Official WWE Website

Platform: PlayStation 2

Genre: Wrestling/Sports Entertainment

Number of Players: 1 - 2 + online

THQ and Jukes have been doing an outstanding job with the WWE titles that they have been releasing, and in particular, I'm a big fan of the franchise on the PS2. The GameCube titles are okay, but go for too much of an arcade style of gameplay in my opinion. Last year Smackdown vs. RAW presented quite a few new features, and if you though that there was no way the game could be improve, wait until you play Smackdown vs. Raw 2006.

One of the biggest complaints about the games I have heard and read from people is that they don't care much for the story mode. This option has been decent, but it's never been perfect, and it's always predictable. There has been a major overhaul with the game however to give it more of that WWE feeling. At first, I had assumed that it would be the same for every superstar, but that wasn't the case. I played with six or seven different superstars and the stories went as follows:

Triple H: I was asked by Bishoff to participate in the Legends Tour in exchange for a title shot which he would "take under consideration." I completed my part of the deal, but got screwed in the end.

Undertaker: Teddy Long has been run over and now I'm trying to get to the bottom of whom the assailant really is. (How many times have we seen this on WWE?)

Randy Orton: Since he's the self-proclaimed "legend killer," I had assumed his story would start the same, but instead it begins with a feud against Ric Flair and Triple H.

Rob Van Dam: Since Rob was in the locker room during Undertakers story, I assumed it would be the same, but instead Rob has now been asked to go out on the Legends Tour.

Rey Mysterior Jr.: His story line seems to be the same as 'Takers.

Hulk Hogan: Here you get to pick the brand you want to be a part of, and with Smackdown, we're back to the "who ran over Teddy" story.

Aside from having almost the entire roster available from both brands, you will find a number of legends that can be bought in the WWE store to be played. Some of these are late Superstars that still remains as popular today as they were back when they were in the ring. Andre the Giant, The British Bulldog and Junkyard Dog are all available. You will also find Hulk Hogan in three different versions (80's, Hollywood, and more recent), Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Mankind, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Jimmy Heart, Bret "The Hitman" Hart, and Ted deBiase all on the list. These character also include their entrance music and mannerisms. The Hitman will come to the ring for example and give his sunglasses to a lucky fan while Austin walks to the ring, talking trash and his head shaking frantically about.

Aside from playing as a wrestler, you can also participate in the new General Manager Mode. This will allow you to set up the matches, choose who the champions are, start rivalries and even work on ad placement. Each week you will see the results and earn money, so it's important not to run yourself into the ground. The same goes for your superstars. You want them to be happy, and having them wrestle each week when they are tried is a quick way to make them want to leave the brand. You can even work out trades to bring in new blood.

The regular wrestling mode has a number of changes. The moves remain the same, but you'll see some new additional features. You now have stamina to be attention to, so by pressing select, you can build it back up and just doing nothing will have the same effect. Should two dead tired wrestlers hit one another, you'll witness both of them fall on the mat, something that is a classic part of WWE action. You also have the sleeper hold, and in yet another classic in wrestling, and you will have the chance to break the hold, or simply hold on until three and then get that sudden burst of stamina from no where. Submission moves have two different types of escapes. One features a meter where you need to stop your cursor in the blue in order to get free while another simply has you hitting X frantically to keep your stamina built up.

Pin falls aren't nearly as easy to break from as before. You won't be doing any button taps this time, and then tend to be a little more realistic. A finishing move doesn't necessarily mean victory either. You will find a crowd meter and as you get them behind you, it will build until it lights up. By hitting L 1 and 2, you will store a special move that can be executed with L1. You can also use this for the possum pin mode. With this, wait until an opponent tries to pin you and then press circle and L1. This reverses the pin into one of your own. Should you build the meter back up though, this will release a more devastating finisher, complete with slow motion visuals.

The Create a Wrestler mode is more in-depth that it has ever been. There are thousands of combinations and you can edit and change everything, for the most part. This has even been taken to the extent of allowing players to create their own entrance. The only problem is that there aren't any options for video save for the ones that the other wrestlers have, but you can set up the looks and the body language. You can even use some of the music that has been included with the game, not just superstars themes. I'm hoping that the future games will allow players to import their own music and perhaps (somehow) create their own generic video. You can also create belts again and take everything online.

All of the classic matches can be found in the game as well as some new match mode. If you want to wrestle in singles competition, you're free to do that, with or without a manager. Tag matches, Hell in a Cell, Battle Royals, and everything else you can image are all here. Did someone say TLC match? Yes, it's here as well. Buried Alive? Finally, it's here as is the classic Casket Match. Plus you'll find any number of venues from the RAW and Smackdown stages to just about every pay per view that WWE has to offer.

As an added bonus, all of the talent has been brought in for voice work, and these are set up very nicely. King and JR or Tazz and Michael Cole will call the match, all without the annoyance of music. They may even talk about wrestlers that are in the ring. JR will voice his opinions on Triple H, King will talk about how RVD is overrated, and you have the crowd support. You'll hear the familiar RVD chant or "Let's go Taker." You might even hear "you suck" over and over. There still is the tendency to hear redundancy or generic dialog, but overall, everything has been done fantastically.

There are still a few things that I would love to see in the next WWE games, and hopefully the next generation systems will allow for that. The option to attack someone when they are getting into the ring, walking down the ramp, or after the match would be a nice touch. Having a superstar show up in the middle of a match and everyone stops to pay attention to them coming down the ramp would be a great touch. Also a rivalry counter would be good (a rivalry between two wrestlers or stables could result in match interference.) And, for legends and classic wrestlers, I'd love to see superstars like Mr. Perfect, Ravishing Rick Rude, The Iron Sheik and Gangrel make an appearance (Gangrel had one of the coolest entrances ever.) Also, the option to replay classic matches and perhaps change the outcome and classic venues would be another thing that fans would love. Who wouldn't want to wrestle in the ring of the original Wrestlemania or have a backstage brawl on the set of Piper's Pitstop or The Funeral Parlor?

This is without a doubt THE BEST WWE game that THQ and Jukes have produced to date, and if they can outdo themselves with the next PS2 release, that should earn them the status of gods. Every fans of WWE is going to find something in this game that they love, and they should find very little to dislike. This is THE game because it's that damn good.
 

-mike-