Does This Game Lay the SMACKDOWN? (WWF Smackdown: Just Bring It (PS2))

Member Name:

Product:	WWF Smackdown: Just Bring It (PS2)
Date:	01/03/02 (192 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: WWF, Great Multiplayer game, Lots of Modes to battle through

Disadvantages: Is to eay to complete in Story Mode, Poor Sound Quality, Looks as if it`s been rushed out

"Smackdown:Just Bring It" is the first WWF wrestling game to be released for the playstation 2 and is the third game in the very popular Smackdown series although both of the previous games were only released for the Playstation 1 console.

In this review i`ll break the game down into different categories giving them sub scores then finally summarising the game at the end with it`s overall score.

GAMEPLAY:

The first thing you'll notice is the pace of the action. Whether you're in a Singles Match, Tag-Team Match, Battle Royal, or Royal Rumble, the hits come fast. You'll notice that more grapples will happen in each match of this game than would on TV. This can be a lot of fun if you enjoy arcade-like games, but it`s not as enjoyable if you prefer technical simulation. Dodging attacks is very simple, and is all performed with the square button. The reversal system is improved over previous versions but it is still very simple and there are only a few different reversals that you can pull off so the moves become very repetitive.


The game has many modes, including Singles, Tag-Team, Six Man Tag-Team, Handicap, Special Matches (Cage, Hell in a Cell, Iron Man, Tables, Ladders, TLC), Hardcore, Royal Rumble, King of the Ring, and more. The number of modes is enormous. However, some of the modes feel very shallow, and none of them quite make you feel like you've experienced the drama you may have felt existed on WWF Programming.

The gameplay focuses around building your Smackdown! meter, until you can perform your selected superstar's finishing move. Almost all of the moves are identical to those the real superstars perform. The pre-match intros are amazing, and very detailed. A+ on accuracy.

GAMEPLAY SCORE: 7.5

SOUND:

The most hatable thing about Smackdown!: Just Bring It is the commentary. It's repetitive, often doesn't make sense, and is occasionally just pla
in inaccurate. The rest of the sounds are pretty standard, and to the game's credit, are a bit more accurate than previous games in the series (with a few exceptions.) The in game music is INCREDIBLY repetitive and droning, and not any better than music in any of the other Smackdown! games.

SOUND SCORE: 6

GRAPHICS:

The graphics engine is just a fixed-up version of the same engine Smackdown! and Smackdown! 2 used. It shows its age in some areas, such as the polygon count on bodies and in the painfully un-sharp textures on some surfaces. Heads have been drastically improved on the wrestlers, and the framerate has moved up to a gorgeous 60 Frames Per Second. The animations are significantly improved over previous versions, though it's still a mixed bag of good and bad animations.

GRAPHICS SCORE: 8

REPLAY VALUE:

There are fifty-two Smackdown! cards to unlock. To unlock them, you have to make different choices in Story Mode which is a mode where you select a wrestler and try to beat all other contenders on your way to winning one of the championship belts.To be honest, you can get them all in a day's sitting. It's reasonably fun while it lasts though. There are some very humorous cut-scenes in the game, which will be familiar if you've been keeping up with the WWF tv shows for awhile.

REPLAY VALUE SCORE: 7

SUMMARY OF REVIEW:

Though Smackdown!: Just Bring It improves over almost every aspect of previous Smackdown! games, it still came up short of being the truly great wrestling game that all of it`s fans were expecting.Wrestling game lovers will definitely have a blast with this especially when playing with friends, there`s nothing better than nailing one of your best mates over the head with a steel chair only to be on the receiving end of plank of wood with barbed wire wrapped around it,a barrel of laughs.Other gamers should probably rent the game out first just to see
if it`s their cup of tea, you never know you may find yourself enjoying it!

OVERALL SCORE: 7

Summary: