WWE Smackdown: Here Comes The Pain - Playstation 2

WWE Smackdown: Here Comes The Pain by THQ Amazingly, the Smackdown series has now reached it's fifth game, and the third on the Playstation 2. I was fortunate enough to have been at the press launch of this game in July 2003 so I had been eagerly awaiting its release since seeing and playing it back then, but is it worth the wait...? As with all the previous Smackdown! games, there are a vast array of game modes for single and multiplayer play. Most of the old favourite match types from the earlier games are in here, as well as few new matches. There are a total of 65 wrestlers on offer this time, featuring 53 current Superstars, and 12 wrestling "legends", but I'll come on to these later. The game has been completely overhauled since las time, and changes have been made in almost every area of the game. Visually, the game looks better than ever. Characters are more realistic, blood and sweat now come off the wrestler's bodies, there are better pyrotechnic effects, better animation and the crowd is now fully 3D. As before, the game features the single match Exhibition Mode which now includes the formidable Elimination Chamber (a massive steel cage with six compartments releasing wrestlers at random into the match), a First Blood Match (pretty self explanatory), and one that fans have been asking for - the Bra And Panties match!! This one pits two WWE Divas against each other, and the first to lose their clothes loses the match! I won't go into too much detail about the matches themselves and the basic structure of the game, as this hasn't really changed much over the last few games so you should all be familiar with that by now. All I will say is that, as before, up to six people can take part in the carnage! The Create A Wrestler mode is still there, but this has now been revamped so it's easier to see all of the costume parts at a glance and categories have been grouped together to make searching easier. As before, you can alter every aspect of your wrestler's appearanace, moves etc. and once again there are a number of wrestlers hidden away that can be created allowing you to have well in excess of the 65 already available. The season mode has been completely reworked as well. It has a much stronger storyline and follows your chosen wrestler in a single year of their career. You can form alliances, form factions, and compete for a range of titles. You start on your chosen show (Raw or Smackdown) and stay with that brand for the duration of the season (unless you talk to your show's General Manager and request a transfer). How you interact with the other characters in and out of the ring, as well as the other WWE staff all has a bearing on the direction the game takes. If you take on a manager, there's even the possiblity of characters starting relationships with each other! The plotlines have been developed by the WWE script writers, and as well as some familiar story elements, there are plenty of new angles to keep everyone happy! It was hinted at that some of these new stories may actually end up appearing on air! Another thing that has been addressed since the last game is that, like before there are three matches per show/PPV. However, you can now choose to play all three of them, even if your own match comes first in the programme. It all serves to give the game more lasting appeal. In terms of unlocking the hidden features, the game now uses a monetary system. Each time you win a match, you are awarded Smackdown Dollars - the amount varies depending on the match type and your current status. Unlocking any of the extra items, including the locked wrestlers, is just a case of saving up and then spending your hard-earned cash. As well as that, there is also an experience system to allow you to improve and enhance your wrestler's abilities. You have several basic statistics that affect strength, submission hold, speed etc, and these can be improved by using experience points earned in matches. Naturally, it's harder to improve your stronger abilities but it does add some depth to the game. The presentation on the season is superb - there are now recap sequences before all the Pay Per Views, and there is more scope for making decisions both in the ring after matches and outside of the ring. There is no need to spend hours wandering the arena lost as well - there is a screen with images of all the different locations and you know in advance if anyone is there for you to talk to. Sadly, not everything's perfect with the Season Mode. I did find that some story elements seemed to be quite common irrespective of which characters you chose or which show you represented. Also, it was far too short with each season mode lasting just one year. My first season was completed in less than 48 hours after receiving the game, and that was inbetween eating, sleeping and being online! Arguably, the biggest change is the control system. This has been completely redesigned from the ground up. While the basic controls are still the same, there are now TWO buttons for blocking attacks (one for strikes, one for grapple attacks) and some of the actions have been assigned to new buttons. Where the new system really shines is the flexibility it offers. In the past, if an opponent is putting a hold on you, it was just a case of hit a button fast and hope for the best. Now, there's a button-bashing tug-of-war system between the two characters, which is affected by the injuries you've received and what your wrestler's submission stat is. The injuries to your opponent is also a key factor. There is now a body indicator on screen next to your Smackdown! meter, and this indicates the damage that each part of your body has received. This has a dramatic impact on the gameplay - if you concentrate your attacks on a single body part, you can affect the opponents actions in the rest of the match. Also, if you have a particular submission move you want to use, you can spend time weakening that body part first making it more likely that they'll tap out. That's not the only improvement though. There are now four basic types of grapple hold, each of which then leads to four more moves. It's quite easy to pick up, but allows for a much greater range and variety of attacks and throws. You can still use your opponent's Smakdown! finishing moves as before, but now position is critical to them being successful. In the past games, your opponents automatically repositioned themselves to where