Things have changed in the
world of professional wrestling. For one thing, the World Wresting Federation
franchise is now the World Wrestling Entertainment franchise and since then,
champions have fallen and those wrestlers that have been stuck in the bottom
have now been elevated to star status. In WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth, it’s
an all-out war between wrestlers and the fans couldn’t be happier.
THQ managed to offer
gamers a really solid wrestling title with WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It,
although the game was far from perfect. This time, though, the game designers
took note of all the flaws and managed to rectify them with Shut Your Mouth.
And, as an added bonus, they also included a Season Mode that is more in-depth
than the Story Mode found in Just Bring It.
All the great match types
are available in the game’s Exhibition Mode. Gamers will find everything from
various tag team types (tornado tag or even tag teams with managers thrown in to
the mix) to special matches that include Cage, Ironman, Lumberjack, Slobber
Knocker or Ladder matches. There’s also huge event types such as the Royal
Rumble (where you toss superstars out of the ring), King of the Ring (eight
wrestler in one ring), Hardcore (an anything goes match) and Survival (pits you
against multiple opponents).
Season Mode, the game’s
story mode, really, takes a male superstar (even one you created) through a
story-driven season of the WWE. It seems that Rick Flair and Vince McMahon have
split the franchise into two brands, the RAW and SmackDown brand. Their dispute
turns official when they start drafting superstars into their brand–and
depending whose side you’re on, you become part of the ever-unfolding story.
The story takes your superstar through weeks of fights while events trigger
around you–like the appearance of Stone Cold Steve Austin. You can also
interact with characters outside the ring and what you say might spark a quick
fight in the parking lot or other outdoor locations.
Control-wise the game has
been nicely polished since Know Your Role and Just Bring It. A superstar’s
specialty move is a lot easier to execute and you won’t find yourself repeating
the same set of moves either. While you can focus your attention on other
wrestlers, the focus doesn’t completely–and frustratingly–become a struggle as
it did in Just Bring It (where you would often accidentally pound on the referee
when all you wanted to do is attack your opponent). Here, the referee doesn’t
interfere as much, thus is not as likely to become the unwilling victim of a
piledriver or a swift kick to the ribs.
The game’s roster is also
pleasingly filled with a total of sixty superstars that include favorites like
The Rock and Triple H to recent grapplers like Booker T and Brock Lesnar. The
ladies of wrestling have also increased in its lineup and now include Vince’s
daughter Stephanie McMahon, Stacey Keibler, Torrie Wilson and Jazz. And if that
wasn’t enough, you can create your own superstar through the excellent Create
Mode that has you designing your superstar down to the littlest details (e.g.
eye color, nose size or costumes) as well as create your own animation for
things like walking and dancing.
Visually, the game hasn’t
really improved all that much. The arenas are still beautifully detailed and
even more so thanks to the flashy glitz of pyrotechnics, giant screens that
flash real-life video intros of each superstar and the crowds of fans pumping
their fists into the air or proudly lifting up their homemade signs. The
superstars themselves, though, are what needed a shot in the arm. Sure
Stephanie McMahon looks exactly like her facially, but the game slims her down
so much that gamers that don’t know her will be wondering what a scrawny girl
like her is doing in a ring filled with athletically well proportioned women.
Other visual flaws tend to come up as well, but it is not enough that gamers
will be rolling their eyes at.
With the exception of the
fact that the wrestling superstars in this game are not given voices, the game’s
sound feels authentically like an actual WWE televised event. Welcome is the
ring announcer that introduces the superstar as they enter the ring with their
introduction music playing on the arena’s booming speakers. Thankfully, the
two-man commentary teams of Jerry “The King” Lawler and Jim Ross are never
annoying, as was the case with Tazz and Michael Cole in Just Bring It. And all
the same sound effects are back (e.g. wrestler slamming down on a
canvass).
Shut Your Mouth delivers
all the right moves to more than satisfy wrestling fans and those gamers eager
to brawl their way through plenty of great modes. There is enough here to keep
gamers really busy for some time and, thanks to the slight improvements, will be
something of a fan favorite.
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#Reviewer’s |
Gameplay: 8.6
The controls are a lot more solid
this time around and gamers will find that things that were unnaturally
difficult to do in Just Bring It will find things neatly improved. For one
thing, it’s easier to execute individual superstar’s specialty moves and tagging
your tag team partner is no longer an arduous guessing game. Moves can be
easily countered too this time around and there is nothing more satisfying than
reversing a move and performing your own.
Shut Your Mouth also moves
along smoothly, keeping the action as fluidly as a televised event. You can
just as easily take the fight from the arena to the outside lobby. You can also
use of items laying around such as metal bars (which bend after repeatedly
striking an opponent with it) and fire extinguishers (you can slam an opponent’s
head with it or release the extinguisher’s contents right his or her face.
Graphics: 8.5
The impressive arenas are amazingly
well detailed and nicely designed to fit the event type such as WrestleMania and
Rebellion. If a fight breaks out in front of the ticket booths, gamers will
notice how the smooth surface of the floor reflects the light overhead. Inside
the arena, the fans wildly cheer you on as they wave their signs . . . it’s
amazing to look around you and see a sea of moving fans.
While many of the
superstars look true to their real-life counterparts, certain imperfections make
you realize how things could have been handled a little better. Sometimes a
wrestler’s hand fazes right through an opponent’s body as he or she lifts the
opponent up to slam down on the canvas. Still, skin textures and muscle tone do
look realistic and notable characteristics–such as Booker T’s wild eyes, add an
especially nice touch.
Sound: 6.2
While it would have been great
hearing Hollywood Hogan tell kids to eat all their vitamins again, maybe it’s a
good thing the superstars didn’t lend their voices. The text dialogue is
somewhat awkward thanks to a rough translation, but that didn’t stop the two-man
commentator team from delivering their lines perfectly–although some of their
comments are kind of strange (e.g. “Don‘t hurt the puppies!”).
WWE fans will love the
superstar introductions by the announcer who also announces the winner of each
fight. To top things off, each superstar has his or her own theme song that
plays as they make their way to the ring. There are tunes here by Rob Zombie,
Jimi Hendrix, Marilyn Manson and Cypress Hill.
Difficulty: Medium
Pinning your opponents for a three
count is not an easy feat since the computer-controlled grapplers are skillful
enough to counter your attacks or reverse a move or pin. There are also much
stronger wrestlers that are harder to defeat with certain characters.
Naturally, somebody like Eddie Guerrero can’t possibly trash somebody as
powerful as The Big Show without putting up a real fight.
Concept: 8.9
You have really got to love a game
that just piles on the game types and game modes and Shut Your Mouth has all the
game matches seen in a televised event. Everything is here from a Slobber
Knocker match to a Royal Rumble match. The Create Mode really allows gamers to
get as creative as they want to when creating their male or female grapplers who
show up in the rosters in the Exhibition Mode as well as Season Mode.
Multiplayer: 9.0
With the aide of the Multitap, up to
six players can play the game and take each another on in massive events such as
six-man tag matches or the even more massive brawl-fest Royal Rumble. This is
the perfect party game for those gamers that love wrestling and since there are
sixty superstars to choose from, the fun will be inventing your own dream tag
team match ups.
Overall: 8.8
A far more improved game since the
last outing, Shut Your Mouth is the kind of game wrestling fans can really get
into and with a massive lineup of grapplers, this is the perfect game to share
with a large group of friends. I highly recommend you pick this one up.
