Still pretty good after all these years.
GAMEPLAY- There have been many improvements to the GAMEPLAY, most notably, a new grappling system that uses dare I say it, a tie up system. There are 4 grapple types: Submission/Quick/Power and Signature. Upon initiating a specific grapple type, there are 4 moves to choose from in said grapple type. It’s a new system that works well and does not hamper the action what so ever. Also, there still is the no grapple moves at one’s disposal, namely, “Finisher” moves that can be initiated in the blink of an eye. Also, there is a new Tug of War submission system that is a nice idea, but IMO, should have been implemented on EVERY submission move.
BEST FEATURE-
*It has the best CAW cosmetics as of 10/31/03.
*All of the player mannerisms are well done.
*Many different match modes to choose from including the famed First Blood, Bra and Panties and Elimination Chamber matches.
*Improved season over Shut your Mouth.
*Extended replay value. It’s easier to unlock specific items now with the Shopzone, unlike the previous where one had specific items that could only be unlocked at specific PPV events.
*The Ability to modify the default Wrestlers moves.
*More than 1 outfit per Wrestler, well, most Wrestlers.
*The ability to reverse/counter Finishing moves without having to use a Smackdown icon.
*The new Wrestling engine where finally, there is back and forth action in a Smackdown game and the matches can last upwards to 30:00 minutes on the hardest difficulty.
*The season mode has been revamped and expanded.
*Weight detection has been added, but needs a little work to be realistic.
*Backstage areas are well done and very interactive. Kinda reminds me of SD2. *64 CAW spots using 2 memory cards
WORST FEATURE-
*Still, no double team moves outside of the Wrestling ring.
*Still, can’t break submissions.
*No way of pulling your opponent off the cage, one must punch or kick the cage even though the tips say one can shake the cage.
*Still no TRUE apron moves.
*No midair counter for the superplex after 5 SD games.
*The area outside the ring in the HIAC match is too small.
IN A NUTSHELL- It really captures the essence of the WWE. Being able to call your partner in tag matches is nice, but why Yukes still hasn’t programmed it where there are specific commands for your partner to do specific tasks, is still beyond me.
There are still some minor bugs that keep this title from being a 10. More counters/reversals are needed. The submission system needs fixing whereas the ability to break a submission hold is concerned. The overall package is a nice one. If Yukes fixes the submissions, adds ground double team moves (TR series) and gets back to the simulation basics, SD6 will be a hard game to beat.