WrestleMania XIX was a very solid game, with THQ wisely choosing to abandon the admittedly poor WrestleMania X8 title entirely. There were still flaws, most notably the ill-advised “Revenge” mode that supplanted any semblance of story, but the core foundation wasn’t there. In my review of WMXIX, I suggested that this would be a great foundation for the proceeding title. Happily, it appears that THQ is indeed building off of what worked, and changing what failed to create a more solid title.

Of course, the most obvious change is the name of the game. According to THQ, keeping the “WrestleMania” name seemed silly when the game doesn’t launch until six months after its namesake event, though the old name did mean having a great deal of built-in marketability. Also, the new name, Day of Reckoning, alludes to specific story-driven elements that the producer wasn’t yet at liberty to discuss. We do know that the game is much more plot-oriented this time around, with the player starting as an indy wrestler fighting to earn a lucrative WWE contract. As you progress, decisions are made, and these will influence your path on the way to an ultimate WrestleMania match for the championship.

Gameplay wise, the core grappling engine is intact and slightly updated, using the tap-or-hold method popularized by the WWF: No Mercy engine. More features have been added, like a unique “tug-of-war” submission meter, which pops up when the player is fighting against a submission move (by rapidly tapping A), for the first time giving a visual representation of what effect your mutton mashing is having on the game. This new submission system is also used for the Bra and Panties matches, which are new to the GameCube WWE games, as the ladies try to keep from being disrobed. Yukes has also brought the momentum meter from SmackDown: Here Comes The Pain, and added the ability to steal your opponent’s momentum with a special move. For the most part, the control scheme was identical to WrestleMania XIX, with the A button grappling, B button striking, etc. Entering the “Special” mode requires pressing A and B at the same time, and again to use a signature finisher. There are a lot of new moves in the game as well, many of which are context-sensitive requiring precise ring placement to execute.

The demo was fairly limited, including the aforementioned Bra and Panties match, and a standard Singles match. The only playable wrestlers were Triple H and Chris Benoit in Singles, with Trish Stratus and Stacy Kiebler rounding out the complement. THQ says that the game will have over forty wrestlers initially playable, with many unlockable and some brand-new “Legends”. THQ couldn’t reveal any of the Legends, but it’s likely that some of this years Hall of Fame inductees would be included. It’s also reasonable to assume that many of the wrestlers participating in this year’s WrestleMania event will be included in the overall roster, though with several wrestlers’ futures in doubt after the pay-per-view, there may be some last-minute changes. Also not confirmed, but on the producers’ wish list, is using wrestlers from actual indy federations (like OVW) as the “jobbers” you fight your way through the ranks.

The presentation is getting a huge makeover, from animation and models, down to technical touches like specular highlighting on skin to give a sweaty, oily look. The animation is still hand-tooled, and while improved, the walking animations are still rough at this stage. THQ representatives insisted that these were still in the process of being refined, and should look much better when the game releases. While there will likely not be any backstage fighting (and most certainly no fighting in construction zones), you can exit the ring and proceed up the ramp to the Titantron and fight on the stage. Likewise, you can fight on top of the announce tables, destroying them if you plant a wrestler through them. Bubba Ray and D-Von would be proud. Camera angles are tighter and more true to the television presentation of the WWE product, and the soundtrack and entrances are all much closer to the current TV airings.

So far, the game looks impressive from this admittedly sparse demo, and hopefully we’ll have more good things to comment on at E3 this year. THQ made good on many of last year’s promises, and we have little doubt that the dedicated people on the Yuke’s and THQ teams will deliver a fantastic game this September.