WWE Day of Reckoning 2 Feature Preview

The team behind THQ's upcoming WWE Day of Reckoning 2, Yuke's, has long been known as one of the premier grappling game developers in the world. The developer's track record with the SmackDown! series on the PlayStation and PS2, along with the first Day of Reckoning game on the GameCube, points to a wrestling game resume that's filled with far more highlights than low points. With the second game in the Day of Reckoning series, Yuke's is combining its trademark attention to detail in the gameplay department along with a storyline that picks up right where the last game left off.

You won't find better-looking models on the GameCube. Yuke's is pushing the console to its max with DOR2.

First, let's talk storyline. This is our first real hands-on time with DOR2's story mode, so we're excited to dig right in and get started. The first thing you'll do when beginning the DOR2 story mode is create your original WWE superstar using the game's flexible create-a-wrestler tools (more on those in a bit). After choosing from a number of different mat-style templates (grappler, striker, and so on) and customizing your burly avatar to your heart's content, it's time to enter the story mode and begin your trip to WWE greatness.

The story opens in the same manner many WWE Raw broadcasts begin these days, with Eric Bischoff walking to the ring, complete with the familiar scowl on his face. Bischoff begins the evening's televised festivities by replaying the final moments of a previous week's bout between Chris Jericho and Triple H on the Titantron--a match with a controversial ending that saw Triple H pin Y2J while simultaneously tapping out. With no clear-cut winner in the match, the world heavyweight title is abandoned and put up for grabs at the end of a three-week tournament that will pit your created wrestler against some of the biggest names in the WWE.

The first opponent in our play-through of the opening chapters of the story mode was Randy Orton, who breaks in on a private pre-match moment between you and your love interest, WWE diva Stacy Keibler. After cleaning up the floor with the legend killer, you'll move on to Jericho and take him down. Next, it's time for WrestleMania and your chance to claim the heavyweight championship belt as your own. Well, almost. In the most unlikely of scenarios, it turns out someone has stolen the belt right out from under the nose of Eric Bischoff, on the very night it was set to be awarded to the undisputed champ. At least, that's the story Bischoff is telling. Did Triple H or his crony, Ric Flair, abscond with the gold? Is this some sort of strange game on Bischoff's part to keep the audience guessing? And why is Muhammad Hassan involved in this whole mess? These are just some of the questions that will be answered in Day of Reckoning 2's story mode, a mostly linear story that is told entirely through onscreen text.

As you make your way through the storyline, you'll periodically have choices to make, which usually involves the next opponent you wish to take on. You'll also be upgrading your created wrestler after each match by using experience points earned in each bout. Areas of improvement include attributes like strength, speed, and durability, and skill areas such as striking, mat technique, and aerial attacks. How you spread out these points will determine the type of wrestler your virtual grappler becomes in his career.

The storyline is entirely text-based, but there's still some pretty decent writing going on.

DOR2's storyline is greatly assisted by the impressive visual quality of the WWE Superstar player models found in the game. We've said it before, but it bears repeating: Day of Reckoning 2's wrestler models look stunningly real. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that these are among the most realistic and authentic-looking representations of WWE superstars ever seen in a video game. Whatever graphical horsepower the GameCube has left in it, the Yuke's team is certainly getting the most out of it. The body and face textures look great, with a wide variety of facial expressions to really convey the emotional context of any situation (sure, we're usually talking anger, but you get the picture). They move well in the ring, too, sporting nice animations that add a lot to the overall presentation. It helps that the game seems to sport above-average collision detection as well. For example, players react when they run into one another, and holds are commonly broken when coming in contact with another grappler, which makes three- and four-man matches that much more interesting.