Remember back to the days of playing PlayStation and wishing the in-game graphics were as good as the cut-scenes that games always played? Well, those days are here. WWF Smackdown! Just Bring It has put the 'realism' in wrestling! Player models are so impressive that there are actually more polygons in their heads alone than in their entire bodies on the first two Smackdown! games. What this means in the real world is that The Rock really does look like The Rock. Stadiums are also gloriously rendered and even use pyrotechnic effects just like on TV.

In Just Bring It, you'll feel every bone-crushing move with full force, with the help of the great sound effects. Along with that, background music during entrances rocks the house and gets you into the mood for a major ass whooping. The ringside announcers (Tazz and Michael Cole) call the action a bit choppy, but overall very well. And the fans... the fans make it all worthwhile as they hold their signs and scream at the top of their lungs.

Where do I begin? There have been many wrestling games available for many video game consoles, but nothing even compares to WWF Smackdown! Just Bring It. Even though the basic concept of the genre hasn't really changed all that much, it too has been completely redefined. There are so many match styles and ways of playing Smackdown! that replay value is the best it can possibly be within a wrestling game.

I could go on for days talking about all of the features and other bells and whistles, but I'm going to do something different in this review. Instead, I will list out some of the more impressive bits and pieces involved in Just Bring It at the end of the review. Playing WWF Smackdown! Just Bring It is the closest thing to really being inside the ring than ever before. You won't be able to put the controller down. I promise.

One thing that sets Just Bring It apart from other wrestling games is the Story Mode. Choose a WWF Superstar, or create your own. Then take on the challenge of working your way through the ranks to earn your title shot. Along your way, you will encounter different characters, including Mr. McMahon and Commissioner Regal. The only disappointing part is that none of the wrestlers actually talk, so you'll have to read the text from the screen. Understandably, it would be hard to have the wrestlers talk (especially with created wrestlers), but this added feature would have sealed a perfect score on the review.

Story Mode is similar to a Choose Your Own Adventure book, where you will be given choices. Your selection will determine which WWF Title you are seeking. You will have to explore the Story Mode quite a bit to take different paths. After you win and defend all of the title belts, you will unlock all of the special features in the game. These features include new Superstars, music, and moves, as well as items and attributes for Create Mode features.

If you are looking for the most in-depth create-a-player feature in any game across any genre, WWF Smackdown! Just Bring It has got it. The Create-A-Wrestler is so sweet, in fact, that it is absolutely impossible to get into every detail. Not only can you customize your wrestler's appearance, but also his attributes. Some of the attributes you will be able to customize on your wrestler are basic: Sex, Weight, Height, and Appearance. Some of the attributes get more in-depth: Moves, Movies, Music, Taunts, and Finishing Moves.

Other features in the game include the ability to go backstage and carry your fight into multiple areas of the arena. In Story Mode, you will have to navigate these areas, sometimes to find people and sometimes you will get involved in a little extra curricular action. Another feature is that fans in the crowd can now be involved in the action too, as you can 'bring it' over the fence and they move out of the way.

Just Bring It allows you to choose different difficulty levels, which will help spice up the single-player games and computer controlled opponents. Of course, you'll have to step it up against your friends if you get involved in one of many multi-player matches. Probably the hardest thing is to play any of the modes that allow for multiple people in the ring at once. Just as you thought you were winning, even your teammates can accidentally (or purposely) come from behind and lay you out.

WWF Smackdown! Just Bring It involves a lot of quick button presses, and the controls may seem a bit complicated at first. In no time at all, however, you'll be able to lay the Smackdown! on your opponent with authority. To get good enough to be a true Superstar, you will probably need to spend some valuable time in front of the screen. Whether you are into wrestling or not, Just Bring It is by far one of the best games of all time, and I highly recommend it. Be prepared to splurge for another memory card, though. WWF Smackdown! Just Bring It will use up half (yes, half!) of one. That's a full 4MB of storage! It's no wonder, with all of the options and features in the game.

Bonus Coverage!

Because WWF Smackdown! Just Bring It has such an incredible amount of information, I have put together a bonus section to give you a better idea of what to expect from the game. By no means does this give complete detail about the game. This is especially true for the Create Mode section, which could have its own 5-page review. Enjoy!

MATCHES:
All of the below matches are available for either single or multi-player games. I've included short descriptions so that you have an idea of what's to come.

• Single - One-on-one, either with or without a manager in your corner.


• Tag - Two-on-two, with or without a manager.


• 6 Man Tag - Three-on-three.


• Handicap - One-on-two, you can be on either side.


• Royal Rumble - 30-man event with up to eight people in the ring at one time.


• King of the Ring - Tournament brackets to be crowned champion.


• Hardcore - No holds barred. Whatever you can find, you can use as a weapon.


• Falls Count Anywhere - Fight anywhere, including various backstage areas.


• Survival - Take on multiple wrestlers in extreme Hardcore action.

