Last year's WWF Raw was a first in a number of ways. For starters, it was the first World Wrestling Entertainment licensed game to make its way to the Xbox, and it also marked the wrestling game debut of Anchor, the development team behind the critically acclaimed Ultimate Fighting Championship for the Dreamcast. By all accounts, the game did not turn out as well as most people had hoped, as it simply didn't have much in the way of modes or overall depth. Also, the new gameplay engine, while rife with potential, simply felt sloppy and unfinished in the final product. Eighteen months after WWF Raw, THQ and Anchor have released WWE Raw 2. Although the game does its best to try and alleviate its predecessor's numerous problems, overall, Anchor appears to have spent more of its development time adding new bells and whistles to the game rather than really improving last year's flawed gameplay in any notable way.

WWE Raw 2 is, for certain, a much deeper game than last year's title, and, unlike last year, Raw 2 has all of the match types and modes you'd expect from a modern day WWE title.

WWE Raw 2 is, for certain, a much deeper game than last year's title, and, unlike last year, Raw 2 has all of the match types and modes you'd expect from a modern day WWE title. In exhibition mode, you can choose from normal, hardcore, street fight, ladder, table, TLC, cage, hell in a cell, and battle royal matches. King of the ring, tournament, and royal rumble options are also available as separate selections on the opening game menu. All of these matches are pretty much comparable to their SmackDown! and Wrestlemania counterparts, except for a couple of slight but noteworthy differences. The biggest difference is in the hell in a cell match, which doesn't really seem to play as well as in other WWE games. Unlike other hell in a cell matches, you simply can't break an opponent through any part of the cage after repeated hits. Instead, you have to use predetermined entry points--that look like doors--on either sides of the cage. You can still force your opponents through the cage after slamming them once or twice, however. Additionally, throwing your opponent into the cage doesn't seem to cause the same amount of damage or look quite as impressive as in other titles.

Raw 2 features a brand-new season mode that lets you and up to three friends take WWE superstars or created characters into the thick of WWE competition. The season mode starts you off nearly one full year before the next Wrestlemania, so, you're effectively building your career toward it. Each month of the season is represented by one episode of Raw, one episode of SmackDown!, and one pay-per-view (PPV) event. You'll be taking part in all three events in one capacity or another. During the season, your progress is marked by your popularity level, which is based on a 100-point scale that measures how well the WWE fans perceive you, and a spirit meter, which is basically a stamina meter that carries over from show to show.

Raw 2 features a brand-new season mode that lets you take a real-life WWE superstar, or one of your own created characters, into the thick of WWE competition.

Along the way, you won't really find any predetermined storylines or set paths. Instead, it's basically up to you to decide how you want to progress. This is handled is by giving you a number of different options at the beginning of each show. You can cycle through the list of matches on a show's card and decide what, if anything, you want to do during that match. If you want to rest up and replenish your spirit meter, you can simply hang out backstage and do nothing. However, you also have the option of calling out opponents, ambushing and/or setting traps for them, asking different superstars to manager you, and even throwing words of encouragement to your compatriots. This may sound simple, but determining how you progress can be a bit tricky, as sometimes you aren't able to make your set actions go down the way you want. For instance, occasionally you'll be resting up backstage, and an opponent will rush into the locker room and attack you. Or maybe you'll call out a superstar by demanding a match, but another superstar will answer the challenge instead. Sometimes, however, no one will show up at all.

While there's no denying that there are plenty of options in the season mode, there are still some hitches here and there. One of the most perplexing aspects of the season mode is how the different cutscenes, related to your various actions during the season, play out. None of the cutscenes feature dialogue--whether it's text, voice, or otherwise. So whenever something happens, you're basically left watching as wrestlers and managers flap their lips meaninglessly--without so much as a hint as to what's happening. Eventually you find out what happened, at the end, when a screen pops up that explains whether or not your intended action has worked out and whether or not the end result has earned you an ally or a foe. The scenes themselves can be pretty meaningless. Another irritating aspect is that there really doesn't seem to be much continuity in how matches, feuds, and the like play out. For example, you'll often find yourself randomly thrown into a feud with another wrestler by one of the WWE general managers. Past history with that wrestler doesn't even matter. So, you could spend show after show going after Brock Lesnar and inevitably end up in a PPV match against Jamie Noble. This isn't a constant problem, however. In some cases, we did seem to get some decent feuds going against our chosen opponents, but it definitely took a lot of effort on our part to make it work.