Smackdown vs Raw2

[Gator]

It'ssoooo sick!!

[FendeR`]

Thank you for the indepth input.

[Andrew]

The PAL version's been delayed until December, unfortunately, so I'll have to wait. Looks like a huge improvement over last year's edition.

[Null17]

Isn't it officially called Smackdown vs Raw 2006? Anyway, seems to have a lot of good reviews especially with the new GM mode. Sounds interesting but I don't have a PS2 or any new console for that fact. Might just wait till I can get a PS3 and play all the PS2 games that I missed

[j.23]

i got the game, it's a huge improvement over last year

- there's a new stamina system that prevents you from doing power moves over and over again. if you're running out of stamina you have to stand still or hold select..

- two ladders in a ladder match. except, it seems like the AI's concern 90% of the time is to climb the ladder

- super irish whip, where you can fling them over the top rope, or make them crash and burn when they hit the turnbuckle

[Isaiah]

this game will be great!!!

last year was kinda dissapointing though since they took out a lot of guys and the some of the animations (like the RKO) were bad plus the voice overs during the season were so unrealistic..

[Gator]

Yea, I hated last yera's game. It was boring.. But smackdown vs raw 06 is AMAZING! The storyline is soo amazing! the graphix are amazing. And when the players speak they don't miss a word and the player u pick talks aswell, instead of waitin to pick an option! I love this game!

[Andrew]

I liked last year's game, but it did suffer from the same problem as "Just Bring It!", "Shut Your Mouth!" and "Here Comes the Pain" in that it was much more fun to play season mode as a created wrestler because the dialogue you got to choose from was so generic it didn't suit most of the wrestlers, especially those with characters like the Undertaker.

Likewise, it was silly to see Kane and Triple H team up to steal Trish Stratus' panties, though at least in some of the cutscenes some of the wrestlers would vary the dialogue a little (Booker T throwing in a few "dawgs", Eddie Guerrero tossing in the occasional "ese" and Taker doing his grimace). I understand that there's going to be character specific storylines/cut scenes that'll only occur for specific wrestlers. I suppose the only downside to season mode - as usual, though it's hard to prevent - is that with a couple of playthroughs, you won't really encounter anything new.

Sounds like THQ have really outdone themselves this year.

[koberulz]

The PAL version's been delayed until December, unfortunately, so I'll have to wait. Looks like a huge improvement over last year's edition.

kmart and big w already have them in. it's just EB and the steel case that comes with the preorder that have been delayed.

[j.23]

season mode is absolutely ridiculous in this game.. it's like you're watching the damn show, and seriously whoever wrote the storylines here should apply to be a writer for the real thing.. some of the stuff is even better than the shit we see on TV. and the graphics are smooth as hell too

[Chris.]

The PAL version's been delayed until December, unfortunately, so I'll have to wait. Looks like a huge improvement over last year's edition.

kmart and big w already have them in. it's just EB and the steel case that comes with the preorder that have been delayed.

yeh this game is out here in england in all shops, dont really watch wrestling but i heard its a good game so i might get it

[Andrew]

The PAL version's been delayed until December, unfortunately, so I'll have to wait. Looks like a huge improvement over last year's edition.

kmart and big w already have them in. it's just EB and the steel case that comes with the preorder that have been delayed.

Seriously? Had I known, I wouldn't have bothered ordering. The steel case isn't a huge deal for me, I wasn't even aware of the offer until I went into EB Games. Ah well, I've put my ten bucks down, I might as well wait.

seriously whoever wrote the storylines here should apply to be a writer for the real thing..

I'm guessing it's probably someone on the writing staff. Probably someone who isn't getting nearly enough input.

[Null17]

Actually I think they're probably going for something similar in real as there are rumors that they're going to end the brand split soon

[J@3]

If they do that I might start watching again. IMO it was the worst thing to happen to the WWE since they completely ruined the nWo thing.

[FendeR`]

From the view of a short-time wrestling fan, I'm not sure how just one brand and one show would work for the WWE. There's so many guys that I'm not sure how they could possibly fit it into one show. I think they just need to find a good combination of guys between the two shows.

As for the game, as a gamecube owner with my only choice being Day of Reckoning 2, I really liked the game as far as gameplay and graphics. But after I looked at some cutscenes from the storyline, it looks amazing. The graphics are great, and the most dramatic reason that the storymode is better in SvR is because of the voiceovers and announcing; they make the game sound so much more realistic, and add a whole dimension.

[J@3]

They could get rid of alot of guys. I'd guarantee that 60% of the roster is completely expendable but is only being kept around to fill up the 2 shows.

[Jugs]

This is definitely no.1 on my list of "games to purchase for my sister's new PS2"





(2nd is Madden 06, 3rd is Killzone)

[Null17]

The WWE has been firing guys left and right anyway. Even with two shows, they only manage to use the same set of guys over and over again. THe women's division is dead. The tag division is dead. Same with the cruiserweight division. The IC and US Division is dying as well. I feel sorry for the cruiserweight division. Most of their moves are banned

[koberulz]

The PAL version's been delayed until December, unfortunately, so I'll have to wait. Looks like a huge improvement over last year's edition.

kmart and big w already have them in. it's just EB and the steel case that comes with the preorder that have been delayed.

