PlayStation 2 Review
WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2006
December 31, 1969 by Greg KnollIt’s been a year since I’ve stepped into a new squared-circle. A year since I have seen new matches, new faces and new additions. And it’s been a year since I was able to climb the ranks while gazing and gawking at the newest marvel of the Sports-Entertainment world. I’m an addict, so a year was way too long. But considering this sequel has more crammed into it then a fat man in spandex, it was well worth the wait.
Last year THQ made very few changes to the original Smackdown vs. Raw. This year the new additions make triple bypass surgery look minor. The most prominent one is the innovative GM mode. Loosely similar to Roller Coaster Tycoon, you take on the role of either the Smackdown or Raw general manager for an entire year. You have the ability to draft anyone on the huge roster, create match cards, build or extinguish feuds between superstars all to boost your ratings and income. You’ll receive emails from good old J.R. himself on how to improve, your superstars morale will change depending on how often you give them title shots and you can even design every aspect of the show by deciding whether you want to fill airtime with a commercial, a slander campaign against your rival show or promote a new comer. With so much to do the GM mode is almost a game in itself, providing you with a heavy but mind-clutching task.
If simulators aren’t your style and you would rather jump right into the violence, THQ has a few more new things to sling your way. The bouts are the best way to do said violence and with over a hundred different match types at your disposal it’s not going to be hard to find. Old favorites like the Hell in a Cell, TLC and Elimination chamber have returned along with the new Buried Alive match. The name explains the match, but you need to actually play it to appreciate it. A huge bulldozer sits idle near the Titantron with a casket beneath it. Beating your opponent senseless and dragging him up the mound of dirt is the key to winning this bad boy. Well, tossing him in the coffin, slamming the door shut and dumping the dirt might help too. This match can end up being rather quick but it puts the fun back in funeral.
Some of the old contests even have a few new features. The parking used to be the only place you could brawl. Now, however, you can take your feud backstage or even to a local bar and use the environment to induce pain in sickening ways. You can slam a fellow’s head in an ambulance or kick it through a limousine window in the parking lot. Crash his body through a pool table or right into the jukebox in the bar. Needless to say, no matter where you go there is going to be violence.
Though with pain also comes pleasure. The new brawls may be exciting, but the new diva’s bout makes it pale. No longer satisfied with a simple bra and panties match, THQ has evolved it into a “fulfill your fantasy” match. Ripping clothes off is optional to win this time as you can also smack your opponent with a pillow or fling them onto the bed and spank them silly to fill up the “win” meter at top. You can also choose what outfit they are going to battle it out in. Diva’s spanking each other dressed as a nurse, a schoolgirl or a French maid? Yep, that’s a good fantasy.
SD Vs. Raw 2006 also has a few minor changes to tweak the game play. Two new attributes—stamina and hardcore, a new look for blood that actually allows it to drip on the mat, design your own entrance mode and a new motivation system that completely changes how you earn a special move. Landing a finisher is no longer dependent on taunting until you have your bar filled up, this time you actually have to please the crowd. Doing something for too long, whether it’s the same move or the same taunt, and the crowd will boo you, causing your motivation meter to go down and pushing you that much further away from a finisher. And no matter what you do you are only allowed two this time. No more slamming a guy with five stunners at the beginning of a match to save time. Pisses me off but it adds to the realism.
Another thing that adds to the realism is just the sheer beauty of the game. Well, if you can call a toothless Benoit or a very angry Andre beauty you are not going to be disappointed. The likeness glimmers unlike any other. Every facial expression, every mannerism is recreated in astonishing magnificence. The auditoriums billow with a very lifelike audience, the pyrotechnics seem real enough to sear your flesh and the entrances are flawlessly detailed. The graphics in this game are without a doubt the best I have seen in any game depicting real people.
The sound is also at a stellar level. Voice-overs have again been provided for nearly every superstar completely eliminating the need for subtitles in story mode. New tracks are provided for the background music from artists such as Bumpy Knuckles, Fireball Ministry, Dillinger Escape Plan and Static X. WWE has even managed to get a hold of every entrance theme out there. No more cheesy “sounds like American Bad Ass but really isn’t” crap.
Although all these things allow SD to take a huge leap forward, one minor problem manages to drag it back a step or two. The A.I. is the most annoying thing I’ve ever seen. The tag team matches make me feel like I’m playing with rain man. My partner is never smart enough to stop the other guy from coming in to break up my pin but they damn near kill themselves to keep the legal man out of the ring for a ten count.
