WWE is back on Xbox and this time it's going to be great. No, really. It's always been a mystery why PS2 owners could crow about the excellence of the Smackdown series while those with an Xbox had Raw - which wasn't very good really. This despite the potential for better visuals, online capabilities and the Xbox's fat hard drive just begging for customisation. But with the arrival of WrestleMania 21, publisher THQ will be going a long way to make it up to Xbox gamers.
Firstly they've changed developer from Anchor to Studio Gigante, who have set about cramming the game with incredible, never-seen-before features. There's twice the amount of voice acting than Smackdown, four-player online multiplayer with all match types, counters for every move and an intricate character evolution system. WrestleMania will also be the first wrestling game to be fully motion-captured.
While the detail of the wrestlers may be the first thing that stands out, it's the online potential that really excites. You'll be able to create your own championship, design your own belt and then defend it online. The more times it's defended successfully, the higher it goes in the online rankings. Even better, you can use the headset you do your own trash talking which, if you think about it, might get out of hand.
So will it better than Smackdown? Well you'll only have to wait till March and you can find out.
WWE WrestleMania 21 will be released for Xbox in March
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