When Midway went under, a number of companies appeared like vultures to pick at the bones. For the most part, it was about buying IPs, but a few finished products lay among the ruins of the one great publisher. One such game was TNA Impact! Cross the Line, the PlayStation Portable version of the TNA (Total Nonstop Action) wrestling franchise. Southpeak nabbed both the game and the rights to develop and publish handheld TNA games in the future. While the PSP version was done, the DS one was not, and the publisher decided to hold off on releasing either in hopes to push them both into the summer. At PAX East, we went hands-on with the final version of TNA Impact! Cross the Line for the PSP, taking some time if the game lives up to the name.

While I played a few matches against Paul, Southpeak's PR Manager, Aubrey Norris, detailed the game's story. The player takes control of Suicide, the newest start to grace the TNA ring. After enjoying a quick rise to the top, some backstage drama leads to a request for Suicide to throw a title bout. He doesn't. After the match, some of TNA's finest take their fists to Suicide's face, and he awakens, suffering from amnesia, in a Mexican hospital. As part of his physical therapy, he's put in the wrestling ring, where he, obviously, is found to be quite proficient, and so begins his journey back to the top. It's ludicrous, even by TNA standards, but it might be the most appealing thing about the game. If professional wrestling is merely a soap opera for adults, then TNA Impact! Cross the Line's story fits in line with just about every soap in daytime television.

At the show, though, I only had time to play multiplayer, which gave a good estimate as to what players can expect from the game this June. The series of 1v1 bouts were fun in their own right, with smooth graphics and intuitive controls, though there's little chance the finished product is going to be able to trump WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010. It's not SouthPeak's fault, mind you, since they just picked up an already completed game, but the game lacks the polish of THQ's wrestling series. There's also the issue of timing, since the game lacks the recent TNA inclusions of former WWF and WCW stars, as well as the return to the square ring. That means that even TNA fans will have trouble getting into the PSP version of the game, since the big draws of Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair are nowhere to be found.

Truth be told, I enjoyed my time with TNA Impact! Cross the Line, and for hardcore fans of Spike TV's wrestling league, it's likely going to be worth picking up this June. The story, in particular, sounds simply hilarious, and being able to take it on the road might be just enough to justify putting down $30 for some total nonstop action. Now the Nintendo DS version... that might be an entire different story. Hopefully we'll be able to bring you more on that in the near future.

TNA Impact! Cross the Line is due out in June of 2010 for the PlayStation Portable and Nintendo DS.