WWE WrestleMania XIX

Cinescape

While this might not be the most in-depth game out there, WWE WrestleMania XIX is one of the best wrestling games on the market right now.

GameCube Europe

One more thing and something I am sorely missing: backstage areas. There are none, and it is sad to see. Hopefully next year they will be included.

Game Chronicles

If customizing is your thing, the CAW is the single most amazing thing about XIX. You could get lost in the myriad options it offers to you.

GamingTrend

A very good multiplayer title, jam-packed with every wrestler currently seen on TV, as well as any character you can think of including yourself.

GameShark

The most extraordinary thing you'll find in this new game is a mode called Revenge. Revenge is the game's answer to story mode, and it is a story indeed.

GameBiz

It takes about 5 – 8 hours to beat Revenge mode, but Exhibition mode and King Of The Ring will keep you occupied for many more hours, not to mention the multiplayer possibilities.

NintendoWorldReport

This newest title is fun to play, which is the incredibly important, but in the wrestling world, presentation is 50% of the product, and the presentation in XIX still needs work.

GamePro

XIX just doesn’t have the oomph of a "SmackDown" or even a "Raw." The Revenge mode is a cool idea, but the execution needs work, and the lack of a traditional season might chase off some fans.

Nintendo Power

The game play and control are much-improved over last year's "WrestleMania X8," making the game easy to pick up and play, yet complex enough to keep you entertained for long stretches. [Nov 2003, p.148]

IGN

It's as good as this type of wrestling gets and more importantly it's really fun. Keep in mind that this feels more like an arcade-style wrestler with a lot of options, counters and attacks and you'll have a good time, we did.

Nintendojo

An excellent wrestling game and deserves your attention just for the sheer amount of crap you can accomplish, collect, unlock, create, and on and on and on.

GameZone

The grapple system, while finally starting to come back into popularity, isn’t perfect. The game still feels like you can finish it without focusing on the grapple system. The story mode is also a big disappointment for hardcore wrestling fans.

Game Informer

Has all the pieces in place but one. The lack of a good career mode keeps it from being the first must-have wrestling game of this console generation. [Oct 2003, p.128]

netjak

The absence of a true Story mode and a roster lacking many of the top WWE superstars may sway wrestling fanatics away from this one. Despite the fact that the game is missing those aspects, however, Wrestlemania XIX is still an excellent game.

GameSpot

Though WrestleMania XIX is a definite improvement over its predecessor, the game's few graphical hang-ups and detrimentally bad story mode ultimately mar what could have been a really great game.

GameNow

Players will come to love the game's fine grappling and reversal system. [Nov 2003, p.67]

Play Magazine

The engine is one of the best, and the presentation is getting there. All it needs is some depth and long-term replayability, and the series could move from contender to main-event attraction. [Oct 2003, p.81]

GameSpy

A serious and right-minded improvement over "Wrestlemania X8," and offers a preferable engine to "Smackdown!" for wrestling purists. If only the single-player mode had anything (and I do mean anything) to offer except a steel chair to your expectations.

Electronic Gaming Monthly

The single-player modes hold XIX back from being the ultimate grappler. [Nov 2003, p.198]

Next Level Gaming

More selectable wrestlers really could have boosted the replay value. Still, with its great graphics, solid grappling system and AWESOME Create a Wrestler mode, WrestleMania XIX shows that its franchise is on the right track.

GMR Magazine

Oddly, though, Yuke's employs two separate buttons for blocks when there's clearly no need to use more than one, and it offers no option to modify this scheme. [Nov 2003, p.74]

TotalGames.net

The nail in the coffin for Wrestlemania XIX has to be the decision to include the completely horrible Revenge mode as the main single-player option, as opposed to any kind of Career mode.

Operation Sports

Better, if for no other reason but the improved game mechanics. If they had made those improvements alone and left out the "Revenge" mode, I probably would score the game higher. However, the fact that they invested time, effort, and money into this mode forces me to push their score down.

Cheat Code Central

Ultimately the issue I have with XIX is one of inconsistency. For one thing the game has many modes and match types, enough to satisfy any hardcore gamer, but the fighting engine and the AI drag the overall enjoyment level of the game down significantly.

GamerFeed

I was surprised at WM19's gameplay and couldn't put it down, but don't expect much from Revenge mode. You can only beat up on security guards for so long.

G4 TV

Competent but unimpressive.