It has been a one horse town for over seven years when it comes to wrestling video games. WWE and Yukes have had a chokehold on the competition since WCW was bought out in 2001. But, Midway has put a stop to this tyranny with the release of TNA Impact. TNA Impact marks the first real virtual competition for the WWE since Goldberg was undefeated.

You can read more on how TNA Impact turned out by reading OS writer Wil McCombs' review of the game. Suffice to say Impact was a game that unfortunately came up short in many areas. Some of the things we’ve gotten accustomed to in our wrestling games were either absent or lackluster. However, the groundwork is there for a fantastic game in the future. So, here’s what Midway needs to focus on to make TNA Impact 2 a true contender for the heavyweight video game title.

5. Beef Up the Online Mode

Online modes have been increasing in importance the past few years. The online mode in TNA Impact is shallow when compared to the competition. You can only play in one-on-one matches, and if you play on PS3 there is no voice chat. Anything short of full rankings, all match types and four players would be a disappointment in TNA Impact 2. The online side of things cannot be ignored.

4. More Options

The only specialty bout in TNA Impact is the Ultimate X match. When you compare that to the Smackdown series’ dozens of match types, one special match is almost unacceptable. TNA has introduced several gimmick matches to wrestling, such as the Lethal Lockdown, Xscape, Hangman’s Horror, King of the Hill, Monster’s Ball, and the House of Fun. Though all appearing in the next game is unlikely, I’m sure fans would be happy enough with the Six Sides of Steel. There should also be four players available for every match

While the roster selection for TNA Impact was good, it could have been much better.

3. More Wrestlers

TNA is not as big a promotion as the WWE, so asking for 60-plus wrestlers is not fair. Either way, there were still a few key omissions, like Petey Williams, Matt Morgan, BG James, Kip James and Consequences Creed. There is also plenty of room for the TNA Knockouts, who were hardly featured and not playable at all. If you bought the game hoping to play as Awesome Kong, ODB, or Traci Brooks you were out of luck. With TNA’s continued push of the women’s division, it’s a shame that the game does not reflect that.

2. A Non-Linear Story Mode

The story of Suicide was good enough to show you that Midway can put a lot of work into a season mode. After you were done though, there was no real reason to go back and play it again. The sequel should allow you to play as different characters with at least two different storylines to plow through. Nobody is asking for RAW 2’s level of spontaneity and nonsense, but people like choices on the way to winning championship gold. This brings us to…

1. Customization, Customization, Customization

WWF Attitude brought us the Create-A-Wrestler almost ten years ago. Now, we’ve gotten to the point where we can create anybody inside a wrestling game. This is what TNA Impact 2 should strive for. You should be able to create any person you set out to make, including any current and former wrestler for you and your friends. After you’re done working on appearance, you should be able to have a unique entrance and a repertoire of moves that set your character apart from anyone else. One thing that Midway can do to set itself apart from the rest of the pack would be to allow for changeable costumes. It would allow you to edit the characters in the game to keep them updated with their most recent attire or color schemes. It would keep the game fresh, and the feature is not in any playable WWE game.

TNA Impact 2 can be a special game. Midway needs to take some cues from other wrestling games (in the past and present) but the frame is in place. What did you think of TNA Impact? Are you ready for the potential sequel a year from now? What would you change from the original? Sound off in the comment box below.