WWE Raw 2: Ruthless Aggression (2003) (VG)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Release Date:

16 September 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Action

Plot Keywords:

Video Game | Sequel | World Wrestling Federation | Superhero | Wrestler

Country:

Japan

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:T

Movie Connections:

Follows WWF Raw (2002) (VG)

Soundtrack:

Whatever

Wasted Potential

This had serious potential to be the best rasslin' game since No Mercy but of course they blew it.

To be fair though, there are some nice things about the game and I'm a fair guy when it comes to reviewing rasslin' games, so, where to begin?

Oh-me oh-my you make me sigh you're such a good lookin' woman!

The game engine is somewhat impressive; I say somewhat because there is a sense of scale and grandeur to the graphics and although the animation itself is quite smooth, the game's pace is too slow to be considered truly fluid.

The CAW and main character models themselves leave something to be desired - the image quality of said graphics is sharp enough but there is simply not enough in the way of detailed character textures at times to make the graphics truly stand out.

This really makes the graphics a wasted opportunity to woo players from the very start. Even the colour palette itself seems uninspired, at times inducing headaches through a Hanna-Barbera style drabness.

Okay so it looks nice in places but not nice enough overall, we know it has custom soundtracks and that neat entrance lighting/pyro timing stuff...but what about the gameplay, is it any good?

Not really.

If you are of cheap nature and of generally no class, you should like it just fine - probably even "fantastic" as they say. I however, know what a quality rasslin' game is - and this is not one of them.

See how the characters can be made to run away in whatever direction the analogue stick points! This is highly annoying, and it just as annoying watching a couple of idiot players 'fight' a match this way.

Whatever happened to honour, eh?

Miaow.

Also, note that the animation may be smooth, but that doesn't mean it looks natural. The characters resemble featherweight robots, gliding around the ring somehow weight free. This is something which, for me, effectively killed any sense of enjoyment, preventing any feeling of satisfaction even when dealing great amounts of damage toward opponents.

The game just feels paperweight, granted there are some damn nice moves in this game unavailable in any other title (take one look at the weapons moves list and you'll see what I mean) so it's even more of a shame that it just doesn't work thanks to the mechanics.

Movement really does matter in a game because this goes beyond mere cosmetics and enters the realm of player control and therefore gameplay. Ergo, immersion depends on the believability of movement.

Some great sound effects try their best to sell the action, but sound effects alone can only achieve so much; gameplay is the ultimate decider.

Another nice thing which this game does have is a neat touch regarding collision detection which allows moves to actually be broken up mid animation by attacks from other players!

This, however, is done better in other WWE titles, namely WrestleMania XIX and the Day of Reckoning games.

People stop, people stare - you know it fills my heart with pride.

The three marks I have given are for:

1. The fun you can have in season mode with up to three friends;

2. The fun custom options for creating an entrance, including custom music etc;

3. Some of the moves you can do in the game and the fun collision detection allowing for moves to be stopped mid-animation by other characters.

I probably forgot something else but 3 out of 10 seems more than fair to me for this particular title, one that could have been so much more, sabotaged by flawed mechanics and general sloppiness.

Such a good lookin' woman! Whoah-oh yeah...you're such a good lookin' woman...