The long-awaited sequel to WWE Smackdown: Here Comes the Pain is finally out. Does it stand up to the excellence of Here Comes the Pain, or is this a sign that the Smackdown series can go nowhere but down after the fifth Smackdown game? This game is rated T for Teen, is on the Playstation 2, and will be graded on a scale of 5. There will be a +, =, or - to represent how it compares to Here Comes the Pain.

Graphics: *****

The graphics are excellent, especially in some matches which before looked sloppy (though I honestly see no change in the Elimination Chamber). Of course, most matches looked much like real life last time, so this rating was inevitable. The only problem is that the Legends that appeared in the original Smackdown! look hardly different at all (except Undertaker, but his Legend self is him years before the original Smackdown!). (+)

Sound: ***

The sounds are realistic and every Superstar has their real life theme music (it's too bad Edge changed his back to that stupid "You Think You Know Me?" thing). Either way, this game has tons of excellent regular themes. The problems are that the optional songs by actual artists are lame failures nobody has heard of. (Has anyone ever heard of a song called "The Angle?" I don't think so.) Plus, there's a complete lack of songs of actual wrestlers who aren't in the game. Wanna create Eugene? Better give him one of the original themes. (-)

Game Options: *****

Unfortunately, there's still no 2 on 3 or Buried Alive, but otherwise you can do just about any type of match you want. The new matches, Tornado 6 man Tag Elimination Chamber and Parking Lot Brawl, are both excellent. Every match from Here Comes the Pain is here, but I Quit still hasn't been brought back. (=)

Story Mode: *** 1/2

The Story, which was promised to be excellent and extensive, doesn't live up to expectations. Hardly anyone acts like their real self, the Legends (and Kurt Angle) are unplayable, and almost all voiceovers are in a monotone. The main problem is that any month you have no belt, you'll be fighting to get some useless manager you'll never use. They even got rid of the Tag and Cruiserweight titles! (-)

Difficulty: ****1/2

The game's gotten harder, but it's still not very challenging. Even some matches on Legend can easily be won. On the other hand, most of the Challenge Mode events are really hard to pull off, but there are others that are for more novice gamers. (+)

Controls: *****

Nothing new. (=)

Characters: ***

Well, let's see here. I can't play as Lita so I guess I'll choose Spike. Okay, Spike's not on here either. How about Maven then? No Maven either. Well, there's Chuck Palumbo, but who's wanted to play as him? And how about the fact that there's no Ted DiBiase, and that Vince isn't playable for the first time since he became playble in Wrestlemania 2000? Well, at least La Resistance's music is on here so it's safe to say they're on here. Wait, no, they aren't either. Just a guy who used to be in the group is, and he has their theme instead of his own. (-)

Extras: ****

There are all kinds of new things, but most of them aren't even worth it. Think Masked Kane and Legend Undertaker will be cool to unlock because they give you the themes they used to have and their old entrance? Can I get a no? They gave music and entrances that didn't even exist in the times of these Legends instead of putting in two extra songs and one extra entrance... WHAT?! And how about the idea of buying points for status? Oh, I'm so sure you want to build up everyone's Season self when you can use their regular one... (-)

Create a _____: **** 1/2

Well, they got rid of the Create a Taunt (which was just wasting space) and the promised Create A Manager. Create A Manager sounded awesome, so I'm not sure why they cut it. Either way, all of the create modes are easier to operate than before, and it can be quite fun to see who can make the best looking character or belt. (+)

Replayability: ****

The Exhibition mode offers an unlimited amount of replayability, but the Story (which is the central part of the game) is flat and often unfolds the exact same way over and over again. (-)

Online: **

The new Online mode has potiential, but it has too many flaws as it was done WAY too quickly. There are only twp match types offered and neither is as fun as a good old-fashioned Hardcore match. Plus, there are no Win/Loss records, and that's just not good for how this Online play looks.

Fun Factor!: **** 1/2

The game is still just as fun in Exhibition when you have people over, but since Story is the main single-player experience, the game just is not as fun as Here Comes the Pain. (-)

Overall: ***

The long-awaited sequel to Here Comes the Pain is proof that developers cannot get away with just slightly updating things anymore. Hopefully Smackdown 7 will be an improvement on Here Comes the Pain, otherwise the Smackdown series may just waste away into videogame oblivion like the much hated Raw and Wrestlemania series.

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