SvR '06 deserves a place in the ranks of the Smackdown series, but I was disappointed considering the expectations.
Alright, so, WWE Smackdown vs. RAW 2006. In the original reviews, it was hailed as one of the greatest wrestling games ever made. Still, I didn't buy it originally because I had lost interest in WWE, and was still happy with HCTP. A little while back, though, I find it on sale at Blockbuster in a Buy 1 Get 1 Free sale, so I buy it with 24: The Game for $15 total. Let's see if it lived up to the hype.
Immediately, a few big changes stood out to me. There's a stamina bar, which adds some nice realism as your wrestler gets tired. I'm digging that. Then, there's the new momentum meter for finishers. Instead of gradually filling up when you hit moves and never depleting, this new meter builds and depletes depending on whether you're in control of the match and playing to the crowd. I can appreciate this as well, but I find it too easy to fill. Just one top rope move if you're a babyface, and it's full, pretty much regardless of where the meter was before. If it were a little more difficult to fill, I think it would've contributed better to the realism, as it would've prevented finishers so early in the match.
Other than that, and a few extremely simple pre-match minigames, the core gameplay hasn't changed too much. Stronger grapples are now slower, so they're easier to counter. Personally, I don't like that, because I found grapples on Here Comes the Pain were perfectly easy to counter, and making them even easier basically devolves the game into a counter fest most of the time.
In terms of match types, all the matches from Here Comes the Pain are included with the exception of Bra & Panties, which is replaced by, Fulfill your Fantasy, which is another extremely boring, worthless divas match that's basically Bra & Panties with a few extra features. It's worthless. Also new is the Buried Alive Match. Despite being something the fans have been asking for forever, I don't think it turned out very well. They could've had better mechanics for it, if you ask me. The more important new additions are the ability to do 2 on 3 tag handicap matches, which is something I wanted to do in HCTP but couldn't. Props to Yukes for including that. Steel Cage, Ladder and Royal Rumble matches are improved with more options, which are certainly welcome.
Overall, the gameplay is good, but really nothing we haven't seen before. The biggest problem I had was the AI, which is significantly dumber than Here Comes the Pain's AI. Also, the referees are much more liberal with handing out disqualifications, which has ruined many a match. Even when you can knock the ref out, with his final breath he can DQ you, which pretty much defeats the whole purpose.
As for the other single-player features, the Season Mode is here, and is generally much more linear than HCTP and previous iterations of the series. That will turn off some fans, but I didn't mind it. There are two stories, one for Raw and one for Smackdown, although parts of them overlap. Also, Voice work is added for both your character and the other characters, which is great if you ask me. Overall, the Season Mode is very good.
Then, there's the online mode. I felt it was a huge disappointment. At first it seems okay. All the match types are there (at least all the ones that have 4 players or less), but when you actually get into the game, that's where the problems start. Firstly, the game is plagued by cheaters, which are amusing at first but get very annoying, very fast. Secondly, a much bigger issue. Even in a virtually lag-free game, with both players running at optimal speed, the timing for reversals and grapples just feels out of whack. It feels like a poorly designed wrestling game, and is rendered all but unplayable. If the timing weren't ruined, it would've been a great online game.
The create-a-wrestler is good, but a step down from HCTP. First of all, the menus are harder to navigate, and it's very easy to exit out by mistake and lose your creation. The total amount of CAW slots were dropped from 32 to 30, making it even more restricting in terms of creating all of your possible creations. Also, the move options are even more restricting. You choose fighting styles for your wrestlers, and from there you can only choose between the moves of that fighting style, making some real-life wrestlers' movesets simply impossible to put in the game, even if all of the moves are in. It's not a big deal for original creations, though. Create-a-PPV returns, which is pretty good. Create-a-belt makes an appearance, which is good too but a little restricting. Overall, the Create modes are pretty good, but a step down from Here Comes the Pain.
The graphics in Smackdown vs. RAW 2006 are simply some of the best on the PS2. The character models and arenas look incredibly lifelike and realistic. The crowds don't look nearly as good, but they still aren't bad. The cutscenes look excellent, and the entrances are something to behold. The animation is also improved, featuring a good portion of the moves re-done with motion capture, making a lot of nice-looking new moves. Overall, Smackdown vs. RAW 2006 is one of the high water marks for graphical excellence on the PS2.
The sound in the game isn't as good, but it's still much better than previous Smackdown games. The one area where I think SvR '06 trumps HCTP. The music, instead of generic tunes, is now licensed. It's way too rap-heavy for my tastes, but at least it's better than HCTP's music. Commentary returns, and it's not all that great. I think it's serviceable, and I think a few others are a bit too harsh on it, but overall it's not excellent. The sounds of wrestling in the ring work fine. The voice acting during the season mode is very good. Playing through the season mode two times, I still don't remember a case of really bad voice acting. Everyone is at least as good as they are on TV (although in Torrie Wilson's case that would still classify as horrible). Overall, the sound, while still flawed, is much improved over HCTP.
As for value. The game does have lasting value. With two season modes to play through, a lot of match types and wrestlers, and a good Create Mode, this is a game that can keep you busy for quite a while.
Overall, Smackdown vs. RAW 2006 was a bit disappointing considering the expectations. I encountered a lot more flaws in the game than I expected, from little things like removing 2 CAW slots, to much bigger issues like the CAW Movesets, AI, and practically unplayable Online mode. Still, this deserves a place in the ranks of the Smackdown series. Not at the top, but it deserves a spot nonetheless. For the most part, the flaws in the game are overshadowed by what it does right, and I enjoyed it.
Scoring:
Gameplay: 7
Graphics: 10
Sound: 7
Value: 8
Tilt: 6
Overall: 7.8