Escape From Reality... (WWE Smackdown: Shut your Mouth (PS2))

Member Name: angeelu

Product:	WWE Smackdown: Shut your Mouth (PS2)
Date:	09/02/03 (608 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Huge choice of wrestlers, Plenty of options, Excellent graphics

Disadvantages: Controls difficult to master at first

'WWE Smack Down! Shut Your Mouth' is the latest offering for the PS2 from the world of the WWE - and like it's televised counterpart, this game offers a complete escape from reality and hours of fun. The game contains just about every current WWE wrestler you can think of - male and female, and allows you to choose any of these in your matches. There's no stopping you from putting Vince and Stephanie McMahon against each other in the ring, or the huge Rikishi against the feisty Lita! Each of the superstars takes their own characteristics to the ring, and performs the same moves you see on TV, right down to their Smack Down finishing moves.

There are generally two ways to play the game - either in Exhibition Mode or Season Mode.

Exhibition Mode:
Exhibition Mode generally gives you one fight with your choice of wrestler against a number of opponents. There are plenty of variations to choose from in this mode, a few of which I will explain:
* Single Match
In a Single Match you take on an opponent single handedly, although you have the option of having a manager present (to help out when the ref isn't looking) if you want it.

* Tag Team Match
As it suggests is two teams of two wrestlers - again you have further options within this match type to have a manager present, or to play Tornado Tag where all four wrestlers are in the ring simultaneously.

* Royal Rumble
Take on up to 29 other wrestlers in a Royal Rumble event. The idea is to throw your opponents over the top rope and be last man standing at the end. There are a maximum of 6 wrestlers in the ring at any one time. The advantage of this mode is that even if you are thrown out in the early stages you have the option to rejoin the match as a different wrestler as they come out.

* Survival
There are 5 options within the Survival Mode: 'Triple-Threat' and 'Fatal Four-Way' Matches end when the first wre
stler is pinned or submits, and 4-, 5-, and 6-Man Battle Royals end when there is only one wrestler left in the match.

In addition to the four game types mentioned above that are included in the Exhibition mode, there are also options such as: 6-Man Tag, Handicap (e.g. 'One on Tag' or 'One on Three'), King of The Ring, Hardcore, Special Matches (including Cage, Ladder Matches, and Hell in the Cell Matches amongst others).

Season Mode:
In Season Mode you pick a wrestler and take him through a season of matches and special events, winning belts and titles along the way and even becoming the Undisputed Champion! This mode follows the style of a typical WWE broadcast - the rosters for the date are announced, and when it's not your turn to fight, you (as your wrestler) can choose to watch the other Matches (or interfere in them, true WWE Style!), or take a wander around the Arena and explore the backstage area. Whilst exploring you may find other wrestlers lurking about who you can end up making friends or enemies of depending what you choose to say to them.

If you win a high-profile match in Season Mode you have the option to unlock certain items that can then also be used or viewed in other modes of the game, for example, video clips, costumes for certain wrestlers, and 'Create Mode' items.

Create Mode:
So what else does the game have to offer? Well - if you're feeling creative you may want to create your own Superstar rather than choose one of the existing WWE wrestlers. In create mode you can design your own wrestler, including their appearance, moves and animations.

Playing The Game:
To look at the instruction manual you may feel daunted at the sight of about six pages of instructions relating to moves, however, so long as you remember what the four buttons on your controller do you soon pick up the controls. Basically the circle button is a grapple attack, the cross is
a striking attack, the triangle is for running or moving, and the square is for reversing or ducking. Used in combination with the directional buttons these create an assortment of moves for your wrestler.

I personally found the controls difficult at first and felt I spent more time bashing buttons than knowing what I was doing, however the more you play the game the more comfortable you feel with the controls and the more types of move you remember. It's certainly not necessary to remember every single move, and you often find that you perform certain moves without realising it, for example just by pressing the directional button towards someone you want to attack then pressing the cross button for example.

There's little to fault with regards to the appearance of the game - the animations are really quite lifelike and each of the wrestlers is easily identifiable and very like their real-life counterpart.

The sound-effects and music help to recreate the feel of watching a WWE event on TV, and coupled with the commentry from 'JR' and 'The King' it's easy to get caught up in the fun of the game.

The game can generally be played by one or two players, however some match types allow you to have up to 6 players if you have the right multi-taps for your PS2 to allow this. As with many PS2 games, you do need a memory card to play this.

Final Verdict:
Whether you're a hardcore WWE enthusiast or just catch it occasionally on TV you'll love this game. The sheer number of options of ways to play the game mean it has a potentially infinite life as each time you play will be different. The game is stamped as being suitable for 15 years and over, however, I think so long as the child is aware that wrestling isn't real and shouldn't be copied at home an 11 or 12 year old would get plenty of enjoyment from the game. Final verdict - 5 stars!!!

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