No.

Did all the features mentioned in the previews live up to the hype? Not exactly. Does it have solid gameplay - most importantly, is it fun and addictive?

YES and YES! (Editor's Note: I recommend we nominate Nercm for Net Sales Associate for the month, all in favor?)

Graphics

The visuals are not the best in the world. In fact , I think the models and textures could have been a bit sharper and more detailed. However, the animation of the characters is a totally different story. From The Rock's "The People's Elbow" to Steve Austin's "Stone Cold Salute", each move is animated beautifully giving the sense of actually being the character. For introductory segments, Smackdown incorportates the use of the Titantron FMV videos as the wrestlers walk down the aisle; which is pretty boring once you've seen them once or twice. On a personal note, I actually liked the style better in which the introductions were handled in WWF: Attitude

I also wish there were more characters in the game, but my favorite ones are already in there so I'm not complaining. Since I felt the graphics were exceptional, and could've been marginally better, it knocks the score for this review down a few notches as we all know the Playstation can do a lot better than this.

Sound

Other than the theme songs of the wrestlers (which are heard at the intros of the wrestlers), The music is decent when playing the game. Although, it tends to become repetitive and I'd actually prefer to hear more fanfare from the crowd. In no way did I actually find it distracting as you'll simply become too immersed into the game to be interested in the music. The sound effects were done very well. Every hit, fall, or weapon sounded the way they should upon impact. The lack of commentators or actual voice "taunts" from the wrestlers really detract from the game, but you should be able to live with it.

Gameplay/Controls

This is where the game truly shines. By using the same engine as Toutsen Routden (which is one of the greatest wrestling series to hit the PSX), Smackdown comes away as being quite balanced. Simply put, the game is easy to pick up and play...but very hard to master. Almost every single move can be done with ease. And there is no need to memorize the moves of each character (like Attitude). The grapple system used is almost flawless, with minimal collision detection. Picking up weapons and tagging in your partner can be accomplished with the greatest of ease. The ONLY problem I can see is not being able to perform the tag-team finishers, like the Dudley Death Drop (Dudley boys), or the Double Power Bomb (Acolytes). I hope that they're included in this game, otherwise I will be severely disappointed.

Extras

The good thing is the types of matches you can choose from are great! Ranging from steel cage matches to "I Quit" matches right on down to my favorite...HARDCORE MATCHES! You could even be a special referee and "screw" someone out of a title shot. Each type of match has their own rules and stipulations if you want to win the matches. I personally had a great time playing each one of these types of matches. The interactive backgrounds in the "Anywhere" matches are a nice touch and bring a sense of "realism" (if you can call wrestling real...) to the game.

One personal gripe was the manner in which the character design feature, which wasn't quite up to the standards I envisioned. As far as creating your own character, Although you're able to select various configurations making up the body parts of wrestlers (i.e. Jeff Hardy's Pants with Shane McMahon's head, you'll discover that options are quite limited. On a positive note, you can select from a variety of moves in which your character can establish, in addition to his type of fighting style and finish move(s).

The truly ugly part of Smackdown is the much-hyped Story mode...which by far ends up being its most disappointing feature. In short, there isn't a solid foundation to even designate that a story exists, but a few cut scenes coupled with a subtitle to describe the scene (i.e. "I wonder what the Dudleys are thinking").

In conclusion, despite its graphic flaws and its poor presentation in the story mode, Smackdown still can be considered a warranted purchase for you PlayStation library. I couldn't stop playing when I first picked up the game, and when we get down to it, gameplay and having fun is where it really counts. I am truly looking forward to the sequel.

· · · Nercm