Original Release: THQ, 2003, PlayStation 2/Gamecube
A budget release that’s basically a watered-down Twisted Metal, but has its fun points and overall isn’t bad
WWE Crush Hour (PS2, THQ, 2003)
Where to Buy: Amazon
How to Emulate: PlayStation 2 Emulation Guide
Review by: C. M0use
A weird and unexpected use of the WWE license, Crush Hour is pretty much a Twisted Metal knockoff but one that is executed reasonably well and is actually some fun to play. Add in some truly bizarre videos featuring the wrestlers that are unlocked along the way, and I dare say this is worth checking out, at least if you’re partial to vehicle combat and a fan of early 00s “late Attitude era” WWE.
The premise is the best part, we’re in an alternate universe in which Vince McMahon has taken over all television channels … knowing what we know now makes this a much creepier prospect, but let’s try to return to the more innocent past and just enjoy the hilarity this creates. Cheap ol’ Vince just has his wrestlers man every channel, resulting in Kane doing a cooking show and Edge doing weird Japanese hair commercials among others.
You select from a decent-sized roster of about 30 WWE stars circa 2002-2003, and each match usually puts you in an arena against three randomly-selected others. The level design and gameplay is in between the Destruction Derby games and Twisted Metal; you get more of the open arena style of the former, but with the occasional more elaborate level (like Hell in a Cell being in a giant pyramid), and ramming the right way can be just as effective as using your guns.
There is a “story mode” of sorts for the solo player, which takes you through about a dozen matches in a variety of game modes. Most of the time you’re just tasked with being the first to 10 kills, but some other examples of game modes include a “capture the flag” (which involves holding the title belt for 30 seconds instead) and being the first to hit a series of checkpoints that gradually appear. The story mode really has little story to speak of, but every few levels you get one of the insane TV programs or commercials in between levels.
The game is definitely “budget” on the graphics with little background detail and nothing in the way of special effects that will wow you, but it has its little moments. The highest point is the vehicle models, which are actually pretty decently detailed for the time (and it’s interesting to see what each wrestler ends up cruising in). The character models are just “meh,” but when they get kills they get a fun little taunt played on the Jumbotron, with the actual wrestlers doing the voice acting.
Crush Hour doesn’t have the depth or polish of the better Twisted Metals or their clones, but it’s important to consider this was a $20 budget release when it hit shelves in 2003. At that price or less, it’s put together well enough that I wouldn’t have been upset about picking it up. Really, the biggest bummer is that it allows no more than two human players at a time; this game is really screaming for a four player option. But it’s an interesting little curiosity piece for big wrestling fans and plays a competent enough round of vehicle combat to pass the time, and I’m seeing listings of it on Amazon used for sub-$10 before shipping.
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