Plot: What’s it about?
If you’ve ever dreamed of being under the bright lights of TNA, taking on all comers inside the famous six-sided ring, this is as close as you can get without a concussion. TNA Impact allows you to step inside the ring and mix it up with some of the most well known professional wrestlers in the world. You can be Kurt Angle, Christian Cage, AJ Styles, or even trade punches with Samoa Joe, the LAX, or countless others. Take the TNA star of your choice to the top of the heap in normal matches, tag team matches, or the world famous Ultimate X match. Or create your own wrestler with the game’s in depth creation mode, then guide him from the small time to the bright lights of TNA. Then take either your created warrior or one of TNA’s finest on-line, to compete against others for titles and bragging rights.
As a fan of wrestling games, I have been rather disappointed by most recent releases. So I was curious about TNA Impact, as I have gotten tired of the same old rosters and game play from the WWE franchise. TNA Impact is fun, no doubt about that. I watch the TNA product and was familiar with the roster, so it was cool to be able to play as some of TNA’s stars, especially the ones that haven’t been in games before. The game plays fast and brisk, with simple controls and a very effective reversal system, as well as a well implemented “style points” system that entices you to use high impact, varied techniques. While fun, TNA Impact is also shallow, as there isn’t much depth to the game play. This could be easily fixed for future installments however, as the foundation for a great game is here, to be sure. So if you’re a fan of TNA or wrestling in general, TNA Impact is solid fun, but it doesn’t have the kind of depth we’re used to. But I had fun for a while with TNA Impact and because of the potential that is evident, I look forward to future releases in this series.
Video: How does it look?
This game has some impressive visuals. The character models look good and movement is well done, even if there isn’t much variety between characters. The ring also looks great and has nice small touches, such as accurate rope movement, which add some realism to the presentation. Most of the moves look good too, but some moments exhibit clipping and unnatural movements, which can detract from the experience. The crowd is lame, but the actual in ring elements look terrific. The image is bright and colorful, well replicating the TNA live experience.
Audio: How does it sound?
The audio is above average, but has some down points. The action inside the ring sounds great, with good impact and some decent voice work. The story mode’s voice talent works well also, with actual TNA talent involved and the non TNA talent also sound good, so that boosts the experience. The music is fine also, but the commentary is not good. Just like the real TNA, the announcers are more annoying than anything else. I heard the same lines over and over, which made for a canned experience. Even so, most of the audio elements perform quite well.
Supplements: What are the extras?
As a bonus, you can check out highlights from TNA’s programs, as well as view four complete matches, two of which have never been broadcast on television.
