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5.0 out of 5 stars
This is why I bought a Playstation in the first place, 29 Sep 2003
I love WWF Smackdown!, and I've got the calluses on my thumbs to prove it. I hear that WWE Smackdown! 2: Know Your Role is even better, but this first Smackdown! title puts every other wrestling game I have ever played to shame. There is room for improvement, but there's little not to love about the wrestling action unleashed from this Playstation CD. You have to start off with the wrestlers; you get all of the big names from WWF (now WWE) at the time, and most of them look great. Chyna's animated character looks atrocious, with a tiny head set atop a mountain of muscles, but I have few other complaints in this department. I am a fan of The Rock, and this game has really captured the style and look of my favorite wrestler, all the way down to the People's Eyebrow. The moves also look fantastic and true to form, and the People's Elbow is a triumph of showmanship and fun. Every wrestler has his/her big finishing move recreated in impressive detail, but even the little moves are impressive. From the simple eye gouge to the dropkick or stomp or leg lock or bodyslam, the little details are all there to enjoy. When you Irish whip your opponent into the turnbuckle, he goes bouncing off, staggers, and falls just like the guys do in real life. Knock a guy to his rear end in the turnbuckle, and you can stand on his throat using the ropes for leverage; it's the little things like this that make this game so fantastic. The controls are a little strange at first, but they quickly become second nature, and the best part about this aspect of the game is the diversity of moves you are able to execute. When your opponent is lying in the ring, you can choose to try and cripple the guy's leg or get him in a semi-chokehold, with your action depending to some degree upon the angle in which you approach. Then, when you've beaten your opponent to a pulp and the timing is right, you need only press one button (as opposed to an awkward combination of buttons and joystick moves) in order to execute your patented finishing move; of course, you'll want to do a little taunting first just to rub it in. There are no pauses or hiccups at all in the action, I should note. The variety of matches is outstanding. You can choose between normal matches, tag team matches, handicap matches pitting one against two, Battle Royals, Royal Rumbles, King of the Ring matches, hardcore matches where chairs, belts, and microphones are in easy rich and are encouraged for use in the ring, Anywhere Fall matches, cage matches, survival matches, and I Quit matches (which are especially fun). Not only that, you can have or even control special referees for any match. I love being a ref because you get to beat the heck out of either or both of the actual wrestlers, and you can control the outcome of the match by choosing the speed at which your three-count is made. If all this isn't enough, there are a number of backstage fighting areas you can access (although the fact that you have to Irish whip your opponent into the backstage area makes this a little clumsier to pull off than it need be). But wait, there's more. Not only does each wrestler have his own special introduction as he makes his/her way to the ring, the game features clips from backstage between some matches; this sounds pretty cool, but these clips soon become boring and frivolous. You can choose to wrestle in Season Mode, taking your wrestler through each month on his/her own quest for the belt while watching or skipping over matches you don't actually participate in. You also have the ability to create your very own wrestler and let him wreak some havoc in the big leagues, which is an option a lot of players should love. Perhaps the best option of all, though, is the ability to set up the matches of your choice in Pay-Per-View events. The only real complaint I have about this game is the fact that there is no option for match commentary. I know that commentary can quickly become tiresome and repetitive, but it does make for a more realistic wrestling environment. Other than this one missing option, though, WWF Smackdown! pretty much has it all, and I will be laying the smacketh down for some time to come, I can assure you.
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