Smackdown vs. Raw last year saw the season mode changed, taking away the open-ended structure of Here Comes the Pain and replacing it with a fixed storyline in the name of adding wrestler dialogue to the mix. Unfortunately, this is still the case this year. However, there is no sort of week by week progression. Instead, there are around three or four storylines per season, each lasting roughly half a dozen shows. While shorter than last year, the fact there is are separate Smackdown and Raw campaigns balances things out. The storylines are actually quite good – especially in comparison to current WWE product – if not annoying with some of their swerves. Ultimately, while the season mode is an improvement on last year, it is still not on the same level of that seen in Here Comes the Pain.
Finish him!
The most notable new feature in the game is the General Manager mode, which – shockingly – puts you in the shoes of a general manager of either brand, where you can draft wrestlers, make feuds, and book matches. The aim here is to put on a good show, build up the profiles of your wrestlers and win the general manager of the year award (your competition being one other GM). While the mode is fine (being able to pick winners would have been nice), it isn’t really a patch on Extreme Warfare Revenge, a freeware game which can be tracked down by a quick Google search.
In game things are different, too. Yuke’s seem to have tweaked the various on-screen bars from the past game and replaced them with some completely new ones. The big blue bar is now the momentum bar, and has the clean/dirty bars integrated into them. It is generally raised by beating the snot out of your opponent, but can also be raised by doing bad things if you’re a heel (such as a low blow), or good things if you’re a face (play to the crowd). When it fills up, a special move can be stored for later, or performed right away. Of course, the momentum bar can also be drained – most obviously by beating repeatedly beaten up, or performing the same moves over and over again. Definitely an improvement over last year’s game.
Another significant new bar is the stamina bar, which drains as a match progresses. Each move performed will wear at it – stronger moves will deplete more stamina, and weaker moves less. The stamina bar must be frequently recharged by holding select. It’s obvious that this was included as a means to even up a match when one player is dominating, allowing the opposition to get back in. But the fact it needs to be recharged every few moves, especially if you’re character isn’t the fittest athlete, is pretty ridiculous. Perhaps if Yuke’s can work out a balance between depletion and recharging, this could be a worthwhile addition – but as it is, it is just plain annoying.
Aside from those, most gameplay changes are small – but effective, too. The quick Irish whip – tap the triangle and circle buttons – is fantastic. The ability to play ‘possum’ and catch opponents unaware with a quick roll up is nice. Then there’s the sleeper system where, unlike WWE programming, the sleeper hold can actually win a match. Still, is that really enough to justify a new game?
Case closed
Wrestler creation has seen a bit of tweaking, with new moves, music and so on. The most significant change here is that move selection is limited to three categories, such as power, technical or high flying. This results in much more balanced, and less stacked, move sets, making it tougher for 7’2” wrestlers to start pulling off ridiculous high-flying moves that only cruiserweights could attempt in real life. You can also create an entrance this year, officially giving the player complete control over every aspect possible in creating a wrestler.
For the first time since the PSX days, the roster is actually quite complete, with no significant players overlooked like the past few years. Of course, it’s still out of date, with many wrestlers no longer with the company still in the game. But, this isn’t really an issue, especially compared to the usual case where several notable mid-card wrestlers aren’t in the game. Various WWE legends, like Steve Austin and Bret Hart, are also available to be unlocked.
The lifespan is a strength of all wrestling games. While Smackdown vs. Raw 2006 suffers from a shorter season mode than last year, there is still plenty of fun to be had. Create a wrestler and the General Manager mode, for examples, will last for quite a while. Then, of course, you can plug in an extra controller for some multiplayer action – or a network adapter to take the whole thing online. Thankfully, online is much, MUCH better than last year – players can trade wrestlers and defend title belts, match selection is also more varied and the server also keeps a record of wins and losses. After the terrible attempt last year, it’s good to see Yuke’s rectify the problem.
Smackdown vs. Raw 2006 does have a truckload of small, niggling issues though. The constant save prompts are STILL rampant – select the memory card slot, scanning, accessing, do you wish to save, you will overwrite the file, etc, etc, etc. This is one area that really, really needs to be streamlined. Playing a Royal Rumble is also a pain – you have to endure the entire rumble until the time when you’re character comes in. There’s no way to simulate it, for reasons completely unknown. In-game referees are also a right pest, too – they generally stand right next to the action at all times, and often you will accidentally initiate a grapple with them, especially if more than one other wrestler is in the ring. They also have bizarre logic – if your wrestler hits your opponents manager with a weapon, it’s a DQ. But, if that manager jumps in the ring and starts beating up your character, it’s not an issue. WHAT?! Oh, and then there’s the computer’s idea of upping the difficulty level – counter every single move you throw at them.
The Smackdown series has always been a looker, and this version is even better. All the wrestlers are instantly recognizable to their real-life counterparts, with some of the best facial detail on the PS2. Arenas are also bright and busy, just like the real thing – but with a more enthusiastic crowd, of course. From a visual standpoint, this is some of the best work on the PS2 – with the glaring exception of some noticeable clipping issues (the title belts being the biggest culprit) which, for some reason, has plagued wrestling games since inception. Looks like we will have to wait until the next generation to see the back of it.
C’mon Taker, you know you want to play an Xbox wrestling game!
It has to be said that the voice implementation in Smackdown vs. Raw 2006 is not good. While better than last year, it’s still obvious that most wrestlers just aren’t into it, providing their lines with minimum enthusiasm in their normal talking voice. Not only that, the lip-syncing is WAY off. Commentary is also STILL terrible. The dialogue by Jim Ross, one of the Raw commentators, is just HORRIBLE. He is slow, disjointed, and obviously not at all interested. The other three commentators are better, but their dialogue is vague, repetitive, and, again, out of sync – for instance, commentators often call reversals and finishers seconds before they actually happen. The sound effects are also often off, with some moves causing the mat to crash and bang – and others barely causing a whimper. Virtually every other sports game out there had this problem fixed years ago – Yuke’s should either bring it up to standard, or simply abolish it.
Smackdown vs. Raw 2006 is a better effort than last year’s game. Online is infinitely better. The General Manager mode is a rather nice addition. The season mode is also stronger than last year. But, even so, it is a lot weaker than that seen in Here Comes the Pain. If you don’t own either of the last two games in the series, or fancy a quality online wrestling game, this is probably well worth a look. If you do own either of those games though, this isn’t really a big enough improvement to be worthy of consideration.
Basically because I sold the original and I love the new roster and the two new modes. Also the graphics look superb.
Loading...
