WWE Raw 2

"A wrestling game to be proud of finally hits the Xbox"

The wait is over. Finally wwe raw 2 has hit the shelves. This game is an wrestling game to be proud of on the Xbox. Also a game to compete with PS2's Smackdown series.

Graphics 8.5
The graphics true shines on every aspect of the game. Though some of the character models are off like Hulk Hogan's head is to big for his body and Brock Lesnar look like he's been dipped in Vaseline but over all the Graphics are top notch like all of the arenas look outstanding.

Sounds 10
Gone is that god awful music that was so annoying in the first Raw. The in-game sound effects are nicely done to the point where you can hear bone crunching during submission moves. The rest of the sound effects are crystal clear also. You can also use your own music ripped from the hard drive for CAW's or to give the featured superstars new or their real theme songs since some of the superstars do not have there correct theme song.

Gameplay and Controls 8
The game does not play at all like the first Raw game except the run command is the same. The controls respond very well in this game and uses every button except the trigger buttons. With gameplay this as close as you are going to get right now to No Mercy on the next-gen consoles where you have to think before you do & not button mash. In fact this game seems like a collection of the great thing in WWF/E games since wrestle mania 2000 on the N64. Still no Create a PPV or Titles in exhibition mode.

Season 7
In this game there is a season mode unlike the first game. Due to the fact that the first game didn't have a season mode. This game has a season mode like the road to wrestlemania mode in wm2k. Where you are thrown into matches. There was rumors about an open ended season like the GTA series on PS2. You can't do what you want to do unless you are doing it to an enemy of that particular superstar or CAS. You can't select your own enemies.

Create a Superstar & Team 9.5
The Create a Superstar in this game is like the first but 100 times better. This game is a step or two behind the Smackdown games. You still can create your own entrance now with more options include timing of the lights and pyro. You can even make custom made Trinitron videos & rip music from your hard drive to use theme music. Just like in No Mercy & the Smackdown games you can edit the Superstars. There some things you can't edit like Kane's mask. Create a team is like the Smackdown games but you can make your own entrance like the CAS mode.

Replay very high
This game has a lot for any kind of wrestling fan with 60+ superstars multiple game modes and the most fully scaled Hell in a Cell in any wrestling game I've played.

Overall
There are some flaws in this game but they are minor. Hopefully they get fixed in the next game.If I were to buy it or rent it, I'd buy unless you don't want to take the word of an extreme wrestling game player.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 09/18/03