They are the moments that pro wrestling fans can never forget. Hulk Hogan lifting up and slamming Andre the Giant. Shawn Michaels outlasting Bret Hart in an Ironman match to capture the heavyweight championship for the first time. The Ultimate Warrior defeating Hogan for the world title at Skydome in Toronto.

Now fans can recreate the greatest moments in the history of wrestling's signature showcase in THQ's "WWE Legends of WrestleMania," the latest offering from "Smackdown vs. Raw" developer Yukes.

Actually, you can Relive, Rewrite and Redefine those moments in the WrestleMania Tour Mode, which is where you're likely to spend the most time with "LoW." In the Relive mode, you attempt to re-inact classic WrestleMania bouts as you remember them. Rewrite tasks you with changing the original outcome of matches and Redefine puts a modern twist on memorable bouts, like moving the body slam challenge between Andre the Giant and Big John Studd inside Hell in a Cell. Each of the scenarios in the WrestleMania Tour Mode are introduced with classic WWE footage that serves to set the mood for the match. It's a great feature and one that hardcore fans will certainly enjoy.

For me, the most appealing feature in "LoW" is the roster, which includes more than 40 superstars from the WWE's glory days. Being able to throw down with guys I grew up watching on TV like Jake "The Snake" Roberts (complete with pet boa constrictor), "Ravishing" Rick Rude, Mr. Perfect and even The Hulkster himself, had me feeling like a kid again. The character models feature an exaggerated look, giving the wrestlers a "larger-than-life" appearance to match their in-ring personas, and each superstar enters the ring to his actual theme music. Other nice visual touches include era-specific graphic overlays and intricately detailed arenas.

While the roster is deep and varied, there are a number of glaring omissions from the lineup, most notably Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat and "Macho Man" Randy Savage. Hopefully THQ will deliver more superstars later through downloadable content. You can also import the entire default "Smackdown vs. Raw 2009" roster into "Legends of Wrestlemania," bumping the number of playable superstars to well over 80. You can also create your own wrestler and try your luck at the Legend Killer mode, where you challenge a tier of 10 superstars in a gauntlet-style match.

The old-school vibe of "LoW" continues once you enter the squared circle thanks to an arcade-style control scheme that maps all of the wrestlers commands to the face buttons. While this may be a turnoff to gamers who enjoy the deep, yet complicated, controls of the "Smackdown" series, the new setup really work well. You can also chain together moves, including your finishing flurry, through a series of timed button presses.

The new control scheme has its drawbacks, namely limiting the number of moves you can execute from a grapple position. But go back and watch some classic WWE matches and count how many different moves the Junkyard Dog or the Iron Sheik had in their arsenal. I'd rather have these guys pulling off body slams and arm bars over and over again than see them executing moves that weren't even around in their time.

The gameplay is far from perfect, however. For example, you can't simply run at your opponent. Really, why must I have to bounce off the opposite ring ropes in order to do a simple clothesline? Another problem that pops up involves submissions. There seems to be no rhyme or reason as to when someone gives up from a submission move as there's no indicator of body-specific damage like in "Smackdown." I've seen matches end in submission when the losing player's health bar was still yellow and little damage had been inflicted. But I've also slapped on Roddy Piper's sleeper hold to an opponent who's health bar was red and watched as he survived to continue the fight. It's frustrating, to say the least.

They are the moments that pro wrestling fans can never forget. Hulk Hogan lifting up and slamming Andre the Giant. Shawn Michaels outlasting Bret Hart in an Ironman match to capture the heavyweight championship for the first time. The Ultimate Warrior defeating Hogan for the world title at Skydome in Toronto.

Now fans can recreate the greatest moments in the history of wrestling's signature showcase in THQ's "WWE Legends of WrestleMania," the latest offering from "Smackdown vs. Raw" developer Yukes.

Actually, you can Relive, Rewrite and Redefine those moments in the WrestleMania Tour Mode, which is where you're likely to spend the most time with "LoW." In the Relive mode, you attempt to re-inact classic WrestleMania bouts as you remember them. Rewrite tasks you with changing the original outcome of matches and Redefine puts a modern twist on memorable bouts, like moving the body slam challenge between Andre the Giant and Big John Studd inside Hell in a Cell. Each of the scenarios in the WrestleMania Tour Mode are introduced with classic WWE footage that serves to set the mood for the match. It's a great feature and one that hardcore fans will certainly enjoy.

For me, the most appealing feature in "LoW" is the roster, which includes more than 40 superstars from the WWE's glory days. Being able to throw down with guys I grew up watching on TV like Jake "The Snake" Roberts (complete with pet boa constrictor), "Ravishing" Rick Rude, Mr. Perfect and even The Hulkster himself, had me feeling like a kid again. The character models feature an exaggerated look, giving the wrestlers a "larger-than-life" appearance to match their in-ring personas, and each superstar enters the ring to his actual theme music. Other nice visual touches include era-specific graphic overlays and intricately detailed arenas.

While the roster is deep and varied, there are a number of glaring omissions from the lineup, most notably Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat and "Macho Man" Randy Savage. Hopefully THQ will deliver more superstars later through downloadable content. You can also import the entire default "Smackdown vs. Raw 2009" roster into "Legends of Wrestlemania," bumping the number of playable superstars to well over 80. You can also create your own wrestler and try your luck at the Legend Killer mode, where you challenge a tier of 10 superstars in a gauntlet-style match.

The old-school vibe of "LoW" continues once you enter the squared circle thanks to an arcade-style control scheme that maps all of the wrestlers commands to the face buttons. While this may be a turnoff to gamers who enjoy the deep, yet complicated, controls of the "Smackdown" series, the new setup really work well. You can also chain together moves, including your finishing flurry, through a series of timed button presses.

The new control scheme has its drawbacks, namely limiting the number of moves you can execute from a grapple position. But go back and watch some classic WWE matches and count how many different moves the Junkyard Dog or the Iron Sheik had in their arsenal. I'd rather have these guys pulling off body slams and arm bars over and over again than see them executing moves that weren't even around in their time.

The gameplay is far from perfect, however. For example, you can't simply run at your opponent. Really, why must I have to bounce off the opposite ring ropes in order to do a simple clothesline? Another problem that pops up involves submissions. There seems to be no rhyme or reason as to when someone gives up from a submission move as there's no indicator of body-specific damage like in "Smackdown." I've seen matches end in submission when the losing player's health bar was still yellow and little damage had been inflicted. But I've also slapped on Roddy Piper's sleeper hold to an opponent who's health bar was red and watched as he survived to continue the fight. It's frustrating, to say the least.

Problems aside, I really enjoyed "Legends of WrestleMania." As a longtime wrestling fan, I loved the video montages that preceeded the WrestleMania Tour matches and the mix of classic WWE superstars. And the gameplay was a refreshing break from what I'd grown accustomed to with the "Smackdown" series. Is "Legends of WrestleMania" for everyone? Probably not. But this is a great trip down memory lane that hardcore mat fans shouldn't miss.

"WWE Legends of WrestleMania"

Developer: Yukes Media Creations

Publisher: THQ

Available for: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 ($59.99)

Rating: T for teen

Score: 7.9/10