WWE Raw 2

"THQ has another winning title on their hands."

Well this game has been in limbo for about a year and believe me it was well worth the wait. This is a really good game with a abundance (big word I know) of minor flaws. So how is this game let me tell you.

Graphics 9.5 ~ This game I must say looks amazing. At times I thought I was in the crowd looking at a real match. Just like wrestlemania XIX the videos are a little pixelated. But as for the ring and everything else it's a beautiful thing to view. The lighting in the ring is kinda dark just like a WWE event. You can even change the referee. My only problem was clipping, when I gave goldberg a power bomb with brock I was hit in the back by randy orton and when he fell he looked as if goldberg ate him. Minor flaw but doesnt ruin the game. Also the belts look like they are attached to your neck.

Sound 10 ~ The sound is great. Great sounding bumps and hits. The entrances and pyros sounds great. Of course there is no voice acting to mess up. The in game music is the exact same music from Smackdown:SYM which is a lot of hard hitting rock which I dont like. My only gripe is a easily curable one. Some specific characters do not have their real entrance songs (RVD, Kane, Dudley boyz,ect), but the game supports custom soundtracks so with a little work on the internet and a couple dollars you can load them on to the X-box and use them.

Controls 9.5 ~ All I can say is OMG A WRESTLING GAME I ACTUALLY HAD TO READ THE INSTRUCTIONS TO LEARN THE CONTROLS!!!! This presents the biggest learning curve seen in a wrestling game (also one of the biggest complaints of those who dont like a challenge). You hit A to grapple but depending on what kinda moves you wanna do you either hit B and a direction for a weak attack such as body slams, clotheslines, kicks. If you want to do a stronger move such as a DDT, Power bomb, Hurricarana you would hit A and a direction. My only gripe is that some of the specials are not right because you can only do them in grapples. For example everyone who has heard of RVD knows his move is ther 5 star frog splash, but in RAW2 you can do the 5-star anytime but his special is....well not the 5 star.

Gameplay 10 ~ Let me get it out the way and say if you expect the game to be fast and furious then you will be dissapointed. This baby is slower and more methodical. The AI is pretty smart if someone is tossing out a slow clothesline then the computer will kick them in the gut and it goes downhill from their. The difficulty is not as extreme as they say but just dont fight HHH cause he normally doesnt lose. The season mode is phenominal (another big word). So many things to do in it. You can start rivalries with others, gain allies, call out others and punk them out, rest between matches, and best of all steal from locker rooms. I could go on for days but just go pick it up and see it yourself.

All in all this is a great game with minor flaws but so far it's the best wrestling game I've played. (no I never played KOC or fire pro you fanboys why play a game that you cant read?) So do yourself a favor and pick it up and you will be impressed.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/17/03