TNA Wrestling iMPACT
He goes for the pin...one...two...zzzzz...
TNA Wrestling impact is one of the best looking games on the App Store, but that doesn't mean it's good. Although the developers earned high marks for creating a visually appealing experience, the in-ring action plods along at such a slow pace that we quickly lost interest.
It's a shame, because iMPACT comes with a variety of content for $4.99. In addition to creating a wrestler, there's also 24 TNA superstars to choose from, including Kurt Angle, Sting, Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, Somoa Joe and Rob Van Dam, all of which feature entrances and finishing moves.
On top of that, the game has four different venues and six unique match types, like cage, no disqualification and falls count anywhere. Even better, you can battle the computer in the Career mode, or compete against friends online via Game Center or locally, unlocking achievements en route to the championship. Not bad for an iOS game.
Thing is, iMPACT fails to live up to its name. The brawling is so mind-numbingly slow that it's nearly impossible to get excited, especially when there's an obvious delay between pressing the virtual buttons and seeing those moves performed on screen.
We also noticed glitches. Wrestlers run in place or hit their opponents when their fists were clearly a few inches away from the other character. It's also common to see missed frames of animations and awkward transitions between moves; wrestlers on the ground will suddenly go to a standing position. Weird stuff.
As we said, though, the game looks great. All of the wrestlers resemble their real life counterparts, and the animated fans and special effects during entrances are a nice touch.
Bottom line, the best graphics can't make up for such lackluster gameplay. TNA Wrestling iMPACT is a step in the right direction, but this title came up short where it counts the most, fun. With that, it's time to head back to the locker room.
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later.
What's Hot: Creating your own wrestler, 24 superstars to choose from, six match types, online play, sweet looking graphics.
What's Not: Shoddy collision detection, delay between button presses and on-screen action, too slow.
2/5
