TNA iMPACT!

Midway’s first foray into the ring proves that they have what it takes to mix it with the big boys of wrestling simulations, but they do fall just short of a 3-count.

Overall, Midway has put out a solid wrestling product that should compete with its rival very well.

I’ve played many a game that was jam-packed with features but had a terrible core engine that ruined the entire product. TNA IMPACT! is just the reverse, really. This freshman effort is a little light on overall content and features, but it makes up for a lot of this with a solid engine; upon which Midway can build better follow-up TNA titles.

Although it shows signs of greatness and as much as I hate to say it, TNA iMPACT isn’t quite ready for primetime yet but I do have hope for the future, starting next year.

The character models are excellent while the animation is fluid and lively, but the physics of fighting definitely lack polish and can create some frustrating situations. Yet despite these technical shortcomings, it's still great fun to clothesline, drop kick, and power bomb your friends in and out of the ring.

Impact nails the feel of wrestling, but adding a new coat of paint to an old-school style won’t be enough to entice those seeking something fresh. Fans of the genre or “sport,” however, have an accessible and fun wrasslin’ game worth sticking in their collection.

In terms of gameplay Midway is off to a solid start, putting together a control system that's both easy to grasp and hard to master. With more variety in the roster, an improved move set and more game modes future TNA games could take the wrestling belt, but for now it'll have to make do with being a very worthy challenger.

If you're a fan of wrestling games, then TNA iMPACT! is worth renting out some wrestling boots for, alternatively keep your eyes peeled for hopefully a much more feature packed sequel... or rather the soon to be released, SmackDown vs. Raw 2009.

TNA Impact is a nice first attempt that deserves to be exploited with some reservations.

A commendable first effort from Midway and one that should be the starting point of a seriously good franchise as the years go on. The war has truly begun again!

Promising to crush the opposition, Impact! concentrates on the gameplay, overlooking everything else. This way, it has strong points in the gameplay and graphics, but then there are the flaws in the AI, the limited set of moves, the lack of content and a very limited Story Mode. But the future of the series can be bright. [Oct 2008]

NA iMPACT! is a very successful first outing for Midway, its not perfect, and it may not be able to compete with WWE on its first outing, but for its first outing it does so many things right that if your a fan of wrestling games I would still recommend this game even with its short comings.

Where TNA loses marks is in its rather featureless presentation. Multiplayer is decent, but the no-frills framework doesn't leave you with much to do. The story mode is fun, but no replacement for a genuine career mode, while the available options can't help but pale alongside SmackDown's over-stocked buffet.

Despite getting slammed harder than a flying elbow smash to the cranium with some aggravating control issues and a somewhat short single-player experience, wrestling gamers, especially TNA fans, will be able to tolerate TNA iMPACT!

Sure, diehard wrestling fans will enjoy the fluid gameplay and the chance to play as some of their favorite TNA stars, however more casual fans will become quickly dissatisfied with the lack of variety.

TNA iMPACT! had a lot of potential, but it didn't follow through on most of it. Beyond the limited/repetitive moves, lackluster CAW, and scaled back online, my main problem is that iMPACT! doesn't feel like real wrestling.

Unfortunely mirroring real life, TNA iMPACT! still needs a lot of work to compete with its direction competition, the WWE.

TNA iMPACT! has a great license and great characters, it just doesn't use either of them correctly.

TNA Impact reminds me of a bratty little kid. You know the type, always running around making bold claims, kicking people in the shins, and talking about how big and strong he’s going to be when he grows up. Since he’s just a kid, you have to give him the benefit of the doubt — someday he might accomplish impressive things. However, right now he’s still just a punk.

The games difficulty curve is fair and while moves are easy to perform it can take a few attempts to win the first match.

It made some strides, but it’s ultimately a shallow game.

TNA iMPACT! isn't a bad game, but it does need a lot of work to reach the top in a gaming genre dominated by WWE for far too long.

You'll have the most fun playing TNA iMPACT! against friends, since they're most likely to work a match that'll flow creatively while providing a decent challenge. The AI makes a poor tag-team partner, and it's always more fun to pull off a finisher when there are friends around to witness the act.

It's a solid first step. With some iteration, more content, and more vocal contributions from more members of the TNA roster, a sequel could be just as viable of an alternative to the SmackDown! series as TNA's brand of wrestling is to WWE's.

Light on content, strategy, and presentation, this mediocre title fails to innovate in any real way, and instead strips away a lot of what has worked in the past.

Overall this is a series that has a lot of potential that wasn’t realized in this particular title.

Trying to follow the leadership of WWE, the TNA is finally brought to a videogame under the hand of Midway. They offer a slightly different choice, with a faster and agile control system, but at the end the game is not as solid as expected. A poor progression system gives a slow and discouraging career mode. Moreover, even with the character editor of the game, all the fighters are just copies with the same move list. Maybe fans of TNA or wrestling in generarl can get more of it.

The longevity is abysmal and the content is woefully limited, while the controls and overall gameplay are fine for a weekend rental.

Bland and uninspired, the achievement list will make for easy gamerscore points, but it won't be very inspiring in the process.

With the solid wrestling system at heart, TNA had potential to be one of the better wrestling titles out there, but there just isn't enough content offered to recommend a purchase.

That failure to compete isn't just in the options, either -- even the grapple system failed to hook me. It's a shame, too, because the developers boasted that they based their controls off of the Nintendo 64 wrestling classic "WWF No Mercy." Nice try, guys!

So if you're looking for something new, TNA Impact might be able to fulfill that need, but don't expect it to reinvent the wheel in it's current state.

If wrestling games want to regain some relevance, they're going to have to be way more imaginative than this.

It does not have the breadth, the depth, or the legacy of its SmackDown competitor, but just like its counterpart on television, TNA iMPACT! doesn’t need all of that to stay alive. All it needs to do is get in, rough things up a bit, and get out. Bam!

As a first attempt, TNA Impact! is a fun yet incredibly shallow showing for the little-wrestling-company-that-could. While the foundations are there for a potentially awesome sequel, this debut could definitely have used a bit more time in training.

At its best during four player matches, where everyone runs around the ring, bounces off the ropes and delivers bone-rattling special moves. Outside of its enjoyable multiplayer, however, the game isn't much fun.

If you own any wrestling game from the last five years, I can almost guarantee it'll have more match types, story lines, and custom moves than this one.

For big TNA fans the game will meet the necessary requirements, but for those who seek a total wrestling experience (great storyline, detailed create-a-wrestler mode, etc.), unfortunately those standards won't be met.

One good mode can't stop this getting pinned. [Nov 2008, p.96]

TNA Impact has some good ideas, but there just aren’t enough of them to warrant a purchase.

I hope that Midway really delivers a top-shelf game next time around, because their first effort is mediocre.

No more than a tech demo for the next game - "Smackdown 2009" preview code is twice the game this is. [Dec 2008, p.90]