WWE Smackdown vs. Raw – PS2 – Review

As I’ve made mention in
my other reviews of continuing videogame series, especially those of athletic
nature, it is amazing how far these games have come from their humble
beginnings.  I remember the very first WWF title (it was WWF not WWE back then)
on the NES, Wrestlemania.  I don’t remember it so much because it was a
particularly memorable game, but because my parents had purchased it for me
while I was laid up in the hospital after having blown my knee out in a varsity
football game as a freshman.  I buggered the knee up pretty good and knee
surgery back then isn’t the “drive-thru” procedure it is today, “Ah yes, I’ll
take combo number 4, and while you’re at it, I’ll go ahead and get the left knee
scope.”  Luckily, I was a bit of a celebrity at the hospital thanks to my
football prowess, so they permanently parked the communal NES in my room for the
duration of my stay.  Needless to say, I got to know the game real intimately.
For the time period, it was a pretty exceptional game, as long as you didn’t
think too long about the various power-ups that would dance across the ring from
time to time.  Looking back at the beginning, it’s almost mind-boggling what it
has become after all these years with SvR.

As with most titles
released on a yearly basis, the changes from one year to the next often appear
minimal.  Dressed up graphics, updated rosters, and possibly a new gameplay
wrinkle thrown in here and there to keep things fresh.  At first glance, SvR
would fall squarely into that category, but within minutes of beginning play,
you’ll quickly learn that THQ and Yukes haven’t been sitting on their hands this
whole time and they’ve actually refined the gameplay taking it to a whole new
level.  The most amazing thing about this is the fact that the most hyped
changes/additions, the additions of wrestler voiceovers and online play, aren’t
even its most impressive, but I’m getting a bit ahead of myself.  Since those
two additions are the ones they have chosen to tout as the reasons why fans
should care about this title, let’s look at those first.

Say it with me,
“Voiceover”, feels good doesn’t it?  Fans of the series have been screaming for
time immoral, or at least since THQ was awarded the WWF/E license, for wrestler
voiceovers.  Something was lost in reading line after line of cheesy, machismo
dialogue.  We wrestling fans are a discerning bunch and we don’t want to have to
read, we want to listen to line after line of cheesy, machismo dialogue.  Isn’t
that part of the fun of wrestling?  Wrestlers cutting promos?  My dad, who on
the surface seems like one of the most reserved people you’d ever want to meet,
and myself used to terrorize family gatherings with our renditions of the Macho
Man and Hulk Hogan, and it was a blast.  Picture a family of stuffy, uptight
professionals caught in the midst of a throw down between the Hulkster and his
arch nemesis, while my poor mother ran red-faced for cover.  Classic stuff.  The
promos are what make wrestling so doggone funny and interesting.  Sure the
athleticism these behemoths display is impressive, but it is testosterone
dripping soap opera that keeps fans coming back and it has been sorely missing
from the Smackdown series.  So the question I’m sure most of you are asking is,
“Is it the be all, end all it should be?”  Unfortunately, the answer is a
resounding no.  The voice work delivered by the wrestlers is flat, emotionless,
and sounds like bad porn, err, so I’ve heard.  There’s a lot of dialogue crammed
into the game, which is appreciated, but when masters of the verbal beat down
like Kurt Angle, Vince McMahon, and John Cena deliver their lines in the most
basic, monotone fashion imaginable, it’s terribly disappointing and unsettling.
These guys are the masters of overacting and they sound as if they have been
sedated and asked to recite Shakespeare.

The other hyped new
addition to SvR is the addition of online play, which fares better than the
voice work, but just barely.  Fans of the series have been screaming for…well
you get the idea and we finally got it, but the problem is, the online offered
here, seems somehow old, like maybe what the original Smackdown would have
offered if it were online enabled.  Only two players are supported and your
choice of match types are limited to tag or singles matches?  What?!?!?  That’s
it!?!?  Yup.  What’s worse, my experience with it on several occasions was
crippled by severe lag.  While it is appreciated that they included online
support, we need to look at it as what it might mean for the next Smackdown
game.  The bottom line is, this feature while decent when it works, is not worth
the price of admission.  You’ll have much more fun with a multitap and friends.

So judging from my
reaction thus far, you’d be forgiven for believing that I didn’t like the game,
but you’d also be very wrong.  Despite the shaky “new” additions, SvR offers the
most fully realized wrestling engine EVER.  No nuance has been overlooked.  For
several iterations now, Yukes has been refining the grapple, strike, and
reversal mechanics to near perfection creating a game engine that closely mimics
the action seen on television, but they’ve taken it to the next level with the
inclusion of various meters.  Now you’ve got a meter for submission moves,
giving them far more weight in the game.  Now as soon as you slap a submission
move on an opponent, you are given a meter where you pound buttons to really
cinch the move in, holding it for the maximum time and damage.  The flip side of
this is of course your ability to mash buttons to swing the meter in favor of
your escape from an opponent’s submission attempt, which is made easier if
you’re close to the ropes.  Beyond that, you are also presented with a meter for
chop battles or butt spanking in a bra and panties match.  The meter for these
things is very reminiscent of Madden’s kicking meter both in look and practice.
These additions add so much to the gameplay, further blurring the line between
game and television show.

