One of the best wrestling games and one the best smackdown games. It's so cheap right now, but you must own a PS2
The story is simple, as usual. You're a WWE Superstar on his way to the top, encountering different matches, fueds, challenges, the sort. The story isn't bad, nope, not at all. And since there are two different brands, there are two different stories (basically).
From what I've played (and I've played both), the stories seem to intertwine a little bit. Not brand-wise, but in the sense of what actually happens during the season. During the RAW brand version, you play as a wrestler, and you go on the WWE Legends tour, in return for a title shot. You then come back, and... eh, actually, that's all I'm going to tell you. On the Smackdown! version of season mode, you watch as General Manager Theodore Long gets run over by a car, and chaos ensues within Smackdown. Enemies are made through accusations, and tension is high. Once again, that's all I'm gonna say. Play them for yourself, you're not gonna be disappointed. All in all, story = good.
Graphics - 10
WOW. When I see the graphics, my mind is blown away. Seriously, the graphics have definitely improved. And I know a lot of people like to skip over the entrances, but just take 1 look at say... maybe Randy Orton's entrance. You won't regret it. The graphics are engineered so well it's amazing. His [Randy Orton] face looks exactly like its' real-life counterpart. The pyros are pretty great, too. Good graphics all around. And we all know good graphics never hurt anybody.
Gameplay - 10
The gameplay is golden, as usual. Great fun. And it's gotten quite real, too. There's even a stamina bar, and each move has a certain amount of stamina it takes up. Throughout the match, you deplete your stamina bar, and you must take pauses, often frequent, to refill it again by pressing select. The matches in the game are good as usual, with new additions such as the Buried Alive match, the Bar Room Brawl, and the Fulfill Your Fantasy match. The GM mode is also a new feature. You get to play the part of the General Manager, the man who makes the decisions, the guy who's in charge.
Sound - 8
The sound is okay. I mean, it's definitely not bad, but it has room for improvement. Most things do. Some commentary is pretty funny, but it does get repetitive as usual. The music isn't bad, although I really don't see anything but rock and rap. Where's the classical? I mean, you know you wanna be kicking some ass to Beethoven.... or maybe that's just me... ah well. Like I said, sound isn't bad.
Miscellaneous - 9
This is where all the other stuff gets put in. Like the new locker room feature. And the creation modes. Anyways, new locker room feature. It's pretty cool. You get to have your own locker room, and you can customize it to your liking. From having different WWE collectibles atop a desk in different areas, to different rugs, to different wall posters. The creation modes are great too. The Create-A-Wrestler is pretty good, as usual. Create-An-Entrance is also pretty cool. Create-A-Stable... interesting enough. Create-A-Moveset, you know. And Create-A-Championship. It's so great. The prices have been lowered IMMENSELY. So now you don't have to save up 50k to get the belt of your dreams.