WWE SmackDown vs. Raw (PS2)
Publisher: THQ Developer: Yuke's
SmackDown Vs Raw (SvR) is the sixth installment in the SmackDown series. That being said, the fans of this series have come to expect certain things when they're playing a new SmackDown game. They expect a good season mode, a detailed create a wrestler mode, and most of all, great gameplay. Well, SmackDown 5 (HCTP) provided most of that, however this one does does not. A few changes were made to this particular installment, making the game a little less fun to play than the previous SD games.
Gameplay: 8
The gameplay is roughly the same in SvR as it was in any other Smackdown. Controller-wise, the button layouts are similar, the grapples work the same, and things are great in that department. This is why the gameplay rating is so high. There are a few things that have lowered the score though,
First of all, they've added a few mini-games to annoy those who play. At the beginning of lots of matches, you've got to play some button smashing contest like a stare down or shoving contest. Likewise, during a match, you also get involved in "push the button when it stops on the marker" sort of chopping matches. This really stops you from getting in to the action. (I don't like seeing a big "Player 1's Turn thing come up when I'm trying to get into a match.)
Besides those little annoyances, SvR has also added a Clean/Dirty meter to the screen. If you're a clean wrestler, you're supposed to do good things like high flying moves and kicking out of a pin. If you're a dirty wrestler, you're supposed to do stuff like use weapons and remove turnbuckle covers. Doing so lets you fill up the meter, and then you can perform special moves when it's full. (The clean meter makes you invincible for a brief period, while the dirty one lets you use the "Super Low Blow".... Whoopie.) While these meters are a good idea in theory, it's just yet another thing to crowd up the screen. When you're involved in a match with six guys, you've got six wrestler information bars on the screen, taking up roughly 65% of the screen. It's just too much. It makes the bigger matches less fun.
Speaking of bigger matches, they've added a meter to the Royal Rumble too. It's a Ring Out meter. Thankfully, it's replacing the Clean/Dirty meter for that match, but it's still intrusive none the less. This also makes the rumbles take WAY longer than they used to. Now, when you whip someone into the ropes, a clothesline won't send them over the edge. You've got to punch and grapple at the ropes in another sort of mini-game. Gee, that's fun.
The create-a-wrestler mode has made almost no changes for the better. There seems to be less options now when you're creating a superstar, and there are also a poorer selection of moves available. What used to be my favorite part of the game, is now barely usable. The entrance/music selection has been exactly the same for the last several SmackDown games, and it's just sad that they can't some up with something new. If you're not going to make good stuff, at least let people add their own music and such. They've also added a Create-a-Belt and Create-A-PPV mode, and while they're fun, they're also flawed. (While you can create a belt, you can't ever hold it. You can only fight the CPU for it. You can't defend it, only fight for it. Go figure.)
SvR is also the first WWE game to feature online play. Yes, that's right, online play. While it sounds good in theory, they really limit what you can do. You can play one on one in a regular match, or a bra & panties match. That's it. There's no stats, no Royal Rumbles, no headset support, nothing. You play a few others in singles competition, get bored, and leave. It's hardly an online mode at all. Keep your online mode... I'm not interested.
Finally, the season mode has been take back to the point where it's useless to play. It's the same thing every time, and unless you have a bad memory, you won't want to play it again. You can read more about that in the Story section below.
Graphics: 9.5
The graphics in SvR are actually quite good. This must have been where they were spending most of their time. Things are animated pretty well, and the game looks quite polished. There's a few minor flaws with stuff like hair, but we can't get nitpicky. My only real gripe is the fact that things look far away when you're playing with six people. All of the bars and meters on the screen are distracting, and it's hard to see everyone in 1/3 of the screen. Other than that though, I don't have any major complaints. The game is nice to look at.
Sound & Music: 4
This is where SvR really starts losing ground. The music selection is really limited, and you end up hating it around an hour into the game. Besides that, they've brought back commentary during the matches. It's awful, and never on topic. You feel like they're repeating themselves again and again.... and they are.
They've also added superstar voiceovers this time around. Some of the superstars talk, some of them don't. The ones who do are quite bad, and the voice acting is horrible. I just couldn't take it. Ugh.
Story: 3
The season storyline sucks in SvR. It's roughly the same thing every single time, mainly because of those lousy voiceovers. I just wish for once they'd have a wide open story line that goes on and on without too much of a heavy plot. Didn't anyone play SD2? It went on forever!
Replay Value: 8
Believe it or not, the game is still fun to play multiple times, just not in story mode. It's fun to play the various match types alone, or with a group of friends.
To buy or to rent?Well, if you've never played a SmackDown game before, you could easily pick this one up without feeling like something's missing. If you were a big fan of HCTP though, I'd suggest renting this one to see if you're willing to make the jump.
Overall: 7.5
Overall, SmackDown vs. Raw was a solid effort, but it tried to make changes in the wrong places. It's not nearly as bad as Just Bring It was, but it's pretty close. They really need to concentrate on the things like gameplay and create-a-wrestler mode, and stop worrying about restrictive things like adding voiceovers. Perhaps they'll get it right next year.
Additional Information:
Genre: Sports/Wrestling
Players: 1-6 (2 players online)
Memory Required: 497k
Rating: T (for Teen)
Extras: Online Enabled... sort of.
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