WWE Raw 2

"Both Amazingly Innovative & Horribly Flawed"

Introduction - I pretty much started playing this game right after I got it, and there's basically two ways you can look at this game.

1. A HUGE step forward compared to the first RAW on X-box.

OR

2. A sub par wrestling game that falls short of the PS2's Smack down: Shut Your Mouth.

To give you a better idea of what the game is like I will break it down for you. First and foremost there are some audio glitches at times during the music, I've tried 3 different copies of the game from 3 different friends so I guess it's just a glitch in the game.

Graphics - The game is amazing there is no wrestling game on any platform that can compare to RAW 2, it is simply the best looking wrestling game EVER created. The wrestlers actually have facial expressions, when you play it and when see HHH you will swear that you are watching it on TV because it looks just like him.

Sound/Music - For whatever reason some of the wrestler's theme songs have been left out again. BUT it doesn't even matter, because the one REAL innovation in the game is that you can actually upload songs to your X-Box from CDs to create your own entrance themes. Don't like a certain wrestlers music just change it, and if you happen to have the WWE Anthology CDs then that opens a whole new world of wrestling themes you could use. That being said there is absolutely no dialogue in this game except when the announcers announce you coming to the ring. Otherwise though there is no talking or text words for that matter at all. In fact when you see 2 wrestlers arguing about something you have to just guess at what it is and what the final outcome of the argument was.

This particular flaw is hard for me to swallow especially coming off playing games like Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic and even Simpson's Hit & Run for X-Box where everything that is said in the game is using REAL actors with REAL voices. Yet they couldn't get even 1 WWE wrestler to do even 1 voiceover for the entire game. That wouldn't be such a big deal if at least there was some text to read, I mean I grew up during the time of the NES I don't mind reading if I have to. Yet there is no text to read either, so when Eric Bischoff comes out during RAW talking about something you have absolutely no clue what they are talking about. At least Smack down gave you text to read, and on top of that Smack down actually had announcers calling the matches (and they did a pretty good job too). So basically you can have announcers on every X-box sports game and even on Smack down for PS2 but not on a wrestling game on the X-box? I mean I just have a hard time believing they couldn't fit in any text or voices, it just seems like they just left it all out and it hurts the game worse than anything else, but for the record the sound effects overall sound good.

Gameplay - Here is the main reason you will come back and play RAW 2 again and again and what really makes it better than the first RAW. THQ actually listened to their customers and brought back the engine everyone loves in their wrestling games the old N64 THQ/AKI engine. So basically if you played any of THQ's old wrestling titles on the N64 (WCW/nWo World Tour, WCW/nWo Revenge, Wrestlemania 2000, or WWF No Mercy) then you basically will be able to jump right in and start playing very easily. Even if you haven't played any of the N64 games though the old engine was so well liked because it was so easy to pick up for anyone and learn the basics on how to play. That is still present in RAW 2, my only complaint about the controls is they seem overall slower than Smack down for PS2 or even Wrestlemania for Game Cube, everything seems to take on a much slower pace.

Next up in the gameplay department is the options, while the original RAW for X-Box had very few options this game has all of the options that you have come to expect from a GOOD wrestling game. Singles matches, title matches, tag team matches, tornado matches, hardcore matches, ladder matches, table matches, TLC matches, cage matches, the King of the Ring, the Royal Rumble, and yes even the almighty HELL IN THE CELL that everyone loves so much. It's all here for your enjoyment, and it's all done pretty well. So basically you will not get bored of the game due to lack of options, especially in a multi player environment.

Then there's the Season mode, everyone that has played wrestling games since the PS1 days knows that a wrestling game basically lives or dies on the Season/Story mode. If this mode is good usually you have a good game, but if this mode isn't good chances are the game will be collecting dust. Well the Season mode in RAW 2 is both amazingly innovative and horribly flawed at the same time. The innovation is that up to 4 players can play in a season simultaneously, interfere in each others matches, help each other out, or even just go your separate paths. Then if say your other 3 friends aren't around when you want to play Season mode again no problem you can still continue the mode as a single player, and when your friends want to jump back in they can do so at anytime during the season. This is very innovative and makes for some very entertaining gameplay.

RAW 2 also gives you tremendous freedom when you aren't wrestling in matches, you can choose to do many different things during other wrestler's matches. Tired of the world champion not giving you a title shot or ignoring you altogether? No problem make him take notice - interfere in his matches, jump him backstage, Call him out at the beginning of the show, go to his locker room and complain to him, manipulate another wrestler into taking him out for you, root thru his things and steal a valuable possession of his, Set a trap for him so that he will be injured going into his next match. Not only can you do this for 1 particular match though, but you can actually have your character do something during EVERY match on the card. You can also try to convince someone to be your manager, encourage other wrestlers so that they eventually become your ally, or even simply rest up backstage for an upcoming match and increase your overall energy for that match.

The flaw of the Season mode is the story or I should say lack thereof, because there is no voice acting or even text to read there is no story that unfolds during the Season mode. You simply have to guess at what ''X'' wrestler is saying or doing during these encounters where you see them talking but cannot hear or read anything. Sure you can still go after all the championship belts, but only due to harassing all of the champions before and after their matches. Of course if you keep beating them up backstage you will eventually find yourself in a title match with them, but there's no drama to any of it. There's no story, the only story that exists is the one you create as you go along in your own head. So eventually it gets very repetitive you simply go every month from RAW to Smack down to the PPV harassing people, playing tricks, making friends, making enemies, and wrestling your matches. Still sounds ok right? Wrong try doing it for a years worth of matches and you will see how repetitive it really is.

The last point of the gameplay I want to touch upon is the Create-A-Wrestler it is either way too dense or really awesome based on your perspective. There are tons of options in the CAW, but to me there are just TOO MANY options. I mean just to create an entrance for character you have to be concerned with not only how the wrestler comes to the ring but also the music, what's on the titantron, what lights are being used, what color are those lights, what light pattern you want to use, what pyro do you want to use, etc. etc. etc. And it's the same way with every little nuance of the CAW. To me it just won't be any fun because it will take nearly a decade to create just one really well made character.

Replay Value - The replay value of the game is solely based upon how many friends you have that want to play RAW 2 with you. Once you complete a couple years of the Season mode that only leaves multi player and create-a-wrestler to keep you interested. So if you have 3 other friends that want to play then chances are the replay value of the game will be very high, but if you're going at it solo you will probably become bored after a few Seasons.

Final Recommendation - So in closing the game is leaps and bounds over the first RAW on X-box and it is even better than Wrestlemania 18 for Game cube, but it falls way short of the near perfection that was Smack down: Shut Your Mouth for PS2. The game basically excels in graphics, music, control, and options then fails in keeping you interested during non-multi player play.

Definitely worth buying if you are a big WWE fan, don't own a PS2, or if you have a bunch of friends that want to play the game with you.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 09/22/03