WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2006

The Smackdown games have a long history. Starting from the PS1, and releasing quite possibly the best wrestling game since No Mercy(Smackdown 2: Know Your Role.) they've remained very popular over the years, becoming the Madden games for wrestling fans.

Not surprisingly, they've decided to make the Season Mode the biggest attraction, instead of focusing on other game modes. You can either create a wrestler or start with a wrestler from the show. Losing in Season Mode really does nothing, the storyline still goes in the same direction regardless. You have some option, which only rarely changes anything.

The Create-A-Wrestler is scaled down from Smackdown Know Your Role. And some of the create-a-modes are missing from last year.

The graphics are great on everything. Except the fans. They look like they where on the N64/PS1. And the character models are well done. Almost scary. But the greatest new addition, is "Everyone has ABS". No i'm just kidding. But I still don't know why everyone has ABS! There is some incentive to play single player. While playing exhibition mode, you have to do something specific to the challenges required, once you do these, you'll unlock more things like furniture and characters.

Speaking of unlocking characters, you have to plug your PSP into the PS2 to unlock a certain character. Bullshit! And another thing, you do all these challenges and things to unlock something, THEN YOU HAVE TO SPEND MONEY ON IT! Which you have to earn first! Moving on, the gameplay is rather simple. Just hurt the characters in specific areas for awhile, make them submit, or save up your momentum and finish them off. While, the reversal system, if practiced enough, nothing will ever hurt you. It's that simple.

The voice acting is better then last year, they no longer sound like they're reading from a teleprompter in an empty warehouse anymore. While the color commentary is just a joke. Playing the game over long periods of time will have their sayings memorized in your head for eternity.

As for the music, it's probably only reserved for the Death Metal Rap lovers. If you're wrestling backstage, there's no commentary. Which makes it really boring.

As for the online, it's great. WAY, and I can't stress this enough, is WAY better then last years.

All in all, it's a solid wrestling game, but it doesn't hold a candle to No Mercy or Know Your Role.

Before I had bought this game, I hadn't been following wrestling for a while. As a result, my last game had been WWE Smackdown!:Shut your mouth. The step up from that to this was just breathtaking. Elimination Chambers are Immensely brilliant, the challenges are clever and the story mode is so well thought out. The roster is very good, create-a-PPV I love, and entrances are great (booing/cheering for heels/faces). Graphics are amazing, and blood spilt on the canvas just adds a whole new dimension of realism. The only thing I would change is to expand the already broad Legends program. Still, I would recommend this game to anyone who's even heard of something connected to wrestling. It is just that good.

Not bad at all. the 2nd best WWE game for the ps2 next to Here Comes The Pain. The new GM mode is just so cool and with the winning belt and everything else is just that good. this is what WWE should be

I played the PSP version of this game to death. Being able to have a game like this in my pocket felt like a real treat. This was my introduction to the series and I would go on to play all the rest. I would only recommend starting with this one if you're a completionist -- many of the future installments are definitely better games.

A game with huge return to pull - I've put It In a draw & as good as forgotten about It for weeks but once played again It's enjoyable all over again.

Takes a while to fully command the finer points like all 24 or so grapples, finisher reversals, tag moves etc once learned this game Is a joy. The ability to create superstars Is excellent down to the ring entrances lighting to their kneepads. TLC matches are possibly the best laugh a person can have without being arrested. Most fun to play are comedy heels such as HHH or my favourite Dupree - up taunt/left downed upper body grapple! The commentary Is generally good at points some of the slurs hilarious but at the start of every match we get "here we are from....(somewhere there not)....what a reversal" ad nauseum. Their mock shock over the ref being laid out & disgust over getting tooled up, most the finishers are pretty dramatic too.

The gameplay Is brilliantly done specific cut scenes for many moves, on the PS2 the feel of the joypad Is naturally co-ordinated with what you're trying to execute. It looks as good as Playstation characters get, the random chants, entrances, expressions make for Impressive fine detail.

Depending on the settings the coms AI can become very annoying reversing every other attack, needing 3 finishers to be put away whilst you take one and can't kick out. At times the AI Is un-speakably cheap -expose turnbuckle repeatedly whip Into taunt outside whip Into turnbuckle taunt outside by this time they've got a finisher and of course you can't escape! Worst are the good guys repeatedly coming off the top rope for extremely tedious cheap momentum. Honestly seeing any of the super heavies (taker & esp batista) sling you outside only to come gliding out the ring like Jeff Hardy for the 3rd time has me reaching for the reset button.

The challenges are exactly that, In exhibition mode you can do pretty much whatever these are Interesting enough but It's GM mode that makes this so compelling, after a couple seasons the roster should be mostly 90's popularity players legends & CAW's making for an astounding card.

Great game days & days of fun!