But your talking about last batch of wrestling games there, everyone will compare it to No Mercy as thats what most people consider to be the best. But why compare WM 18 to Raw 2? Wm 18 should be compared to Raw 1 and WM 19 compared to Raw 2.
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This is true also, but I havent played the other ones yet unfortunately. It is better then LOW2 thoughOriginally posted by Roost
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Okay a bit late but here's my review (If anyone is still interested):
Great wrestling games are few and far between, the last WWE game to satisfy fanatics and casuals alike was No Mercy for the N64. So when Raw for the Xbox was announced fans saw the stunning graphics and simulation type gameplay and they thought this would set the new standard for which wrestling games to be judged. However, it disappointed, but now 18 months later Anchor have released the second instalment of Raw, can it build on the foundation of the first or will it fail like its predecessor?
Raw 2 is a spectacle to behold, the graphics surpass most other games on the Xbox, all the little details are there, from the well modelled arenas to the exquisite pyrotechnics. The wrestlers, in general, look like their real life counterparts, you can see the intensity on Goldberg?s face and you can feel the pain when Angle locks in his ankle lock. Though, the wrestlers have a shiny look to them, Anchor it seems have gone a little overboard on the baby oil which gives wrestlers a glossy look, slightly similar to that in Legends of Wrestling, this does slightly detract from the realism but you soon get used to it. The wrestlers have been vastly improved from Raw, fans will be glad to know that Triple H actually now does look like Triple H, although on the other hand some characters such as Brock Lesnar are slightly off.
The presentation is superb, the menus look and feel good and it is easy to choose from the abundance of matches, once you pick a match you will be taken to a submenu where you can pick one of the many variations (For example, 2 vs 2 tornado, 6 man etc.). There are a host of combinations you can choose from, these may intimidate those new to wrestling, but a quick start match is also available for those who want to get stuck in. The pre match screens look identical to real life with the event logo flashing across the screen and the wrestlers posing. Everything has a nice, smooth, realistic feel to it.
Once beginning the game fans will want to dive right into the Create A Wrestler mode to create their very own unique superstar, or even to put wrestlers that were previously missing into the game (The most notable absentees being Team Angle) . The CAW mode in Raw 2 is quite deep, there are a variety of different moves and appearances you can select for your wrestler, and customise to your hearts content. The most impressive thing about the CAW is undoubtedly the entrance creator, every detail can be changed, there are hordes of lights, fireworks and moves that can be selected. Pyros can be timed down to one tenth of a second. Another interesting feature is create a titantron, good news for those fans who were sick of using someone else?s video for their wrestler. After you have finished your wrestler you will want to take him to the top of the ranks to capture the WWE title, which brings us to the season mode.
In the original Raw one of the most disappointing things was the lack of any season to speak of, bar a title mode which solely involved going through match after match monotonously. Raw 2 has introduced a story mode in which you and up to three other players can enter a selected superstar or created wrestler. This mode sees you competing in 12 months of WWE action, with each month encompassing one Raw show, one Smackdown! show and one Pay-Per-View. At each show you have a selection of actions to perform, it is in this way that you determine your own storyline as opposed to the more scripted seasons in other games. The actions available to you enable you to align or oppose yourself with or against other wrestlers, for example, you have the option to set a trap for your enemy or encourage a friend. Each action you perform has a variety of outcomes, each with individual repercussions, successful actions usually increase your spirit and your popularity while unsuccessful ones do the opposite. When you perform an action you will be treated to a cutscene showing your wrestler performing his selected stunt, these are usually well presented but at first some people may find the lack of voice or subtitles a hindrance to understanding what is going on, this is not a major problem as you can gauge their response easily by their body movements. Aside from the cutscenes you get to choose from, there are also a few extra ones, for example you being booked in a match by the GM or if you get close enough to a superstar of the opposite sex you may go on a date. However, the cutscenes and the season mode does get repetitive after a while. For a game trying to mirror realism the season is very erratic, my season saw Torrie beating Triple H to win the world heavyweight title. The action in the season mode does not really compare to the on screen theatrics of real wrestling shows, there is no sign of necrophilia or Al Wilson in Raw 2, I suppose they had to leave something for the next one. After a while the novelty wears off and the season becomes repetitive and aside from new wrestling attire there is no real incentive to play through the season mode a number of times.
The sound in Raw 2 is nothing spectacular; there is no commentary, which is a good decision because the commentary in other wrestling games has been extremely lacklustre. The wrestlers have their authentic anthems for the most part, of course there are some licensing problems here and there which prevent all the themes from being present but this can be rectified by taking advantage of the music ripping feature which allows you to include your own soundtracks as well as changing existing or created wrestler?s theme tune. The sounds in the ring are well done, fans will cringe when they see flair deliver his signature chops and the chair shots sound convincing and painful. The only real downside is the lack of wrestlers voices which is a shame as Anchor did go through all the trouble of synching the wrestler?s lips, there is also a shortage of much crowd deviation from cheers and boos with no chanting like in real life.
The matches themselves play well, the pace of the game strikes a good balance between simulation type No Mercy and the arcade style Smackdown! leaning towards a slower game (It is a sim after all). Wrestlers move around the ring convincingly and the walking issues have been improved from the previous Raw. If you do start with season mode you may after a while decide to take a break from the usual tag matches and single matches you are booked into to explore the exhibition and other match types. Unfortunately this is where things begin to go wrong for Raw 2. Anchor met the requests of the fans and added all the match types seen in other games now, TLC, HIAC, Cage and more, though at some times you wonder why they bothered at all. In a one on one match the problems are not as evident and you can manage a good contest, however start to get 2 or more computer controlled characters in a match and you are asking for trouble.
