Before the Smackdown series, wrestling games had been quite complicated, with long button sequences needed to perform even some simple moves. The Smackdown series changed all of that, making the controls much simpler, making the game much friendlier, as you could just pick up and play without having to consult the moves list every 30 seconds.
The game was defiantly one of the best wrestling games of its time, with a fairly large roster for the team (of almost 40 playable characters), plenty of different match types, a create a wrestler section, as well as a season mode.
Compared to the new games in WWE's video game series, the graphics are nothing special; the characters are a bit blocky, the faces don't look very realistic, there is no commentary during matches, instead a soundtrack is played, and the wrestlers are not shown making an entrance down a ramp, instead just walking in front of their Titantron video. However, at the time of release this was miles ahead of WWE's previous game.
Characters move more fluently, and move like people. The gameplay is quick and arcade like, and each character has their own unique set of moves, all of which correspond well to their real life counterparts of the era.
The Create a wrestler section is basic, but works well. You are allowed to select a head, upper body and lower body for your character. You can alter the skin colour, weight and height before giving them their own custom set of moves. This allows you to create a variety of your own creations, as well as making wrestlers not in the game.
This game was the game that revolutionised wrestling video games, and launched the Smackdown Series, which ran for 11 years (with the new WWE 12 game using the same style). While the graphics may be out-dated and the new games can do so many more complex things better, this game is still defiantly worth a play, if only to experience the game that started it all.