N-Philes

Day of Reckoning was WWE's triumphant return to the virtual squared circle. Before the awesomeness that is Total Nonstop Action hit the air-waves, WWE was all the wrestling fans needed, and THQ finally delivered a title to be adored by those same fans. Gone are the days of fighting in alley ways and construction yards: Day of Reckoning pits you, literally you, in the ring, fighting your way to the WWE championship. From the minors to the major league, you take your created wrestler all the way to the top to face the Cerebral Assassin, the Game, Triple H.


Hunter Hearst Helmsley is one tough SOB on screen, and even tougher on the virtual plane. Building your way up the big leagues, you eventually get taken in by Evolution, Triple H's stable of heels (including Batista, Ric Flair, and Randy Orton). Eventually, Batista is backstabbed by the group, Orton steals your title shot and wins, and you get booted out of Evolution and beaten senseless on more then one occasion. Oh WWE, you surely are the storytelling kings.

So where does that leave you? You go against the odds and win Royal Rumble (sometimes after the 5th or 6th try, thanks again THQ), and move on to face your former mentor, the Game, Triple H, on the biggest stage of them all, Wrestlemania XX. The fight turns into a bloodbath of an Iron Man Match, wherein you must score the most pinfalls/submissions/count outs before the 15 minute timer runs down. The better you do the more Triple H dodges and counters your assault, and the only way to win is to master the incredibly well-tuned counter system that THQ developed for the title.



After Triple H is defeated, you stand triumphantly in the middle of the ring waving your newly acquired World Heavyweight Championship belt. Batista shows up for hugs and congratulations, and then we get end credits. Seriously guys, TNA Impact! is on Spike TV Thursday nights at 11:00PM. It will change your wrestling lives... or is that an oxymoron?