Yuke's and THQ bring another solid wrestling game to the PS2 and it is ready to lay the SMACKDOWN on you!

User Rating: 8.8 | WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw PS2
By Souljahs | Review Date:
Over the past couple years, Yuke's and THQ's Smackdown Series has been by far the best wrestling games on any platform/console. Last year, Smackdown HCTP was no exception, and gamers today expect Smackdown to be as good or even better than its predecessors. Well, the Smackdown series has gone through a name change, hence WWE Smackdown! vs. Raw, and to be frank, I am both amazed and yet a bit disappointed with Yuke's and THQ's efforts in their newest wrestling installment, though I think its still the best wrestling game on the market today! The Gameplay will remind you a lot of HCTP (Smackdown! Here Comes The Pain), which brough an innovative grappling engine to wrestling video games. if you are not familiar with the grappling system, you can hit the grappling button (on your PS2 controler) and use the D Pad (press up, down, left, right) to execute certain moves. A few tweaks have been added, including some "side games" such as a shoving contest, a strength contest, etc. this makes the game feel more like matches you now see on the RAW and Smackdown shows. O, and don't forget the clean and dirty meters (depending if your character is a heel or a face), if you do dirty moves or clean moves, the meter increases and when it maxes out you can be utterly invincible (clean meter), or lay down a devastating "low" blow (dirty meter). I really think Yukes and THQ did a great job keeping the grappling engine and adding the tweaks to make each match feel more realistic, including adding old superstars such as Andre the Giant and Bret the Hitman Hart (including their own entrances), but what about the AI. Since ripping the plastic off my Smackdown! vs. RAW game a couple hours ago, I have been very disappointed with the AI system. Sometimes, they go crazy, grabbing a steel chair and knocking me out senseless, but what does Edge do after that? He just stands and does nothing! I hope that Yuke's will be able to fix up the AI in their next installment, because a more realistic AI = more realistic match/game. My second problem with the game is where are all the undercard wrestlers? Yes, of coure you will see the Rock, Undertaker, Kane, Triple H, Chris Beniot, Booker T, Eddie Guerrero, etc. but how about some of the undercard wrestlers. Perhaps, they shortened the roster due to all the voice overs (which will be pointed out later), but more wrestlers = less time getting bored fighting the same wrestlers = usually a more in depth and overall funner game to play. And of course, last but not least, online play is a major letdown, I mean, you can only playing single matches, whats up with that? Hopefully Yuke's will improve upon online play (maybe Royal Rumble match? or a Cage Tornado Tag match? etc. who knows) The Graphics and Sound of WWE S vs. R is great. The wrestling models are almost perfectly done down to the last pixel, you can tell without a second glance that the wrestler you are pitted against is "Y2J" Chris Jericho in a Hell in a Cell match or taking on the "Legend Killer" Randy Orton in a TLC match and the Divas...well, they also look stunningly good. The arena looks like an arena, the crowd looks like people and not just a continous blob, all in all, the graphics are superb. The voice overs gives the game life, and although your main character can't speak (while playing through a season), every other wrestler can, including the Divas. The entrances are great and are fabulously done (in my mind), the atmosphere while playing the game will feel like you're there in the arena. Again, this just adds two thumbs way up to the presentation of Smackdown vs. Raw and makes the game so much better to play. From a wrestling fan and a gamer's point of view, I thought Smackdown vs. Raw was great. Although it might feel like HCTP, the tweaks that Yuke's implimented, including making the CAW even more in depth, giving gamers a chance to create their own ppv/title belt, etc. makes me feel that S vs. R is heading in the right direction. Without a doubt, if you are a wrestling fan, or a gamer looking for a good wrestling game, look no further than WWE Smackdown vs. Raw, it will not disappoint.

Other Helpful Reviews for WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw

Load Comments (0)