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This is the best wrestling game ever! The Acclaim wrestling series were pretty boring, the collision-detection was bad and overall, I didn't like the "metal workshop" type interface. Smackdown is blazingly fast, with really simple controls. You just need to press two buttons to pull off a move, while Acclaim had you memorizing C++ codes just to pull off a suplex. In Smackdown, you could excute your finishing move in one button! The Create-A-Superstar mode isn't as good as the Acclaim series, though, choose three parts of the body. But the other features are cool. Height (THANK GOD), weight, weapons, moves, and the ability to make striking moves left or right-handed! The Season mode rules. It has backstage scenes which really makes you think you're in it! Did you just lay out Triple H with a kendo stick? No good deed goes unpunished! He might send his cronies to come after you! The pressure can really build up. In all, buy it. No other game can compare to it. If you like fighting games, buy it.

Aright kiddies, listen up. This is a wrestling VIDEO GAME. For what it is, it's one of the best. Yes, it has its faults, but so does everything else in the world. Try as they might, it'll be next to impossible to create a "perfect" wrestling game on any platform. Smackdown! is exceptionally theorized and effectively put into action.

The animation is well done, and it moves at a smooth framerate. The action is fairly fast paced, and if you want to play a good match and you've managed to decently get the blocking technique down (it's easy once you catch on), then set the difficulty up to NORMAL or HARD, and you'll have a fast paced, enjoyable match. Guaranteed. The Create-A-Wrestler suffers, and I feel that the in-depth features of ATTITUDE and the move-editing of WM2K need to be brought to the front lines of the wrestling game war. The Storyline mode could be better, but its better than seeing Vice McMahon call you the same exact thing every single time he interferes with your career in WM2K. Its different, and I've still seen some new things take place, and I've been playing it since the morning it hit the stores. If you set the difficulty up, learn the blocking rythym, and really try some maneuvers in the ring, the storylines will come. Don't expect RAW IS WAR calibre stuff, because this isn't RAW IS WAR. It's a video game. And for what it is and what it represents, it's definitely an improvement on the old formula, and an advancement to that coveted "perfection" rating of a true fan's heart. It ain't perfect, but its close for what it is. It's just a good, fast paced, decently implemented wrestling game. Perhaps for the next time around, we should stop faulting it and its kind, and send in suggestions on things that could be improved to THQ/Jakks Pacific.

This will also be my review for every subsequent SmackDown! game. After WCW started to lose popularity, THQ started to do WWF-themed wrestling games. When it did, even beginning on the N64, there were hints that they were turning what was a good system into complete crap. They finally succeded (so to speak, if that was their actual intent) when they started the SmackDown! series. I have no problems with the graphics, the entrances, or the sound in this game. I have the biggest problem however with the gameplay and how the game controls.

First off, they gave the game arcade style feel and controls. Big mistake. They also made it more like the actual show: you have to continually punch the guy before you can start doing grappling moves. I may be in the minority, but constantly punching a guy gets old fast. I want to be able to start throwing suplexes and hitting piledrivers right off the bat. Secondly, the game's A.I. has gotten extremely intelligent. Too intelligent. The game can kick your ass unless you're a great gamer, and I'm just average, maybe a little below. Mainly because of the counter system. The game goes like this: punch, punch, punch, punch, grapple, move-counter move-counter move, etc. You'll get countered excessively, and your counters won't work most of the time. Yes, it is a lot like the actual wrestling you watch on TV, but for a wrestling game to be fun in my opinion, it can't be realistic in terms of following how an actual wrestling match would go. I don't want to spend over an hour or more in a match, 15-30 minutes is plenty, unless it's a Royal Rumble-type match.

THQ threw out the window the great grappling engine they had with the N64 games and has replaced it with this tripe. I honestly don't understand what the fans see in this series of game. I guess if you like your matches in the game to follow how the matches on the show work, and you enjoy the actual wrestling to a be a chore and full of non-stop punching and countering, than this is the game for you. If you want an actual FUN wrestling game, then I suggest you stick with THQ's WCW games on the N64. At least then, they had the right idea.