WWE Smackdown! Just Bring it Review

I had very high hopes for this game. There was supposed to be a revolutionary season mode. There was supposed to be unparalleled graphics. There was supposed to be almost all of the wrestlers in the WWE today. There was SUPPOSED to be great, lifelike commentary by Tazz and Michael Cole. Unfortunately, none of these things are in the final game.

The first problem with this game is the gameplay. You would think that Yukes would take a cue from Aki (the people who made the N64 wrestling games), and make the game more like a simulation. They didn't. Instead, they made it arcade-like like the other Smackdown games. The controls are simple enough, requiring only one or two button presses for a move, and one for the finisher. You press square for reversals, but instead of having it timed and make sense, it is about whoever presses the buttons harder.

Now the season mode. With the first two Smackdowns, people were complaining about the season modes. Yukes said that they listened, but they really didn't. Yukes had big plans for the season mode of WWE Smackdown! Just Bring It. They were planning on having you be able to interrupt other wrestlers entrances. There was going to be a great, long season mode, with something that the developers called roaming mode. The idea behind Roaming mode was that you would be able to walk around backstage between your matches, start feuds, get into random hardcore matches, and demand matches with Vince McMahon, and the commissioner. What they ended up doing was just having you walk around to find something or someone that they tell you to find with a two minute time limit. To boot, the season mode only lasts 3-4 matches!

Another thing to gripe about is the commentary. Instead of the realistic commentary they promised, we got gypped. Michael Cole and Tazz just spit out random phrases like: "THE ROCK! is the BEST! WWE CHAMPION! WE'VE ever HAD!" They often raise their voices for some words, and lower it for others. The multiplayer is good, with over 78 match types, and 4-player capabilities.