WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It

"All hype and not much improvement"

Being a major veteran of wrestling video games WWF Smackdown! Just Bring It was a must for me. After all the Internet hype and news does the game live up to expectations? Yes and No.

Gameplay

After playing the demo I was expecting a much more strategy thought out game, however THQ decided to make the final game more like its faster “arcadey” predecessors. Although some will say this is a good thing I prefer a slower more strategy wrestler. To be fair the game is slightly slower than previous versions and wrestlers tend to stay down for longer after a “big move” or finisher. How many times would wrestlers get up instantly after being power bombed off the Hell in a Cell.

The amount of match types is amazing, some 70+ are present, ranging from 3 man tag matches to 6 man Hell in a Cell fights. Although many modes are slightly re-named from others to count them as different type matches, for example a Street Fight match is pretty much identical to a Falls Count Anywhere matches. The majority of matches do what they are meant to, however table matches are a real let down. In Smackdown 2 only three moves could be performed on them, in this game you can pull off any move you wish, however this is where the problem lies. Wrestlers will simply “slid” off the tables and perform the moves on the ground. Although the table match aint as bad as the infamous ECW Anarchy Rulz one it is a real let down.

Much promised was an enhanced story mode (aka season mode) however to describe this mode as “short and sweet” would be an understatement. Story mode basically looks to be there to unlock hidden items. The amount of matches in one bash through this mode is from 2 to a max of about 5, which is woeful. That said story mode is pretty good while it lasts, taking on the form of No Mercy’s season mode rather than previous Smackdowns. Most recent angles are present with the exception of the alliance angle.

There are some 40+ wrestlers included in the game (including hidden wrestlers), however this appears to be another lazy fault by THQ. Certain wrestlers like Steve Blackman are included in the game who aint fought in a while, yet wrestlers like X Pac are cut. All the usual main roster grapplers are in (Rock, Austin etc) as well as some excellent hidden ones such as Rhino and Tajiri. Overall the roster is pretty disappointing.

Graphics

With the improved power of the Playstation 2 many would expect a complete revamp of the Smackdown engine, however why change a good thing. Wrestlers are now more “crisp” looking which much more smoother bodies and also hair cuts are much more realistic. The new fight in the crowd feature is pretty lame, with the 2D crowd looking out of place, its works well but just does not look right at all.

Probably the biggest graphical advance is the wrestler entrances, wrestlers now come down with all the usual WWF fireworks, lighting effects and authentic theme music. Graphically this is the highlight of the game.

Lifespan

In multi player this game could last up to year, however in a single player perspective you would be looking at a few months tops. The CAW feature will able you to update angles etc, however the gimmick matches are so bad you wont bother with them, with the exception of the Hell in a Cell. The commentary is bloody awful, and I promise you will turn it off, as it’s so bad. Put it this way it’s so bad I cant be bothered to type anymore about it.

Overall

All hype and a real let down. Don’t get me wrong it aint a bad game its just not much of an improvement on previous versions. Should you buy it? Yes and no, depending on what type of player you are. If you are a casual pick up and play player I’d say rent it first however if you are a more hardcore player buy it but be prepared to be let down.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 11/19/01, Updated 11/19/01