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Product Description An abundance of new gameplay mechanics give full control over all aspects of the game including new stare-downs, chop battles, submission reversals, match tactics, and upgraded Royal Rumble controls. The Divas are hotter than ever with an enhanced bra and panties match and to polish off the robust roster, from the halls of immortality, come a handful of the most celebrated legends to ever lace up their boots.The influential SmackDown! Series has evolved into one single definitive experience th ... Read more
Features New Parking Lot Brawl matchMore detailed characters and attireClassic superstars include John Cena, Randy Orton, Booker T, Ric Flair, Batista, Triple H, Chris Jericho, Rico, and Charlie HaasSequel to WWE Here Comes the PainSix-person simultaneous play
Reviews (143)
Stop complaining about the roster!!!
I hate the season mode in this game, that being said, if you have internet access, and if you know how to use a search engine, the weak roster that everyone keeps referring to can be up graded.Many web sites offer very detailed instructions on how to create your favorite wrestlers that did not come with the game, the only catch is you have to beat the challenge mode for full access to all the features in create a wrestler.I suggest buying a turbo controller to help to make Bret Hart tap out to his own sharp shooter.Once you've unlocked all the features, the roster can be upgraded tremendously.Some Websites even offer pictures to show what your created wrestlers will look like.I've managed to add to my roster the following wrestlers: Stone Cold Steve Austin, Sid, Hulk Hogan, Macho Man Randy Savage, Sting, Ultimate Warrior, Viscera, Ken Shamrock, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, Brock Lesnar, Goldberg, Heidenreich, Gene Snitsky, British Bulldog, Luther Reigns, Mr. Perfect, and many more, all you have to do is be patient, and follow the instructions, and you can have your favorite wrestlers added to the game which makes the Royal Rumble, and the multi-player mode much more exciting.Just use the internet to help you, and you'll be fine.
The Greatest Wrestling Game ever
Finally, Smackdown has come back to PlayStation 2, and boy, does it look good.Smackdown vs. Raw is on the PS2, and the sixth time's the charm.
The Smackdown games were godly creations if you were a wrestling fan, but they just got better.
Smackdown vs. Raw is the complete package.It has a solid career mode, where all the characters have voice-overs from their respective Superstars (except for you, what you say is STILL captioned).It also has a variety of different matches that dig deep into WWE's history, while still getting the more recently added matches into the picture.Also, if you have an Ethernet modem that can hook up to your PS2, Smackdown vs. Raw has Online capabilities.
Overall, Smackdown vs. Raw stretches the greatness of wrestling.I, myself, began watching wrestling again because of Smackdown vs. Raw.
Both Pleasing and Disappointing
Pros:
1. Improved graphics, with the wrestlers looking like their modern-day selves.
2. Improved music and sounds.
3. Improved animations and moves.
4. An all-new submission hold type that allows the opponent to kick-out or even reverse it (Like turning the Figure-Four Leg Lock into an Indian Deathlock).
5. Better legends, including Mankind, Andre the Giant, and Bret "Hitman" Hart.
6. An all-new Royal Rumble style elimination in which instead of just punching your opponent out, you actually have to push them over the rope. You can even double-team.
7. Voice-over and Online Play
8. An option that allows you to either fight "Clean" (Signature and High-Flying Moves) or "Dirty" (Low-Blowing and Eye-Poking)
9. All new Turnbuckle Chop Battle and Pre-Match Staredown Challenges.
Cons:
1. The Season is very short. You only play in half of a year. (For Example: If you play as J.B.L., you can only fight at Judgment Day, Vengeance, SummerSlam, No Mercy, Royal Rumble, No Way Out, and Wrestlemania because he's a Smackdown! wrestler. Also, the storylines are all poorly made up. You can only win the World, WWE, Intercontinental, and U.S. Titles, and the storyline for one title is the same for the others. There is only 3 possible type of matches you can have at a PPV: 1. Title Challenge, 2. Title Defense, 3. Non-Title Grudge Match.
2. Many modern wrestlers aren't in the game (Spike Dudley, Billy Kidman, Paul London, Eugene, William Regal, Orlando Jordan, La Resistance, The Bashams, Kenzo Suzuki, Nunzio, etc) and the game has some wrestlers who aren't even wrestling anymore (A-Train, Chuck Palumbo, Rico, Garrison Cade, and Sable). Plus, for the first time you can't be Mr. McMahon (?).
3. Create-A-Wrestler is harder than ever.
4. No more Lumberjack or Hardcore Diva Matches. The Parking Lot Brawl is fun for like the first 3 times, but easily gets boring. Also, the backstage area has been reduced to one hallway that has ladders, tables, chairs, and more. What is that?
5. You can't be Kurt Angle in Season Mode because he's the General Manager of Smackdown. How long ago was that? Man did THQ screw up.
