WWE Raw 2

The Good
WWE Raw 2 is to date, is the best WWE game on the Xbox, it was a major improvement over WWF Raw is War, which means you have various match types (Hell in a Cell, Cage, Tables, Ladders, TLC, need I say more), 2 arenas which is RAW and SmackDown! (12 Pay-Per-View arenas to unlock), an awesome create-a-superstar mode, edit your superstars and divas attires, add your own custom entrance music, etc.

Raw 2 also have a larger roster compare to WWE WrestleMania XIX and WWE SmackDown!: Here Comes the Pain. There are 65 WWE Superstars and Divas (The Rock, HHH, Stone Cold, Goldberg, Brock Lesnar, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Dudley Boyz, Los Guerreros, Trish Stratus, Lita, Torrie Wilson, and many more) and it's great and up to date.

The graphics are also good as well. And so are the controls.

I also like the Versus screens, it captures the feel of WWE's 2 main TV programs and the 12 Pay-Per-Views.

The Bad
The gameplay. Anchor, Inc. should've also improved the gameplay over it's predecessor, but we still have some the same problems: Stiff animation at times, also at times it's the way they walk and other awkward things. If Anchor also focus more on the gameplay, it would be also an amazing game.

The season mode, is extremely awkward. In season mode, it's not like the SmackDown! games (which is a letdown), but on the positive side, you can unlock Pay-Per-View arenas after completing 1 month each and other things and also play as a female. Another flaw to season mode is the women can compete for the men's belts (The WWE and World Heavyweight championship, as well as the WWE and World Tag Team championships), and also, unlike SmackDown!: Here Comes the Pain and WrestleMania XIX, the brand extension is non-existent (despite Raw 2 is set in the Brand Extension era), which means the superstars and divas from 2 different brands can compete on both shows (looks like there's no draft before the start of Season mode).

The Pay-per-view arenas are a hit and miss. What they got right is the first 3 PPVs (Royal Rumble, No Way Out and WrestleMania XIX, which they're all from 2003). The rest of the Pay-Per-Views are from 2002 (mainly Backlash, Judgment Day and King of the Ring), which are sadly outdated. They also included Vengeance, SummerSlam, Unforgiven, Survivor Series and Armageddon, they're also from 2002 and they're acceptable in my book.

Also the Earl Hebner's voice and Tim White's voice can get annoying and the Lillian Garcia-impersonator Raw ring announcer is garbage. At least they got Howard Finkel to do the voice of the SmackDown! ring announcer.

The Bottom Line
WWE Raw 2 is the only good WWE game on the Xbox. It is a major improvement over it's predecessor WWF Raw is War with match types, arenas, roster, C.A.W. mode, etc.

The only 2 things they need to work on is the gameplay and season mode. It would've been great.

Do I recommend this game? I say yes. This is, to date, the best WWE game on the Xbox. We should've got a WWE RAW 3 in 2004, but sadly, THQ laid off Anchor and hired Studio Giante (the developer of Microsoft's Tao Feng) to developed that piece of turd WWE WrestleMania 21.