Seriously? Had I known, I wouldn't have bothered ordering. The steel case isn't a huge deal for me, I wasn't even aware of the offer until I went into EB Games. Ah well, I've put my ten bucks down, I might as well wait.

seriously whoever wrote the storylines here should apply to be a writer for the real thing..

I'm guessing it's probably someone on the writing staff. Probably someone who isn't getting nearly enough input.

EB now have them as well. not sure about the steel case, but they def. have the game.

[Gator]

I beated the whole game couple days ago with John Cena. Gotta' admit, it was veryyy nice!

[Andrew]

Should hopefully get a call soon, I have Fridays off so I'll be able to pick it up. Thanks koberulz.

Actually I think they're probably going for something similar in real as there are rumors that they're going to end the brand split soon

Haven't read those rumours but would love for it to happen. It worked for a while but the brand split has run its course, in my opinion.

[J@3]

Is this finally available on Xbox? I get paid tomorrow and I might pick it up.

[Null17]

It's a PS2 exclusive I think. They have wrestlemania 21 on xbox which sucks according to most people

[Andrew]

Yeah, the Smackdown! series is the PS2 line.

Review time. Picked up the game yesterday, collectors edition case and all. Have to say, this game doesn't disappoint. There's obviously some room for improvement but it's miles aheas of last year's SVR, which I still enjoyed very much.

Adding the stamina bar was a great idea. Not only does it add a little more realism with the virtual wrestlers showing fatigue after big spots and selling each other's moves just like their real life counterparts, it also adds a little more strategy and challenge. No longer can you just hit big move after big move and win the match in about a minute, at least not as easily as before. Effective management of the stamina bar will allow you to do damage early and pick up quicker victories, but be wary of wild offense since the CPU reverses a lot more moves. You can even trade a few reversals with your opponent and the whol reversal system seems a lot more precise this year.

Story Mode is unbelievable. I've already finished a season of the Smackdown! story and was very impressed. It's cool to see the characters behaving like themselves, cutting promos in true to life characters instead of having generic dialogue. The only real problem is that it's a bit short compared to the last few games and the character you select will still act a bit generically; I picked the Undertaker and some of the situations and dialogue weren't really right for him, though he did throw in a "Rest in Peace" during the ECW storyline. These are pretty minor complaints though, and the fact there's both RAW and Smackdown! seasons means that there should be plenty of replay value though eventually I know I'll see it all.

GM Mode is a long overdue addition. It's amazing that it's so deep, considering how much work went into the regular story mode. It's the ideal management mode for a wrestling game; make the show profitable, compete for ratings, manage the roster so you're in the black and everyone's happy, assign champions, vacate titles when wrestlers are injured and setup rivalries and promos. Best of all, you can play the matches if you'd like. THQ really outdid themselves here.

So much thought has been put into the game. There's little touches, like being able to put the real belts on the line in exhibition mode so you can change the default champion. There's so much customisation in the Create-a-Wrestler mode this year it's not funny; no longer need you settle for some generic entrances (though it's a shame there's not much in the way of additional music). The Buried Alive/Casket Match was well done. It's very hard to find fault with this game.

Commentary might fall under that category but with a finite number of lines you can record it's going to get repetitive. Sometimes the interruptions are kind of unwelcome but it's probably a bit better than last year. It reminds me of NBA Live and pretty much every other video game with commentary. It suffers the same kind of problems - repetitive after a while, phrases that don't really fit the current action because they've been pulled out too early, etc - but it's still getting better, a step up from the previous title.

As always, unlockables mean you'll be playing every kind of match over and over and Season Mode a few times through so you can get all the Legends and cool stuff for the Locker Room. I'm not the biggest fan of unlockables because it often means some of the best stuff isn't available until you're growing weary of the game but it does make playing exhibition games much more worthwhile. Same goes for the Challenges.

One downer is unlocking Jake the Snake. There's two ways of unlocking him: through a glitch (drafting him in GM Mode) or buying the PSP version, unlocking him there and transferring the data to the PS2 version. I really don't like that idea one bit. I'm a strong believer in each platform's game standing on its own, I want to take advantage of everything a game has to offer without needing to buy the game twice, not to mention a whole new gaming device. I can see why they'd do it because it means more dollars, but I think it's a lousy philosophy.

All in all, this game was that definitely lived up to the hype. THQ have delivered an outstanding title, one not without a few flaws but I don't think I'll notice them much. I'm going to go ahead and give it 9.5/10. I'm honestly that impressed with it.

[shadowgrin]

I'm not sure how just one brand and one show would work for the WWE

There would still be two shows, Raw and Smackdown, but there won't be "exclusivity" between the rosters anymore. That's the way it was during the early days of Smackdown, before the "brand split".

Vince McMahon is reportedly losing money on his pet project. An all WWE channel on cable. That's why he's dropping wrestlers left and right.