For my money, THQ has been going about making WWE games all wrong. While you can't argue with success, and their long line of wrestling games have definitely sold well, I've always felt they embraced the wrong part of professional wrestling. The WWE is, and always has been, about entertainment. It's not about sportsmanship, athleticism, or anything else. In making it into a sports simulation, they're doing it a disservice, and missing out on an opportunity to make something truly unique. After seeing Lucha Libre AAA: Heroes del Ring in action at E3 2010, it's obvious that the game's developer, Immersion Software & Graphics, is taking their game on a drastically different path than THQ has with their wrestling license. From the looks of it, I'd wager their path might be the better one.

Just as is the case with professional wrestling, Lucha libre falls more into the "entertainment" side of things. Fighters will spend half of their time performing silly, over-the-top (and often impressive) moves, and the other half flaunting and taunting. It's about winning the crowd's support, and putting on a good show for those watching. In Heroes del Ring, the gameplay has actually been built around this idea. Starting off the match, both fighters will come into the ring with zero popularity and, thus, only a small number of moves to choose from. Each move will build up the popularity bar, and unlock additional attacks for the fighters to use. Once it builds up enough, special moves will be unlocked that drain the bar, keeping the game balanced. Several examples were shown off at E3, from high-flying aerial assaults to more straightforward kicks to the groin.



The different types of attacks work into the game's story and character customization. In the campaign mode of Heroes del Ring, players start off by making a character with an extremely in-depth customization system. After choosing an outfit and build, players can customize their masks to their liking, changing the nose, mouth, head, and eyes, as well as picking between a large number of styles. In lucha libre, the masks mean everything, and allowing players the ability to make whatever they want is extremely important. After choosing abilities, players need to pick between the two sides: the villainous Rudo and virtuous Technico. This is an important choice, as it will decide which campaign the player will encounter, as the developer has promised a unique story for each. Don't expect Hamlet here, people; Immersion is focusing on authenticity to actual Mexican luchadores, and from the looks of it, players should be fighting in some zany fights with a corny plot.

That's not an insult by any means, though. Lucha Libre isn't known for compelling narratives, it's more or less a soap opera with frequent fist sights. This authenticity continues into the presentation, which, from the looks of it, will feel a lot like watching a match on television late at night. The announcers, by default, will speak Spanish, adding to the general tone of the game. The visuals appear to be tight, too, and while they will have trouble matching other games in the sports genre, they don't look that bad for a first outing.



Lucha Libre AAA: Heroes del Ring was, by no means, one of the best games I saw at E3. Hell, it might not have been the best fighting game that takes place in a wrestling ring. The style, though, definitely seems to provide a unique experience, and one that will likely draw me in for a closer look when the game comes out later this summer. Immersion Software is on to something here, and even if they don't get it right the first time, it's going to be worth supporting the effort, if not just to design a super cool mask and do a back flip off the top rope.

Lucha Libre AAA: Heroes del Ring is due out on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, and PSP this August.