WWE Crush Hour

The Good
As weird as the game sounds upon first hearing about it, I think it really makes sense in practicality. Smash-em-up games like Twisted Metal were fun and innovative, but they required the gamer to learn and accept an entire cast of characters made up from scratch. By using WWE wrestlers as drivers, with their pre-made personalities already accepted by millions, you've got yourself a logical basis for a game here.

And as wacky as the premise may be, it actually works. The game itself is just as fun as a Twisted Metal title, with unique levels and modes of play. Time limit matches, "capture the flag" style missions, and "collect the most ____" rounds are just some of the options you have, all with a WWE theme and unique spin.

Each WWE Superstar has their own audio catchphrases and soundbites that play when they make a kill or win a match... you'll find yourself selecting your player based not only on their vehicle's unique "finishing move", but by the wittiness or weirdness of their audio snippets!

It's been awhile since I've played the game, but working to unlock hidden characters was fun and kept me interested. There's also quite a variety of wrestlers included in this game, so that's great... especially when one of the biggest issues with WWE games in the past has been small roster size.

The Bad
Small gripe, but load times are a bit of an issue. Standard, I suppose, for an early-2000 PS2 release.

Audio commentary is absolutely pointless and can be downright annoying. Done by Jim Ross and Jerry "The King" Lawler, their quotes are repetitive and poorly executed. The minutiae of something like a player acquiring a certain missile is announced far too dramatically: "Chris Jericho... has just picked up... the Twisty Rockets!"

The Bottom Line
I think it's a really fun game that was perhaps dismissed by people who judge and reject all things WWE. Fact is, it's a fun "drive and destroy" game in the vein of the popular Twisted Metal series. Given that the characters are representations of what the gamer/viewer saw on TV from that time period, it was quite fun to play as your favorite wrestler... just in a totally different context.