Smackdown! 2 is the Best PS1 Wrestling Game

Smackdown! 2: Know Your Role is the best wrestling game on the PS1. It is also one of the best games on the PS1; it is really that good. I loved playing this game as a kid, and it is fantastic to play it now.

I have a story about this game. It involves me playing with my friend Drew, and because it doesn’t fit anywhere else, I’ll put it here. I always played as Chris Jerico, and Drew always picked Triple H for some reason. He freaked out when I beat him by submission in one match in the first Smackdown.

In Smackdown 2, Jericho’s finisher is a submission move. Before we played the game, I had to explain this to Drew so he wouldn’t freak out. It was kind of funny.

This is my favorite wrestling game on the PS1, and I’m glad I finished the PS1 games like this. It was a welcome change from the WCW and the last ECW games. The WWF didn’t have a terrible game on the PS1, which is a welcome change from the other systems.

TLDR: A Great game that is still fun today. Smackdown 2 has Great Graphics and Wonderful Gameplay.

Narrative

There are some attempts at a story in the game. While there isn’t an overarching story that you follow, some small ones unfold during the season mode. They don’t really matter much, and you can just ignore them.

It is the only disappointing aspect of the game. There are cutscenes, and the developers attempted to tell a story in the game, but it wasn’t executed well. It would’ve been better if they had copied what WWF Warzone did with the rivalry and grudge matches.

I do give the developers some credit for trying to make a storyline for the player to follow. Unfortunately, if you didn’t pick one of the top guys, then you don’t see the story unfold for your character. Once you get the title you are after, you need to work your way up through the ranks.

Gameplay

Smackdown 2 has the best gameplay out of all the wrestling games on the PS1. It is one of the best games on the PS1 and my favorite retro wrestling game. The controls are spectacular, the finishing moves are easy to do, and everything in the game is user-friendly. I love this game.

There are a ton of options in this game. There are also many ways to tailor the experience to your liking. Here is a list of what you can do:

• Exhibition
• Season
• Create a Pay-per-view
• Create a Wrestler
• Create a Stable
• Create and Manager

Much like the first game, there are a ton of matches for you to choose from. There are also several stipulation matches. Here is a short list of what you can do:

• Singles match
• Tag Team match
• Hardcore match
• Handicap
• Tripple Threat
• Four Corners
• Cage match

There are run-ins in the game. They don’t mean much, but it is cool that they’re in the game. If storylines were in the game, they would matter more to the player. They make sense to me because I remember who was in a group back then, but I can see it being confusing if you don’t know.

Because there are no storylines, the season mode is a little odd at times. You’ll see characters cut promos or get beaten up, and they don’t lead to anything, or you’ll see what matches are already booked. It is a minor criticism because it doesn’t detract from the overall gameplay.

There are attempts at inserting a story into the game. They don’t always include the wrestler or tag team that you’ve chosen to play as. It is nice that they tried, but it isn’t as refined as the modern wrestling games are.

You don’t have a health meter in the game. This is something I don’t like, but I understand why it isn’t there. Instead, you have a damage meter, which turns into a Smackdown once you fill it. Once you fill the meter and you have your opponent in the right position, you can press the L1 button to do your finishing move. It is an awesome system.

I like the gameplay a lot. The controls are simple to learn but difficult to master. There is a lot to do in the game, and I like that you can do so many things. The game does have some minor problems, but nothing serious.

Visuals

Smackdown 2 looks the same as the first game. I can’t fault the developer for this because it is a PS1 game, and I liked how the first game looked. Everything in the game looks excellent for an early 2000s PS1 game.

Every wrestler has the same smooth body that lacks definition. While this looks a little ridiculous today, it was pretty good when the game came out. When it was released, textures like this in a wrestling game were pretty new.

The entrances are very good. They look the same as the first game, where the wrestler walks onto the screen while the intro video plays, but I like that. Aside from being very good, it made these two games stand out a bit more.

The moves and animations look good. There are the usual issues with games from this period, but they look good for the year 2000. The camera work is wonderful in this game. It is how I felt about Hammerlock Wrestling, where it would show the moves in close-ups.

The funniest part of the graphics must be the game’s Michael Cole model. He appears in the backstage promos, which end with Cole shrugging. The developers had him do this every time, and there was no need for it at all, but it always made me laugh.

This is a great-looking game. While modern games look better than Smackdown 2, the graphics here aged well. It doesn’t look like one of the ugly 3D games from the mid-1990s.

9.5/10. This is a wonderful game. It builds on everything that made the first game great and makes it better. The game feels easier to play, and it is so much fun.

Pros

• Great Controls
• Great Graphics
• Attempts at a Story
• Excellent Career Mode

Cons

• Story that doesn’t include the Player
• Lack of detail on character models

Conclusion

This is the best wrestling game I’ve played so far. I still have to play the N64 games, so this will change. I can safely say that Smackdown! 2 is the best wrestling game on the PS1.

I don’t have as many memories of this game as I do of the first game. My friends and I all had jobs, and there were other games that we had been playing at the time. Drew and I were the only wrestling fans in our friend group, so we didn’t play many wrestling games when everyone got together on the weekends.

I’m glad wrestling games took this direction. Having a career mode is awesome, and I’m glad the WWF Attitude style was dropped in favor of this one. The Smackdown games have a much better career mode than the other wrestling games that attempted it.

I’ll be ranking the PS1 wrestling games next. Thankfully, I’ve been writing that as I’ve been playing them, so I don’t have to try to remember all of them. After that, I’ll take a short break and then go into the N64. I’ll also have a top 10 list of the wrestling games that I like the most so far.