Wrestling Games?

Same choices for a couple of years now:

PS2 - Smackdown series. Very arcadey, but each game is basically just a redux of its predecessor. Tehy've been using the same motion captured move library ever since back in the Playstation ONE days. They just add moves, entrances, and characters as the WWE gets new guys. But elsewise...it's the same game every year with a few different match types, and an always lame story mode. It's selling point is having the best Create-A-Wrestler function of all of the current games. But that doesn't keep things interesting but for so long.

XBOX - Only ever had one for it...Raw. And it sucked. Awesome looking, but the animation was stilted, the match options were slim, and the game felt slow. Raw 2: Ruthless Agression hits in 3 weeks, tho, and looks (from the IGN videos) to be a LOT more fun and faster. The animation's a lot better, and they have a lot of match types and totally accurate entrances this time as well. I think it may have the best story mode this coming generation as well. Plus, you can rip your own songs to the Xbox to create amazing custom entrances.

GAMECUBE - Same here. Its initial effort - Wrestlemania X8 - was lacking in options and details, plus had no story mode. The gameplay was Smackdown-lite. This year's model - Werstlemania XIX - doesn't look that much better. Expanded gameplay, but the story mode is almost like a side scrolling arcade game where you have to beat up security guards and crap like that. A truly idiotic concept. I just wouldn't bother. It's nothign compared to the greatness of Wrestlemania 2000 and No Mercy.

IMO the N64 THQ/AKI games were the only wrestling games that were ever worth playing.

If you liked those games get DEF JAM VENDETTA. It's The best wrestling game for all of the next gen consoles. Come to your senses and make a game with that engine again, WWE.

I just went X-Box two weeks ago, for the goodness that is Halo and SW:KOTOR, and I'm really hoping that RAW 2 holds up. I was a really committed Smackdown 3 player, but I hadn't really played the first two. SD 4 held my attention long enough for me to unlock everything for CAW mode, but after I had made ten to fifteen CAWS, I was really burnt out.

Right around then I had snagged my beloved Dreamcast off of Ebay, along with Fire Pro D and Toukon Retsuden AJPW, which I still play to this day. Fire Pro, though, is a tremendous commitment if you want to really get into it(It is an import after all). However, it has the best mode of really simulating kayfabe wrestling, in the sense that the detail that goes into a wrestlers' stats and movesets are as complex as those of the players any true sports video game. Like I said though there entire game is in Japanese, and I have a monster of an FAQ printed out to translate it. Its a bit of a bitch to learn.

Anyway, I'm really hoping to love RAW 2. The ability to rip entrance music alone has me giddy about giving RVD back his Pantera, and making a proper Sandman CAW, let alone all the indy talent and made up crap I generate. I can't wait to turn hometown boy Randy Orton face and give him some proper StL entrance music from the greatness that was the Urge...

such a mark...

Fire Pro Wrestling D (DC) and King Of Coliseum (PS2) are the be all and end all of wrestling games, period.

Oh, and if you like emulators on your PC, Super Fire Pro Wrestling Premium X for the SNES still holds up damn well today (especially as rom, since it's cracked and translated to English).