer a better experience. A new three-button control system, dubbed "ready to brawl" control, is being implemented to keep the action moving along at a decent clip. The game's controls have been overhauled to make the moves more accessible. The game will feature several different modes to play in and will also feature a tweaked career mode. Some of the match types include the descriptively named table, first blood, ladder, cage, battle royal, six and eight man elimination bouts, handicap, and three- and four-way dances. The career mode has been tweaked to include a number of factors that will affect your progression. The chronological era (there will be tracks for decades up to the '90s), feuds with other wrestlers, and your performance in matches will all shape how you go through the mode. The game's audio is being packed with some nice touches to lend a bit of authenticity to the experience. In addition to Brett Hart providing the tutorial audio, the theme music is being composed by "Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart. You'll also hear two-man commentary by Bobby "The Brain" Heenan and Tony Schiavone. The game's graphics are shaping up rather nicely. Showdown: Legends of Wrestling is shaping up to be an ambitious overhaul of the series that we're hoping will get the franchise on the right track. The new rosters, improved gameplay, and additional features all bode well for the series. Hopefully the team will be able to tie things together and can serve up a game that meets expectations. Showdown: Legends of Wrestling is currently slated to ship this April for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. By Ricardo Torres, GameSpot [postED: 12/19/03 04:55 PM] Source: www.videogames.com I guess Heenan will be doing commentarty after all. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Karnage 0 Report post Posted December 24, 2003 A new three-button control system, dubbed "ready to brawl" control, is being implemented to keep the action moving along at a decent clip. What's with Acclaim and all the gimmicky names? First "ISP", now "ready to brawl" controls. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MillenniumMan831 0 Report post Posted December 25, 2003 Heenan and Schiavone reunited . . . that could be awkward. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EVIL~! alkeiper 0 Report post Posted December 26, 2003 Wrestling Observer in the current issue stated that Bobby Heenan indeed did voiceover commentary with Tony Schiavone. Schiavone said to Heenan he didn't talk to him because of lawsuits WCW had pending at the time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Robert 0 Report post Posted December 28, 2003 I hope that they fix the movesets. I don't think that Andre The Giant and Big John Studd could do Total Elimination. Rhodes is good, I'm looing foward it. Add more matches, maybe barb-wire, and it's old school. A smaller cage would work. Both people should be able to climb up the ladder. Acclaim have a shitload of work to do. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Ghettoman Report post Posted December 28, 2003 The best thing I've ever seen out of this series is the double underhook piledriver they had in the first one. Did that once with a CAW and felt like I had taken the game as far as it could go. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