SPECIAL MATCHES:
Just like the regular matches, these too support single or multi-player games. Special Matches are a great way to show your friends who really is the King of the Ring.

• Cage - First one over the top wins.


• I Quit - Force your opponent to the ground and shove a microphone in his face until he gives up.


• Table - Place your opponent on a table and KO him through it for a victory.


• Ladder - Climb the ladder and grab the belt that's hanging above the ring.


• TLC - Tables, Ladders, and Chairs, Oh my!


• Special Referee - You're the ref. Stay away or get involved in the action... it's your choice.


• Hell in a Cell - Add a roof to the cage. Climb to the top and smash through to the ring.


• Ironman - Pin your opponent more times than he pins you within the given time limit.


• 3 Stages of Hell - Choose 3 different matches, best of three wins.


• Slobber Knocker - Eliminate as many opponents as you can within the time limit.

CREATE MODE:
Just in case you didn't actually read the review, I'll say it again. The Create Mode in Just Bring It is absolutely and without doubt the most in-depth of anything of its kind. Below I list a few of the features, with a short explanation of each. Believe it or not, if you were to get totally engrossed in the Create-A-Wrestler, you can literally spend hours on a single character... it's that good!

• Create-A-Wrestler: Appearance:
  This is the first section you will want to enter to create your wrestler.
  • Appearance - Change the TONS of attributes and give your man/woman a custom look. The biggest feature is that attributes are saved in 'layers,' which means that something on a higher layer will be displayed on top of the previous layer. For example, you could create a wrestler that is wearing a tee shirt under a trench coat. Then, on the coat, you could have custom writing displaying your wrestler's affiliation or even display custom symbols.
  
  
  • Profile - Name, Ring Name, Biography, & Crowd Signs (can choose two custom signs to be displayed when you're wrestling).
  
  
  • Personality - Distinguishes what style of wrestling he/she likes.
  
  
  • Ability - Customize your wrestler's performance abilities between Powerful, Speedy, Technical, and Rough Neck attacks and defenses.
  
  
  • Moves - Choose pre-setup moves for your wrestler.
  
  
  • Logic - Set your wrestler's in-game thinking, between Attack, Grapple, Aerial, Ground, Hardcore, or Average.

  Create-A-Wrestler: Moves:
  After you create your wrestler to your liking, enter this mode to customize every little detail about how your wrestler performs on and off the mat. This section is way too detailed to get fully into, but I will list out your options to give you a taste of what is possible.

  • Bases - Fighting Stance, Ring In Move, Ring Out Move, Taunt, Winning Move, Entrance (pick your movie and song)
  
  
  • Ready Moves - Attack, Grapple, Back Attack
  
  
  • Ground - Attack, Grapple
  
  
  • Turnbuckle - Attack, Grapple, Back Attack
  
  
  • Rope Opponent - Rope Down, Rebound Attack, Jump Down Over
  
  
  • Aerial - Stand, Down
  
  
  • Running - Attack, Grapple, Back Attack, Squatting Attack, Counter
  
  
  • Double Team - Stand, Turnbuckle, for double-teaming.
  
  
  • Triple Moves - For triple-teaming.
  
  
  • Special - Special, Combination Moves
  
  
  • Autosetting - If you don't want to take the time to set up all of your moves, you can simply choose the moves from one of the WWF's Superstars, or from the Average, Powerful, Speedy, Technical, or Rough Neck moves.

  Taunts:
  If the Create-A-Wrestler wasn't enough, you can also create a custom taunt for him/her to use during matches! Taunts are used to help juice you up in matches, as well as to piss off your opponent. Great wrestlers have always had great taunts, so custom-build one to complete the total package.

  • Base - Here you can select from pre-rendered taunts. You will also be able to combine up to four taunts to create a custom-built taunt.
  
  
  • Modify - If you ever wanted to make a taunt, here is the place to do it! You will be able to go frame-by-frame (up to 60) and customize everything from arm, leg, and other joint movements to, incredibly, facial expressions that fully show your taunts off to your opponents.
  
  
  • Sample - Fully pre-rendered sample taunts are available to use if you don't want to create your own.
  
  
  • Select Model - When you're ready to try it out on your custom wrestler, load him/her and see how it looks.

  Stables:
  Finally, here's your chance to group your favorite WWF Superstars and Created Wrestlers into their very own factions. If you don't like a particular group, you can also break them up. Whatever you choose, hopefully your wrestlers will stick together through the hard times too!

  • Name - Name your Stable.
  
  
  • Members - Select between 2-5 wrestlers for your Stable.
  
  
  • Entrance - Choose your Entrance Movie, Moves, and Music.
  
  
  • Break Up - Here's where you play commissioner. If you don't like a group, just get rid of them!

  SUMMARY:
  As you can see, WWF Smackdown! Just Bring It contains more than meets the eye. The Create Mode adds a whole new dimension to the game, and allows you to either create your own 'no-name' wrestler or make a star that might not be in the game. Make sure you set aside some time for this, and you'll have a lot of fun doing it. Good Luck!