It's no secret that liscensed games suck. This is no exception.
Really, the only saving grace this game has is the table physics. To this day, no wrestling game has implimented tables in near the way this game has. In the Smackdown games, you have to actually put someone on the table, and then you have to execute a move that is designed from the ground up for table use. In more recent games, you have to use a finisher to do this. In Wrestlemania X8, however, it's much easier. All you have to do is perform a slamming or other "impactful" move, with the table in the way. The only moves that don't work here are submission, grapple, and striking moves (I mean, when was the last time you saw anyone do a hammerlock through a table?). Any slam, any piledriving move, even a snapmare can be used to put someone through a table. This makes for some pretty fun situations if you have friends over, and can take the time to set up the tables properly without worrying about your opponents jumping you.
Other than that, however, this game is crap. There's no blood (you can't even unlock it); no promos, no commentary (although that's probably for the better), not even any crowd chants (they'll cheer when you execute a finisher and when you do your entrance; that's about it). Also, the crowds will cheer everyone, even the heels, which is retarded.
Create a wrestler is okay, but they just barely put enough stuff in the mode to pass it off. The Path of a Champion mode is essentially a career mode, but there are no storylines. They basically just give you ten matches to wrestle and, if you win them all, you can wrestle for the title. Battle for the Belts is a little bit different, but still rather pointless. You can create your own belt, but you can't take it online like you can with newer games, and you can't even defend it outside this mode, which makes the custom belts rather pointless.
Hardcore matches are both good and bad. They're good because you can use weapons, but bad because falls technically count anywhere, but you're not likely to get a pinfall outside the ring. When you're outside the ring, but you're not on the ramp, the referee will stay right in the center of the ring. When you go to pin your opponent, the referee in modern games will stay in the ring and count the pin from afar, but in this game, he will run to the outside and make the pin. By the time he gets to the outside, your opponent will likely kick out, at which point the referee will go BACK to the ring and wait for the next pin. On the ramp, however, the referee will be so darn closee to you that one wrong move will cause him to fall to the ground, and you'll have to wait for him to pull himself back up. If you're on the outside, you're better off trying to get a submission.
Speaking of getting opponents to stay down, it's darn near impossible in this game. No matter how much you pummel your opponent, he will get back up in a matter of seconds. If they ever did put a last man standing match in this game, you wouldn't be able to win it, because the only way you can keep a wrestler down is to continue to stomp on him.
Ladder matches are also rediculous, because they're either way too hard to way too easy. See, if you try and win a ladder match the *right* way (beating your opponent down, setting up the ladder, climbing it, and taking down the belt), you're going to have a tough time doing it, because 1) as said before, wrestlers just don't want to stay down, and 2) You have to put the ladder EXACTLY in the middle of the ring. Even one pixel out of place, and you'll just be reaching up to grab air. However, if you wait for your opponent to set it up, he'll set it up in the right spot. Then, just after he starts climbing up, you start climbing up on the other side. As he's reaching for the belt, knock him down (a simple punch will do), and grab the belt before he can get back up. This makes the ladder match too easy.
Aside from the tables, there is absolutely no redeeming qualities in this game. Fortunately, if you can find a copy, it will probably only be a few dollars, which is a fair price to check out the stuff you can do with the tables. However, when this game first came out, it was a full blown fifty, which was way too much (then again, I have to pay the liscensing fee, so... yeah). Anyway, this game might be worth the few bucks it costs now, due to the tables. Otherwise, pass up.