WWF Smackdown 2: Know Your Role
From THQ
SmackDown! 2 is the best wrestling game for the PlayStation, period. In both its graphics and gameplay, it's very similar to the first SmackDown!, except that players will find a mother lode of options for spicing up their wrestling lives. Besides season mode, players can fight in ladder, table, and chair matches. Their battles can spill over into back areas, in which furniture and even traffic abound. Wrestlers can even drive a forklift over their opponents for particularly painful results. All of the ring entrances are there in fine detail. Players also can create their own wrestler with hair, weight, and accessory options that rival those of any wrestling game out there. Still missing is the color commentary; also, the move set for each wrestler is kind of limited. Overall, players can expect a fun experience that, while not perfect, is certainly the top wrestling title for the system. --Robb Guido Pros: Stellar graphics and user-friendly controls Countless options Cons: Still no color commentary Licensed by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), this sequel to the popular WWF SmackDown has made several improvements upon its predecessor. There are now more than 50 wrestlers from which to choose, including the Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and Chyna. New gameplay modes include Ladder Match, Hell in a Cell, Casket Match, and Tornado Tag-Team Match. To mimic the TV show's format even further, plots are developed through cutscenes that feature the voices of the superstars. You can create your own wrestler or even a new pay-per-view event. Season mode includes more matches, events, and pay-per-view events than did its predecessor. It all adds up to a fast and furious virtual version of the real thing.
WWF Smackdown! 2: Know Your Role When WWF Smackdown! made it's groundbreaking debut, it amazed some, and others didn't like it. It's obvious pros were graphics and the surprising new match of Special Referee, which is used as getting back at those who stabbed you in the back, or vice versa. There were some cons such as no commentary, and not that much choice in Create-A-Wrestler. It probably wont make any difference to those when it's sequel, WWF Smackdown! 2:Know Your Role hits shelves across the country (supposed release is Tuesday the 21st). Smackdown 2 will have about twice as many wrestlers as there were in the origional (that's about 60 wrestlers), plus a much more updated Create-A-Wrestler feature. Some of the new matches in Smackdown! 2 are the Ladder Match, Table Match, ---- in a Cell, and (the match that has to be unlocked first) the Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match. In addition to some of what you're expecting, you'll get a Create-A-Manager mode, where you pick between Chyna, Steven Richards and others to walk to the ring with you and cause disturbance. You also get a Create-A-Taunt mode, where you go frame-by-frame moving certain body parts certain ways, so you can do the Y-M-C-A, or give the crowd the finger while doing a russian dance. Finally, there are double-moves you can execute, an interactive announcer's table you can slam an opponent's head into and break it by doing some strong moves. There is way too much more to talk about, and not enough room to write about. So I'll go out saying I hope you liked my quick summary of the game, and I also hope you enjoy the game. Know Your Role and buy this game I admit, I hated wrestling games at first. They were frustrating because I had to press too many buttons to pull off one simple move, even more for the finisher if I ever got that far. Then along came WWF Smackdown for Playstation, which pretty much took out the difficulty factor concerning controls, making the game much more enjoyable for me, especially when I held four belts with Kane in Season mode. Hearing nothing but good things for Smackdown 2, I just had to buy it and did so. When I popped it into my Playstation, I noticed that the loading times were a lot longer than they were in the first Smackdown. Even though that aspect of the game isn't really easy to overlook, the rest of the game made up for it. When I played the first Smackdown, there were a plethora of matches, and I couldn't think that there were more types. I was wrong. SM2 still has all the types of matches that SM had and then some. Hell in a Cell, IronMan matches (regular and special guest referee), Casket, Table, Ladder, and TLC (regular or title) are among the many types of matches in this game (personally I like Hell in a Cell and the IronMan matches). The season mode is refined and better than in SM. Instead of one match per month, there are five, and you earn some extra things during the season, from parts in Create A Superstar to characters (Stone Cold and Billy Gunn have to be unlocked). The mats even have the Pay-Per-View special logos from No Mercy '99 to Unforgiven 2000 (you can customize the mats in exhibition mode). You can still skip matches including your own, but it takes longer than it did in SM. The storylines are a little better, though still repetitive, but you can interact in some situations, like asking or telling someone to do something. I haven't actually created someone yet but Create A Superstar is much better than it was in SM. There are a lot more options concerning appearance and moves. You can also create things like managers, taunts, teams (known as stables) and PPV specials. The graphics are excellent and add a sense of realism, especially with all 50 or so characters, from the different backstage areas to Undertaker's bike in his entrance. There are many more backstage areas, like a diner, plaza, lobby, locker room, etc. SM2 has an expanded and updated roster of superstars, including the Radicalz, Too Cool and Rikishi, Kurt Angle, Stephanie McMahon, The Kat, and even my man Shawn Michaels. I'd write more but I've written a lot already and it's 2:30 in the morning. All I have to say is Know Your Role and buy this game. By the way, to get out of the Hell in a Cell, bounce off the ropes in the middle of the ring and dive into the panels that are colored lighter than the rest of the cell. WWF Smackdown 2! What a way to finish on the Playstation. Some of you may know that WWF Smackdown 2 will be the last WWF game on the Playstation and what a way for it to go out! WWF Smackdown 2 has learnt from it's mistakes from the first game. Yukes have touched up the graphics a bit, extended the storylines in Career Mode, redesigned the Create-A-Superstar feature and now has over 60 Wrestlers from the WWF. All of which were downsides to WWF Smackdown.The modes in WWF Smackdown 2 are: Single Match, Tag Team Match, Handicap (1 on 2/1 on 3),Battle Royal, Royal Rumble, King of The Ring, Hardcore Match, Anywhere Fall Match, Cage Match, Survival Match (3 Way/4 Way), Special Guest Referee (1 Referee/2 Referee), I Quit Match, Ladder Match, Table Match, Casket Match, Iron Man Match, Tornado Match, Hell in a Cell Match and TLC MatchWhat more can you want, it's most we've ever seen on a WWF game. I haven't played the game yet but come this November, it'll be the only thing that I'm playing. With the extrememly fast engine and well detailed wrestlers so will you.
