WWE SmackDown! (formerly WWF SmackDown!) is a series of professional wrestling video games released by THQ. The franchise takes its name from World Wrestling Entertainment's weekly Friday night (previously Thursday night) TV show of the same name. The game is developed by Japanese game developer YUKE's Future Media Creators, who had previously developed the popular Toukon Retsuden series of Japanese wrestling games. In Japan, the series is known as Exciting Pro Wrestling.
After SmackDown! vs. RAW, the series took a shift of focus from its original arcade-like roots to a more realistic game. With this shift, the next game in the series was called SmackDown! vs. RAW 2006 matching the naming scheme of other sports games such as Madden NFL and the FIFA Series.
Original series
The first four games in the series were each titled after one of The Rock's catchphrases. Here Comes The Pain was named after Tazz's catchphrase in reference to Brock Lesnar. Following Here Comes The Pain, taglines were phased out.
WWF SmackDown!
The first installment of the series was released for the PlayStation (PS1) in North America on February 29, 2000 and in Europe on March 9, 2000. It was released in Japan as Exciting Pro Wrestling on August 3, 2000. The game was the first PlayStation WWF game to be released by THQ, who had recently secured the license to release WWF games. Its fast, arcade-style gameplay were different from past slower paced WWF games. The game also featured the first extensive Season Mode in a WWF game, in which the player was allowed to participate in WWF storylines.
WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role
The second installment was released on the PS1 in North America on November 19, 2000, and later in Japan, as Exciting Pro Wrestling 2, on January 25, 2001. The game is generally considered by fans of the series to be superior to its predecessor, with its increased roster of wrestlers and improved Season Mode.
WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It
The first American wrestling release for the PlayStation 2 (PS2) was Just Bring It, on November 18, 2001. It also holds the distinction of being the first SmackDown! game to feature semi-authentic wrestler ring entrances and the first entry in the series to allow players to walk around WWF backstage areas. This game is widely perceived by the gaming community as a blunder, due to its large use of Memory Card space and its Season Mode, which was criticized for being short and repetitive. It came out January 24, 2002 in Japan as Exciting Pro Wrestling 3. All new copies of the game are now titled WWE SmackDown! Just Bring It.
WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth
The fourth installment of SmackDown! was the first released on the PS2 after the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) changed their name to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was released in the United States on Halloween, October 31, 2002, November 15, 2002 in Europe, and February 6, 2003 in Japan, as Exciting Pro Wrestling 4. The game features an extensive roster of WWE stars, including Hulk Hogan, an improved Season Mode which includes storylines involving the nWo and a wide variety of unlockable features. Also notable is the game's soundtrack, which includes licensed theme music for several wrestlers; "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" by Jimi Hendrix (Hollywood Hulk Hogan's theme) and "Also sprach Zarathustra" (Ric Flair's theme).
WWE SmackDown! Here Comes The Pain
The fifth installment of the series is considered by some fans to be the best American-produced wrestling game of all time, and by others the best wrestling game of all time. It was released on the PS2 on October 27, 2003 in North America, November 7, 2003 in Europe, and January 29, 2004 in Japan as Exciting Pro Wrestling 5. The game introduced a more traditional grappling system while retaining the series's fast gameplay.
SmackDown! vs. RAW
WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW
The sixth installment of the series is SmackDown! vs. RAW. This installment features a highly increased polygon count for characters, a "Create-a-PPV" mode, a "Create-a-Belt" mode, the "Parking Lot Brawl" and Internet play many felt was lacking in Here Comes the Pain and a widely disappointing smaller roster of roughly 45 wrestlers. However, the lack of current superstars is countered by an increased amount of legends, including Mick Foley, The Rock and Bret Hart. This installment of the franchise has generally been seen by game critics as a "transition game" for the series offering little in the way of innovation. The game was released on the PS2 on November 9, 2004.
WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2006
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The latest entry in the series brought out a more realistic approach to gameplay. New features included a momentum meter, interactive backstage settings, stamina rating and a General Manager mode, and for the first time ever a Buried Alive match. It was also the first game to be released on the PlayStation Portable (PSP) as well as the PS2. In North America, the game was released on the PS2 on November 15, 2005 and released on the PSP December 5, 2005.
WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007
The next entry in the series will be the first game in the SmackDown! franchise to be included on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 (PS3) as well as the PS2 and PSP. New features for the game will include a more interactive fighting environment including within the crowd, high impact combination moves and a new analog control grappling system.
Commercials
The Rock, Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho, Brock Lesnar, Torrie Wilson, and Stacy Keibler have filmed commercials for the SmackDown! games. The Rock did the first one, Kurt Angle did the second, Jericho did the third, Lesnar did both the fourth and fifth, and Wilson and Keibler did the sixth (no actual superstars were featured for the seventh commercial). However, various WWF Superstars such as D'Lo Brown, Edge, and Kane were featured in the first commercial that starred The Rock. John Cena, Chris Benoit, and Torrie Wilson were also featured in the fifth commercial with Lesnar.
Rosters
Only seven playable characters have been featured in every game in the series up to and including SmackDown! vs. RAW 2006. They are Chris Jericho, Christian, Edge, Kane, Triple H, The Undertaker and The Rock. Although The Rock has been in all of the games in the series so far, he has been featured as a "legend" and shown as his persona in the late 1990s rather than his current persona since the sixth installment, Smackdown! vs. RAW. The Big Show was not selectable in Know Your Role, but was in the game and playable through a GameShark. With the announcement of SmackDown! vs. RAW 2007, it is expected that this list will be shortened with Chris Jericho and Christian no longer in the current WWE roster.
Fred Durst is the only celebrity to be a playable character in one of the games. He was a secret character in Just Bring It.
Shawn Michaels has been given the Sharpshooter as one of the moves in his movelist in every Smackdown! game he as appeared in, despite his rivalry with Bret Hart and his involvement in the Montreal Screwjob, or perhaps because of it and the tension it created between Hart and the WWF/E and the tension it furthered between Hart and Michaels.
References
- Dunham, Jeremy (2005). "SmackDown! vs. RAW 2006: World Premiere". July 4, 2005.
- Dunham, Jeremy (2005). "SmackDown! vs. RAW 2006: PSP Revealed". July 20, 2005.