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HERE AT GAMEPLANET WE are unashamed fans of pro wrestling, and in particular the era of the Eighties and Nineties when some of the greatest wrestlers dominated the squared circle. Where a series like Smackdown tries to recreate the present-day WWE Legends of Wrestling: Showdown seeks to bring back to life some of the sport's finest protagonists. In our opinion this creates a potentially more exciting game, where classic matches can be relived and fighters from different eras can finally be matched up.

A lot of what is fuelling our anticipation is the roster announced for Showdown. Past greats such as the Ultimate Warrior, Bret "Hitman" Hart, Dusty Rhodes, "Macho Man" Randy Savage and Crow-era Sting are in the line-up as well as dozens of others. Finally we will be able to recreate the classic feud between "Ravishing" Rick Rude and Jake "The Snake" Roberts, or the timeless matches between Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant in their prime. Tag teams including the Road Warriors and even managers like Mr Fuji and "Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart are also in the game.

In terms of features Showdown looks to have the goods, with match types including Table, First Blood, Ladder, Steel Cage, Iron Man, Battle Royal, Hardcore, 6 & 8 Man Tag, Elimination, Handicap, plus 3 & 4 Way Dances. Controls have been overhauled and are now labeled "Ready to Brawl" controls. Exactly what this means we are not too sure, but we're keen to find out. If we get stuck we can always fall back on Bret Hart's promised gameplay tutorial. Commentary has been a problem for most wrestling games in the past and Showdown seeks to address this with the addition of a classic set of commentators including Tony Schiavone, Larry Zbyszko & Bobby "The Brain" Heenan.

In the past the Legends of Wrestling series has not quite met the standard of the modern day WWE-based games. Acclaim now look to be trying to bridge the gap with new controls and gameplay, and supplementing that with a rich set of features and unlockables and one of the best rosters Gameplanet has seen. We'll find out soon enough whether they have done enough when Legends of Wrestling: Showdown releases on July 16.

Show me the screenshots!