WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It

• Release Date: November 20, 2001
• Genre: Sports
• Style: Wrestling
• Similar Games: WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role (PlayStation), Legends of Wrestling (PlayStation 2)

Game Description

The WWF Smackdown! series that gained popularity on the original PlayStation console moves to the 128-bit generation PlayStation 2 with this release of WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It, the third title from Yuke's and THQ to enjoy the popular World Wrestling Federation license. Maintaining the basic gameplay established in the earlier PS releases, this edition in the series adds new game modes, more locations for fights (both on and off stage), and more interactive objects and environments, as well as the greatly enhanced graphics made possible by the more powerful PS2 platform. Over three-dozen real-life pro wrestlers have been painstakingly re-created to do virtual battle in this game.

Review: Overall

Hot on the heels of their extremely successful line of WWF wrestling games released for the PlayStation and Nintendo 64, THQ has released the first wrestling game for the PlayStation 2 console. With WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It, THQ has once again called upon Japanese developer, Yuke's Co. Ltd., to build upon the traditionally fast-paced play of their WWF games while also adding more game modes, more locations for wrestlers to brawl, and a brand new one-player only "Story Mode."

Yet the one true enhancement to the SmackDown series is one that pushes the powerful PlayStation 2 graphics to its fullest. In past games, the WWF wrestlers looked somewhat similar to their real-life counterparts, but if the in-game camera panned away, there could be trouble distinguishing the wrestlers. In Just Bring It the character models for the wrestlers (around 40 brawlers in all plus referee Earl Hebner, who officiates most matches) are about as realistic as one could get without being at a real WWF show. Heights, weights, clothing, and birthmarks are shockingly accurate.

Many of the game modes are familiar to those who have played SmackDown 2, including Royal Rumble, Hell in the Cell, and Slobberknocker. Brand new additions include Ultimate Submission, Street Fight, Last Man Standing, and "3 Stages of Hell," all of which add even more fun and variety to this popular series. Create-A-Taunt is similar to the SmackDown 2 version, while the Create-A-Wrestler option is just as deep as it ever has been, allowing you to create any wrestler you desire. If WWF roster accuracy is what you seek, you can create many of the popular former ECW and WCW wrestlers such as Rob Van Dam and Booker T. Luckily, the move-sets for these two and numerous other wrestlers from both leagues are already included and can be unlocked through Story Mode.

The one-player Story Mode, which THQ is particularly proud of, tries to re-enact storylines just as you would see them on a WWF show, and is very similar to THQ's Championship Mode in No Mercy for the Nintendo 64. Whether it's having your wrestler roam the arena searching desperately for a tag team partner, begging WWF owner Vince McMahon or Commissioner William Regal for a shot at any of the WWF Titles (all of which are in the game), or minding your own business only to get attacked from behind, Story Mode offers an assortment of things your wrestler can do. Plus, there is a variety of wrestler-specific cut-scenes that can be viewed only by controlling every wrestler through Story Mode.

While this may seem like a daunting task, Story Mode is surprisingly short. At most, your wrestler will have four or five matches before getting a title shot, and if you win the title you are pursuing, the game ends. However you are able to use your champion repeatedly in order to defend your title against random opponents chosen by Mr. McMahon. Completing tasks in Story Mode also allows you to unlock hidden wrestlers, arenas, wrestling moves, theme music, and more, thus adding extra goals to complete in Story Mode with different grapplers.

If you are a WWF fan or a fan of any form of professional wrestling, WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It, is the game to get for your PlayStation 2. Story Mode may not be nearly as lengthy as Season Mode in SmackDown 2, but it does offer more diversity, and there isn't a wrestling game yet available that looks this good. WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It sets a standard all subsequent wrestling game will have to meet.

Review: Enjoyment

As a multiplayer game or party game, Smackdown! Just Bring It is an absolute blast to play. The sheer amount of different exhibition match types, along with King of the Ring and Royal Rumble modes are great fun. As a one-player game, Just Bring It is still fun although the lack of a career mode really hurts its long-term enjoyment. But all the modes that did make it into the game are an absolute blast to play.

Review: Graphics

Never before in a wrestling game have the character models been so well developed and true to life. From the superstars like The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin to referee Earl Hebner and backstage interviewer Michael Cole, all have been created to look just like their real-life counterparts. The arenas and backstage areas are also very well done, with the only glaring graphical setback being the fans in the crowd who look like 2D paper dolls. While it is great you can fight other wrestlers amongst the crowd, seeing paper-thin, poorly done 2D models scatter to get away from your perfectly and painstakingly rendered 3D wrestlers seems a little anti-climactic. However this is the only real graphical flaw

Review: Sound

The sound in Just Bring It is probably the biggest flaw. The good is that each wrestler's theme music has been added in almost their entirety and sound crystal clear, which adds a feel of excitement as if you were in the arena itself. The bad is that the running commentary during matches by the WWF's own Michael Cole and Tazz is really quite horrible and feels rushed. Their commentary doesn't mirror the action, and there are inexplicable delays when one of the announcers gets into the middle of a sentence.

Review: Replay Value

{*SmackDown! Just Bring It} offers many match options as well as the ability to unlock new wrestlers, arenas, theme music, and wrestler creation add-ons to keep fans happy. However, once the 50 secrets are unlocked using the brief Story Mode, there is really no reason to go back to that particular mode. By the time you've unlocked all secrets, you've experienced every possible storyline and scenario within the game. That's a shame considering that Story Mode is the major single-player mode in the game. However, as a multiplayer game, the characters, as well as the gameplay itself, are balanced enough to give everyone playing it a chance to win no matter what their skill level is.

Review: Documentation

The manual does an excellent job explaining all the various moves the wrestlers can perform. All options are explained thoroughly.

Production Credits

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