Playstation 2 WWE Smackdown! vs. Raw (PS2)

From the most successful wrestling game series of all-time comes the next phenom in sports entertainment WWE SmackDown! vs. ...

Superstar Voice Over and commentary. The heart of the SmackDown! series is the season/story mode. Prepare for the evolution ...

Directional-buttons: control superstar
triangle and directional-button: action, climb turnbuckle or throw ladder into ring
circle-button: irish whip, fake irish whip, lift opponent up, throw weapon, reach for belt, grapple opponent through table or push opponent off cage
circle and directional-button up: power in grapple, tag team turnbuckle attacks or spanking
circle and directional-button left: signature in grapple
L2-button: counter striking attack or counter high flying moves
hold L2 and L1-button: steal opponent's finisher
L1 and directional-button: second finisher if superstar has multiple finishers in same situation
R1-button: change focus
right analog stick: taunt, execute dirty, clean move or call in partner
X and directional-button up, down, left or right: grapple, striking or diving attacks
triangle, square and X-button: running ground strike
square and directional-button: exit and enter ring, get on outside apron, tag partner, climb cage, climb chamber, remove turnbuckle, place ladder in turnbuckle, climb or climb down ladder
triangle, circle and directional-button: running grapple toward opponent's face or back
triangle-button: run or climb cell
X and directional-button up or down: weapon grapple
triangle, directional and X-button: running weapon attack
left analog stick down: attack legal opponent or get weapon
left analog stick right: get a weapon
directional-buttons up or down and X-button: throw opponent onto table
square and directional-button: place table in turnbuckle
R3-button: call for interference by a stable member.

To bring back the former WWF diva, use the Create-A-Wrestler function to create her.

Dress-up head-makeup 2

Piercing- ...

Average Rating: (3.7 out of 5 stars) 

