WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth

"Shut Your Mouth"

How many games can live up to the hype that surrounds it? Most video gamers will tell you that very few games even begin to match its hype. Even though last year's Just Bring It was fun in its own right, it really felt like a letdown. It didn't present us with anything truly new or spectacular... just slightly updated graphics and a more up-to-date roster. So I was skeptical when Shut Your Mouth was announced. It sounded so great, but I felt that most of the cool new features would be left out of the final game. Fortunately, this isn't the case. Only a few things didn't make it into the final production of the game (most notably the CAW Password system). THQ has finally presented the Playstation owners with a true wrestling gem. While it still stays true to its roots of being a fast-paced arcade game, it easily rivals the Nintendo 64 simulation games such as Wrestlemania 2000 or No Mercy.

Graphics: 10/10
The graphics are simply astounding. Just Bring It pretty much just made the graphics that were in Know Your Role less choppy. This time around, though, the character models have been improved tenfold. The skin tones are simply outstanding. The faces are truly amazing, though. For instance, they captured Hollywood Hulk Hogan's facial details and expressions down the last minute detail, down to the last wrinkle.

The arenas have been vastly improved, too. While they aren't as good as the arenas in Wrestlemania X8 for the Gamecube, they are a vast improvement over Just Bring It.

The entrances are great. The video transfers of the TitanTrons are a lot better this time around. They aren't nearly as choppy and blocky as last year's game was. Some other nice features include nWo members having the screen turn black and white, much like on the actual TV show. The lighting effects during the entrances (and during the game in general) are simply amazing as well.

A lot of moves have been re-animated. For example, the Undertaker's tombstone piledriver looks a lot more devastating than ever before. Submission maneuvers have been reanimated, as has a lot of the finishers.

One of my personal favorite additions to the graphics is the ''Matrix effect'' that you can enable during the finishers. If you hit L1 or L2 during a finisher, you get treated to a nice Matrix-type camera angle, similar to the one in Legends of Wrestling. However, it is a lot better than that.

Overall, it's like comparing night and day between this year's installment and last year's installment. It's truly amazing.

Sound: 9/10
The Smackdown titles have always had great sound. This game is no exception. Almost every wrestler has their real-life entrance music (the only exception would be the Hardy Boyz and Maven). So you won't be getting fake nWo music during Kevin Nash's intro much like you would in Wrestlemania X8. Don't worry about the music performed by real bands, either. Hulk Hogan has his Jimi Hendrix music, Triple H has his Motorhead music, Stephanie McMahon has her... crappy rap music.

One of the main complaints about last year's Smackdown game was the horrible, horrible commentary. That is no longer a problem this year. For starters, Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler lend their voices to announce this year's game. Secondly, they hardly ever talk, and when they do talk, it's a lot more accurate. So you won't have Jim Ross talking about The Undertaker even though he is in no way involved in the match like in Just Bring It.

The in-game music is decent enough. Nothing special, but not bad.

Controls: 10/10
If you've ever played any of the previous Smackdown games, you know what to expect. X strikes, O grapples, Triangle runs, and Square reverses. L1 does your finisher, and L2 taunts.

The reversals are a lot better this time around. You can't reverse every single move this time around, fortunately. You still use Square to reverse, but pressing the D-pad alongside Square will allow you to counter in different ways. You can even counter a finisher!

Gameplay: 10/10
Easily the bread and butter of the game. Where should I start?

The season mode is great! Instead of being four matches like last year, a season is two years, one month consisting of five or six matches. You will have to play through it several times in order to unlock everything, though. A lot of the storylines are taken directly from WWE programming, including the McMahon/Flair ownership feud and the nWo invasion (with X-pac replacing Scott Hall). Choosing to attack certain people will start feuds, as will choosing to not take any action.

The exhibition modes are great fun, too. Matches include single, tag, handicap, Royal Rumble, King Of The Ring, hardcore, survival, cage, elimination, Hell In A Cell (which is now full and complete) I quit, ironman, ladder, last man standing, lumberjack, slobberknocker, street fight, submission, table, TLC, and three stages of hell.

Quite possibly the most fun mode would be the hardcore matches. The backstage areas are simply amazing, as well as fully interactive. You can throw opponents into boilers and watch them explode, throw opponents into cars and watch them explode, you can do Five-Star Frogsplashes from one floor to the one below it, and much more! You can even climb up onto the Smackdown fist in the Smackdown arena and do a shooting star press off it if you so desire. The possibilities are endless. Even more so if you and a few friends decide to face each other in multiplayer competition.

Create-A-Wrestler: 10/10
I'm not that big into CAW, but the CAW in this game is great, much like in all the other Smackdown games. However, a lot of the parts need to be unlocked during season mode, so keep that in mind as you go and unlock things.

The Eternal Question
To rent or to buy? If you have played any of the previous Smackdown games and enjoyed them, then by all means go out and buy this game. It's better than any other Smackdown game out there. If you disliked the other Smackdown games or are new to the Smackdown series, then there is no time like the present to go out and at least rent this game. If you like fast-paced, arcade wrestling action, then you owe it to yourself to play this game.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 08/18/05