WWF SmackDown!

"Get this game instead of its sequel."

WWF Smackdown! has revolutionizing wrestling games for the playstation. No other WWF series has ever had a storyline, a never ending season, and a simplistic but yet detailed engine.

FUN- 8

This game is very enjoyable for WWF fans. This game has so many innovations, lots of simplicity and great systems and engines that easily makes this the most fun that you will ever get from a PSX WWF game. The downside though is that after a while the game tends to be boring, because of the fact that the game looses its challenge after a while. I still put in a good two weeks though with this game.

GAMEPLAY- 9

- Arcade style
I was hoping for a wrestling simulation and instead I got an arcade based wrestling game. Smackdown is way too fast and the matches are really short. Everything is done very quickly and this kills some of the excitement, because I rather play a wrestling game that is longer, more strategic and much slower just like how it is in the WWF. So instead of finishing matches in 1-3 minutes I prefer to have them go to 5-10 minutes long.

- Challenge
This game is so simple that it just kills the challenge in the game. In smackdown all you have to do is pull off grapple moves quickly and you will be fine. there is no challenge at all. The game is very easy to pick up on which is good, but the game is so simple that it just doesnt seem like fun anymore after a while.

+ Ranking system
The ranking system in WWF Smackdown is the best I have seen for a wrestling game. It is not too easy nor too hard to move up the ranks in this game and each wrestler is placed at the right spot. For example, Stone Cold is one of the best wrestlers so starts at no.1 rank and Paul Bearer sucks so hes somewhere near the bottom. But the fault here is that once you play a lot of this game it gets pretty hard to get your ranks up. The reason being is that the ranking system is effected by the participation of the wrestlers and the more matches wrestlers are being participated in the harder and more tedious it is to move up the ranks.

+ Control
The controls for WWF Smackdown are very simplistic and the moves are very easy to pull off. Regular attacks are done with the X button, grapple moves only require two buttons to press and finishers only require the L1 button to be pressed when you are in position to lay the smackdown on your opponent! The controls here are the best for any WWF wrestling title.

+ Season
The season mode in this game is really good. Unlike Smackdown 2, wrestlers have a condition meter which can effect the way you perform. The titles change very frequently in this game also so it isnt hard to get a title shot once you have a good ranking. Another great thing is that there arent a lot of story lines which means not a lot of loadtime and the simulation for computer matches only takes a split second as oppose to almost a minute like smackdown 2. The problem with the season though is that the storylines are really bad. (They still were in smackdown 2 by the way.) I say that if a Smackdown 3 is to be released that the storylines should be much more creative and interesting because now they are so bad that I wish that this game did not have any.

+ Matches
There are a lot of matches to choose from in this game. This game has Cage matches, Hardcore matches, Iron Man, Special Referee, you name it!

+ Multiplayer
This game is great to play with friends. Much better than Attitude for multiplayer because it is much easier to make a tag now that you can now see if you are facing your partner.

+Innovation
This has to be most innovative wrestling game ever seeing that most of the other wrestling games were not so special and Its sequel Smackdown 2 was almost carbon copied from this game. This game has it all. Storylines, a never ending season, excellent engine and a very creative create player menu. If you are looking for a wrestling game that stands out, WWF Smackdown is it.

GRAPHICS- 8

The games graphics are really good. The detail is excellent. The players look very realistic. THQ's graphic artists did an excellent job here. A few things in the game looks pretty blocky though and these are certain objects in the backstage areas, the arena and the fans.

SOUND- 4

Ouch! This is where the game falls apart. There is no commentary which takes away the realism from the game, the sound effects are all too basic and there are no grunts or voice taunts. Whats up with that! The only good part would be the music, but there arent many music tracks in this game and you may get bored of the music after a while.

VALUE- 8

+ Creativity
Name one thing that isnt creative about this game? This game stands out from all the other WWF games out there because of the many innovations this game has to offer.

- Replay Value
The never ending season, locked secrets and cool matches all give good replay value. The game does loose some marks here though because after you master everything and play the season mode for a while you will eventually get bored. Real bored. This is one of those games you love the play the minute you pop it in, but after a while you just want to put it back on the shelf and never play it again.

+ Competition
Compared to other titles out there this game beats the competition. Well sort of. WWF Attitude offers a better create player menu (although smackdown still has a great one) and the game offers much better challenge and simulation. Not to mention actual commentary which makes the game realistic. But WWF Smackdown still outweights WWF Attitude and all the other WWF games and that is why you must get this game if you are a WWF fan.

OVERALL- 7.9 (rounded to 8)
Now you might be thinking. Why is this guy giving this game only a 7.9 if it is the best WWF game out there? My reason is because although smackdown is the best in its genre, it still has some noticeable flaws that hurt the game quite a bit. I also find that WWF Wrestling isnt all that impressive when it is put in a videogame. I havent played one WWF game that really impressed me. WWF Smackdown is very close to it though and that is why I think this title is worth a purchase. If you want the best in WWF Wrestling get WWF Smackdown by THQ.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/09/01, Updated 01/09/01