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 No Stratusfaction here
Although I give this game 4 stars it is entirely out of pity. I will state of how this game has left me with a bitter taste. First off wrestlers seem to get up faster. Yes they have got rid of the rising punch technique but just after 3 seconds the opponent gets up after Rolling germans, and before that youve prob beaten them up and made them bleed. Sure sometimes its amusing that you kick out of a chokeslam or pedigree, but if only finishers will do the trick it is kind dissapointing. Season is overall not as good as most people think. Yes you can continue season as the champion after youve beaten the game but the storylines stay the same. Another thing the referees are suppossed to be weak but they reverse every grapple move and would prob kick your butt if you try one on them. Although they did add the feature if that the ref is just distracted you wont get disqualified for a weapon shot. The create mode is really good I admit. The Roster is very slimmed down which makes the exhibition mode un-interesting. Overall if your just looking for a wrestling game to play right now but if you really want youre money's worth wait till a new game arrives.
Submitted by cerebralocelot (Fresno, CA) 
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 Leaves bittersweet taste...
Just like the front cover shows, the two top brands in the WWE brawl against each other in a "season," which is far too short. Sure, I had a laugh here and there with the commentary, but fighting for divas is given a way too big a chunk in season mode. Graphics do look great, with subtle touches like adding teeth to creations and posting their pic. The new submission type B is a cool feature, too. Even the occasional mini games are decent. The roster is VERY slimmed down than the last SD!, even the divas are fewer. There aren't as many titles, either. Voice acting is good, (especially announcers). Challenges are a nice touch. Make your own PPV, but no GM mode? Yes it has taken a step forward, but yes, it has also taken two backwards. Stick with Lesnar on the cover.
Submitted by ELo2k3 (Chicago, IL) 
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 WWE: G.O.A.T
This is definitively the best wrestling game om Playsttion 2. The producers have included all the extras from the previous games from PS2 and PS1. This time you can select either Raw side or Smackdown side and that's make it more entertaining. The game has a good quality graphic and more details on textures, characters..etc. I see that THQ have changed their concept for gaming. I gave it 4stars, so it's worth to purchace it! You'll see...
Submitted by akajef (Norway) 
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 Solid but not spectacular.
The controls are pretty much the same as "WWE Smackdown: Here Comes the Pain" which is a good thing. I loved the improved counter system from that game and it remains intact here. The new additions worked here as well. While it was a little disorienting at first to only be able to use the D-pad for movement instead of the left analog stick, I started to appreciate the left analog being incorporated into new commands such as controlling your tag partner or manager. The graphics are incredible for the most part. Certainly best looking WWE game on PS2. The character models on all the male superstars is excellent. Every physical detail is added in, including some that I'd rather not notice. Unfortunately the Divas didn't fare so well. In the previous two Smackdown games, the character models were spot on as fair as physiques go. However in SvR all of them except Stacy have the exact same deformed body with deformed shoulders. In the case of Stacy Keibler they got her body right but the face looks nothing like the real Stacy. Which is shame because out of all the Divas, she's probably got the genuinely cutest face. The backstage area has been cut down tremendously. In hardcore brawls there's only one room to fight in compared to the half dozen that previous Smackdowns have had. On the bright side, the arenas themselves look better than ever. The details have gotten more accurate even right down to the custom Wrestlemania XX folding chairs in the audience. Weapons have been greatly improved. You still have the tried and true steel chairs, sledge hammers, ladders and tables as well as the welcomed addition of title belts. While countering weapons is still possible. The A.I. is no longer super cheap about that. The advantage of pulling out a steel chair is no longer always turned into a disadvantage. However to balance this out, you can only get in about four or five weapon shots before the weapon automatically disappears. Also ladders, tables and steel steps are much clumsier weapons than they used to be. It's slower to use them but the damage is high. A new feature is the clean and dirty meters. By being a face, you have a clean meter which builds up by posing for the crowd, doing high risk moves, kicking out at 2, and reaching the ropes in submission holds. By being a heel, you have dirty meter which builds up by removing the padding from turnbuckles, arguing with the referee, holding onto submission holds after the victim reaches the ropes, and numerous other dirty tricks. Filling up the clean meter allows you to make your wrestler temporarily invicible. Filling up the dirty meter allows you to low blow your opponent for high damage. A nice addition but both types of meters take so long to fill up that there's no point on relying on them to win matches. There's a bunch of new mini-games as well. Sometimes at the beginning of matches you get involved in stare downs, tests of strength and shoving contests. When you slam guys into the turnbuckle you can exchange chops. As for the Divas, you can spank each other. None of this administers a whole lot of damage so it's not useful for winning matches but it does add another level of authenticy to the game's matches. Aside from the parking lot brawl, there are no new match types here. The parking lot brawl is just another version of the backstage hardcore match. So meh. Sadly there are still no strap matches, ambulance matches or buried alive matches. Thankfully, all of the match types from HCtP have been retained. You can also now use the elimination chamber for 6-man tag matches, making it similar to WCW's War Games. So that's nice. The create-a-wrestler feature is pretty good. I'm still undecided whether it's better or worse than last year's version. On the upside you now have a choice of three looks for your characters. Match, entrance and cutscene. You can also now make your own avatar instead of relying on the generic faceless ones that all CAWs had in the past. Body morphing remains solid. On the downside, I found that all the CAWs have a cartoonish quality to their faces now, which is a step down from last year's faces. There also doesn't seem to be a whole lot of new outfits and accessories to choose from here. Voice-overs are nice. The announcers are good but as always there's only so much they have to say and after a couple of matches you'll grow tired of them. Ring announcers are good to have back but of course they also make your CAWs stick out like a sore thumb when you have to rely on generic names like "The Star" or "The Monster". The wrestler's themselves sound off. Much more sedated than they actually are on the shows. It's okay for the back stage cutscenes but it really stands out when they're cutting promos in the ring. The roster is disappointing. Not a whole lot of new people here. It's frustrating that faves like the Hurricane have been cut in favor of scrubs like Garrison Cade and Mark Jindrak as well as a bunch of guys that are no longer around such as Rodney Mack, Sable and Chuck Palumbo. As for the Legends. While it is awesome to be able to play as Bret Hart and Andre the Giant. I still would much rather have the legends cut entirely and instead have more current superstars in the game instead. With Acclaim gone, the Legends of Wrestling series is dead. If THQ still has the WWE liscense for 2005, I think it would be awesome if they made a seperate "WWE Legends" series in addition to their current WWE titles. Lastly, the storyline mode. The stories are actually more entertaining than the real WWE which is both cool and sad. However, it's much more linear. Probably because of all the voice-overs, you don't have as many options to choose your path through the game. Which is mildly disappointing. All in all. We got some new stuff and lost some other stuff. For WWE fans, it's worth checking out, especially since it could very well be the last Smackdown game from THQ.
Submitted by Hans Adolph (Flint, MI, USA) 
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 Decent
I'll be honest, this is the game that got me into the WWE games. The controls ware simple to learn, and not over complicated. The season mode is good, but not the best. I think this is where it started to go down hill, though, and the focused on voices, graphics, and other bells and whistles instead of paying attention to, what I consider the most important part of a video game, the game play itself. Like I said, this was good, but it's also where it went downhill.
Submitted by Adam (Statesboro, GA, USA)
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