A Good Idea
Written: Aug 05 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Lots of Superstars, Variety of matches
Cons: Touchy Controls
The Bottom Line: Large roster and list of match types, along with the inclusion of backstage politics, make for a decent wrestling game. Unfortunately, the controls are a real pain.
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| sportster's Full Review: WWF Smackdown for PlayStation 1 |
Professional Wrestling has enjoyed it's place as one of the top forms of sports entertainment for quite some time now. Many watch it just for the behind the scenes action. You know what I mean, the development of the stars' personnas, and the feuds. Wouldn't it stand to reason that a video game would attempt to include those things? Smackdown was the first attempt.
On the surface this looked like a great idea, if it could be done properly. Wrestling games were starting to become too alike. Basically if you played one, odds are the next would be pretty much the same(with different athletes). Most suffered from extremely touchy, and almost impossible to learn, controls. This tended to make most into punching and kicking matches(one notable exception:Raw is War). And some of the graphics were less than average.
Did this game succeed? In many areas, yes. But in others, no. The game gave us a multitude of match types, and many more wrestlers than most. It gave us the option to create our own pay-per-views(I know, Attitude did it first), and it had an interesting slant on create-a-wrestler. But most of all, it tried to capture the flavor of the backstage goings on.
Graphically this isn't a bad game, nor is it an outstanding one. The wrestlers move around the ring nicely, and the moves(when you can pull them off)do look like what you see on TV. The Jumbotron movies as the combatants make their entrance is a cool touch, and the pictures are clear. While the superstars do resemble their real world counterparts, I felt they had a somewhat blocky look to them. But in retrospect, I guess for the time and system this wasn't a big problem.
The different areas to battle in are done ok as well. I like the idea of taking a match from the ring into the backroom. Players will find the backgrounds to look good(long as you haven't been spoiled by next generation systems). The cage shakes realistically in those matches.
One place I gave this a thumbs down was the appearance of your created wrestlers. Instead of creating them from ground up, you choose their appearance by combining body parts(and costumes) from the game's data bank. While this could lead to some interesting looks, it would be hard to get just the character you want. You're very limited. True, certain feats during gameplay would unlock more in this area. But you never seem to have a good control here.
And speaking of control? Kind of makes Tomb Raider look like RE! I seem to have found this same problem in most titles from this genre, but they're real touchy here. You have the usual combination of button/control pad presses to pull off the different moves, from the basic kick, punch, run, and grapple, to the Smackdown, or finishing, move. While this set-up should be more than familiar to anyone who's ever played a wrestling(or fighting)game, the lack of responsiveness in the controls can cause you some serious head aches. Still, it's not the worst I've seen either.
The game does have quite a bit going for it when it comes to different modes of play. Players can choose from matches such as: Cage, I Quit, Handicap, and Royal Rumble,, among others. You also have the choice of single match exhibitions and career modes. With the choice of matches and modes, and the LARGE roster of current(at the time)WWF superstars included, players could stay busy for awhile with this one. You can even bring your created wrestlers in as a faction. Four Horsemen anyone? OOPS, wrong federation. And as always you have the different difficulty setting to chose from.
Soundwise I think the game lags behind. While the game does play each wrestler's theme music as they make their entrance, it gets pretty bare bones from there. Smacks and grunts. As anyone who reads most of my reviews knows, I'm not a huge fan of in game music, so I usually won't comment on it. In fact, I've never left it turned on once when playing this game. So I can't tell you if it's good or not. Lack of an announcer does hurt though.
So, how about the story aspect? It's told through between match scenes. After certain matches in career mode you'll be approached by other wrestlers, or maybe even Vince himself. You're given a choice of how to respond to them. That choice will determine their attitude towards you. They may even invite you to help them jump someone backstage. And if one of the ones who likes you just happens to be the special guest referee in one of your matches(did I mention those?), well, you get the picture. While in the long run it doesn't play too large a role in the game, this is a nice touch, and does try to portray the goings on in the world of professional wrestling.
If you're a fan of wrestling games, I say to give it a look. True, I've played some better, but I've seen a lot worse too.
This is my contribution to Swanton's wrestling write off. Sorry I'm late, but that couldn't be avoided. Please take the time to check out everyone who participated's work.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
sportster
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Location: Stamford,Ct.
Reviews written: 46
Trusted by: 35 members
About Me:
Is there some reason why Triple Play Baseball(PS2) isn't on your lists?
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