Total Nonstop Action, better known as TNA, is a new up-and-coming alternative for wrestling fans. For those unfamiliar with the wrestling franchise, here’s a quick overview: Created in May of 2002, by the father-son duo of Jerry and Jeff Jarrett, TNA wresting promised a high-risk departure from the conventional. The six-sided ring replaced a more traditional four, and big names like Kevin Nash, Sting, and Booker T helped TNA secure a Thursday night slot on SpikeTV. Now, TNA: iMPACT! is attempting to secure a slot in your library of games.

The actual game looks incredible. Wrestlers are extremely detailed and look just like their oiled-up counterparts you watch on Thursday nights. The cinematic entrances are nice, yet somewhat short. The camera angles are usually spot-on with the exception of the tag team mode, which has the camera pulled back and stationary.

The controls, one of iMPACT!’s strengths, are simple yet still require an amount of skill to master. Face buttons control punching, kicking, grabbing, and action moves. Shoulder buttons control running, reversals, and taunts. Submission moves prompt a series of buttons to pop-up under your HUD. The first one to execute the combo of buttons will either break out of the submission or execute one. Reversals require a quick reaction or good timing; a button in your HUD will tell you when the time is right. You can also reverse a reversal. All these moves feel crisp and responsive. However, the move sets are very shallow. All the 25 playable wrestlers (none of which are females by the way, sorry guys) share pretty much the exact same set of moves and taunts, with the exception of a unique finishing move.

The nine different modes in iMPACT! will undoubtedly be familiar to any wrestling fan: singles match, tag team, free for all, submission, two-on-one handicap, falls count anywhere, falls count anywhere tag, and Ultimate X. The latter is about the only unique mode that iMPACT offers. It is disappointing that a cage match (the Asylum) or another fun mode has not been included.

Ultimate X, as the name would indicate, places a large red "X" suspended above the center of the ring, supported by two ropes tied to four posts that are connected to the turnbuckles. First wrestler (you can play one-on-one or battle it out with two other wrestlers) to come down with the "X" is the winner. There are no ladders here, so you’ll have to climb one of the turnbuckles supporting one of the four posts, slide your way along the rope towards the "X." Once there, a triangle inside a bar will bounce back and forth as you attempt to stop this triangle in a "sweet spot." Nail this sweet spot and you’ll be one step closer to bringing down that elusive "X."

The Create-a-Wrestler is another sore spot for iMPACT!. You’re given only five slots to store your created players, which you can create from the main menu or the more likely Story mode. Story mode features the main character Suicide, an up-and-coming wrestler that refused to take a dive in the title match. Subsequently, Suicide is left beaten and without any memory of who he is in Mexico. This is where your create-a-wrestler comes into play. A kind doctor has offered you his services, giving you the choice to rebuild yourself how you see fit. First you’ll decide what type of wrestler you’ll be: a brawler, high-flyer, or grappler. Next, you move onto your character’s appearance: skin color, clothing, and what not. You can’t modify Suicide’s height or weight, however.

You’ll start off with the very basic punches, kicks, and grappling moves. Using style points (which you acquire every time you play a match), you can start to give your created wrestler more advanced moves. However, all these moves are just as generic and repetitive as those already seen throughout the game.

Playing through story mode is about as linear as it gets. Losing a match doesn’t skew you off into a different path. Instead, you’ll simply have a rematch and continue on your predetermined course. It can also be quite a snore when you first begin, challenging a bunch of no-names, but it does pick up when you start to go against the more well-known wrestlers of TNA.

As I mentioned earlier, the wrestling animations are very fluid. However, there are little quirks with iMPACT!. You can’t grapple a wrestler from behind or while they’re face down on the mat (you’ll just end up hugging air if you try). Then there are some unusual rules. There is no disqualification, so feel free to pick up a chair (there are plenty of them) and start wailing on your opponent. There is also no count-out. So if you have an annoying friend, as I do, you’ll have to chase them around. You don’t have the choice of turning these rules on or off.

Online play is disappointing. One-on-one battles are your only options, and you can’t take your CAW online either. However, Midway has said they’ll open up the game for downloadable content, so there is still some hope for female wrestlers to become a part of the game.

The bottom line is TNA: iMPACT! is a decent game with flaws. The controls feel great and the wrestlers look amazing. However, the lack of depth is really what is holding iMPACT! back from being a contender. Character moves are repetitive, the create-a-player is shallow, and there aren’t many unique modes. Still, fans of TNA and its wrestlers, this game is probably worth at least a rental.