Game: "TNA Impact!"

Console: Xbox 360; also available for PlayStation 2 and 3, Nintendo Wii

Publisher/developer: Midway Games/Midway Studio

Genre: Wrestling

Release date: Sept. 9, 2008

Rated: T for teen

Premise: You play a wrestler named Suicide, who disobeys the boss's orders to take a dive in a world title match. Afterward, he's assaulted by two men and left for dead in Tijuana, Mexico. When Suicide awakes, he has no memory of who he is or how he crossed the border. Luckily, he's good at pro wrestling.

Game play: Within the first few minutes, longtime gamers will notice how similar "TNA Impact!" is to the wrestling titles of the Nintendo 64 era such as "WCW/nWo Revenge" and "WWF No Mercy." If you're wondering if that's a pro or con, the answer is "yes."

Easily the biggest similarity is the frustrating control scheme. Basic wrestling moves require excessively difficult combinations. For example, an Irish whip is performed by hitting Y and LT buttons while flicking the left directional stick. This doesn't sound too hard until about the seventh time you hit the B button or right stick (which changes your target opponent) in one match.

The steep learning curve of the controllers piggybacks onto another huge problem: cheap AI. Even on the easiest difficulty, a match can completely change momentum within one or two moves. That's actually faithful to televised wrestling events but doesn't translate well in the video-game world. In fact, it turns players off because they're forced to stoop to the AI's level instead of feeling genuinely challenged.

Another huge problem with "Impact!" is it doesn't take full advantage of the next-generation consoles' capabilities. Wrestler models and the interstitial segments are polished, voiced well and have great writing, but the collision detection can be downright awful at times. Plus, the impressive roster doesn't make up for having only 25 wrestlers, horrifically repetitive commentary by Mike Tenay and Don West and the total absence of the Knockouts Division — perhaps TNA's best thing going right now.

My take: "TNA Impact!" is the kind of game I wish I liked. It has potential to be lots of fun and shows promise in almost every aspect. Problem is, none of the game's facets made up for the hype or the unshakable feeling it came out a decade too late. Still, if you're a TNA fan, rent or buy this game because no one else might.