PlayStation

WWF Smackdown! 2: Know Your Role

WWF SmackDown! 2 makes a grab for the championship belt with a ridiculously huge number of options and a whole lotta replay value

Not messing with a good thing, the actual gameplay is little more than a rehash of last year’s chemistry. The backstage commotion has been improved ever so slightly, and to take another shot at WCW, the interaction and look of these environments crushes everything Backstage Assault has to offer. THQ still needs to work on character collision fields and fluidity of play for SmackDown to truly shine like its N64 brethren.

After playing WWF Smackdown 2 excessively and almost forgetting about reviewing the game, I obviously found the second Smackdown an improvement over the original in more ways than one, in fact in more ways than one hundred, as corny as that sounds, it's pretty much true. WWF Smackdown 2's visuals look sweet, even better on the PS2, the gameplay is far more deeper than any other wrestling game on the market to date, with all of the modes, matches, wrestlers, and customizable options, Smackdown 2 just features a mind-boggling amount of features, just go out and purchase WWF Smackdown 2: Know Your Role for Playstation, and you absolutely must buy a multi-tap to fully experience the game 100%.

WWF SmackDown! 2 presents an excellent package, but you can't help but feel that any real innovations were sacrificed in an attempt to get the game on shelves before consumers started leaving the PlayStation behind in favor of newer platforms. The solid gameplay from the first game is there, and the game has more than enough modes to keep you entertained, but overall, WWF SmackDown! 2 is simply more of the same.

In the end, it was a full twelve minutes before I was able to actually participate. Twelve minutes! That's waaay too long to hold an inactive controller in a wrestling game.

If you like the WWF, SmackDown 2 is for you. You'll get over the long load times, because the game is worth it. There are so many different games to play, so many different wrestlers to use, so many ways to lay the smack down! I highly recommend this game, and believe that it will be one of the last greatest games on the PlayStation. Now where's that 3-D?

Aus heutiger Sicht ist WWF Smackdown 2 natürlich völlig veraltet und die Nachfolger auf der Playstation 2 sind um einiges besser. Trotzdem ist Smackdown 2 eben das beste Spiel für die Playstation 1 und auf jeden Fall noch einen Blick wert, da es eben einige Features wie den King of Ring hat, den die aktuellen Teile nicht mehr bieten.

The arenas themselves are also impressive, especially when you decide to take the battle backstage. There are so many rooms behind the scenes that you may be lucky to find yourself back to the ring, but the main highlight of this is obviously the availability of weapons. There are all sorts of things lying about for you to pick up and smack over the head of your unsuspecting opponent (or at least smash their head into them), such as tables, chairs, sofas, drink machines, cars and even a forklift! The crowd is also well done, and while its animation pales in comparison to the wrestlers, their main feature is holding up signs that are specific to whichever wrestler is in the ring at the time. A nice touch indeed.

Trop peu d'innovations par rapport au premier opus sorti il y a à peine quelques mois, mais la recette fonctionne toujours aussi bien. Le gameplay est instinctif et les combats sont rythmés. Les fans seront ravis de retrouver leurs vedettes fétiches, mais les autres risquent de se lasser assez rapidement.

WWF Smackdown! 2: Know You Role was a title that was clearly rushed to get to market in time for last year's Christmas rush. It had to be because its flaws are all curable, but having gone unchecked they wind up doing everything possible to hinder the gameplay. Smackdown 2 does have some things going for it, but you'll have to look hard to see them. As far as I am concerned, the flaws are too great and ruin what could have been a worthy sequel.

Malgré des défauts qui gâchent le plaisir de jeu, le fun indéniable procuré par WWF Smackdown ! 2, ses nombreux catcheurs, ses modes de jeu variés, et sa prise en main aisée réservent de bons moments à tous les fans de catch. S'ils réussissent à oublier les longueurs du mode carrière, les modélisations et animations grossières, ils s'éclateront à ficher des peignées à tout ce qui passe à proximité. Undertaker Rules !!!