Smackdown: Here Comes the Pain finally arrives on the Playstation 2 and the eager sequel lives up to the hype. Many people in the past have said the Smackdown series was too Arcade-like and didn't really feel like a wrestling experience, but with Here Comes The Pain that has all changed. Though the speed of the gameplay differs only slightly from the previous installment the new features added this time around make the game feel more authentic than the regular run of the mill wrestling titles.
First off let's delve into the weight detection system Yukes has graciously added. Simply put the days of Hurricane Helms Body Pressing Big Show is out the window. Smaller wrestlers cannot lift heavyweight with easy anymore....heck, the can really at all. There is one exception to this rule, the weight detection is restricted only to normal moves and has no apparent use when it comes to the finishers. So once you build up a "Smackdown" it doesn't matter if your wrestler weight 150 or less cause he will life people like Big Show and Kevin Nash with ease when using a finisher.
Another feature new this year is the damage control system. Dishing out punishment to areas of your opponent will become clear as the match progresses. Work over their head, legs, arms, and even the back and you will cripple them to set up a submission. Taking damage yourself is also noticable when you deliver high impact moves, you will clutch an area of your body that has been badly damaged after you yourself deliver a move because of the strain on your body. Great feature that really adds so extra depth to the Smackdown series.
Moving on now we come to the revamped grappling system. Each superstar has 4 categories of front grapples, each containing 4 moves per category giving you a total of 16 standard front grapples. The categories are Signature Moves, Submission Moves, Quick Moves, and then Power Moves....each assigned to a specific direction on the D-Pad. Rear grapples sad to say only consist of 4 unlike how the front grapples are set up.
What would a game like Here Comes the Pain be without the visualization of it all. Yukes has added blood this time, a feature not seen in Smackdown. Show your opponent no mercy as you bust him open with any number of techniques. This feature also opens up the door for the "First Blood" match Yukes added to the game.
Want to play new matches not found in other wrestling games, let's take a look at the Elimination Chamber and the Bra and Panties Match. EC is a brutal match consisting of 6 wrestlers confined to a chain-ling cell. 6 men enter, only one can leave victorious. You start off with 2 wrestlers in the ring and every 60 seconds another wrestler is released from the 4 "chambers" located within the EC, this is random as to who is picked. Great match and alot of fun seeing as the Chambers and the walls are interactive. Bra and Panties is pretty simple, remove your opponents garments and be declared the winner. Only females may participate in said event.
All in all I am very surprised at the amount of improvement this year and was expecting a rehashed "Shut your Mouth" Smackdown but was pleased with the amount of overhaul Yukes did in this years Smackdown Title. Ranging from new Wrestlers such as Ultimo Dragon, John Cena, and Rey Rey to reanimated moves that offer more of a sense authentic television style presentation of the WWE brand. Great game, alot of fun with multiple players (features up to 6 players via Multitap) and overall a solid installment into the series.
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