TNA iMPACT!

If first impressions count then TNA is likely to win over plenty of fans. But for those who want more for their money, TNA Impact! 2 is likely to be more up your street. Is it better than SmackDown? Tune in next month to find out.

The character models are excellent while the animation is fluid and lively, but the physics of fighting definitely lack polish and can create some frustrating situations. Yet despite these technical shortcomings, it's still great fun to clothesline, drop kick, and power bomb your friends in and out of the ring.

In terms of gameplay Midway is off to a solid start, putting together a control system that's both easy to grasp and hard to master. With more variety in the roster, an improved move set and more game modes future TNA games could take the wrestling belt, but for now it'll have to make do with being a very worthy challenger.

Only its lack of depth prevents Impact from troubling the top tier of wrestling games. [Nov 2008, p.104]

A decent debut. A few tweaks and "SmackDown" will be cacking its spandex. [Nov 2008, p.80]

TNA Impact is a nice first attempt that deserves to be exploited with some reservations.

Promising to crush the opposition, Impact! concentrates on the gameplay, overlooking everything else. This way, it has strong points in the gameplay and graphics, but then there are the flaws in the AI, the limited set of moves, the lack of content and a very limited Story Mode. But the future of the series can be bright. [Oct 2008]

A sillier and simpler game than "Smackdown" but a viable alternative. [Nov 2008, p.70]

Sure, diehard wrestling fans will enjoy the fluid gameplay and the chance to play as some of their favorite TNA stars, however more casual fans will become quickly dissatisfied with the lack of variety.

The title is severely devoid of polish, as its horde of glitches is some of the worst I've seen this generation.

Unfortunely mirroring real life, TNA iMPACT! still needs a lot of work to compete with its direction competition, the WWE.

TNA: Impact! is an impressive debut for a wrestling franchise, but when held up against its contemporaries it’s still got a ways to go.

TNA Impact reminds me of a bratty little kid. You know the type, always running around making bold claims, kicking people in the shins, and talking about how big and strong he’s going to be when he grows up. Since he’s just a kid, you have to give him the benefit of the doubt — someday he might accomplish impressive things. However, right now he’s still just a punk.

The real problem with TNA Impact is the lost potential. Gamers wanted there to be an alternative Smackdown Vs Raw that wasn't in Japanese or 2D. Sadly, they will have to keep waiting for one.

Unlike the WWE wrestling titles already available for the PS3, TNA Impact! fails to deliver a true grappling experience TNA or wrestling fans will thoroughly enjoy. While there are a few match types that really shine through, the grappling action just isn’t fun or diverse enough to do the brand justice.

TNA iMPACT! had a lot of potential, but it didn't follow through on most of it. Beyond the limited/repetitive moves, lackluster CAW, and scaled back online, my main problem is that iMPACT! doesn't feel like real wrestling.

TNA iMPACT! isn't a bad game, but it does need a lot of work to reach the top in a gaming genre dominated by WWE for far too long.

You'll have the most fun playing TNA iMPACT! against friends, since they're most likely to work a match that'll flow creatively while providing a decent challenge. The AI makes a poor tag-team partner, and it's always more fun to pull off a finisher when there are friends around to witness the act.

A wasted opportunity in almost every conceivable manner.

The longevity is abysmal and the content is woefully limited, while the controls and overall gameplay are fine for a weekend rental.

We're happy with the decent foundations that TNA Impact! has laid out, but the content - which is a big deal in wrestling games - is paltry. [December 2008, p.80]

So if you're looking for something new, TNA Impact might be able to fulfill that need, but don't expect it to reinvent the wheel in it's current state.

At its best during four player matches, where everyone runs around the ring, bounces off the ropes and delivers bone-rattling special moves. Outside of its enjoyable multiplayer, however, the game isn't much fun.

At best, Impact will barely meet your expectations for what a wrestling game should encompass in 2008. [Dec 2008, p.91]

I hope that Midway really delivers a top-shelf game next time around, because their first effort is mediocre.