While the extra features add some replay value, the single player falls very short of being a meaty, engaging experience
First to be mentioned are the graphics. This game looks great. There is a high shine and production quality in all the visuals. The motion capturing on the wrestlers is spot on, and each individual wrestler moves and feels like they should. This is the best looking wrestling game available, and you can tell that it pushes the ps2 to its hardware limits.
The sound is licensed music, from mostly noname, up and coming rock bands. The rock music is great and some of the songs are very catchy. Unfortunatley a good half of the licensed soundtrack is made up of absolutley talentless, atrocious rap bands.
The lyrics make me want to tear my hair out. And between the lengthy create a wrestler process, and the gm manager mode you hear the songs a lot. So the soundtrack is a mixed bag for me, some decent songs, some bad ones. But the sound effects, sound quality and everything overall is top notch and crisp.
The gameplay is fun, there are tons of different match types to partake in. Everything from Hell In A Cell, Steel Cage matches, you even have the diva themed bra and panties matches. Exhibition mode is decent, there is a large roster of wrestlers to choose right from the get go, with a handfull being unlockable in the season mode to buy. There is even one, Jake The Snake who you can only aqquire by having a psp.
The Gm Manger mode feels a little rushed though. In this mode you play as the General Manager of either Raw Or Smackdown. You purchase your roster of superstars on a one by one basis against the smackdown A.I, signing them on for either weekly, monthly or yearly contracts. The longer the contracts the more money it costs you. You dont get to get many of the big names for lengthy periods, 2 or 3 at most as they are very expensive and you want a decent sized roster.
After you finish buying your team you schedule the weekly matches and payperviews and they are rated by the fans after your week is done. So the point is to win the GM of the year trophy after a one year period by having the highest rating of fans. Its between you and Smackdown. It takes some experimenting to create a better show than your A.I rival. But after a month or two in game you catch on quickly, and it becomes increasingly easier to trounch the A.I.
The season mode, supposedly the meat and potatos of the game is decent overall but nothing to write home about. There is no moe text, everything is voice over and it sounds great. Even your created wrestler talks by choosing a voiceset in character creation. The season story only carries one story with few branching paths. And while you can choose to side with this person and that person.. it dosen't seem to effect the story that much. There are only 4 pay per views to paly the last being Wrestemania. And once you win the championship there, the game ends.
So it feels overall that they worked hard on the graphics, sound and production qualitys. But they failed to really create an engaging, meaty game. With a short season mode, and a tacked on GM Manger mode there just isnt a lot to keep you coming back. Thankfully the multi-player is fun, you and your friends will have a good time, and thats what will keep you coming back.
Including making a wrestler, finishing season mode and doing the gm manager 10-20 hours is pretty much all you'll need to see and do it all. If the next Smackdown iteration has a longer, more engaging single player experience tacked on top of this, and maybe more things to buy and do this series could finally become AAA.