Graphically, WWF RAW is the pinnacle of the evolution of wrestling games. The wrestlers for the most part are almost perfectly reproduced in a 3D digitized world. The way they walk, body language and gestures are all captured correctly. The only exception to perfection is Triple H. I don’t know if they couldn’t find a good photo of him or what, but his face looks nothing like the real deal. Ring entrances with CD quality music and dynamic lighting effects really bring to life the charisma and flair that the WWF is all about. Animations and camera effects are just as well. One quirk I found was in the “create a wrestler” mode. I tried to replicate Mr. Perfect as best as possible and while it worked for the most part, the legs had a big wedge missing where they met the body, as if you took a strong axe chop to his upper thigh. The stock wrestlers all look perfect though.

The options in the game are a-plenty as well. There are different types of wrestling modes including exhibition (standard 1vs. 1 mode), handicap matches, hardcore matches, royal rumble (which unfortunately has a cap of 4 wrestlers), and a free for all mode with up to 4 wrestlers. Personally, the most outstanding feature is the “create a wrestler” mode. Even after you get the hang of it, it will still take you around 20 minutes or more to complete a single character. I added Mr. Perfect and of course, the all-important Stacey Keebler. While the amount of options to chose from are immense, it can be a little tedious at times, having to replicate the same proportions on both the left and right sides of the body in every category. But I think fans will appreciate the level of detail that was included in this mode. The only way to refine it would be to network your X-box and be able to download alternative ring music and texture maps for you favorite wrestlers, allowing you to literally create any wrestler to perfection.

The biggest flaw the game has is the way the game plays. The game starts off relatively straightforward. You use your basic moves to weaken your opponent, such as various punches and kicks. Once your opponent is weakened, you are able to grapple with them and proceed to do any number of moves. The problem is unless you play boring and pin your opponent within the first couple minutes, you will likely lose and/or take the risk of being *cheesed. There is a meter at the bottom of the screen called a voltage meter. Basically it measures the crowds’ enthusiasm with the different wrestlers on the screen. When you use objects outside the ring, or do special moves the crowd seems to like it, at least for a while. If you repeat moves too many times, the crowd starts to boo you and lose interest, and you’ll even lose momentum even though your character is winning physically. As the match goes on you still need to use basic moves to allow you to grapple your opponent, but since you are repeating moves the voltage meter moves in your opponents favor. Also a big gripe is the way the computer-controlled opponent easily kicks out of the majority of grappling situations. Instead of pushing away, somebody should win, or at least get an Irish whip maneuver off to open the door to additional moves. If these simple yet monumental flaws were addressed, this game would be near perfect and allow for a much more enjoyable game.

As I played match after match I wanted so badly to love this game, because graphically it is breathtaking, but the bottom line is that there are fundamental gameplay issues that will really annoy you at critical times. It is embarrassing to see Trish Stratus body slam your Big Show… that should not happen. After you use a lead pipe on your opponent 12 times in a row, you should win the ensuing grapple, but often times you don’t. My recommendation is to rent the game, and enjoy it for what it is. Perhaps next year’s version will be polished, after all, THQ has the graphics down to a science, now they just need to work on the play mechanics a bit and a with a little spit shine should have wrestling fans drooling next time around.

*cheesed: (ch z’d) Slang; verb
1) To use unfair methods in order to achieve a tactical advantage, often via the use of rule bending and manipulation by computer controlled algorithms and artificial intelligence.
Example: After the computer cheesed me, I got upset and destroyed my controller.

reviewed by Todd Alexander