they needed to be. Now, if an opponent is near the ropes, or in the wrong place for a pin or finisher, you have to drag them first. It works really well and adds an extra element of planning to the matches. The final change I noticed with the controls was in the tag matches. If you now play a one-player game with a tag team partner, when your partner is brought into the match then control automatically switches to them so you have complete control over the entire match. It's only a minor thing, but it's a nice touch. In terms of playability, this is vastly superior to all of the Smackdown! games that have come before it, as well as any other wrestling game on any format. The new control system really puts you in complete control of your wrestler, and really makes you have to work to acheive your wins. The damage system really adds a new strategic element to the matches as well where you need to decide if you're going to concentrate on getting a win by submission or brute force! There have been other changes that enhance the realism of the game. In the past, any wrestler could pick up any other, so it wasn't impossible for a character like Spike Dudley to use a choke slam on the Big Show! Now there's a new weighting system been introduced so characters can only lift others if they would normally have the strength to do it. If not, you see the wrestler physically struggling. Okay, so that's the game but what about how it looks and sounds? Visually, this is a massive step up from the last game. Animation is superb and as you can see from the screenshots, the faces are more realistic than ever before. While some aren't too amazing, some are absoloutely breathtaking, such as Goldberg and Shawn Michaels. When Goldberg enters the ring, you could be easily mistaken for thinking you were watching it on TV. There are some wonderful firework and particle effects although this is only to be expected from the PS2. There are other great touches though. In the Hell In A Cell matches, you actually see the top of the cage buckle after the first one or two hits, before it collapses not long after. There are also some wonderful camera angles and effects when finishing moves or power moves are applied on your opponents. Obviously, all of the wrestlers entrances are there too, with video footage playing on the Titantron while the wrestlers enter the ring. Sound, on the other hand, is a major let-down. The in-game music isn't particularly special and apart from the entrance music, it's nothing to write home about. That's not the worst of it though... THQ have made a major mistake with Here Comes The Pain and taken a massive backwards step with the atmosphere... this is the first WWE game on the PS2 WITHOUT any commentary. There is nothing during the matches, no ring announcer, and the only speech you do hear is the referees counts, and the, now fully interactive, chants from the crowd. If you imagine watching WWE programming with the volume turned down on your TV and you'll get the idea. There is nothing on the disc to indicate that there wasn't space for commentary so why was it left out. In fact, this is my first major gripe. As I said, myself and Matt Jackson went to the press unveiling of the game and as well as being able to see and play it for ourselves, we had the chance to interview the game's creative director, Nick Wlodyka. We were told that not only was there commentary in the game (something we would have never expected to see omitted), there was also going to be speech from a number of WWE Superstars. As you can guess, there was nothing there either in any of the game modes. The interactive crowd sounds are great - hearing the crowd chant your character's name is a great addition - but matches without Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Tazz or Michael Cole commentating just don't feel right. Then we come onto the wrestling legends. No doubt that this was added to try to combat the success of Acclaim's Legends Of Wrestling series, but again this disappoints. There are only twelve wrestling legends in the game, and I would have to question the inclusion of some of them. Granted, some are true legends (Legion Of Doom, Sgt Slaughter, and Jimmy Snuka to name a couple), but as for the others, I could have done without them. This brings me onto another MAJOR problem I have with the game. One of the original legends that was in the game was the Ultimate Warrior and he was actually playable in the test code we got to play, yet there is no sign of him in the finished game. Almost every part of him was complete including his entrance music, and he looked absolutely incredible, so why was he left out? There haven't been any screenshots released featuring the Warrior, but I'm sure I'm not the only fan who misses his inclusion. Still with missing wrestlers, and for some reason Hulk Hogan has been removed. It may have been done following his departure from the WWE, but he was featured in screenshots being released quite recently. The game was going to featuring him both in the Hulk Hogan AND Mr America costumes and was something I was looking forward to (especially the thought of pitting Hogan against the Warrior). The one other thing wrong with the legends section is that none of them featured their entrance music. They all come down to the ring in complete silence. If it can't be done properly, I would have preferred THQ to have dropped the legends altogether and concentrating on the main WWE stars... and including wrestlers who have been strangely ommited. Looking at the roster, there are a lot of major wrestlers who are simply not there at all. There is no sign of the FBI, Jamie Noble, Nidia, Maven, the APA, Scotty 2 Hotty, Funaki, Shane McMahon and countless others. Some of the choices that are in the game are a little questionable and I think better Superstars could have been included. Don't get my wrong, this is a great game and it terms of playbility it's the strongest of the five games to date, but it does lack in atmosphere. My big gripe with the XBox and Gamecube titles was the lack of commentary, and it's something that's really needed for a game like this and it does detract from the presentation. The issues with the legends I mentioned does make me wonder why they were put in the game in the first place. Overall, it's still the best wrestling game on the market and every WWE fan should own this, but it's not quite the perfect game that I was expecting. Overall - 92% - Reviewer: Simon Plumbe