WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role

"*sells the hit*"

GRAPHICS - 7
The characters look great during matches with all the details of your favorite wrestlers perfectly transformed onto your Playstation disk. They always look good when pulling off moves or just making it look like it hurts. The ring looks great, from the swaying of the ropes to the bounce when you hit them, everything is done really well. The bonus backstage areas are also amazing and interactive from throwing someone into a telephone booth or reaching for a plate in the kitchen. Now with all of the above average graphics during gameplay, the cut scenes bring the score way down. You can almost always see through the person on the screen and they look like a blocky, blobby, mess of flesh. Also, some of the wrestlers (Debra, D'Lo, ect) look like their faces were just pasted on and sometimes they didn't even look like the wrestler(Chris Jericho).

SOUND - 8
The upbeat hardrock sound doesn't fit the game as much as it tries too. It seems like the music is more fitted for Twisted Metal or something. But either way it is done well and pretty cool when you are beating your opponent into submission. The slams and squeeks are also realistic which helps to make it more like you are right there watching the action from ringside.

CONTROL - 9
Well, you can't get anymore simple than this. All of the button presses are well laid out and make getting used to them a breeze. If you are looking for an easy control system this is for you. It is a bit difficult to get good at directing where you throw your opponents during the often used Irish Whip though which brings the score down a notch.

GAMEPLAY - 10
WOW! The modes are great and well executed. Here are all of the modes I can remember:
-----Singles Match (8) Your average generic match, you can be counted out, pinned, or made to submit. There are also some extra goodies when you go outside the ring as you can put your opponent through the announcers table for some extra damage.
-----Tag Team (8) This mode also gets an eight with it's double team moves and fun Tornado option where all four wrestlers are in the ring at once. The only bad things are your opponents tag too much and are extremely easy to beat even with the constant changing. Go figure...
-----Hardcore (8) Yup, one more eight. Starting out with a weapon is something I often forgot and my opponent would clobber me into the ground with their weapon as a reminder. Otherwise the variety of weapons is good and pounding your opponent with a sledgehammer is fun! You also have all the modes to chose from including the special time limit title match where the one that has the belt at the end of the match gets to keep it.
-----Anywhere Fall (9) You also have full access to almost all the modes here and you'll enjoy searching through the multiple backstage areas to see how else you can injure your opponent.
-----Handicap Match (9) Very well done indeed, the veterans of Smackdown will remember this one but an extra One on Tag mode makes for a welcome addition.
-----King of the Ring (6) YOU CAN'T PICK THE WRESTLERS YOU FACE WHEN YOU PLAY IN IT!!!!!! Otherwise the fact that you can have a specialty KotR is cool.
-----Royal Rumble (7) You also can't pick your own opponents here but, hey, do you really want to be responsible for exactly how all of the wrestlers enter the match? Well, maybe which is why I gave this a seven.
-----Survivor (6) It's challenging to say the least. During a match that you eliminate opponents (Instead of the first one to score a victory wins), your opponents will constantly break up pin falls for no reason making you wonder what Yukes was thinking but outside of that there's definite fun too be had.
-----Special (10) From the Ladder Match, to the Table Match, to the TLC match all of the modes are great. Even the awful cage match from Smackdown has gotten better and you've gotta love the Hell in the Cell match. I Quit, Ironman, and Slobberknockers will keep you at the game for hours as you beat up your opponent until there is only one man standing. The Special Ref match can now have, get this, TWO REFEREES to add to the already great Special Ref match. Oh, and who can forget about the casket match, not exactly the greatest mode but its the only game to have one.
-----Custom Wrestler (10) It's just the same old Standard...wait, what is this advanced option? WOW! There are a lot of options from height to muscle size to what your wrestler says when he accepts or ignores the opponent. It's a great mode in general.
-----Create a Manager, Stable, and Taunt (8) Well, they all rock and I'll let you figure out why on your own.

UNKNOWNS - 5
These are guys that you unlock during Season Mode (Season Mode is described really well in all of the other reviews so I'm not going to repeat what others have already said) that resemble wrestlers that don't wrestle in the WWE. Depending, you may unlock Scott Halls move set or even Ken Shamrocks. There are 25 to find and IT TAKES FOREVER to get them. Especially when they repeat. It is a semi fun extra though to try and get them all. Of course there is that other way to unlock them all...

OVERALL - 9
The Season Mode was a Good and Bad thing all in one but if you are looking for a couple of weeks of fun, go no further because SD2 rules!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 12/06/00, Updated 11/24/02