TNA Impact! Review

TNA Impact reminds me of a bratty little kid. You know the type, always running around making bold claims, kicking people in the shins, and talking about how big and strong he's going to be when he grows up. Since he's just a kid, you have to give him the benefit of the doubt - someday he might accomplish impressive things. However, right now he's still just a punk.

Since TNA Impact is the first entry based on Spike TV's wrestling series, it doesn't have any previous experience to build from. That explains some of the game's limitations: a thin create-a-wrestler mode, the lack of female competitors, and the fact that you can list all the game's weapons on one finger (folding chairs only, come on!).

Those are understandable, but I'm less forgiving about Impact's greater faults. The game's AI, especially in tag team matches, has obviously taken a few too many shots to the head. My partner refused to come to the rescue when I needed him, and sometimes interrupted me when I was doing well. It's almost like someone was paying my AI partner under the table to throw our bouts.

The game pulls off a few impressive moves. The sweaty man graphics look good, the simplified control system is super friendly, and even though the animation suffers from clipping and leads to a few glitches, it's still impressively fluid. Impact's most unique mode, the Ultimate X match – in which wrestlers scramble above the ring to untie a large red X –  also offers a nice change of pace from the standard wresting brawls. Ultimately, TNA Impact just feels limited, but it shows some promise. If it continues to work hard and eat it's veggies, then it just might grow up to be a big strong wrestler someday.