WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw

"Realism is what I wanted, Realism is what I got!"

Introduction:

The smackdown series started off with WWF Smackdown! on playstation and was a huge success. This was the best wrestling game to date. The series would continue with solid entries, but not really anything that offered the realism of a professional wrestling match. And then came the defining wrestling game: WWE Smackdown! Here comes the Pain. It offered an interactive Season Mode that resembled the soap opera that is the WWE and brought better controls, counters, improvements in create-a-wrestler mode and the grappling system.

Gameplay: 9/10

The clean/dirty meter: Wrestlers can now take advantage of a clean/dirty meter that can turn the tide of a match. If your wrestler uses clean tactics to win matches, their meter will fill up from winning "chop battles" , (when the wrestlers chop their standing opponents on the chest at the turnbuckle), performing high risk flying moves, and taunting their opponents and pleasing the crowd.

If your wrestler uses dirty tactics to win matches, their meter will fill up when they perform dirty moves (eye-raking, excessive force etc.), and attacking with weapons. It will also fill up when they don't release submissions, and attack or argue with the referee.

If a clean or dirty wrestler acts in favour of their opposing alignment, their meter will drop. A full clean meter will allow clean wrestlers to deal more damage and will grant them invincibilty for a while - enabling them to counter their opponent's attacks and pins more easily. A full dirty meter will grant dirty wrestlers, a low blow move that will deal as damage as a finishing move to an enemy. This balances out the wrestlers very well.

This allows for wrestlers who are lacking in strength or technical ability or wrestlers who just enjoy using those tactics, to win matches by taking advantage of their alignment. It is then made more believable that wrestlers who may not be as athletic compared to some others, are able to win through heart and courage, or "lying, cheating, stealing". Rest in Peace Eddie Guerrero.

Minigames: At the start of the match you are now able to engage in minigames. These include shoving contests, staredowns and tests of strength. You will input button commands and if you win these minigames you will be able to deliver the first strike. The minigames are random and you do not get to choose which minigame you or your opponent would like to participate in.

Wrestler weight class: There are now wrestler weight classes. Cruiserweight, Heavyweight, and Super-heavyweight. Cruiserweights cannot lift heavyweights, and heavyweights cannot lift super-heavyweights and their strength and speed now have caps. For example, a Super-heavyweight cannot have as much speed as a cruiserweight, and a heavyweight cannot have as much strength as a super-heavyweight. This brings a nice realistic touch and really brings balance to the game.

Royal Rumble: The royal rumble mode has now been upgraded so that wrestlers are not so easily thrown over the top rope like in HCTP. They have included a meter that rises as the wrestler takes more and more damage. The wrestler is then less likely to survive being tossed out as the meter rises.

Create-a-belt: This lets you create a belt to wrestle for. You can customize it by changing the type of belt, material (gold, platinum), design, and additional jewels etc. that is used. All of these materials cost Smackdown dollars, and are very expensive to buy. You can also create belts that really exist in the professional wrestling world that are not present in the game (WCW, ECW championships etc.)

The online mode is fairly pointless, and the disk space could have been used for something more worthwhile. It just lets you play either a normal exhibition match, or a bra and panties match. So,if you're looking forward to online play, you're going to be utterly disappointed.

Graphics: 9/10

The wrestlers look more realistic than ever, and move much more realistically than in Here Comes the Pain. They will not move lightning fast, they will move closer to how fast the wrestlers would move when you are watching a professional wrestling match on your television set.

Sound: 7/10

Commentary is provided by Jerry Lawler and Jim Ross for Raw, and Taz and Michael Cole for Smackdown. The wrestlers provide voice-overs and some are adequate, but some are not acting out their parts very well and it often sounds out-of-place. Still, it is nice to hear some voices attached to the wrestlers, after such a long time of not hearing them in the Smackdown series.

Replay value: 8/10

This is the most realistic wrestling game ever. If you like realism and WWE superstars, you will undoubtedly be coming back to it over and over again. There are also Legends to unlock (such as Andre the Giant, and Bret Hart), and arenas, costumes and movesets. The addition of the clean/dirty meter totally enhances the gaming experience.

Overall:9/10

The core gameplay has improved. Yet the season mode is not as great as WWE Smackdown! HCTP. But really, the core gameplay should be what a wrestling game is all about. It should recreate the spectacle that is professional wrestling. That is what Smackdown! vs Raw is all about. If you want a wrestling game that is closer to the real thing, then this is a must-buy! If you are looking for a season mode that will let you interact in a story, you will find a good one but not as open-ended as HCTP.

In short:
Story: HCTP
Realism: Smackdown! vs Raw

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/16/05