WWE Day of Reckoning 2

"Great gameplay bogged down by weak single-player and bad A.I."

Greetings ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to my first-ever review of a video game!

I decided to review this game because I felt there was too much focus on its counterpart, the Smackdown! series. Day of Reckoning 2 is the 4th game in a series that includes Wrestlemania X8, Wrestlemania XIX, and the original Day of Reckoning. The lack of recognition is a shame, as Day of Reckoning 2 is a very,very good title in its own rights. However, it's also easy to see why Smackdown! is the series receiving all the attention in the virtual wrasslin' world. Let's look at it bit by bit.

Graphics: (9/10)

The graphics are very well done. The character models are beefy and represent the wrestlers they are supposed to accurately. For example, John Cena's notoriously ripped figure is very well-modeled, as is the shiny bald head of the legendary Stone Cold Steve Austin. The lighting reflects off the characters very nicely, giving that same shiny look to the superstars you'd come to expect if you watch the WWE at all. The pyrotechnics that some with the entrances also look fabulous, despite the occasional slowdown they might cause.

In terms of animation, it is slightly hit-and-miss. Some animations are done very smoothly and look authentic, while others appear jerky and mechanic. This is due to some animations being ported over from the previous games without much change.

Sound (7/10):

For people playing Smackdown!, commentary has become a must in the background of a match, so it's slightly surprising that this game still uses typical rock or metal music in the background rather than commentary. The music is somewhat good, but can grate. The wrestler's individual theme music is done accurately, right down to the screaming girls in the Heart Break Kid Shawn Michaels's theme. The pyrotechnics also sound pretty authentic, with the loud bangs of the fireworks really giving a nice adrenaline rush.

The sound effects are pretty good. The smacks you hear when you land a punch or when you slam someone to the mat are very nice, giving that "Ooooooooh! That hurt!" feel. For a perfect demostration, try nailing somebody with one of The Rock's clotheslines, and listen to the sickening smack as your opponent twirls through the air.

Overall, as many good points there are with the sound, most of your time will be spent playing, so the in-game music makes up the majority of your speakers' effort.

Gameplay: (9/10)

This is where this game shines. You have your strikes an grapples, and you have the ability to counter either one depending on which button you press. This turns a fight into one huge mindgame, as with each attack you land, you build up your spirit gauge as well as your special gauge. Spirit represent your momentum, and makes you able to reverse better and give more damage. The special meter, of which you have three, gives you the ability to go into special mode, where you can execute you finishing maneuver.

There's also a little diagram of a body next to your meters, which represents how damaged your wrestler is in certain body parts. With damage, said body part will go from black to yellow to orange to red. Where this comes in is for submission-based wrestlers, as they can know which part to attack, weaken, and clamp on that submission move.

All this adds up to a flowing engine. However, you might be wondering what you can do if you're low on spirit and things are looking bleak. This is where the momentum shift attack comes in. Once a match, you can deliver a devastating attack only when your spirit is at its worst. This move borders on being cheap, but, like a finisher, it can br reversed.

In multi-player, an extra dimension is added: How your moves affect other wrestlers. For example, say Triple H was suplexing John Cena, Cena lands on Chris Benoit. Unlike Smackdown!, Beniot will be knocked down by the force of Cena's body landing on him! Also, Beniot is able to punch Triple H out of his suplex attempt. Basically, there is no way an opponent can utilize a move to become "invincible",so this makes multiplayer matches extremely chaotic, especially if the match is a single-fall one!

Last but not least is the stamina gauge. This gauge drains with every attack you throw. When it's empty, your superstar becomes extremely sluggish and slow, making them a target.

Realism: (9/10)

Calling this real may sound ironic (considering this IS the WWE), but this game does a good job of giving you the control of the muscled athletes. They have attributes which affect how they do in the ring. You have strength (how much damage you can inflict), speed( how quickly you can move, climb the turnbuckle), durability ( how much damage you can take ), countering ( how big of window you have for reversals), charisma (how quickly you can gain momentum and fill you special meter), and submission (how long you hold a submission maneuver).

These attributes severely affect you wrestlers in the ring, making almost no match impossibly difficult to win. Strength and durability do tend to take precedence,though, but isn't that the case in "real" wrestling as well?

Also, weight classes come into effect, as smaller grapplers can't lift their heavier counterparts, so Rey Mysterio players, for example, have to try not to lift their opponent and depend on other attacks. Another way this works is that smaller wrestlers need less stamina to run around and climb turnbuckles, which lets them take high risks more.

Single-player: (6/10)

I thought I should cover this part on its own due to a few issues. First, the story mode. While it puts you in an interesting situation, you only have one, preset story line which doesn't last very long, so there's no real replay value.

The other issue it the A.I. In 1-on-1 matches, it's fine. It well fight you and give you a good match. However, as soon as there is more than one CPU-controlled wrestler in a match, all hell breaks loose. See, for one, most 3 or 4-way matches can and WILL turn into a computerized hunt for you. I was playing a 4-way match, and I ran from the ring all the way to the entrance, only to have all 3 opponents chase me all the way!

Another example is when I locked a submission hold during a tag-team match up, only for my partner to break it up! Basically, the CPU does odd and frustrating things that makes it very hard to enjoy the game in singe-player.

Variety (8/10):

The game features many of the gimmick matches the WWE is known for. Cage matches, Hell in a Cell, last man standing, and the ever-infamous bra-and-panties match up. However, the game's ability to include only four people in a match at once limits the potential slightly, as can be seen in the lack of the Elimination Chamber and the favourite guest referee matches.

In terms of the roster, the WWE's influx of boring superstars affected this game slightly. Luckily, Triple H,Undertake, Kurt Angle, John Cena, Rey Mysterio and the like are here, as well as some hidden legends you can unlock such as The Rock and Steve Austin. So there's definitely enough to go around in terms of character selection, despit the lack of some old favourites like Brock Lesnar and the Hardy Boyz.

The create-a-wrestler mode allows you to add our own variety to the game as well. While it isn't as flexible as Smackdown!'s, it's easy to work with. However, it requires you to beat story mode once to fully be able to utilize it, as that gives you enough attribute points to make you wrestler good enough to compete.

Controls (8/10)

The Gamecube controller slightly makes the game harder, but the controls are mapped well overall. The responsiveness can be an issue, though. Since you use the analog stick, it can become difficult to run in certain directions, especially if you're not perfectly aligned with it.

Overall score (8/10)

While this game does have a few kinks, it's always good for a throwdown with friends. Still OK for loners, but not quite. Buy if you have friends to play with, rent if you don't.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/06/07