Backyard Wrestling 2: There Goes the Nei... on PS2 (2004)

Brief synopsis of Backyard Wrestling 2: There Goes the Neighborhood

Paradox's 2003 release of Backyard Wrestling proved that there was more to be accomplished in wrestling games than laying opponents to rest in the ring, taking the brutal sport outdoors in an unconventional effort that saw would-be pros using any number of props to take out the enemy in what turned out to be a rather adult piece of entertainment. A year on, a bigger and better Backyard sequel has it the shops in time for the Christmas 2004 rush. The story behind Backyard Wrestling 2 tells the tale of a small-town neighbourhood chosen by Backyard Wrestling Inc. as the host of a new pay-per-view event in which a group of wrestlers compete for a jackpot of one million dollars. A promising competition for a wrestler of amateur status, until you discover the prize money has attracted a rather formidable group of wrestling pros as well. And so it begins... Taking advantage of a robust 'create-a-wrestler' mode, players must first fashion their own unique wrestler before going head-to-head with some of the world's finest fighters in a bid for the championship prize. Once ready, you'll partake in a series of matches across a number of small-town locales that just happen to be abundant in useable props. But using lawn-movers and fence panels to knock your opponents for six will only take you so far. A limited move list proved something of an issue in the original game, but all has been rectified for the sequel, and ultimately it will be the smart use of an expanded library of throws, holds and grapples that wins matches, both in the single-player game and online. Via broadband, gameplay is much as it is offline, in which players can battle opponents the world over in a bid to top the online rankings. But for additional pleasure, wrestlers can even taunt their opponents by means of a trusty headset. All in all, Backyard Wrestling 2 is a very welcome improvement to the Paradox series.