Another Year, Another Wrestling Game.

For any gamer/wrestling fan, the long running Smackdown series has been stomping a mud hole in the competition since the days of the original PlayStation (PSone). For about five years now, we have had the pleasure of the PlayStation 2(PS2) to satisfy our gaming needs, and with the PlayStation 3(PS3) just around the corner, the newest addition to the Smackdown family, WWE Smackdown Vs Raw 2006(SDVR 2006),may be the last, well for the PS2 at least…

One thing I’ve learned about games over the years is, you can tell just how good a sequel is by how much you don’t want to play the previous game in the series. Well I can honestly say, going back to the previous game after playing SDVR 2006 would be like having to scrub a toilet!

Wrestling games on the PS2 have always been laughable at best, and down right deplorable at worst, but then again, apart from the Smackdown series being the sole saviour of the genre, the only other grappling games we get is the Legends Of Wrestling series which features some of the worst gameplay and graphics this side of the gaming industry. WWE Crush Hour isn’t even up for consideration because that was a poorly made driving game that tried (and failed) to cash in on the likeliness of the WWE wrestlers.

Simply put, if you are a wrestling fan, there really is only one choice for you, and that is whatever the newest Smackdown game is. Currently, it is SDVR 2006.

One thing that is sure to improve, every new game in the series, is the Graphics. The polygon count has been amped up by roughly 30-35% over the last game which was already a visual treat. A few problems though, long hair doesn’t come across well, because whenever a long haired wrestler like Edge, or the divas, so much as walk, the hair stiffly flails about in unrealistic clumps that looks like the grappler spent the night soaking their hair in starch. It is pretty stupid, but easily overlooked.

Clipping issues are still as big a problem as ever. Let’s say you were using a smaller wrestler like Rey Mysterio, and you put a sleeper hold on Kane (who is just under 7 feet tall!!), instead of the sleeper being applied to the head and neck region, Rey’s arms would come up to Kane’s chest during the move (while going through his midsection at the same time), but it is Kane’s head that takes the damage. I know this sounds complicated (heck, I managed to confuse myself) but it isn’t a huge issue.

Other then that, the Graphics are smooth, silky and just one more step to being lifelike. The expressions during Season Mode are good, as they are during the matches, and one last thing, the wrestlers ring gear is looking great, just like clothes, instead of a “painted on” look that the past games have featured (although some clothes in the Create A Wrestler mode do put this paint feature into play).

I’ve noticed that the quality and content of Season Mode is a very large factor to people intending to purchase a wrestling game. Well, it has never been better as far as presentation goes, but unfortunately you will find yourself running through the same old storyline more often then you’d like to. The voice acting is back, and it is leaps and bounds better then it was in the previous game. It is consistent with the location of the wrestler (backstage or in front of a live crowd) and for the most part, they sound way more motivated and into it then they were last year. There are a small handful of pacific storylines for some wrestlers, but they are few and far between. Still, it is probably as good a Season Mode as there has ever been.

But luckily, there is three new match types (Buried Alive, Fulfil Your Fantasy & Backstage Brawl) and a new General Manager Mode to keep you busy. The three new match types are good for a bit of a muck around but the real gem is General Manager Mode (GM Mode), which is a lot of fun as it is, but it shows tremendous potential for improvement in the next game. But as it stands, it is the most addictive mode in SDVR 2006.

When you begin GM Mode, you must draft a roster of superstars (keeping in mind you have a budget to think of), and try to balance out your picks because your money is very important for the successful running of your show (you get to pick either Smackdown or Raw). I wont go into great detail about this mode considering how much there is to say about it, but I will touch upon a few important things you’ll need to know. You have about 4 shows a month plus a Pay Per View every second month which all cost money but will more often then not reward you with substantial profits. Your show becomes more expensive to put on depending on the matches (If you decide to put six Hell In A Cell matches in one card that will set you back a fistful of dollars, not to mention raise the risk of injuring a wrestler). During a non Pay Per View show there are two promo spots for you to use, and you can do anything from advertising merchandise or hyping the return of an injured wrestler. Yes, injured wrestlers. This can be a huge pain in the you know where, but is avoidable if you don’t book them in Backstage Brawls, Hardcore matches & Cage matches week in, week out. Each wrestler has a fatigue meter (and a morale and popularity indicator) which you can view in the roster menu.

Morale and popularity are important also because if a wrestler gets angry enough they will jump to the other show, at your loss! Popularity of a wrestler is vital because if they are not popular, their matches get poorly rated, and poorly rated matches’ means a bad rating for you show. Popularity can be built by winning matches, being in exciting feuds and holding a championship (this time around every current WWE belt is included in the game). Morale is lost when a wrestler loses excessively or is a part of a boring fued.

