A wrestling game true to its roots.
User Rating: 8.4 | WWE Day of Reckoning GC
Wrestling, the one thing that most parents hate. I hate wrestling as well, but not the same reason why soccer moms despise it. In fact, I was a huge wrestling fan back when Goldburg was hailed as the strongest man in the world (exaggeration), and I've followed it closely, memorizing the entire roster of the program, knowing everyone's special move, etc. Though I guess as I grew older, I've realized wrestling was just acting, and it was sucky acting too! Maybe if it was for real and the punches weren't so fake, I would actually have grown to like it again. Which is why Day of Reckoning is so fabulous. Take out the acting, and you have an actual entertaining wrestling experience that's realistic! Almost everything about DoR can be appreciated even to those who hate it. I'm not too familiar with WWE, but I hear from many fans that the amount of wrestlers here is suppose to be disappointing (I say suppose to because I'm not). But outside of Triple H, The Rock, Kane, Batista, Chris Benoit, and other superstars, who else do you want? A whole slew of even more generic wrestlers that wear the same green briefs as well? Besides, the game's CAW (create a wrestler) mode more than makes up for the lack (supposedly) of wrestlers. I can honestly say that I've never had more fun customizing my character in any other game. It's just incredibly deep and fun to use. Almost every single aspect of your created wrestler can be changed; the size of its nose, size of its head, bicep width, chest size, anything! There's even a myriad of different clothing to sport your character, ranging from different coloured wrestling underwear to the even more bizarre Japanese samurai armour. Even if you're not a fan of customization, it should be given at least one chance. Besides, you'll have to anyways if you want to play through the game's story mode. The story revolves around your created wrestler as he starts off slow by wrestling for non publicized matches, to battling against the current champion in Wrestlemania! Though it's not gonna be that linear. When you've earned your way to the more deserving aired wrestling leagues, such as Smackdown or RAW, you'll be asked to choose which league you'd prefer to fight in. Doesn't really matter which one you choose because they both follow the same direction, only with different wrestlers. But your character will learn it rough as the bigger fish, such as the Undertaker or Triple H, will take quick advantage of you. The story will then move towards a path of trust and betrayal, a common concept and theme used often in the actual TV programs. Unlike in other sports story modes, the one here doesn't get repetitive. Before each match, you'll usually have a talk with other wrestlers or staff that want to see specific things out of you. In the beginning of the mode, scouts will demand certain things to see if you are really what then want. Though later on, when you're recruited to a pact, the leader of the clan will also demand more than just a win, such as to see the opponent suffer by finishing it off with a hammer, or humiliating him in some other way. There's also a bunch of other matches besides normal ones that have conditions of its own; there are tag team matches, hardcore matches (less strict compared to normal), ladder matches (where the only means of winning is to obtain the belt above, which only using a ladder could be achieved), among others. The story mode is really fun to play with, though it's the gameplay itself that makes it enjoyable. You'll be able to do much of the basic stuff, such as grapple and punch. Holding each command a second longer will enable the same move that will take longer to initiate, but will result in more damage. There's also the special meter. Everytime you've whacked a guy, this bar will fill up, and when it's at full, you'll be able to do that character's signature move (Undertaker's Tomb Stomb, The Rock's Rock Bottom, Kane's Choke Slam), which deals out more damage than a regular grapple move. Sounds like every wrestling game right? I guess it didn't want to feel like every other wrestling game when it decided to implement a really balanced counter feature. You see, the one thing that got on my nerves on previous wrestling games was the fact that it was difficult to recover after getting punched or body slammed. But that piece of frustration is easily erased when you press either the shoulder buttons (L counters grapples, R counters physical attacks). Though it's not like you (or your opponent) will counter every single attack; it's a 50/50 chance of you countering a single attack, and don't even think about pressing them both at the same time! So you will have to watch out for attack patterns in order to become a better counterer. The harder A.I levels will mix up its attack pattern frequently so it'll be difficult for you to predict his next attack, unless you've gambled on every single chance of countering the entire game. Another unique feature is the momentum shift. When all hope seems to be lost, and your damage bar is at a critical rate, you'll be able to turn the tables in a matter of seconds with this feature! Basically, all you have to do is perform a special grapple even when your it's not yet enabled, and you and your opponent will switch your health conditions. Sounds cheap, but it can only be used once a match, and only if your bar is an ocean blue (cyan or light blue won't do it). There's also another side to it. It sucks being a really skinny wrestler, especially when a 7'0 fat guy named "Andre the Giant" is your opponent. To make the heavier wrestlers not so invincible, a bar will appear every time you attempt to use a grapple move on a much more weighed foe. Constantly pressing the A button will fill the bar up, and when it's full, you'll be able to pick that fat bastard up and think for once in your skinny wrestler's life that he's pretty damn strong. Though you'll have a limited amount of time to do so before you break your back, and if it's Andre you're picking up, you'll have a long way to go with that A button. Though if it's only someone like Undertaker, who's not as heavy, then you won't have to fill up that bar much. This bar won't appear every time you do a grapple though, only when your opponent's weight far outmatches yours. The only flaw regarding the game's battle system is the A button. This button is used for almost everything; recovering from the ground, picking up Andre the Giant, etc. The thing is, you'll be on the ground for most of the match, and sometimes it'll get to the point where your thumbs are too tired to repetitively mash the A button. What's even worse is that it's even harder to recover when your health is really low, and the only hope for you of winning is to use the momentum shift, or your opponent is also tired. Sometimes you'll be so sick of pressing the A button that you won't care anymore, and you'll let your foe pick you up unconsciously instead. Though it's not as bad as it seems, because thanks to the counter system, if you counter an incoming attack while you're recovering, you'll automatically avoid it, as well as stand up. Still, you better work your thumbs out before buying this game! Already DoR is definitely one of the best wrestling games out there with the surprisingly deep customization mode, and balanced gameplay. It gets even better with its awesome graphics, as well as its likable soundtrack. I'm not a big fan for rock, and most of DoR's soundtrack mainly consists of rock songs, but it fits really well with the atmosphere. I don't know who the hell Breaking Benjamin or the Zebras are, but thanks to DoR, I do know they make sweet songs. The graphics also are amazing. It was the only thing that caught my eye when my brother greedily chose this game over my more desired NBA Live 2005. It's not really the graphics themselves, but the models that make the graphics impressive. From Triple H's large chest to Undertaker's intimidating eyes, it's almost impossible for a WWE fan to mistaken a wrestler for another. I was really surprised with how resembling each wrestler's model is to its real life counterpart. Even after you're done whopping either Triple H or Undertaker in Wrestlemania back in story mode, you'll be able to play the same modes and more in the main menu. There's even a mode that will surely attract guys...the famous bra and panties match! In here, the wrestlers are limited to only female divas, and the goal is to remove the other from all of their clothes, leaving them with only their bras and panties. Is has its appeal, but you'll be more attended with the other more serious modes. If it's wrestling you like, then this is a definite given. No WWE fan who only owns a Cube should miss out on this.