6. They included Piper and Snuka as legends. That's no real problem, but they already were in Here Comes the Pain. They also included Masked Kane and Legend Undertaker as legends with the SAME MOVES AS THE MODERN WRESTLERS! THQ is so stupid. Also for some weird reason The Rock is a legend (?!?).
7. There's not even 50 wrestlers in the game. Thank goodness this the last Smackdown! THQ game for PS2.
THQ keeps the hits coming
This game, the latest in the perennial "SmackDown!" series, boasts the best graphics, the most features, the smoothest wrestler control, but lacks in a few areas earlier games excelled in.
The new features arrived with fanfare, but some fall short of their expectations.Online play, albeit fun, is very basic.Only two match types (Single or Bra & Panties) are available; it would have been nice to play an Elimination Chamber match online or even a simple tag team match.The new match style, a "parking lot brawl," is essentially a sugar-coated hardcore match in a special area.There are cars that you can smash your opponent into, but that's about it.
Graphically, this is an amazing game.Entrances are done very well; managers now come down to the ring with their wrestlers while the wrestler's original entrance proceeds.The Elimination Chamber looks very nice, Hell in a Cell looks nice, and we get the added bonus of CAW images on the character selection screen.That's been a pet peeve of mine since the inception of CAWs, so I'm glad to see it.
The game's audio is a double-edged sword.I like the inclusion of real music in the game (especially being a huge Powerman 5000 fan).It adds a lot to it, and hopefully this trend will continue.On the other hand, the superstar voiceovers are at times tacky, unenthusiastic, and boring.Vince McMahon shines in them, but that's to be expected from Vinnie Mac.Eventually, they suffer the same fate as the season mode: repetitiveness.
The season mode starts the day after WrestleMania, and it takes a huge step backwards from WWE SmackDown!: Here Comes the Pain.With the voiceovers, there aren't half as many storylines, so after a few seasons, everything's been seen (and heard).Furthermore, none of the characters used in season mode act as their characters in real life would.Kane and Triple H both coming to Bischoff's office to complain?I've never seen that happen.Also, these storylines are the most misogynistic I have ever seen.The only role of women is to be your superstar's "manager," which implies sexual relations pretty explicitly.Stacy Keibler strips to her underwear for your character and promises to let you "play Santa" later.Apparently THQ isn't down with the whole women's lib thing like the public news station is.
Gameplay is solid in this game.The controls are smooth, easy to understand, and generally effective, save for one irritation.In a match with multiple opponents, say, the Royal Rumble, your character instantly switches focus to the nearest opponent.This is good when you're being attacked, but horrible when you send your opponent to the rope with an Irish Whip and can't re-select him to attack when he runs back to you.Speaking of the Royal Rumble, however, this game features the new "Ring-Out" meter, which means that the Big Show won't be punched over the ropes by Rey Mysterio anymore; Rey'll have to work at it to get him over.It also allows for two wrestlers to team up against another and send him over the top, or for one wrestler to save another from that fate.It's not all-inclusive, however, as the Big Show reserves the right to send you over instantly with a gorilla press.
The Create-A-Wrestler (CAW) feature of this game leaves something to be desired.It's not that it's that much worse than previous games' CAW systems, but that the menu system for it is illogical and that it takes a long time to load.Once you've spent three hours perfecting your character, who wants to actually play?The one good thing I'll give it is the ability to give your created wrestlers separate outfits for their entrances, in-ring action, and cutscenes.
The legends are a nice addition to the game, but they really shine in the all-new Challenge mode, which is easily the most fun aspect of the game.Having goals to beat (some of them extremely difficult, such as winning the Royal Rumble while starting it or beating the Big Show in fewer than three minutes) is a nice touch, and the added money for the in-game WWE ShopZone helps too.
I've a few other problems with this game, starting with the contemporary wrestler selection.Stars like the Hurricane, Rosey, Heidenreich, and Carlito Caribbean Cool aren't in the game, nor are Lita, Victoria, or Molly Holly.Another problem is that the hardest difficulty setting isn't really that hard for experienced players.Finally, the new button-mashing submission system makes it nearly impossible to make superstars with a high submission rating, such as Chris Benoit or Chris Jericho, to tap out; on the other hand, they'll readily tap after a submission move of the old kind.
Though it may seem like I'm tearing this game apart, I still give it 4 stars because it has a lot of redeeming quality and is genuinely fun to play.I've been playing it for a while now and probably will until the next incarnation of this franchise comes out.
A pretty fun game
I rented this game when it came out and I loved it. This sequel to Here Comes the pain is very cool. The story mode has the WWE superstars doing voice overs to add to the game. There are also secret characters to buy like Bret Hart, The Rock, Andre, and more. In this game insted of 5 smackdown icons they've been reduced to 3. This is probably the best smackdown game I've played. If you like this get Day of reckoning for GC.
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