Like past Smackdown games, Here Comes The Pain is more arcade than simulation. It’s much faster than its competitors, but this year it has struck a balance between that fast-paced action and the ring psychology that adds that special touch to the best matches we’ve seen on TV. New to the game is limb-based damage, so that you can attack separate parts of the body in order to go for a submission hold or to weaken your opponent. Not only that, but wrestlers will also be affected by damage as the match goes on. They may hit a high impact move and then recover, only to stumble around due to the damage they’ve taken. It’s a fantastic detail that has not been seen in any game released here before, and it goes a long way into recreating the experience of an actual pro wrestling match.

Another addition to the basic gameplay is the introduction of different types of grappling moves, depending on the direction you press with the grapple button. By tapping different directions, you can either use normal, power, submission or signature grapples, all of which can give you access to four moves each. That’s about 16 front grapples per character, which is four more than the twelve you had in Shut Your Mouth, and nearly catches up to the number of moves you could have in the N64 wrestling titles. However, this does come at a price, as the pace of matches is slowed down because of the traditional ready moves being eliminated. It would have been much better if Yukes were to implement these new grapples as "strong" grapples and left the ready moves in as "weak" grapples. As it stands, it won’t be a big problem for most people. The final major revamp comes in the form of reversals, which are now executed by using the L2 and R2 triggers to counter strikes and grapples, respectively. Although many people feel that having two types of reversals is unnecessary, I feel that it only makes the game that more challenging and satisfying to play. You actually have to guess in order to get yourself out of a jam instead of randomly pressing the reversal button like you could do in Shut Your Mouth. Like THQ’s other wrestling titles, it’s a welcomed addition that fleshes out the game even more.

What might be a problem for fans is that a lot of the problems that were present in previous Smackdown games is still evident here. Battling near a ledge is always frustrating because you or your opponent can fall down during the middle of the animation. Certain submission moves also don’t include the new submission meter, which is an oddity. It seems that they didn’t even bother implementing it with the old submission holds, and only did so with the new ones.

The good easily outweighs the bad here, however. Here Comes The Pain does so much right that most gamers can overlook some of the minor problems that the game has, just because everything else is executed so well. The new season mode is quite possibly the most in-depth experience that THQ has ever come up with, allowing you to talk to wrestlers in various places without the slow first person mode from Shut Your Mouth. You can also purchase new costumes, arenas as well as the legends of the WWE, including Sgt. Slaughter and the Million Dollar Man. There are over 60 WWE superstars to choose from in the game, including newcomers like John Cena and Charlie Haas as well as mainstays like the Undertaker and Edge. Each wrestler has their own unique moveset that contain their mannerisms in the ring. For instance, Booker T will jump up after each bodyslam, and Goldberg will start flexing after delivering a vicious power move. If you’re not satisfied with the roster, you can always try out the robust Create a Wrestler mode. It’s very similar to the one in last year’s game, but with a couple of additions, including the ability to create your entrance. If you liked the CAW mode from Shut Your Mouth, you should feel at home here.

Like the gameplay, the graphics have been given an overhaul. In fact, you’d be hard pressed to find a game that looks as good as this when you consider just how much is going on all at once. For starters, the crowd is no longer a boring cardboard cutout. The ones standing at ringside are actually individual characters cheering and booing you. It’s a dramatic improvement over previous games. The wrestlers themselves are vastly upgraded from Shut Your Mouth. In fact, they look completely different. They look a lot more human and muscular, as opposed to the flat, sometimes plain models from last year’s game. The most impressive thing is that the framerate doesn’t take one hit when you have up to six wrestlers inside the ring, including any structures surrounding them like the Elimination Chamber or the Hell in the Cell. You’d swear that this game wasn’t running on the PS2, in fact, you’d probably be right if you thought that this game looks even better than WWE Raw 2, which is on the Xbox. The animation, of course, is still top notch. Although all of THQ’s games share some of the same animation, the ones exclusive to Smackdown looks extra painful. Compare Triple H’s Pedigree from Raw 2 or Wrestlemania XIX to the one in Smackdown and you’ll see the difference. The animation simply has more edge and more energy to it than the ones in the other wrestling games.

Unfortunately, like the other wrestling titles this year, Smackdown is still missing some key soundtracks, including the ones for the WWE Legends, like Hillbilly Jim and the old school Undertaker. It’s been a problem for THQ over the past couple of years, so it’s expected that those would be missing, but it’s still a disappointment. Oddly enough, the in-game music is also shared between THQ’s three wrestling titles, as one is lifted directly from Wrestlemania XIX.

Yeah, we said that Shut Your Mouth was the best wrestling game on this side of the Pacific last year, but as everyone knows, you’re only champion for a day... or until you’re booked to job to Triple H. Although some may disagree with the changes to the grappling system, I don’t believe there will be anyone who will choose this game over last year’s installment. An improved season mode and tons of unlockables are more than enough to proclaim Here Comes The Pain as the undisputed champion of wrestling games this year. Here’s hoping the bar continues to be raised in the years to come.

· · · Reno