Also new to the gameplay
is the inclusion of a clean/dirty meter.  You now have a direct effect on how
your wrestler is perceived based upon your actions.  Choose the more violent
choice in the midst of a little piece of story mode and suddenly you’re a bad
guy.  Use weapons in your match?  Bad.  Argue slow counts with the ref?  Bad.
Hang onto a submission move even after your opponent has reached the ropes?
True bad guy stuff one and all.  The flip side of the equation will result in
your wrestler being a “face”.  All of these factors when combined with Yukes
signature blazing fast wrestling action create the most realistic and fun
wrestling title yet.  This game excels in gameplay and it has it in spades.

As in most wrestling
titles, the Season mode is the heart and soul of the game, and this aspect has
seen some welcome additions, as well as a negative subtraction.  First for the
good, there is no more wandering around the premises in first person mode.
Being someone who must take Dramamine for FPS, this is especially welcomed.
Beyond that, this mechanic was clunky and confusing at best.  Sometimes you’d
have trouble finding your way back into the arena, other times you’d wander
aimlessly for some trouble to cause to no avail.  Now, you’ll go everywhere you
need to go from icons strewn about your locker.  From there you can choose to
compete on the card, purchase collectibles, distribute attribute points, and so
on.  Another plus, which would have been astronomically huge if the wrestlers
had put the same effort into the voice work of the game as they do on
television, is the playing out of the storylines.  While the voice work does
detract from things, it does make the feuds more realistic and compelling.
Speaking of feuds and storylines, all of the double and triple crosses, the
super-secret contract clauses, as well as secret beat downs that the WWE is
known for, are all here in their tired glory.

Now, for my gripe, and
it’s a big one.  The season begins immediately after Wrestlemania and ends at
the next!  No more seasons that go on and on, no more dominating title runs the
likes of which haven’t been seen for a good many years, your season ends at
Wrestlemania.  While you can begin a new season with the same wrestler, keeping
the attributes you’ve built up, as well as the belts you’ve gained, you are
going to be playing through the SAME stories and cutscenes!  That is
unforgivable.  Working my way up from midcard status with Chris Jericho to
undisputed champion of all the world after destroying the Undertaker at
Wrestlemania in a winner take all match, only to be thrown back to midcard
status against the likes of Christian and Shelton Benjamin is aggravating to say
the least.  Sure I’m still the champ, although the belt of the competing show
does not transfer, what fun is it to stomp on the same wrestlers you left far
behind at the beginning of your reign?  UGGH!

In addition to the
aforementioned season mode and online mode, all of the other requisite modes are
included.  You can wrestle exhibition matches in any given match type your
little heart desires.  Tag matches, tornado matches, Hell in the Cell,
Elimination Chamber (which is an absolute blast I must add), bra and panties,
and so on, they’re all here and faithfully recreated.  The inclusion of multitap
support for up to six players in the exhibition mode is great.  If you want
frenetic, all out mayhem, grab five partners and engage in a Hell in the Cell
match or an Elimination Chamber match.  This is what multiplayer is all about.
There are so many match types and modifiers that it is unlikely you’ll get bored
any time soon.  There is also a Challenge Mode, which throws you into a string
of progressively harder challenges, which rewards you with points you can use to
upgrade you wrestler, as well as Challenge specific unlockables.  This challenge
mode is a very welcome, fun addition that helps to take the sting out of the
season mode’s shortcomings.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t
mention the create-a-character feature, because what would a WWE game be without
solid create-a-character tools?  The ability to recreate any wrestler, friend,
enemy, or person past, present, or future is included.  As has become the norm
for the Yukes WWE games, the create-a-character mode is incredibly deep and
simple to use, rivaling even the standard-bearer of the industry, the Tiger
Woods games.  I often say in reference to the Tiger Woods game that if you
cannot create an accurate representation of a person, that person just doesn’t
exist, but SvR takes it to another level with the ability to create over the
top, if not otherworldly characters.  It’s amazing how something so simple, that
has so little to do with the actual gameplay, can be so fun and addictive, but
there is no denying it.

Finally, the last
addition to the formula is the inclusion of a roster of legends available for
unlocking.  It’s not a huge, all-inclusive roster, but those that are there are
absolutely great and I applaud the WWE for including them.  From oldies like
Andre the Giant and Jimmy Snuka to more recent legends such as The Rock and
Mankind, and the biggest surprise of all, the prodigal son, Brett “The Hitman”
Hart, everyone is sure to find someone that they’ll be glad to see.  With these
things said, allow me to go a little off topic for a moment.  The inclusion of
legends in such an outstanding wrestling engine, begs the question, “Why in the
devil aren’t THQ, Yukes, and the WWE creating their own Legends game?”  With the
WWE owning the entities as well as the entire catalogues of the WWE, WCW, and
ECW, this is a no brainer and it would utterly destroy that other game featuring
legends.  I mean we’re talking a whuppin’ of biblical proportions.  Can you
imagine having superstars past and present from those three organizations
battling in the very capable hands of Yukes?  I shudder to imagine the
possibilities and could almost guarantee the run away success of such a title.

