Some things just go perfectly together like peanut butter and jelly and a glass of milk.  Then there are things that seem like they shouldn’t be paired together but surprisingly does work out nicely like Dennis Miller and football.  And finally there are things that should never have been put together at all like karaoke and drinking.  The question is where does WWE Crush Hour, a game that mixes superstar wrestlers with demolition derby vehicles, stand?  Read on to find out, loyal readers.

Crush Hour makes full use of the WWE license that is known for its superstar wrestlers like The Rock or Brock Lesner and events such as Wrestlemania.  Though in Crush Hour the fighting isn’t done through body slams or sleeper holds but behind the wheel of a powerful demolition vehicle with plenty of firepower.  Before you ask yourself what Rikishi would be doing with a supped-up steamroller in the first place, know that the game takes its inspiration from a classic vehicle blow-them-up like Twisted Metal: Black.  The only differences here is that the drivers behind these vehicles are familiar real-life superstars.

It seems like WWE owner Vince McMahon has taken control of all the major networks and has come up with his latest creation--Crush Hour.  While there is no major story line other than the fact that the game lets you know McMahon is in charge of the event, it’s the action that really matters here.  The game has three playing modes: Exhibition, Season and Multiplayer.  Exhibition mode allows you to play through a single one-player battle using ant of the thirteen arenas (many of them you must first unlock) that are named after actual WWE wrestling events (Royal Rumble or Survivor Series).

You are given the opportunity to chose from any of the twenty-three superstars (with hidden characters that can also be unlocked) like Booker T, Edge, Stone Cold Steve Austin or even Trish Stratus.  Each character has his or her own sleek vehicle that has its own ups and downs (strength, speed, handling, etc.).  While each vehicle is different, they all shoot guns . . . until a secondary weapon is snatched up during the match.  The name of the game, though, is survival no matter what type of match you choose. 

The game’s controls are the type you can easily pick up and play with no trouble whatsoever.  Each vehicle is pretty much controlled the same way despite its appearance and can either accelerate, break, reverse, turbo power slide and fire primary and secondary weapons.  There are weapon upgrades you can get in the many arenas that send rockets or energy beams or missiles at your opponents.  Scattered throughout are also pick-ups that add more turbo or cause you to be invulnerable for a few seconds.  The problem is that the game modes aren’t any different at all--especially if you’re going for a long season of car smashing--and this might bore gamers thinking there is more to the game than just blowing each another up. 

The graphics in Crush Hour is the game’s biggest disappointment and it’s mostly due to the meager attention to details and poor special effects quality.  There are no spectacular explosions when a vehicle is blown to bits--just a rain of vehicle chunks and badly rendered smoke.  The arenas are also plain to look at and the surrounding walls all seem to be oddly angular.  Just about the only thing that does look good in this game are the vehicles themselves . . . it’s just too bad there are not any great backgrounds to compliment them. 

As for the sound, the game manages to fail to produce a sound that comes close to multiple vehicles clashing viciously.  When you make a collision with another vehicle, you hardly even hear the slamming of metal against metal.  Equally bad are the explosions that sound muffled for some strange reason since while the dominant sound in this game is commentator Jim Ross’ repetitive comments and a few lines of trash talk from the superstars themselves.  This game doesn’t even come close to sounds heard in WWE Smackdown: Shut Your Mouth.

Overall, WWE Crush Hour is an interesting concept that just doesn’t work out the way it should have.  Sure there is plenty of vehicular mayhem and destruction, but the action is not as addictive or as neatly polished as Twisted Metal: Black.  The game lacks a number of things that would have made this a satisfying, destructive treat but it does have its good points here and there.   For those gamers searching for some demolition action, the low retail price really makes this title somewhat worthy of your money.

Gameplay: 6.8
Not as enormously fun as Twisted Metal: Black, but it does come close to it in terms of mindlessly enjoyable vehicle carnage.  The deathmatch-quality game modes and pick-up-and-play controls lets you concentrate on destroying your opponents, collecting pick-ups and surviving the fight.  The problem is many gamers will quickly grow tired of this repetitive formula.

Graphics: 6.0
Not the best-looking WWE-themed game in the market, Crush Hour’s graphics isn’t a complete eyesore but it does come dangerously close.  The backgrounds, for instance, are plain and lack some serious details that could have made this a decent-looking game considering the many arenas available.  The special effects are not impressive either, especially when a vehicle is destroyed.  Each superstar’s vehicle does have it own unique look though; especially the Big Show’s supped up big rig.

Sound: 4.0
Unfortunately the sound doesn’t make up for the lackluster visuals since the sound effects also lack in the details as well.  Explosions here sound muffled like a stifled cough and the sound of shooting rockets just doesn’t give you the impression that anything was shot out of your cannon in the first place.  Collisions don’t even make a sound at all.

The voice acting in the game consists of WWE commentator Jim Ross and a few snippets of trash talk from WWE superstars like Chris Jericho.  The commentary, though, is repetitive (“Stacy Keibler has the twisty rockets!”) and so is the trash talk.  As for the soundtrack--consisting mostly of hard rock rhythms--it will have gamers wishing the PS2 had a hard drive to rip their own tunes to add to the play list.

Difficulty: Medium
The opponent AI does a great job of providing some really challenging matches and the computer-controlled superstars sure know how to use the weapon pick ups when they pop up.  The problem is that sometimes they unfairly know when a particular powerful pick-up will show up and quickly snatch it up before you can even turn your car around.  Secondly, the other cars automatically go for the weakest vehicle--often leaving you in mid-battle to chase down and destroy the weak vehicle.

Concept: 6.5
It’s not exactly a match made in heaven but the pairing is, admittedly, an intriguing one.  Kudos should go to THQ for attempting to offer something new and somewhat unique with its WWE franchise with its crossing of genres.  Still, most wrestling fans will be wondering why their favorite superstars are attempting to kill each another in modified SUVs or customized pick-up trucks. 

Multiplayer: 6.5
Blasting away at other vehicles with a large assortment of weapons and useful pick-ups is entertaining as a single player experience but even more so when you’re going up against a friend.  There are enough arenas to challenge a friend and this does help the game . . . although it would have been great if the game supported a four-player multiplayer option for an all-out deathmatch.  Sadly, gamers have to make due with a two-player game.  Oh well.

Overall: 6.0
While much of WWE Crush Hour’s action is fun, it’s not enough to sustain a gamers’ interest for very long.  The game’s weakest points--aside from the visuals and the sound--are its modes that give the game its straightforward and repetitive feel.  Still, the game isn’t all that bad and the WWE personalities do actually put a personal touch to the action.  This is a recommended rental for those looking for a superior vehicle smash-them-up and a worthwhile purchase (at its bargain price) for those that love all things WWE.