Over the decades, many wrestling games have been released for home consoles and PCs. Wrestling video games are still being released today. We got the annual WWE 2K games when the WWE video game license was purchased by 2K from THQ. Before then, THQ had just made WWE along with the upcoming year the annual titles. Before that, it was Smackdown Vs. Raw followed by the following year and that came from Smackdown which usually was followed by a wrestler’s catchphrase. The one that started this entire series is the subject of this review which was WWF Smackdown! How was the game that was the beginning of the line of games that are still released today?
The gameplay is fast-paced. It is possible to have matches end within a minute. Speaking of matches, you have your singles, tag team, and three and four-way dances but you also have specialty match types like Hardcore, I Quit and Special Referee just to name a few. This game also allows you to wrestle in other areas of the arena like the hallway, kitchen, boiler room, and parking lot.
There are also other things like a rankings system and the outcome of the rankings will dictate which wrestlers can compete for which championships if you want to set up a title match. You can also check out your history of former champions in the game.
There is a create a pay-per-view mode where you can book six different matches that will happen one after the other. You can play the matches, watch them, or simulate the matches. The matches get an individual ranking, then the show is ranked, and the game saves the name and rating of your ten highest-rated shows.
The game is very easy to pick up and play. The difficulty is very fair so if you don’t normally play wrestling games, you can still play this one and have fun. So there is nothing I would change about the difficulty.
The controls are much better than the previous WWF games on the PlayStation. Combos that could be up to five buttons long (including D-Pad buttons) are gone. When you want to pull off a move, you hit Circle and one of the directions of the D-Pad. Your finishing move is one button. It’s games like this that make WWF Warzone and WWF Attitude very hard to go back to and enjoy.
There is a pre-season and a season mode. If you want to play the pre-season you have to do so with a created wrestler. The created wrestler options are limited even once you unlock more create-a-wrestler options.
When you create a wrestler, first you choose a head, upper body, and lower body. Then you can alter the height and weight of your wrestler and choose their skin color but you can’t do anything crazy like give your created wrestler green skin. After this, you create a profile for your wrestler and set their attributes. You earn more attribute points for your created wrestler as they go through the pre-season. When you set attribute points, make sure you don’t click cancel because if you do, your stats will stay the same and you will lose the attribute points that you have set.
As you go through the season, you will unlock what you need to create wrestlers like Steven Richards, Ivory, and others. The only problem is, this game only lets you create four wrestlers. So you have to choose whether you want to create wrestlers that you unlocked or create wrestlers you made up yourself.
Just like the pre-season, the season has one event a month. The big five pay-per-views happen in their respective months but the other months could be a Raw, Smackdown, or House Show. At random times, the game will let you alter the roster between who is being used and who isn’t which is a problem if a friend stops playing with you in the month that doesn’t present this option and you get put in a tag team match.
Another problem with the season mode is the WWF Royal Rumble. You always start as the #1 entrant (in the times I played.) Going back to WWF War Zone, there was a chance you could start in the middle of the match and you would see what happens in the countdown leading up to the entrance of your wrestler into the Rumble. If WWF Warzone could do that, then why not WWF Smackdown?
The graphics are normal for the PlayStation. It’s easy to tell who everyone is and the arenas and the backstage areas look different and recognizable. So there is nothing bad to say about the graphics.
I also have no problems with the sound in this game. All the wrestler themes made it into the game and the music during gameplay isn’t bad. Wrestlers walk in front of their entrance videos which some people don’t like but I have no problem with. So there is nothing wrong with the sound.
There are a lot of different match types and the normal season can go on for years. The furthest I ever made it to was 2017. That is with the season mode starting in the year 2000. Along with the ability to create your pay-per-views, there is a lot to do in this game to keep someone entertained for a long time.
So the game is a lot of fun to play and it won’t be too challenging for new gamers to try out. The controls are much better than what was offered in previous WWF games on the PlayStation. The season mode lasts a long time so it’s not a one-and-done story. The graphics are acceptable for the PlayStation and I have no problems with the sound. This game has a lot of replayability so I give WWF Smackdown on the PlayStation 8 out of 10. I didn’t like the lack of choices in Create A Wrestler or starting #1 in the Royal Rumble all the time. Also if somebody wanted to join in your season, you could only switch out wrestlers when the choice was offered. However, WWF Smackdown is still a great game for wrestling fans and should be owned by anyone who has a PlayStation or PlayStation 2.
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