There is plenty more to GM Mode, but half the fun is finding out for yourself when you load up the game!

The ring is alive, with the sound of music says Tazz on commentary describing Shawn Michaels’ Sweet Chin Music. Commentary is a little better then last year, but it won’t be long before you know what they are going to say by memory. One issue is the bizarre habit they have of interrupting themselves. During a match they will discuss whatever wrestler is in the ring, as well as throwing in an odd comment when a pacific move is performed, like a reversal. So very, many times I’ve heard any of the announcers (Tazz & Michael Cole or The King & JR) interrupt a speech they were giving about…how great it is to watch RVD wrestle for instance, then if you perform an illegal move or anything like that, they will stop dead in the middle of praising a wrestler in favour of a one liner about cheating. This sounds funny but IT IS NOT!! It is pretty darn distracting and ridiculous. The background music is just your typical rap-rock artists plus a few tunes pacifically recorded for the game. Personally, I was thrilled a Megadeth song was included, but it turned out to be a butchered remix of “Symphony Of Destruction”. This made me a very unhappy boy. Thankfully the entrance themes for the wrestlers are pretty accurate, with everything from Shelton Benjamin’s “Ain’t No Stopping Me” theme to legendary Ted Dibiase’s “Money” theme. The in ring sounds are solid and impactful. A powerslam just wouldn’t be the same without a massive BAM, but thankfully SDVR 2006 delivers.

While all this is good, without great gameplay, a game is nothing. In my opinion, it is similar to previous game, but with more variety. Instead of four different grapple types there is about seven (for example Martial Arts, Old School & Lucha Libre are some of the new ones). There is also a new Stamina system (which can be turned off). During a match, a wrestler will get tired, pretty quickly if he/she performs bigger moves frequently. Not to worry, recovering stamina is a piece of cake, all you do is hold down the trusty Select button. Something I appreciate most about this game is that roughly 40% of the moves have been reanimated. After grappling away for a year with the previous Smackdown, new moves do wonders for freshening the game up.

The A.I has taken a step backwards unfortunately, mainly in tag team matches and with the referee if you can believe it. Firstly, the tag team matches have always been greatly enjoyable, but there is one major problem. Your partner could get outwitted by Eugene! There are controls for a partner to call the other in for assistance, but when/if they come into the ring they don’t do what you told them (you can command your outside partner to attack your legal opponent or illegal opponent) preferring to stand there until the referee orders them out. This is particularly annoying because you usually need your partner to knock down the illegal man on the other team so you can score a pin, because the other teams’ partner has a bad habit of getting involved in a match during any and every submission (even a basic sleeper hold) and pin attempt. Too bad your own partner is a sack of crap that does less then nothing to help you!

Now, about the pain in the butt referee. In most Smackdown games, the referee has been a problem, heck, a few games back the ref could counter moves better then the wrestlers and would think nothing of giving a back drop to you or your opponent. Thankfully the days of the warrior ref have come to an end, but currently, the official suffers from arguably the most annoying habit yet…standing so close to battling wrestlers that it is a challenge to go ONE stinkin’ match without getting disqualified for striking a ref. You will often find yourself engaged in fisticuffs during a match and this is where most of your disqualifications occur. Something else that makes the ref an idiot in the game is every single time you perform a dirty move, the ref insists of running up to you wrestler, and I mean RIGHT up to him, like a little Chihuahua that humps your leg (pardon my expression but that’s what it is like) and usually getting a forearm to the head for his sexual efforts.

The roster is better then it was in the previous game boasting about 60 wrestlers, including legends like Bret Hart, Hulk Hogan (3 different varieties), Junk Yard Dog and plenty more. For some reason Victoria was left out of the game in favour of Michelle McCool & Joy Giovanni which conforms the fact that WWE doesn't give a hoot about the womens division.

Like most fighting games, SDVR 2006 has great Replay Value. It is good for a quick match or two, or a night in, grappling your way through Season or GM Mode. There are plenty of challenges and trophies to unlock so you will be busy for quite awhile before you can say "There's nothing else to do".

Create A Wrestler mode is pretty similar to the previous game except you can select where your grappler is from, and there is a decent list of name (like Mathew) for the ring announcer to say as they make their way to the ring. There are 5 male voices for you custom character to use during Season mode which is a welcome first to the series. It may not be varied, BUT I think it’s a sign of things to come. One more thing, there is a pretty nifty Create An Entrance mode where you can select little details like lighting, pyro and how the wrestler makes their way to the squared circle. Like most things in the game, it shows a lot of potential for down the road improvements but is still a good feature, which I personally have utilized every time I’ve made a new character.

This game has a lot of flaws, and a lot of excellent features, but like I always say, it’s the best we’ve got until the next game.

Also, check out my review of the previous game in the series,
WWE Smackdown Vs Raw