I didn’t watch Smackdown when I was a kid. Not because I didn’t want to, but because UPN wasn’t available where I lived. At least, that is how I think it works. It just wasn’t on our cable package, which feels strange to tell people today.
This is a game that I made my friend Drew rage quit so badly that he sold his copy. I don’t think the term existed back then, but that is what happened. I don’t think I’m good at the game, but I had a lot of fun playing it.
When I went back to play this game, I found it to be as much fun as when I first played it. It is a PS1 exclusive, which was pretty awesome at the time. There were a lot of exclusive games on the N64, and it was awesome to have this on the PS1.
TLDR: One of the Best Retro Wrestling games on the PS1.
Narrative
While there is no story in the game, some storylines do show up in the game. They don’t matter much, but you get to see some promos from the other wrestlers. This is a product of not following one character’s story through the game.
While you select a character to play, you can watch the other matches on a show or pay-per-view. If you watch the other matches, you’ll see a few promos and cutscenes of the wrestlers talking. It doesn’t always lead to anything, but it is nice.
There is still a lot of imagination in creating a storyline for the game. You can create a wrestler and build them up over time. It is pretty great that you can do that, but it isn’t necessary to play the game.
Gameplay
This is an easy game to pick up and play—you can say that about most of the Smackdown games. The roster is excellent, which might be nostalgia talking, as I really liked this era of the WWF. There are also a lot of game modes in Smackdown.
Here is a list of the game modes:
- Exhibition
- Create a Pay-Per-View
- Season
The career mode is a huge upgrade over the same modes in WWF Attitude, ECW Anarchy Rulz, and ECW Hardcore Revolution. While it isn’t as involved as those games, it is much less of a slog to play. It is easier to play and much more fun than the other career modes of this time.
With these sections, you can have several matches. Here is a list of those:
- Single Match
- Tag Team Match
- Handicap
- Battle Royale
- Royal Rumble
- King of the Ring
- Hardcore
- Anywhere Fall
- Cage Match
- Survival Match
- Special Referee
- I Quit Match
The only thing I don’t like is not being able to see a health meter. You have a meter for your Smackdown moves but nothing for the character’s health. It is a little weird, but it is not out of the ordinary for wrestling games.
I love taking a wrestler that wasn’t used much on TV and turning them into a champion. It is a ton of fun. Granted, my favorite was Chris Jerico, who held the Intercontinental Championship all the time. I also like playing as Steve Blackman or the Tag Team Headcheese (Al Snow and Steve Blackman). I have no idea why I like that team so much.
The gameplay is fantastic! It is easy to do all of the moves, the controls are excellent, and it is an easy game to learn how to play. The career mode is a wonderful experience. This is simply an amazing wrestling game.
Visuals
The game looks really good! The ring entrances, crowd, ring, and character models look awesome! The moves look wonderful as well. Out of all the wrestling games I’ve played to this point, I like this one the best.
I love that the entrance videos and music are in the game. It looks awesome in the game. While you don’t see the wrestler get into the ring, I don’t think that matters much. It is still a great intro to the matches.
The ring, crowd, and backstage area look very good. It is cool that matches can be held in the backstage area and that it isn’t the entire game like WCW Backstage Assault. The cage matches look a little odd, but that is only because the cage is there. The camera has to shoot through one side.
The game’s camera work is great. It zooms in and changes angles to capture the big moves, which look closer to what the TV product was at the time.
There are some facial reactions in this game. It is still a little primitive but looks good when you put it in context with other wrestling games. You see the wrestlers smile and react to being hit. It looks great for the time the game was released.
Overall, this is the best-looking wrestling game I’ve seen on the PS1. I still have to play Smackdown 2, but I don’t think it is that big of a leap ahead of this game. Both of them look excellent for the time.
9/10. The first Smackdown game looks great, is easy to play, and has several game modes. It is an enjoyable game that still holds up today.
Pros
- Great Graphics
- Easy to Play
- Lots of Game Modes
Cons
- No Story
- Camera can be a little awkward
- No Health Meter
Conclusion
It was great to go back and play this. I really liked Smackdown in the 2000s and loved it when I played it for this review. It was as easy to play as it was when I was a kid.
The graphics and gameplay still hold up. This is an excellent-looking PS1 game and the best-looking wrestling game I’ve played so far. The gameplay is fantastic, and it is still a lot of fun to play today.
I still remember playing this with my friend Drew and being really excited for the second game. They came out very close to one another. I didn’t realize that the third game in the series was released in 2001, and if I had known about it, I would’ve played it.