Released: 20000302 Publisher: THQ Developer: Yuke's Genre: Wrestling

Review by: MajorTom

At long last the PSX has a wrestling title it can be proud of. It took long enough. After having to put up with mediocre titles like WWF Attitude and WCW Mayhem - and even some genuinely bad games like WCW Thunder and ECW Hardcore Revolution - we can finally enjoy a good game based on a popular wrestling license. WWF Smackdown proves that all is not lost for the PSX and it's hot-selling yet disappointing batch of wrestling games.



With THQ taking over Acclaim's long-time hold on the WWF license, there was little surprise that the game - and THQ's promises for it - were eyed with a lot of skepticism and even a little suspicion. Would it be simply WCW Thunder with WWF textures wrapped around the zombie-like characters? No. In fact, WWF Smackdown surpasses anything we've seen in a US wrestling title on the PSX to date. However, that's not to say that THQ lived up to all it's promises.



Instead of taking their awful Thunder game and slapping WWF packaging around it, THQ courted Yukes into sharing the engine for their hugely popular Japanese wrestling game, Touken Retsuden 4. The successful track record of this series in Japan is enough to give Smackdown a sharp edge to start with. This new engine provides excellent control for the wrestlers. There is little room for simple button mashing, especially against a skilled opponent. The moves are fairly straightforward and while there is a large variety of them, they are all pulled off with relatively similar commands.



A new engine wouldn't be enough to wow gamers though. Something more was needed. We'd already seen new modes like Lumberjack Matches and Royal Rumbles, but more was still needed. So THQ saturated Smackdown with modes. Not only do we get the standard modes, but THQ also threw in, I Quit, Falls Anywhere, and Backstage matches. Not only do they add these new modes, but they are done right. Falls Anywhere matches take place not in some bland cubed room, but can progress all through the arena - and out. Grab your opponent and slam his head into a hospital gurney. Toss him into the side of a car or just stomp him into the floor of the locker-room. Additional modes include a Special Referee Match where another WWF Superstar referees the match. As a human-controlled character you can speed up the count if you're buddy is on top, or stop it altogether if he's getting slapped around to much. In fact, you're not even limited to passive interference. If you want, just walk up to one of the contestants and start beating him down.



In the middle of all this is the Season Mode, similar to Attitude's Career mode. Unfortunately, this seems to be the most lacking and most disappointing as it was the most hyped by THQ. When it came time to create the game, the game was programmed in Japan and then shipped to the US for completion. The result is poorly driven plot lines and a complete lack of dialog. Story lines are driven by cut-scenes like those of a wrestler talking with another in the back. However, all you see is a text box with something like 'I wonder what they're talking about' in it. With all the attention that went into the different modes, creating the moves, and so on, you'd think a little extra time could be spent adding spoken dialog or at least text-based conversations. Sure it'd get a little boring after-awhile, but it would only be an improvement.



There are a total of 36 wrestlers in Smackdown, each with their own moves, skills, entrances, and animation sequences. What makes Smackdown so unique is the detail that can be found in the characters. The wrestlers actually look like their real-world counterparts. Chris Jericho uses his famous facial expressions, The Rock raises the People's Eyebrow, it's all there. Each character also has his or her own entrance movie. A unique approach was used with the entrance movies. Rather than playing their music while they walk out, Smackdown runs the wrestlers Tritan-tron video in the background while the character strolls out.



One area in which THQ set itself apart form Acclaim or WCW is the Create-A-Wrestler mode. In Attitude or Warzone, you had the ability to customize almost all aspects of your wrestler's appearance. Everything from the nose to the colored shades of his boots but the skillset and moves were not nearly as customizable. THQ has taken the opposite approach. Instead of choosing particular types of body parts, you select a pre-made head then a body and so on. After you've gotten the physical form complete, you move into the real customization. You are given a certain number of points with which to assign to different skills. Waste all your skills on powerful abilities, and you'll suffer when it comes to the acrobatic stuff and vice-versa.



One lacking in the CAW mode is the way it is linked to the unlocked characters. Rather than unlocking complete characters during the Season Mode, you unlock their parts and moves in the CAW mode. Meaning if you wanted to unlock and use Jacquelyn, you'd have to go to the CAW and pick out each of her parts and assign all her moves after hunting them down. Not the most convenient way of unlocking new wrestlers.



Aside from this lacking, the CAW mode is great. It is tied in to the Season mode in a very innovative way. If you want to take your created superstar through the season mode, you'll have to first compete in a series of Pre-Season matches to make your alliances and enemies. However, these alliances and friendships are locked in for the rest of the season. A nice feature would have been to include a dynamic friend/enemy function in the season mode. Maybe next time.



Coupled with this great game-play are top shelf graphics. The game is graphically superior to every US PSX wrestling title and even surpasses - in some respects - Wrestlemania 2000 on the N64. The character animations and detail go a long way in drawing the gamer in. For example, in the Acclaim series, wrestlers would get hit and fall to the ground, laying still waiting for the next hit or the pin. However, in Smackdown, they grab their necks or backs, cringe in pain and generally sell the move with much more realism. However, there are some areas that need improvement. The camera angles can get very distracting, changing in the middle of a match and while this option can be turned off, it still doesn't solve all the angle problems.



If there is one single area in Smackdown that brings the entire game down is the sound. While not completely bad, there is a severe lacking in audio. The only voices you will hear is when a referee gives a command - such as 'rope break' or the count - but that's it. No commentary from Jerry 'The King' Lawler, no trash talk from the wrestlers, nothing. Even the cut-scenes that are used to drive the story are voiceless. However, the game's audio is not a complete write-off. During each match, high-energy rock tunes are played which compliment the game-style perfectly.



Overall, Smackdown is the best PSX wrestling game to date. It features innovative gameplay with an outstanding array of new and classic modes, it features top notch graphics, and is a genuinely fun game to play. In all honesty, the Season Mode can get a little boring, but with the abundance of other modes and support for 4-player action with the multi-tap, the replay value really tips the scales if you have at least one friend. If you've been waiting for a good wrestling game, get WWF Smackdown. Hell, get it even if you haven't been waiting. In all likelihood, there won't be another wrestling title in this class until the PS2.

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