WWE Raw 2

"Raw 2 delivers amazingly!"

1 and a half years of waiting. 1 and a half years of agonizing play of Raw 1. 1 and a half years of rumors of Raw 2. Was it all worth it? Did Raw 2 flop? Does it live up to its hype? Yes and more so.

First off let me make it clear that I am not calling this the next No Mercy. It's controls do flow nicely like those of No Mercy's but NM is gone and we should all let it go. I am not calling this the greatest game ever or even the greatest wrestling game ever. While it may deserve the latter distinction in some minds to me it seems handing out such a title entices flaming. However let it be known that Raw 2 does improve beautifully on what was at best a mediocre wrestling game in Raw 1.

Graphics: 9

Superb models. I love how Anchor created the wrestlers. They really showcased their knowledge of Xbox technology well. The shiny bodies in the entrances are not as annoying as some believe. I think they add a good touch especially since it is just in the entrances. Pyros are done beautifully. 14 stadiums are included and from the few I have seen they are recreated masterfully. One minor gripe here is the crowds. The front of the crowds is full of action and looks amazing. However past that point the rest of the arena is so dull as to the point that it attracts your attention and you can't help but notice it. Animation as I mentioned earlier isn't perfect. Some moves look slightly off but with some additional tweaking they should be good next time. At least robotic walking is gone. Hair doesn't move which seems like such a minor detail but it is noticeable if you have played SD or WM. Overall I think graphic wise Anchor did a good job improving on a already solid graphics engine. Let's hope in the future HDTV/wide screen support is added in.

Sound: 10

I can't find a reason to complain in the sound department. All the themes sound amazing! The crowd is amazing with cheers and whatnot. Ladder and chair shot sound effects are done superbly. The background music during the game is also very good. It goes nicely unlike the awkward sounding tunes in Raw 1. Some may complain that people like Hardy don't have their official music but you know what.........CUSTOM ENTRANCE MUSIC!! This is a huge feature that should become a staple in all wrestling games as we go farther into the future. Another small thing yes but it goes a long way and I mean a loooong way to making an amazing CAW. Plus since you can change existing wrestler's music you can keep your superstars updated!

Gameplay: 9.5

Here was the big question. Everybody knew it would look beautiful. They knew it would sound amazing. However many were left disappointed from Raw 1 and were wondering if Anchor could improve the core gameplay. Anchor not only set out to overhaul the controls but kept delaying the game to re tweak it and improve it. Was it worth it? Definitely. Gone are the cheap annoying momentum shifts. Gone are the button mashing >>>>> grappling strategy. Sure grappling is used by AI a lot here but it seems to be inferior to grappling in terms of momentum building which is a definite plus. Reversals were also a pain last time. Based purely on luck the AI was sufficiently able to piss u off by psychically guessing 97% of the moves you were about to pull off and reverse them in time. Now you truly get to have a good technical match without a million punches and kicks and ''grapple reversal shoveoffs''. How are submissions? Done amazingly. Submission reversals are done even better than before with good animations on actual reversals used in real life. And it doesn't take 10 years to get them to tap either.

Season: 9

The season mode will undoubtedly be one of my favorite aspects of this game far down the road. At first when you come to the realization that only one season can be saved at a time you start to get mad. Why? The Xbox hard drive can hold several season save files! Why limit us to 1? Anchor felt like it, that's why. But it doesn't matter because you aren't locked into a 4 player season and you can play by yourself when you want and bring buddies in when you feel like it in a snap. It's also good to see CAWs are being utilized well. The actual season is pretty interesting. You get to choose several actions during every match. Plus you can do several actions per show so you can have multiple feuds going on with one person if you want! It seems kind of frustrating however when a fued you plan doesn't seem to be building but this only adds to the buildup when your rival finally decides to come out when you called him out and fight you. Also a clever idea with the steal action is unlocking items you have stolen and eventually unlocking titantrons to view in theater mode. The core season mechanics are done well measuring your popularity by your actions and your victories. I think if more options are added and it is expanded well this open ended season will become the natural successor to SD and No Mercy style season modes. Too bad you can't pick an option to get fired by Vince and fight security guards though. That would be interesting......

Create a Superstar: 10

Unbelievable! The CAS is quite amazing. The clothing options are restricted unlike WMXIX's logo editor however there is a sufficient amount to keep you happy. The fact that you can use this mode to edit attire/music of current wrestlers is a huge deal since like No Mercy this means I can keep my entire roster updated not just my created wrestlers. Move list can be expanded more to be like other games especially Fire Pro's mammoth list but that may not be on Anchor's priority list so I guess we can wait. The addition of custom entrance themes is a huge plus as it adds a lot of realism to the created superstars. You can create legends with their authentic themes or create the next newcomer and throw in his fresh beats. The ability to create a titantron along with the music is a godsend. Gone are the days of having titantrons of other wrestlers or having a generic WWE/Raw logo. The only thing is it could be expanded more to add more options but this is definitely a good start and props to Anchor. The pyro options are also quite amazing as you can time them now so they don't go off at a bad point where your wrestler is nowhere near them. Overall a great create a superstar mode and with the create a team mode for making good teams with joint entrances you get a great customizable roster.

Replay Factor: Varies

Some will love the season mode and others will call it a huge letdown. Still it does add quite some time to the replayability and with all the other intense modes like HIAC and Table matches you won't get tired of this game easily. Still it's far more fun with friends.

Overall: 9

Still room for improvement but a great job by Anchor to create a true contender in the wrestling video game scene. Add a point if you are a hardcore wrestling fan for that will make this game unbelievable!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/16/03