PS2 review: 'WWF Smackdown: Just Bring It'

From...

By The D-Pad Destroyer

(IDG) -- Wrestling fans, your cries have been heard. The wrestling-game gods over at Yukes and THQ have brought you a wrestling game with more tables, ladders, and motorcycle ring entrances than ever before. Unfortunately, they had to leave some important stuff out.

"Just Bring It" is by far the most ambitious and complete wrestling game in history. Over 30 wrestlers can compete in well over 60 match types, ranging from Hardcore to Coffin matches to King of the Ring.

If the roster's not large enough for you, you can create your own wrestler with the genre's most complete Create A Superstar mode. The PlayStation 2 really does the game justice. The wrestlers grapple and brawl with smooth realism, but the action sometimes seems stiff. Still, "SmackDown"'s TV-style presentation will dazzle hardcore fans.

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With all its strengths, the game's faults are tempting to ignore. "SmackDown"'s ringside commentary calls out moves that neither the player nor the superstar even thought of performing, and the music fails, too: Generic rock-type sonic patterns back the action, and the "SmackDown" theme is the only other song nearby -- unless you count "Rolling" by Limp Bizkit. Move timing seems a little off as well, making the simple moves frustrating to pull off.

"WWF SmackDown: Just Bring It" packs in a ton of things that wrestling fans have been screaming about since "WWF War Zone," but its weakness lies in the attention to the game, not to the details. Wrestling maniacs will drool ferociously for this title, but non-fans still have no reason to "bring it."

Graphics: 4.5 (out of five)
Only vaulting expectations hurt this title. Everything looks just about perfect, but a little work could help the robot wrestlers become human again.

Sound: 3.0
The soundtrack repeats, there are no wrestler voices, and the commentary is about as smart as a plate of spaghetti. Thankfully, you can adjust all of the above.

Controls: 3.5
Stiff controls are countered by a responsive reversal system, but strange timing makes simple moves frustrating to pull off.

Fun Factor: 4.0
"Just Bring It" is the total package for diehard wrestling fans, but casual gamers might feel the need to toss it over the top rope.