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Smackdown! 2 Review!

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Sup people! Welcome to the second review of our glourious gaming community - Nameless Gaming! Not only is this the second review, I have the honor of the first review of a console game! (so lets hope I don't _____ this up too bad. heh.)

Ok, well let me start off by saying, this game, while incomparable to WWF™: No Mercy™ (which makes me want to cry when I think of how much time I waited in anticipation for it), still isn't perfect. To tell the truth, at first I was never really into Play, but this all changed over the course of the past few months, when I purchased Smackdown! 2: Know Your Role. I do love this game, its one of the best graphics around as far as fighting games go, and a crowd, and two commentary tables, to add to the realism. The stages in Smackdown! 2 also much more in proportion to the wrestlers. Such was one day I realized the stage in no mercy was nearly 20 times the size of Air, The Rock, and yes, even our 'radical' Canadian crippler, Chris Benoit. However, in Smackdown! 2 the stage seems much smaller, but adds to the options of performing high flying moves off of it, and the electrical areas, and speakers. It also has seemingly endless possibilities with backstage areas, whether your beating the snot out of your favorite heel with the barbell, or pedigree the rock in the middle of the Shower Room, much fun can be found in the high detailed, venues.

Exhibition mode is the basis of the game when you aren't in a storyline, this is where you get to put your superstar in any type of match, be it Hell In A Cell, Casket, or Cage, SD2 offers many different venues and methods of pummeling your opponent to the ground. I personally find the Anywhere Falls an almost perfect touch, that an the 'I quit' has to be my two favorites. There is also a 'Create-A-Pay Per View' option, in which your superstars compete to get the audience's attention, and are always aiming for better rated grudges and matches. One thing I didn't really like about PPV mode, is you cant add the famous, 'Royal Rumble' match, or 'King of the Ring' modes of play as normal matches, or to the PPV at all. Furthermore, in the gameplay of the Royal Rumble match, there is a good thirty, to forty second loading period between which wrestlers come out, its mainly because the game needs to load their new signs in the crowd, and play their music. You may think thirty to forty seconds isn't much, but trust me - its not worth it just to see Tazz come out and go immediately over the top rope. Heh, no matter how much I enjoy watching it.

The other thing that makes this game great, is the incredible story lines. You can relive the 'Year of The Game' as I call it, or change history, as a true People's Champion. Characters interact backstage, and grudges escalate to the point of attacks in the back, and handicap and anywhere fall tornado tag matches. Sadly the only belt that holds any true interest in the storyline is the WWF™ Title. This is of course my opinion, but I mean, Orc has chased down a limo with Shawn Micheals in it over the light heavy weight title - I don't know, maybe its my luck. Also are the incredible accurate storylines, your player will interact with almost every major superstar he interacted with in the real season. Vince and HHH will ally to destroy The Rock, and while the McMahon-Helmsly faction, is formed, threes never a real mention. It all culminates at Backlash, with a two referee match, in which Austin returns. I don't truly agree with how the referees come out with the players - but when it comes down to it the match was well planned, and well executed. But, the story line ends shortly and you find yourself in pretty much the regular mix. In my experience, its basically becomes the WM2k storyline, you fight, and fight, with very little of a grudge and when there is one, theres very little basis. When it is one, its a grude with some unlocked character, or someone who doesnt make sense with your character. You'll see, "I have been told I have a match tonight, well, I am here, who is it?" and the old favorite, "[Name Here] Seems Satisfied With The Victory". I mean, both are cinematics, and we all love those, dont we? Not when I have to wait a whole ____ing minute! I mean, thats ridiculous, that along with how the game skips matches really makes me mad. I've seen Chyna lose to Ivory way too many times. I'll admit it was funny when I gave Kurt the title to be accurate, and he lost it to Austin in a match on Smackdown. Anyway, Orc says it gets better at year 2 of Wrestlemania. Until then you'll need to settle for your character being satisfied with the victory.

The graphics to this game, add so much to its realistic feel. With the flash of cameras going off all around your superstar, and the shadows bouncing off the canvas, usually labeled with the event, its almost real. The player models add so much, every joint and aspect of the face is well crafted, which adds alot to entrances and Cinematics, in which the superstars mouth's move as if they were talking, while this does not happen with custom charectars, the main superstars which you see are capable of it. Sometimes the eyes move as well, its all a world filled with a feast for the eyes. It makes the entrances look real good, but it loses some feel for me that custom superstars cannot have the ability to move their mouths, and/or eyes. The weapons are also modeled very well, and the announce tables are very nice. The cage textures vary, the hell in a cell's texture looks the best, the regular cage looks, more thrown together then in a fence-like structure.

Rant Mode: On

The weapons and their animations are as well the best I have seen in a fighting game, and while they do very little damage, or rarely knock someone off their feet, I still get the enjoyment of beating Chris Benoit with a chair, no wait, I'm sorry, I still cant get over how the ____ing sledge hammer doesn't do anything. Chris Benoit is not god, and when I hit him with a sledge, he should bleed, he should bleed everywhere, sadly, its just not the case. I also have a pretty big problem with the way this game skips matches, I mean, its basically some happy little music, while you see the stamina of the two competitors drop. It always kills me when I have to watch Chyna lose to Ivory :( . The loading times are also a pain in the ____, all they show is a picture of a WWF™ Diva or Superstar, while you wait the 1-2 minutes it takes to load the entrances/cinematics/other pointless crap. No doubt about it - Loading times are a _____. As I mentioned earlier, the time it takes to load the cinematics in story mode, is not worth what you see, because its just some stupid satisfaction, or 'deppressed because he lost' video. Ridiculous. The videos however, are very well done, they are true videos, with the true WWF™ soundtrack to go with them, but when creating a wrestler, or stable (tag team) you cant preview the entrance animations. This makes it really hard, cause I don't know what the hell the entrances look like, hell you could make a big guy like taker, and his own brother KANE, and make them look like ____ing ballet dancers! I mean, unless you really, really hate the taker, theres no need for that.

(Rant mode Off)

Overall I Think You'll Find Yourself Satisfied. Its A Great Game, I Suggest It For Anyone With A Playstation.

Air's Rating: 7 out of 10.

Hey, I waited in anticipation, and it wasnt all I hoped for. But its damn near close.

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