"How do you make a sequel to the greatest wrestling game of all time?"

This game is so close to perfection it hurts. A few little things would've made it perfect....but again, THQ/AKI shot themselves in the rear in a few areas....chances are, if youre reading this review, there's no need to go over the old gameplay....so let's go through just what's new or changed...

First...the biggie....No ''American Badass'' as the Undertaker's theme song. How cruddy is that? BUT....you have to think.....i remember reading before Gamefan shut down(R.I.P., by the way) that the 60% done copies HAD the song....and if you listen to Original 4 or 5(i forget which one), I think they DID try to help us out here by trying for their own rendition...but either Kid Rock didn't let THQ use it, or the WWF didn't, but either way, Undertaker's using Limp Bizkit now, anyways, so, c'est la vie...just use the Original song...get over it..

Second, as long as we're in theme song territory, let's give 'em credit, at least, for making the rest of the sound better. Certain theme songs got their lyrics back(DX, Triple H), others got extended, all of them sound better than they did in WM2K, but the videos are still kinda crappy. What do you expect, though? We still have to remember we're playing a cartridge here...

Third, the graphics....now, i may, or may not be alone here, but i never thought that WM2K had the best graphics in the world, and neither does this game....HOWEVER, it is noticeable that the characters move more fluidly, the backgrounds are better looking(the crowd's still a bunch of cardboard figures, though)....the faces...well, what was once a small problem is now a HUGE problem for me...in WM2K, the faces of wrestlers were scanned, and put onto the polygon bodies....now, its all animated, and now some of the faces don't even look like their real life counterparts.....but all that doesn't make a difference, as far as it pertains to....

GAMEPLAY--And, yea, it rocks...hard...the same great, super-realistic engine is back, and better than ever....players can't rely solely on taunts to get their meter up anymore, there are new grapples, double teams, weapons, backroom stages(without the cursed loading time that reeked of suckiness from PS1's Smackdowns), hardcore matches, ladder matches(WHOOHOO!), Ironman matches, Guest Referees....if you've got friends, they've got the modes....

The bad sides? Well,once again, what was a little problem is now bigger. At first, most Tag Teams came out together in WM2K...but if you made your own Tag Teams, they didnt...well, THQ decided to rectify the matter, and make NO Tag Teams come out together.....how good of them.

After that, the options.....the book, the box, your best friends, and EVERY magazine stated that you can change ANY existing superstar's stats...NOPE! I dunno if THQ took the option out, or it didn't make the final cut, or decided not to go with it...whatever, thats the one option everyone wanted and needed. Why remove the option, then? Did THQ try to rush this thing out to the public? Kinda makes you think....

And the final straw...not really a huge thing to whine about....but the AI...its weird in certain places....try having a ladder match against the computer, and count how many times in 20 minutes the CPU tries to climb the ladder, even after they've slapped every Special in the book on you....even on the highest difficulty. It's more like the computer opponent is an obstacle between you and the ladder, rather than heavy competition....
Also, in Hardcore matches....its very rare to see the computer actually go for the heavy weaponry....not to mention, try throwing the computer backstage, and watch how many times he/she will end up chucking you back in the ring....its a HARDCORE match....i shouldnt have to BEG the computer to ''PLEASE put me through a table!! I've been a bad wrestler!''

So...with all this...is it worth the purchase? Overall, i gotta say yes...if you have WM2K, this game is worthy of the update....there's very little here that doesnt get upgraded, or isnt in the same boat it was a year ago....and if you've got a bunch of friends, this game has no equals....it still has the same great gaming engine, and in the end, i STILL prefer this FAR over the gaming in Smackdown(though the Hell In A Cell match in Smackdown 2 would've been VERY welcome in this game). Now, if there's a God looking down on all gamers, THQ will correct its horrible mistake with WWF Royal Rumble, and make a QUALITY wrestling game for Dreamcast....with all that power at their disposal, i can't imagine them NOT taking advantage of it in the future, because the N64 is on it's last hurrah.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 12/28/00, Updated 12/28/00