Total Extreme Wrestling 2008

Just like with every other sport or career out there, wrestling requires a great deal of dedication, talent and charisma, especially at a higher level, where the fighters must entertain millions of people at once, rather than just the live audience. However, these abilities can sometimes be difficult to spot and many talented individuals lose their chance to have an impact on the sport because they are overlooked and ignored.

Despite the somewhat misleading title, Total Extreme Wrestling 2008 barely features any folding chair duels, not to mention any other kind of violence that may pass as entertainment in a wrestling match, at least not in a graphical manner. Due to the fact that the game is basically a turn-based strategy title with a dash of simulation thrown in for good measure, things might prove to be a little different from what you would expect going into it.

However, that does not undermine the depth and the entertainment value that Total Extreme Wrestling 2008 displays, because you can lose yourself for hours into the career mode and just tackle problem after problem, always looking for the best solutions to the situations you find yourself into. Since there are so many choices to take and so many things to do, it is impossible and highly impractical to see or do everything the first time around, which means that the game can be replayed multiple times without having the same experience twice.

In the beginning, you have the option to create a unique character and use it throughout the career mode, as well as choose a name, a game style and the wrestling company you want to work for. Alternatively, you can also start directly as the owner of the chosen company, although you should only go for that if you are not at your first playthrough. Once the character is set and ready to go, you can head into the action and start making a name for yourself in the business.

The first and most important task is to find and recruit the right fighters, because that is what wrestling is all about, in the end. However, that does not necessarily mean that the chosen wrestlers need to be skilled when it comes to martial arts, because there are many other useful talents in the sport, other than the fighting itself. Hence, charisma is almost just as important, as are the rest of the available abilities you can measure and compare when you look at a potential employee. Once you have the desired roster, the other half of your job is to find the right crowd or broadcast program, since the public is different everywhere and the people might not always appreciate the same things.

Total Extreme Wrestling 2008 may try to trick you at first, but it slowly shows you an entirely different side once you decide to give it a shot. Hence, if you do not mind staring at text for hours at end, or having to make tough decisions at every step, the game is definitely a must try for any wrestling enthusiast out there.