Graphically, this game is
in a word, stellar.  The rendering of the wrestlers is second to none and
downright creepy in their realism.  The wrestlers are of such quality as to be
nearing photo-realistic.  Their facial expressions, to their skin tones, to
their tattoos, and body shapes, they are spot on.  The skin of the wrestlers
looks real for crying out loud.  These factors wouldn’t mean a whole lot if the
animation wasn’t on equal footing and I’m happy to report that it is equally
stunning.  Every nuance of each wrestler’s movements has been seemingly captured
to perfection here.  Whatever Yukes and THQ are doing, they are doing very
well.  The rings, and all of the variations from cage matches to the elimination
chamber, are also very well done.  The ropes move and animate realistically,
which hasn’t always been the case.  The crowds for the most part look great,
except when the camera pulls up really close.  The game also features some
really great lighting and particle effects, the crown jewel of which is Triple
H’s entrance.  Seeing Triple H at the top of the ramp with the lights shooting
up through the grating of the floor is worth seeing.  Very impressive stuff.

We’ve already discussed
in part the game’s sound.  There is an impressive amount of speech from an
impressive number of wrestlers crammed onto this disc, but their delivery leaves
a lot to be desired.  However, while a tad more muted than usual, the commentary
of Jerry Lawler and good ol’ J.R. is outstanding.  As you take part in matches,
you really get the sense, save for a couple of hiccups here and there, that they
are actually calling your match.  They are the best in the business at what they
do and it shows here.  Aside from the wrestlers’ voice work, the rest of the
sound featured here is solid.  The crowds are raucous, breaking into wrestler
specific chants, either cheering or jeering.  Every wrestler’s entrance music is
also included which sounds crisp and vibrant.  The explosions of the
always-present pyrotechnics are suitably loud and jarring, especially if you
have a good subwoofer.  And last, but not least, the grunts, groans, and slams
of the wrestlers are spot on and representative of the action on the screen.

In closing, SvR is the
best wrestling game to date.  The gameplay is fast, frantic, and most
importantly fun.  It’s simple to pick and play, but with enough depth to keep
you challenged and coming back for more.  The most ballyhooed new additions
aren’t what they could have been and most certainly will be in the future, but
Yukes has tweaked everything else to the point of flirting with gameplay
perfection.  Never before has there been a more accurate portrayal of WWE’s over
the top action.  The voice work, the online capabilities, and the short season
mode will hold the score back, but this game excels where it is most important
and that is in the gameplay.  If Yukes can iron out the problems, then look out,
they will have a certified gaming masterpiece on their hands that will transcend
the license.

Review Scoring Details for WWE: Smackdown vs. Raw

Gameplay: 9.0
From the days of
Yukes stellar WCW games for the N64, the gameplay has been their overwhelming
strength.  The gameplay is equal parts fast and exciting; perfectly representing
the action featured on the television shows.  The wrestlers control like a dream
whether throwing a simple punch or pulling off your wrestler’s signature
finisher.  The control of the game is simple, but there is a surprising amount
of depth available to the gamer.

Graphics: 9.0
From the
wrestlers, to the rings, to the crowd, to the animation, this game has got it
going on.  The developer has perfectly captured the look and feel of not only
the license and its environs, but it has captured the individual looks and
movements of the players in this soap opera.  The entire visual package is
incredible.

Sound: 7.0
The inclusion of
the wrestlers’ actual voices versus reading text is a welcomed and long overdue
addition, but unfortunately they fall far short of the over the top performances
they deliver at and on the shows.  Given their experience at delivering promos
you would have thought this would have been something simple for them to excel
at, which adds to the disappointment, because we wrestling fans know what
they’re capable of.  The rest of the sound is solid and befitting of the rest of
the package.

Difficulty: Medium
With various
difficulty settings everyone should be able to find their comfort zone.  The
easiest difficulty is especially simple, while the hardest difficulty is
suitably challenging, but not impossible.

Concept: 8.0
While there’s
nothing new about wrestling games, Yukes and THQ do deserve accolades by
continuing to refine the gameplay and experience by finding new and fitting ways
to cover aspects that had been previously ignored.  I think that the inclusion
of meters for things such as stare downs, submission moves, spankings, and so
on, is brilliant since these factors are often an integral part of the action on
television.

Multiplayer: 8.5

Online
play is pretty under whelming, but this is easily forgiven with a multitap and
the addition of up to five friends.  There are so many match types conducive to
playing with friends that the multiplayer mode becomes an outstanding party
game.  The multiplayer action is some of the most frantic, fast, and fun
available.

Overall: 8.7
While the WWE has
seen its popularity steadily decline in the years since the Monday Night Wars,
Yukes and THQ’s WWE games continue to improve.  Simply stated, this is the best
game yet in the Smackdown series, and the best WWE game on any system.  It has
its share of problems, but when taken as a whole, this game is almost impossible
not to enjoy.  Whether you’re a fan of professional wrestling, a fan of fighting
games, or none of the above, most gamers will have an absolute blast with this
game.  This is an incredibly solid game, with high production values that
deserves gamer’s attention.