WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain

"Even though this game is concidered an upgrade, it is still the best one out there."

Introduction

The day finally came that most hardcore WWE gamers anticipated for.....the release of SD:HCTP. Just like all of the previous Smackdown games, this game just got that much better. However, this is more of an upgrade than a completely different setup. Even though this may be true, it is still absolutely fun to play. Many things have been added into the game, like new match types and the addition of many new characters, for example Legends. In a way, some people think that more current wrestlers should have been added into the game, but the Legends make up for it. Also, for all the people that aren't in the game, you can always make them in the enhanced Create-A-Wrestler mode.

Gameplay

At first, there were a couple people that were skeptical about the new gameplay. The reverse button has been changed and so has the action of performing taunts. However, I think the gameplay is a lot better than Shut Your Mouth (previous SD game) and puts the player in more control of his character. There is also the addition of having more moves, with some being powerful and some being technical. There is also performing favorite moves and submission moves, which are very helpful due to the new submission system and location damage, something that was not included in Shut Your Mouth. The location damage tells you when your opponent is ready to be finished in the match. Also, for a submission to be more effective, that part of the body needs to be already worked on in the match. It is better to do a sharpshooter on damaged legs than on nearly untouched legs. How effective you are depends on how well you attack your opponent. Also, there is the weight system. This, as we all know, permits the smaller people from performing power moves on a bigger opponent. Rey Mysterio therefore cannot powerbomb Big Show, which makes the gameplay more impressive. It also makes the match harder to win if you are someone smaller, but it makes the game that much more fun. I thought it was weird when in previous Smackdown games, the smaller opponent would always lift up a wrestler that was twice the size as him. There is also the difference of the difficulty contrary to the other games in the series. In the last game, the hardest difficulty, Smackdown!, wasn't really that bad, or at least for me and probably for many others. However in this game, even Normal can be a challenge. The harder and harder you go, the more the opponents reverse, and that can be a havoc.

Story

The thing that most people love about this game is the Season Mode. It has been greatly improved since the last game and it's awesome. The typical Season Mode is about a year, but if you want to start a new one, you can have the option to carry over the stats that you had in the previous season. The stats include wins and loses, title holders, attribute points and etc. The attribute points are used to better your wrestler and they are gained when you win matches. Also when you win matches, you gain money to be spent in the Shopzone. There are move sets, legends, different arenas, new loading screens and alternate attires. The good part is that it takes a while to unlock, or buy in this case, everything that is available. Also, many people are very happy about the storylines in the game. Unlike the previous game, there are tons of storylines that are from the past, and ones that are entirely made up. This makes the Season Mode more fun because there is actually motive now, unlike the previous game.

Graphics/Sound

The graphics have been greatly improved from the last Smackdown game. The models look even more realistic and each wrestler looks like they do in actual life. The most impressive model in the game has got to be Goldberg. He looks exactly like he does in real life, with face expressions and all. The models look polished, even though there is clipping here and there. Sometimes it looks like an arm is going through someone or skin is going through a shirt, but it is a very trivial matter. Aside from those small kinks, everything looks great and you can tell a lot of work was put into this game, and it was well worth it.

The sound is actually pretty good. Most of the sounds fit in with the wrestling environment and it sounds good while fighting someone. However, it does kind of get repetitive, but what I have noticed is, when playing a match, all I concentrate on is the opponent and not that is playing in the back round. That is why I had no problem with the taking out of the commentary. It just never played that big of a role in my gaming experience.

Play Time/Replayability

If you really want to explore the game completely, it will take a very long time to finish the game. Finishing a season takes about a couple days, almost a week if you are playing for a long time. If you play on and off, it could take up to a couple of weeks to finish a season. However, mostly all of the people that are buying and playing this game always do more than one season, and since it is more detailed, it will be very addictive. I have already completed it 5 times (1 with John Cena, 1 with Kane, 2 times with a created wrestler that resembles a banana, 1 with Stone Cold Steve Austin.) It is just so fun to play. It is very easy to get hooked on the game and putting down the controller is sometimes hard to do. The game just has so much to play with that it will take hours on end to explore it all.

Final Recommendation

This game is absolutely worth buying. If you loved playing the previous game, you will love playing this one. It is so much better and with all the added things, it makes the game very enjoyable to play. For some people, you might want to rent it to see how well it is, but trust me, it is worth every penny. This game is at it's best when you play with multiple people, especially in the new match, the Elimination Chamber. I must have played this match like over 10 times, it is just so fun. I recommend people to buy this game because they won't regret it for a while. Take into consideration that games usually get old and boring to play, but it is going to take a long time to be bored with this game. This is destined to be the best wrestling game out there.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/29/03