WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw

TotalGames.net

The fact that Smackdown! Vs RAW manages to both encapsulate the essence of the WWE while also delivering a highly skill-based and technical beat-'em-up means that even those without a taste for wrestling will be able to enjoy at least most of what the game has to offer.

Next Level Gaming

This is indeed the best version of WWE Smackdown there has been yet. To be honest, it's really the best wrestling game out there right now.

Play Magazine

Some of the changes are hits, others are misses, but the bottom line is that this is another quality effort from Yuke's and THQ. [Dec 2004, p.102]

GameShark

A wonderful new edition to the SmackDown! family, serving up slick graphics, vastly enhanced gameplay, and lots of other bells and whistles that make the whole package shine. Online play is a bit of a disappointment, but better than not having any online play at all.

AceGamez

Even with all the minor and major issues I have with this game that aren't fixed for the umpteenth time, the core gameplay is very, very good and improves on the Here Comes The Pain engine in every way, bringing back all the match types (some with modifications) and the all new and great Parking Lot Brawl.

BonusStage

The best wrestling game on the market, period, exclamation point.

PSX Extreme

It’s a very good game, but there’s just not enough improvement, and the big new features like online play and wrestlers’ voices couldn’t have been done any worse than they were.

PGNx Media

A very good game that any WWE fan should play. However, those looking for a leap as huge as "Here Comes The Pain" introduced will be disappointed. The much vaunted online mode isn’t nearly as great as it could have been.

Jolt Online Gaming UK

On the one hand it’s a fantastic game, and on the other, so was Here Comes the Pain, which has a good deal of what SvR does and some things that it doesn’t.

Game Chronicles

If you’re a wrestling or a Smackdown fan, you’ll go nuts over this year’s Smackdown! vs. RAW. However, if you’re looking for an in-depth, stat-tracking online wrestling title, you’ll want to hold off for future installments and simply rent this one.

Gaming Nexus

With a robust story mode, a deeper grappling system and the addition of online play, this is the best wrestling game available today.

GameZone

This is the best game yet in the Smackdown series, and the best WWE game on any system. It has its share of problems, but when taken as a whole, this game is almost impossible not to enjoy.

Games Radar UK (Pre-2006)

Still the top wrestling game you can buy but it's not without its faults. The series is becoming dated. Here's hoping for a major make-over next year. [PSM2]

Worth Playing

The biggest plus is the fact that it's a whole lot easier to pin, escape, counter, and it's a huge step up in graphics department, although the game's voiceovers and the movement residing solely on the digital pad ruins this for me.

Game Informer

The only thing missing is custom entrances for created characters. [Dec 2004, p.174]

Gaming Target

A great wrestling game still, but one that is falling into uninspired rehash territory very quickly.

Australian GamePro

Has everything (and a bit more) that made last year's game such a huge hit. A must for all wrestling junkies.

IGN

At the end of the day, though, it's gameplay that's king. And in the case of WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW gameplay is something that it has in spades.

VGPub

The gameplay is starting to get pretty stale, and the online play is a major disappointment. However, the insane amount of match types available, and the best Season and Create-a-Wrestler modes out on the market makes up for it.

IC-Games

If it were the first I’d ever seen it would be approaching classic status, however we’ve been here so many times before that it’s starting to get difficult to try and argue a case for trading in to get the new incarnation.

GameSpot

Despite being the first WWE game ever to offer a full roster of WWE voice talent and the first North American-released wrestling game to feature online play, neither of these features live up to their potential, and the other random gameplay upgrades just don't feel like a significant enough progression for the series.

GameBiz

There aren't as many improvements as we thought there would be, and with games such as "Wrestlemania 21" on the way for the Xbox, one would have expected that THQ would have released a much higher quality game than this one.

Game Power Australia

Appalling online support, terrible voice acting and only incremental updates to the core gameplay make this a somewhat disappointing instalment, but it's built on rock solid foundations, which means that anyone who enjoys wrestling games will still get a whole lot out THQ's latest title.

GMR Magazine

In the ring, inconsistencies abound-weird collision detection, random selling, neutered submission moves, and A.I. that revolves between timid and simply schizoid.

3DAvenue

It's not the best wrestling title of the year, an accolade that goes to the Gamecube's "WWE: Day Of Reckoning."

PSX Nation

If you can live without its busted online brawls and missing wrestlers but love WWE matches then Smackdown! Vs. Raw is worth the fifty bucks.

PSM Magazine

The best WWE game ever made for the PS2. Why didn't I score it higher? Despite the extra polish and new additions, it isn't that different from what's come before. [Dec 2004, p.70]

G4 TV

The first wrestling game to offer online matches, but sadly this feature just isn’t up to snuff. You can select either a standard match or a bra-and-panties match, and then after venting your frustrations on a silent, nameless opponent, you’re done.

Cheat Code Central

What you've got here is a new and improved version of last years game, with more modes and lackluster online play.

Stuff

And while the computer AI plays like an in-bred Appalachian boy, the wrestling mechanics are on-point.

DarkStation

The story mode is still quite impressive and has plenty of length to it.

GameSpy

It's odd to see as many steps back -- smaller roster, no Cruiserweight or Tag Team titles, no backstage -- as there are steps forward -- Internet, voiceovers, heel/face discrepancy.

RewiredMind

The season mode will last you a fair old while and if you decide to create a character, you won't even play a match for the first two hours, thanks to the depth and breadth of CAW options available to you.

GamerArchive

For those who’d see this as their first foray into the world of virtual wrestling, the surprisingly addictive, and much improved story mode is quite the draw. All in all, highly recommended.

Pelit (Finland)

There is nothing truly new, though. Time for a real update? [Jan. 05]

Electronic Gaming Monthly

The other big addition to this year's Smackdown! is nearly lag-free online play, though playing only standard singles matches quickly grows boring. [Holiday 2004, p.122]

Detroit Free Press

The bare-bones online mode is a start, but it's not enough to hold interest. With today's proliferation of sophisticated online games, this is pitiful.

1UP

One of this year's biggest new features is the inclusion of online play. Though this sounds like a great addition, the actual implementation is far from stellar.

Eurogamer

This isn't SmackDown! vs. Raw. It's last year's SmackDown! with a few mini-games, an updated (and therefore poorer) rota and embarrassingly duff online play.

PALGN

An incredibly weak update to last year’s title. Virtually every new feature in the game hasn’t be implemented anywhere near as good as it could have been, and it damages the game as a result.

GamerFeed

Removing the backstage areas seriously lessons the game's fun factor, and whoever selected the legends needs to be demoted. Still, the game's a blast to play.

Electric Playground

Even the new additions to the franchise lack enough depth to warrant picking this up if you already own "Here Comes The Pain."

Gamestyle

While the execution and presentation is undoubtedly better than last year (gimmicky rhythm-sections aside), the fact remains that the current crop of WWE superstars is dull and uninspiring.

Gaming Age

The number of options and unlockable goodies make it a very deep game, which will make it just the ticket for wrestling fans despite it’s shortcomings.

Official U.S. Playstation Magazine

In the ring, inconsistencies abound-weird collision detection, random selling, neutered submission moves, and A.I. that revolves between timid and simply schizoid.

Gamers Europe

Some intuitive additions to the gameplay save this title from being decidedly average, but on the whole it feels like a missed opportunity much like the Angle/Puder affair.