Ladder matches are a huge pain if you’re actually looking to have some fun with it. Superstars used to do all kinds of things. Knock people off, perform a diving move or even hit you with the ladder. Now, all they do is climb. They climb a ladder that’s already set up and they set one up just to climb it. The
y don’t jump off; they don’t even reach for the belt. They just act like crack head monkeys.
If a match goes on long enough, the computer will drop out of the ring and grab a weapon all the while knowing it is going to get them DQ’d but they don’t seem to care. It’s not really a big deal when you are building up experience points but so irritating when you are trying to bust through challenge mode.
Those little debacles are few and far between and really aren’t a hindrance to a game that has made a mass of positive improvements.
THQ dominates this industry and with mammoths like Smackdown Vs. Raw 2006 it is easy to see why. With enough new features to shame the IPOD, brilliant graphics, a massive roster and a fairly decent soundtrack this game is an animal. Fifty dollars is petty when you consider all the things you are going enjoy this time around. Allow me to sum up—like I usually do—with a quote from one of the many, many WWE legends. Best wrestling game out there? Oooooooh YEAH!
PlayStation 2 Review
WWE SmackDown vs RAW 2006
November 18, 2005 by Cain DornanWrestling games have long suffered the problem of being nothing more than a slight update from a previously released title. Its all too common that wrestling fans have been hit with games that feel too much like a game that was released only a year before, offering only the slightest update that is often barely noticeable. Then there are occasions when the developer attempts to implement a new gameplay style, only to discover that its execution is horrible and fails to live up to the hype. Despite the regularity of over-used, regurgitated and uninspiring gameplay filling most wrestling games, they still manage to sell, as thousands of wrestling fans who religiously purchase each yearl
y update blindly pick up each wrestling title upon release, regardless of the little differences between their new purchase and a game that they have had for over a year.
Unfortunately, THQ and Yukes latest wrestling title, WWE SmackDown! Vs. RAW 2006 is much of the same. Most of the same wrestlers make a return, in addition to a small handful of new additions, the gameplay feels generally the same as last years edition and the small number of new gameplay modes are somewhat disappointing. Then again, it depends on how much of a wrestling fan you are; if you love the staged bone crunching, painful sport, chances are youll be pleased with Yukes slightly improved 2005 update.
One of the first improved aspects of WWE SmackDown! Vs. RAW 2006 that youll notice is each wrestler offers improved ring entrances, which now resemble the television entrances closer than what most games have offered in the past. Each wrestlers entrance is now longer and more interesting, building the hype of the fans while they march around with their music playing in the background. Although watching the ring entrances do become tiring after watching two or three times, the inclusion of improved ring entrances will certainly be appreciated by most wrestling fans.
Another new inclusion is Momentum, which measures the success of your wrestler. The aim of this new inclusion is to punish those who play unfairly by repeatedly using the same move, which loses the audiences interest and frustrates the opposing player when they are unable to get back on their feet. If you continue to do this over a period of time, your stamina bar will deplete and leave you incapacitated, allowing your opponent to score an easy win. There is also a Stamina gauge that appears on-screen. The Stamina essentially tells you how much power your wrestler has left, with each move that you perform slowly eating away at the bar.
A number of gameplay modes are also on offer, with many returning from the previous title. There is your standard Exhibition mode, online support, and Game Mode, which allow you to participate in a storyline-driven mode. There is also the Create Mode, which allows you to alter your wrestler or add a personal touch to ring entrances. A General Manager mode allows you to manage either brand, with the central aim of the mode being to create hype around your wrestlers and put on good shows for your fans.
WWE SmackDown! Vs. RAW 2006 graphics have received a slight improvement over last years title, offering solid character models and ring detail. Unfortunately, the crowd still offers little more than blurry paper cutouts. Another graphical disappointment is how the characters animate whilst in-game, as their movements are still cumbersome and un-realistic, which prevents a wider audience of gamers becoming interested in the game.
A range of basic sound effects are on hand, which range from standard slapping sounds through to the thud of a body being slammed against the ground. The sound effects are far from groundbreaking, as are the commentators who can occasionally become annoying, as the regularity of pointless or repeated comments are quite often.
While true wrestling fans will be pleased with Yukes latest console wrestling offer, if you have never had any interest in wrestling games before, this latest title fails to draw you in. Although there are a number of small enhancements, in the end its still another wrestling game that is far too similar to previous titles.
