WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw

Image Source: Amazon

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Publisher: THQ
Developer: Yuke's
Genre: Wrestling
Series: SmackDown vs. Raw (Previously SmackDown!; it would become WWE in future)
Released: November 2 2004 (US) and November 12 2004 (UK)
Certificate: 16
Consoles: PS2

Has any wrestling game had a tougher act to follow than SmackDown! vs. Raw? SmackDown! Here Comes The Pain was such an outstanding game from top to bottom that nothing less than absolute perfection would have been considered an acceptable sequel. Unsurprisingly, SvR failed to reach such a lofty standard, and some weak areas meant that it was ultimately a step down from HCTP. However, that isn't to discount what the game did provide, because there was still a lot to like about the first SmackDown! vs. Raw.

To begin with, the name of the game had changed to suggest some sort of brand warfare theme, which played a role in the revamped Season mode (more on that shortly). The name change from a popular wrestling tagline to the concept of the two brands colliding was significant because, from the subsequent game onwards, the series retained this new title adding only the change in years, thus leading to the series becoming one associated more with annual updates than wholesale change. This would prove to be a major issue for fans in the future, and is a big reason why some would argue that there may not have been a truly exceptional WWE game since the mid-2000s. That was all to come, however, and in the first year of using the SmackDown! vs. Raw name at least, the game still added enough new content and features to satisfy its hardcore fan base.

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