WWF SmackDown! (video game)

WWF SmackDown! (video game)
WWF SmackDown!, known in Japan as , 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 2 March 2000, 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. 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.
Reception
WWF SmackDown! received favorable reviews according to video game review aggregator GameRankings. Daniel Erickson of NextGen said, "While not quite in the same realm as WrestleMania 2000, this is the best PSX wrestler to date." In Japan, however, Famitsu gave it a score of 27 out of 40.
In one review, Lamchop of GamePro said, "SmackDown has the edge on Acclaim's WWF Attitude with better graphics and speedier gameplay, but Attitude talks more smack with its full commentary and character voices. All in all, SmackDown is a great game that should be a winner with WWF fans everywhere." In another review, The D-Pad Destroyer called it "one of the best wrestling games in the history of man, and if you're looking for a touch of intrigue with your sports entertainment, it's by far the best. Expect future wrestling games to build on SmackDowns Season mode, but for now, WWF SmackDown! is the best there is at what it does."
The game was a bestseller in the UK upon release, and again three months later. It also received a "Platinum" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA), indicating sales of at least 300,000 units in the UK.
Notes
References
External links
2000 video games
Multiplayer and single-player video games
PlayStation (console) games
PlayStation (console)-only games
Professional wrestling games
THQ games
Video games developed in Japan
WWE SmackDown video games
WWE video games
Yuke's games