Smackdown VS Raw 2006

New WWE Game a Smackdown

Yes, that's right, 'Smackdown Vs Raw 2006', the best wrestling game of its time has arrived!

This is one of the finest games I've ever played on PS2, and maybe that's because I'm a WWE fan, but this game really blew me away.

If you thought Smackdown Vs Raw was good, this game raises the bar even further - the graphics are better, the fights are better and the various scenes are more realistic.

Here I will list just some of the improvements to whet your pro-wrestling appetites:

General manager mode
New roster
All new fights
Players can talk
Crowd cheers for good/boos for bad
All new graphics
More involved gameplay

Smackdown Vs Raw 2006 has a whole new roster including all of the Hogan's (80s, normal and Hollywood), William Regal, Carlito, Hurricane and lots more. The roster has been totally updated following all the events in the past year or so since Smackdown Vs Raw. Although I don't want to sound biased against any particular wrestlers in this otherwise neutral review, I will say that it's a bit disappointing that they had to add people like William Regal, who is a total loser...

The story mode is refreshingly new (where your player can actually trash talk) and you can choose your path all the way down to Wrestle Mania, where you must take the world heavyweight title. Although Eric Bisholf was recently fired from Raw, they still added him in the early stages of the Raw game development. Although later on he's fired. Kurt Angle is no longer the GM of Smackdown either, having his job taken by Teddy Long.

All the new entrances, songs and general attitude updates makes the game so much sweeter, so now it adds extra realism, because you can follow the show as well as being on your own show.

The other great part about this new gaming delight is that you can create your own entrance using the advanced entrance maker. You can choose lighting, movement, hand signals and flares/fireworks. Kind of like choreographing a dance routine with hormone-enhanced hairless monkey, you can customise many parts of the routine, or choose an existing entrance. You can also create your own superstar (an old feature, but a goody), and get this - you can make them a normal wrestler, an animal, a robot or some sort of an alien. Very cool.

Most standard features come with the game, so it's not like a whole new wrestling experience for those who have played quite a few of these games, but it's definitely how the first one should've been. There's not heaps to say, because it's playing the game that's enjoyable, not talking about what's been added, such as new moves, characters etc.

Although it's not a whole new experience, it definitely redefines all other wrestling games, and I hope the standard is much higher from now on.

This is really a pleasing improvement on the game, and I'd hope all people who like wrestling would pick it up straight away. I stayed up until 3:00am in the morning, totally hooked on the thing. I love this game, and if you like wrestling too, I think you will enjoy yourself with this one.

Game: Smackdown VS Raw 2006
System: PS2
Players: 1-6
Online: No
Developer: Yuke's Media Creations
Distributor: THQ

Rating: 95%