WWF Raw for Xbox Gameplay Commentary video by NightStarX

NOTE: Please excuse the background noise. This was recorded live with live reactions to the game, so the mic was placed somewhere close by without actually speaking directly into it, and also my furnace came on when the recording started and I couldn't just go turn it off. I've tried to filter it out as best I can but whatever.

Part 1 - Intro & WWF Museum Mode


Part 2 - Create-A-Superstar Mode pt1


Part 3 - Create-A-Superstar Mode pt2


Part 4 - *sigh* ...An actual match.


Part 5 - Thoughts, Summary, and Conclusion

And that's WWF Raw for Xbox.

Video 3, 40 seconds in, I think it's some kind of 3rd world mains electricity wall socket

I think it kind of is, too. Maybe a really badly drawn one, but yeah.

I wish the nickname Hell's Guardian was still in SD games. That was Dominus' nickname, and I still make him every year. Yeah, that's all I have to say.

I'd quite forgotten some of the features in that game. I'd not forgotten how badly it played though. And RAW 2 was even worse.

RAW 2 remains the only WWE game I have ever returned to a shop after buying, it was that bad.

What did you think of Smackdown 2 when that first came out Mike? I'd be interested to see a video review you could do for it. I don't think I ever spent so much time playing a wrestling game.

I've never had an Xbox so couldn't comment on the RAW games but I think your review says enough

I loved Smackdown 2. The game was maybe a bit too fast and chaotic, and you had to have reflexes, not strategy to win, but it was fast paced fun, (and damage and attacking was still balanced way better than Raw was)

IN FACT. there's a very interesting story about getting it that I'll never forget. When it came out, and I was super excited to go pick it up, we got trapped in the car, out of gas, in a huge snowstorm for 5 hours freezing to death.

By the time we were finally able to get going again, and got the game and got it home, though.. it was all worth it.

Someday I plan on doing a special review of all the wrestling games I can in four videos. 1 for the SNES and NES era, another for the N64, PS1, and early Xbox games, and another for the Gamecube, PS2, and the Smackdown series up to the Xbox 360. And then an extra section for the non licenced wrestling games, as well as arcade ones like Royal Rumble, Saturday Night Slam Masters, and Wrestlefest.

I remember when I first got Smackdown 2 as well. Me and Mr. Arnold went into town to get it on the first day of release I think it was, or maybe the day after, but pretty much as soon it came out. He bought it from the shop full price. I, however, bought it for a fiver from Leon in the barbershop who used to be Wells premier digital media pirate.

It worked but only the matches and the loading screens were in colour. And loading times took aaaaaaaages. Although I recall rinsing it properly for ages, in colour, so must have picked up a legit version somewhere down the line. Probably second hand, as I'm cheap like that.

One thing I always found funny about Smackdown 2 was that it was actually censored.

I recall promotional screenshots of the story mode cutscenes having text that said something like "Chris Jericho Is Pissed Off" which was changed to "Chris Jericho Is Very Angry" in the final game.

I always remember that for some reason.

Also, I loved how the CAW mode was almost completely unrestricted. You could alter any body part to freakish proportions if need be, and therefore it was probably the only Smackdown game I know of that could actually make characters with realstic Anime character proportions.

Yeah I remember making a Popeye CAW that didn't look too bad

What about SD! 3? Personally I wasn't impressed with this game. I thought SYM was way better and HCTP better still. Then I think the next year was the original Smackdown vs. Raw, but I can't really remember anything specific about each game, or even which year they started to number them.

Yeah, I actually thought that 3 (the first one on the PS2, Just Bring It) sucked.

But I don't think it was their fault, entirely. In contrast to Xbox Raw, SD3 was like the other way around. Good gameplay, horrible everythingelse.

They were just not prepared at all to know how to program on the PS2, and the engine was ported over from PS1 and badly patched up to run on PS2, resulting in tons of glitches, game freezers, and so many times where your wrestler locks up and freezes.

The CAW mode, I remember, was pretty bad (again because of the new hardware they couldn't figure out), and a poor number of choices, and barely any real other modes aside from just standard matches.

In all honesty, if there was one game they should have cancelled it was that one. They should have canclled and held it back for a year until they properly learned how to use the PS2 hardware without breaking the game into pieces.

SvR10 and 11 may have their fair share of glitches, but none of them kill the game. SD3 had so many game killing glitches that, while generally built on a good engine, was virtually unplayable due to crashes, a bad caw mode and almost no replay value or other modes.

But they would later save themselves with "Here Comes The Pain" which was pretty damn good. Almost like an apology of sorts.

Yeah, CAW mode on that game sucked balls big time.

IIRC it was the only SD! game to have up to 8 people in the ring at once. That got a bit mental

julius seizure wrote:

Yeah, CAW mode on that game sucked balls big time.

IIRC it was the only SD! game to have up to 8 people in the ring at once. That got a bit mental

And ironically, while awesome, that was also what contributed to a lot of severe glitches as well. It was difficult for me to get through an 8 man match without at least one wrestler model locking up and turning into an untouchable stone statue, and having to reset the game.

I hope in your review history you include Royal Rumble on the Dreamcast. Very limited and Arcadey game, but a good deal of fun and it looked amazing for the time it was released.

I just watched a review of it on Youtube, looks like SD! 1. 9 wrestlers in the ring at once looks like fun

........God, why do I remember it looking a lot better than that?

I never saw the Dreamcast version, but I distinctly recall the arcade version as it is currently in a movie theater close to my house.

For my review, if I want to include it, I could very well waltz into the arcade of the local theater and just record the game from my camera.

The weird thing about it, is that while it's cool to have so many players in the ring, the fact that a lot of them are duplicates of the same superstar can get really unrealistic and annoying.

For example, in the arcade version there can be at least 3 Stone Colds, or 2 Mankinds in the ring at any given time.