WWF SmackDown! (video game)

WWF SmackDown!
NTSC cover art featuring Chyna, The Rock, Billy Gunn and Mankind
Developer(s)Yuke's
Publisher(s)
Director(s)Toshihiko Kitazawa
Designer(s)Toshihiko Kitazawa
Daisuke Doi
Osamu Hashimoto
Artist(s)Taku Chihaya
Composer(s)Masafumi Ogata
Kei Morioka
Rei Shimizu
SeriesSmackDown!
Platform(s)PlayStation
Release
  • NA: March 2, 2000
  • EU: April 14, 2000[1]
  • JP: August 3, 2000
Genre(s)Sports
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

WWF SmackDown!, known in Japan as Exciting Pro Wrestling (エキサイティングプロレス, Ekisaitingu Puro Resu), is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and released for the PlayStation by THQ. It is based on the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and is named after the company's weekly SmackDown! television program. Originally released on March 2, 2000,[2] the game received a direct sequel released several months later, entitled WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role.

The first WWF game on the PlayStation to be published by THQ, SmackDown! marked the start of a long running series of WWE video games from THQ, then continued by 2K Sports and rebranded as WWE 2K. The game was also re-released under the Greatest Hits budget range.

Gameplay

The game's main story mode contains three main parts, first with the Pre-Season (for created wrestlers), but after ten in-game years of playing the Pre-Season, players are allowed to skip it. By playing and advancing in the season modes players gain rewards such as unlockables or attires, but instead of unlocking new characters, players unlock new body parts to put on new creations, to play as that "unlocked" character. Once players build a creation, they must fight in a Pre-Season year to build their skills and make their alliances. The story mode contains no voice-overs, instead the characters meet each other backstage with mouths that move to no voice and on-screen cutscene text. The game also lacks play-by-play color commentary.

WWF SmackDown! has many match types including Single, Tag Team, Hardcore, Steel Cage and many more.[3] The game features the late 1999 WWF roster following SmackDown!'s premiere, including the then-newcomers The Dudley Boyz.

Development

Yuke's, the developer of SmackDown! had previously created the Toukon Retsuden series of wrestling games in Japan for New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Despite this, the game engine used in SmackDown! is not based on contemporary Toukon Retsuden titles, but rather The Pro Wrestling, a title developed by Yuke's as part of D3 Publisher's Simple series and released several months in Japan beforehand.[4]

Reception

WWF SmackDown! received favorable reviews according to video game review aggregator GameRankings.[5] Daniel Erickson of NextGen was positive to the controls, graphics, and game modes such as Season and Referee mode, but criticized its "shallow" arcade-like quality and create-a-wrestler mode.[15] In Japan, however, Famitsu gave it a score of 27 out of 40.[10]

Lamchop of GamePro called SmackDown better than Acclaim's WWF Attitude in terms of graphics and "speedier" gameplay, but thought that Attitude has its full commentary and character voices than the former.[17][b] In another review, The D-Pad Destroyer praised the Season mode and called the title "one of the best wrestling games in the history".[18][c]

The game was a bestseller in the UK upon release,[19] and again three months later.[20] It also received a "Platinum" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA),[21] indicating sales of at least 300,000 units in the UK.[22]

Notes

  1. ^ Two critics of Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the game each a score of 9/10, and two others gave it each a score of 8.5/10.
  2. ^ GamePro gave the game 5/5 for graphics, 3/5 for sound, 4/5 for control, and 4.5/5 for fun factor in one review.
  3. ^ GamePro gave the game two 4.5/5 scores for graphics and fun factor, 3.5/5 for sound, and 4/5 for control in another review.

References

  1. ^ "CTW Game Guide". Computer Trade Weekly. No. 785. United Kingdom. April 14, 2000. p. 34.
  2. ^ Sabga, Chris (February 29, 2000). "THQ's WWF Smackdown to be released on March 2 for PSX". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on November 25, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Nix, Marc (March 1, 2000). "WWF Smackdown". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on April 4, 2023. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  4. ^ Bixenspan, David (October 20, 2017). "We've Basically Been Playing The Same WWE Video Game For Over 15 Years". Kotaku. G/O Media. Archived from the original on March 10, 2023. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  5. ^ a b "WWF Smackdown! for PlayStation". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 20, 2019. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  6. ^ Ottoson, Joe. "WWF SmackDown! - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 15, 2014. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  7. ^ Hsu, Dan "Shoe"; Hager, Dean; Boyer, Crispin; Smith, Shawn (April 2000). "WWF SmackDown!" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 129. Ziff Davis. p. 166. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 5, 2022. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  8. ^ Grant, Jules (March 31, 2000). "WWF Smackdown [sic]". The Electric Playground. Greedy Productions Ltd. Archived from the original on July 21, 2002. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  9. ^ Ellis, Keith "DNM" (April 24, 2000). "WWF Smackdown". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on January 7, 2001. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  10. ^ a b "エキサイティングプロレス". Famitsu (in Japanese). Enterbrain. Archived from the original on October 6, 2023. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  11. ^ McNamara, Andy; Fitzloff, Jay; Reiner, Andrew (April 2000). "WWF Smackdown". Game Informer. No. 84. FuncoLand. Archived from the original on October 21, 2000. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  12. ^ Mears, Rick (March 2, 2000). "REVIEW for WWF Smackdown". GameFan. Shinno Media. Archived from the original on June 6, 2000. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  13. ^ Dodson, Joe (March 2000). "WWF Smackdown Review". GameRevolution. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  14. ^ Gerstmann, Jeff (March 2, 2000). "WWF SmackDown! Review". GameSpot. Fandom. Archived from the original on December 4, 2004. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  15. ^ a b Erickson, Daniel (May 2000). "WWF Smackdown [sic]". NextGen. No. 65. Imagine Media. p. 101. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  16. ^ Rybicki, Joe (April 2000). "WWF SmackDown!". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. Vol. 3, no. 7. Ziff Davis. p. 89. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  17. ^ Lamchop (April 2000). "WWF SmackDown!" (PDF). GamePro. No. 139. IDG. p. 86. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 25, 2023. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  18. ^ The D-Pad Destroyer (April 24, 2000). "WWF SmackDown! Review for PlayStation on GamePro.com". GamePro. IDG. Archived from the original on November 5, 2004. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  19. ^ "Game Charts". Official UK PlayStation Magazine. No. 61. Future Publishing. August 2000.
  20. ^ "Game Charts". Official UK PlayStation Magazine. No. 64. Future Publishing. November 2000.
  21. ^ "ELSPA Sales Awards: Platinum". Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association. Archived from the original on May 15, 2009.
  22. ^ Caoili, Eric (November 26, 2008). "ELSPA: Wii Fit, Mario Kart Reach Diamond Status In UK". Game Developer. Informa. Archived from the original on September 18, 2017. Retrieved October 6, 2023.