Very Enjoyable but not deep enough
Written: Aug 21 '05 (Updated Aug 22 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: There is no better WWE game on any platform
Cons: Could have been deeper, more realistic + faithful to reality.
The Bottom Line: This is the best WWE title, but it's not realistic enough.
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| yotaruvegeta's Full Review: WWE SmackDown vs. Raw for PlayStation 2 |
The PS2 WWE series gets better and better with every incarnation, but as it gets better, there are still things that are left unpolished.
I am a WWE Wrestling viewer and what I like the most about wrestling is the spectacle and the different personalities that each wrestler brings to the ring. In Smackdown Vs Raw, you get quite a bit of that, through each wrestler's move set and their individual ring entrances; but I want MORE!
I want heels to get the heat that they deserve from the fans and I want the Faces to get the praise that they deserve after slamming a baddie on the mat. I know that the crowd isn't the most important feature of a wrestling game, but if I'm a bad guy, I want to be treated that way.
Speaking of the crowds, I would have liked to take the fight into the audience every once in a while. Is that so much to ask? The audience are basically just empty AI, but if excluding a better audience means that all the attention is paid to the realism in the way the wrestlers look, then I'm ok with that.
The wrestlers look as good as they can with the current PS2 technology. Every detail of every wrestler is copied exactly. I still have a small issue with how real muscles and chests look on the wrestlers, but that's probably just a limitation of the PS2 platform.
As for sound, what's new in SVsR is that the real-life wrestlers and personalities have been used in season mode. It's a mixed bag because some people give it their all while others just sound uninterested. The rest of the sound is above average. A wrestler being thrown to the ground sounds realistic and boos and cheers sound authentic.
These are the only gripes I have with SVsR. What I like about this game is that the Create a Wrestler mode is deeper than ever, allowing you to truly make your wrestler YOURS. I still want to create my own finisher, but I know that may take too much time to do for players.
Since there are so many smackdown superstars, you can choose from hundreds of grabs, sleeper holds, submissions, leg locks, suplexes and finishing moves. This makes it fun to take all the moves you love and packaging them on one wrestler.
Once you take your CAWrestler or original Smackdown/Raw wrestler into the ring, you will not be disappointed in the challenge that the AI gives you. Sometimes, wrestlers may be easy to pin, but others will take the fight to you hard.
I miss the ability to take out and add whoever I want to season mode, like you could in the last Smackown game. Season mode is still being neglected. It's not really worth going through more than twice, and that's sad. Season mode takes you through what it could be like to be a WWE wrestler. You start out as new and you confront many WWE superstars. As you fight from event to event, you get superstar points and experience points (I might have the names wrong, but you'll get my meaning). Your superstar points are RPG-like: you can take your points and put them towards attributes, such as agility, speed, strength and durability. Experience points allow you to become contender for certain titles depending on how many points you have.
If you're good enough, you'll eventually be the champion and the season is over. You can replay the season mode as many times as you want, but it's the same experience repeated.
What is worth going through is the WWE challenge mode (Is that what it's called? I might be wrong) This is a brilliant addition to the game and it adds to the replayability. What you do in challenge mode is take on any number of WWE superstars and WWE legends in matches that usually have stipulations. For example, beat The Legion of Doom using any 2 wrestlers in a tag team TLC match.
There's a great variety in challenge mode and I wish it could have lasted longer. There are also a great number of exhibitions matches you can play in against the CPU or with up to 5 of your friends, which will keep you entertained for a long while.
Smackdown Vs. Raw is a very good WWE title, even with its limitations, and it gives promise that future tiles using better technology will be excellent.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
yotaruvegeta
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Member: K. L. J.
Location: New York
Reviews written: 64
Trusted by: 2 members
About Me:
Born in NYC. AKAs: Vichus Smith, Yotaru Vegeta, Vegeta, K.L. J., Jonathan E Cortez
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