YBFREE.comIn Pursuit of Human Interests
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Ratings |
| Gameplay: 6.5 |
| Graphics: 10 |
| Sound: 7 |
| Replay Value: 10 |
| Overall: 8 |
| Fan Rating: Let us know |
The main reason I purchased Raw 2, was simply for the variety of wrestlers available for play including Brock Lesnar, Scott Steiner, Hulk Hogan, Rey Mysterio and Goldberg. Each is amazingly detailed, making you feel like you are a part of all the action. As Sammy Sosa would say, "It's so real!" And while Raw 2 is much better than the first game it became clear after a few rounds the title it needed more work before the THQ's Public Relations departments claimed the title was the #1 wrestling game on the market.
Raw 2 features an assortment of matches from tables and ladders, to a Royal Rumble, and the ever-popular Hell in the Cell Match. By far the finest point of this game is the story mode function, you are not constricted to the normal WWE storylines for the year, nor are you constricted to either the Raw or Smackdown brands. Like the old NWA territories, you can be the champion of one brand and work your way to the top of another. Dream matches can also be realized, like Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar. Raw 2 gives you the freedom to do it all! With such an in-depth create-a-wrestler system, the possibilities are endless, creating an all new wrestling experience every time you pop in the game disk.
That said, I must voice some utter anger over some of the title's play functions. First and foremost the controls were horrible! I don't think a game is cool that requires the player grapple to have fun. 
Sure the manual makes everything look so easy, but trying to follow through on the moves was a whole another situation. Using the directional pad to make your character walk was fine, and I was impressed by the fact that I could use the left analog stick to have my character run and perform attacks. However, instead of doing as I comanded my character ran all over the place and I barely hit the mark trying to make an attack.
Another thing that really ticked me off was not how my character played, but my computer opponents and partners. How can you play if the computer opponent keeps trying to pin you over and over again and not allowing the character to get up until giving up and being pinned? During tag matches, I couldn't look to my partner for help when pinned because he cannot do anything!! I am hoping that as I play the game some more and get used to things, the more moves I will hopefully will discover in my arsenal.
Ok the sound options for RAW 2 were phenomenal. I have to give it that. You can play your own music for the wresters entrance! But what stunk was that the game lacked voices, for announcing and cut scenes that involve interactions between the different wrestlers. What is the point of showing the wrestlers talking to one another if you can't tell what they are saying to each other? Basically there is none, except a waste of time!
If you feel I am complaining a bit too much, too bad! Considering the money I spent I have a right to demand nothing but the best, and now I will digress. In the end despite the huge holes in Raw 2, I still had fun with this game. I really had a blast playing the season mode with my boys Poochie and Jeremiah. We made alliances, helped each other out against mutual enemies and even stabbed each other in the back, which was a lot of fun. I really like that through each match on a card, you could do something like attack a wrestler, interfere in a match,
Raw 2 a role-playing game with a lot more action.
I just hope someone, somewhere, in some tiny cubicle in THQ's headquarters reads my critique and takes note, for possibly the most electrifying wrestling title EVER Raw 3! Thanks to yours truly.
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