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| Image Source: Amazon |
Publisher: THQ
Developer: Yuke's
Genre: Wrestling
Series: SmackDown vs. Raw (Previously SmackDown!; it would become WWE in future)
Released: November 14 2005 (US) and November 11 2005 (UK)
Certificate: 16
Consoles: PS2 and PSP
SmackDown! Here Comes The Pain was and is considered to be the holy grail of wrestling games, at least within the SmackDown! series of titles for a variety of reasons. However, one game which doesn't get quite as much adulation, but arguably provided a stronger overall package, was SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006.
The first SvR immediately followed HCTP and was more of an update than an innovation, but SvR 2006 would be a truly worthy successor to Here Comes The Pain. For starters, Season mode still utilised voiceovers, meaning fewer storyline options and reduced flexibility as well as not being able to use all of the available characters for the mode; however, the stories themselves were brilliantly told, and the presentation was spot-on, as realistic and close to actual WWE television as one could have reasonably expected at the time. A Legends Tour, a Whodunnit involving Theodore Long, an ECW revival - these were just some of the tales on offer, and whilst as noted the number of stories was on the short side, meaning that one didn't get to complete a full year of WWE action, if you emphasise quality over quantity, this was the most engaging single-player experience to date from a pure entertainment standpoint. Granted, the Season mode in HCTP had many more layers, but the voiceovers and minutes-long cut-scenes found in the Season mode on SvR 2006 swung things in the opposite direction.
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