The main problem is the AI, to be blunt it is pathetic. It has been implemented so badly it makes some matches a chore to play, I had a fatal four way cage match which ended in 28 seconds as all 3 wrestlers started to climb the cage simultaneously, sure this is the objective of the match but I would expect some degree of wrestling to occur first. In a Battle Royal wrestlers will break up any attempted pin, defeating the logic of the match completely and in season mode your enemies who run in will more often then not help you by attacking your opponent. These types of errors are inexcusable and beg the question was any playtesting done at all? Especially considering the delays this game suffered up to the release date.
Coupled with this problem is the collision detection, these problems are similar to the ones that crop up in all titles in the genre, with some clipping between wrestlers as well as weapons. There are other times that this problem surfaces in the game as well, for example, it is possible to beat up your opponent through the cell in a Hell In A Cell match or even fight through a table.
The controls work well, they are accessible to novices and have a pick up and play feel to them, as you progress you may discover a few new tricks. The action works in a similar way to the Raw and Smackdown! itineration of the games, with ?A? being used to grapple and subsequent moves being performed by a direction and a button. The controls are very simplistic and the most demanding of moves only requires two simultaneous button presses. There are only a couple of noticeable changes from Raw, there is now no groggy grapple meaning finishers can be performed at any time as long as your voltage meter is flashing. Counters work in a similar way to Smackdown! with you having to input the same command as your opponent to evade their attack, they are relatively easy to get to grips with. The black and white buttons have also been implemented into the control system, at first this feels a little awkward but as you spend more time with the game they become second nature and allow you to play the game more fluently.
The multiplayer mode negates the need for any AI opponents and so the game significantly improves. With human controlled characters the game becomes much more fun as there is no AI to ruin the matches. Up to four players can compete in season mode or from the exhibition matches on display. The simplistic controls mean anyone can enjoy it but the slow pace may prevent Raw 2 from being the perfect party game. The game itself does not require any particular skill in order to master it, this may limit the enjoyment two people can have from the game as you will not see any progression over time like in other great two player games such as Virtua Fighter or Pro Evolution Soccer.
Weapon interactivity has increased vastly since Raw but is still not up to the standard expected by this generation of wrestling games. Weapons are still not able to be set up in the corners like earlier games such as Smackdown 4 and Wrestlemania X8. There are some good points however, tables operate relatively well, although it is hard to try and get your opponent to lay on them as you have to position yourself just right and execute a particular attack. Ladders have taken a big leap from the original, they are now climbable, there are two types of ladders, a big (which can only be obtained from under the ring by certain wrestlers) and a small ladder. There are a number of moves that can be performed off the ladders, and when combined with tables they can look stunning. Chairs can be set up to perform running moves off of, as can the steel ring steps, there are also a variety of specific grapple attacks you can perform with chairs. Other weapons however do not have the same type of interactivity and can only be hit, thrown or swung at your opponent.
The animation of the wrestlers is very crisp and clean, matches move along with fluidity and counter attacks do not look forced. Wrestlers perform their moves and taunts realistically, Austin flips the crowd off with his signature tenacity, Hogan ?hulks up? like his real life counterpart and The Rock delivers the peoples elbow with a douse of style and panache. As the match carries on and the wrestlers get tired you see a certain amount of fatigue set in as they clutch their injured body parts and movements become more sluggish.
The matches themselves have nice features in places which incorporate the WWE mentality in them, which makes it even more of a shame when you cannot enjoy them to their full extent by yourself. In the Hell In A Cell match you can position yourself to throw (or chokeslam) your opponent off the cell through the announcers table resulting in an instant KO. The Royal Rumble also has some nice touches, wrestlers throw each other out convincingly as they do in real life, wrestlers are also able to leave through the middle rope and wander around outside at which time they can pick up a weapon and use it to decimate everyone in the ring. However, as in most of Raw 2 for every positive there is a negative. Why does the Royal Rumble, the match that consists of the highest amount of people, only allow a maximum of 4 wrestlers in the ring at once while other matches can have up to 6 competitors?
In some cases Raw 2 takes a step back from the original, Anchor obviously have not heard of the phrase ?If it ain?t broke don?t fix it?. Entrance interferences were one of the most innovative features from the original, wrestlers would interrupt their opponent?s entrance and the match would begin at that moment on the entrance ramp, with the offensive wrestler with the advantage. In Raw 2 however if you select to interfere a short cutscene is triggered with both wrestlers starting the match in the ring like nothing has happened. This brings us to the next fault, why has ramp and stage fighting been taken out? Even if Anchor are not going to add more interactivity or backstage areas, the ramp and stage fighting should not have been taken out but left as they were. Now the action is confined to the ring and the small area outside which renders the need for both Hardcore and Streetfight matches pretty useless. Another nice feature of Raw was the stamina meter, this added a little strategy to the proceedings, similar to Fire Pro where all out attacks are not possible and wrestlers need to rest. The lack of a stamina meter and any sort of weight detection also means that smaller wrestlers can move around as quickly as the larger ones.
When you consider what Raw 2 could have been the result is very disheartening, if it was not for a lack of consideration in some places and atrocious AI the end result could have been drastically different and much more satisfying. Ultimately, Raw 2 is an average wrestling title but the worst out of the next generation bunch; only wrestling fans need apply here.
There is a rumour currently circulating that THQ have fired the Anchor team and are changing direction for Raw 3 but this has not been confirmed or denied yet by either party. As for now, I sit tight in anticipation for Smackdown! 5, I hear it is going to be a No Mercy beater?Comment
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