TNA iMPACT Has Hexagonal Ring, Downloadable Wrestlers

Midway sure chose an unlikely marketing strategy for its wrestling title TNA iMPACT! Instead of having public relations girls and boys do the talking while muscular men in tight outfits did the fighting, Midway thought it would be a good idea if the wrestlers that are set to appear in the game also promoted it by talking about its main selling points.

One of the spokespersons for TNA and for the upcoming game, Petey Williams, a TNA wrestler hailing from the cold lands of Canada, has stated that the game is due to get a lot of downloadable content after it is launched, as part of a Midway strategy designed to keep players interested in the game for as long as possible.

The possible downloadable material includes new venues, especially those selected by TNA for its special events, new skins for some of the wrestlers, especially if they undergo a significant makeover in real life, and even additional wrestlers that can be used in matches by the player.

TNA iMPACT! is Midway's response to the THQ developed WWE Smack Down series of games. Midway says it will deliver a more fast-paced game than THQ, in which fighting is less restrained while taking place in a hexagon-shaped ring. The game features all the wrestlers that TNA currently has in its lineup, with stars like King Booker and Kurt Angle making appearances.

Speaking of the game, Kurt Angle claimed it would be "the biggest hit of any videogame ever", commenting that the biggest difference between TNA and the WWE series is that "Midway spent countless hours interviewing us, getting to know our personalities, scanning us, having us go through the wrestling move; it was a crazy experience. WWE would never do that".

It also helps that, as a professional wrestling game, TNA is "more real," he said. That's what happens when you let wrestlers do the talking.

TNA iMPACT! (who came up with the idea to overuse caps in the title?) is set to debut for the Xbox 360, the PlayStation 3 and the PlayStation 2 and the Nintendo Wii sometime in September. Look out for chokeholds!