Best PS2 Smackdown

[Liam]

for rosters and a decent Season Mode?

All the older ones are pretty much available for pence, so was wondering if any of them were worth revisited.....the two above things being specifically what would interest me.

[Hunter Hearst Hetfield]

Know Your Role was always my favourate

[VerbalPuke]

I'd say Here Comes the Pain in a landslide. Very good roster, solid season mode that allowed you to completely edit your own Smackdown/Raw rosters, good selection of gimmick matches (not much different than 07), a worth while CAW mode, and a pretty easy to pick up on game. I enjoyed it immensely.

[Number of the Breast]

Here Comes The Pain by a long way. While graphically dated now, and a little easy after playing the newer games, in terms of gameplay it definitely trumps it's predecessors and successors. Season Mode was awesome, and Ultimo Dragon's entrance > *.

[Timmoru Suzuki]

Of the older Smadown's, Here Comes the Pain by a long shot, if you can get past the fact the stats were done by someone who loves hosses more than Vince does. Generally the gameplay was good, the roster was great (Ultimo Dragon! Stevie!), Elimination Chambers have never been bettered and all round the game was good.

Shut Your Mouth is worth s mention for the large roster and for fun gameplay even though it feels dated now (it was the game before they implemeted all the huge 'new' features like weight detection and limb-specific damage).

It's arguable that either had a good season mode however. I'd go as far as to say if you want a good Smackdown season mode, don't look on the PS2.

[Cactus Drags]

Smackdown's never had a good season mode. HCTP is probably the best of the non-SDvR titles. Whatever you do, stear clear of 3 (Just Bring It I think it was). godawful. Hurray, 8 people in a rumble! Bugger, I can't see what's going on for the status bars.

[Mountainous Cleavage]

Me and my friend picked up SvR07 yesterday, played it for a bit, and then switched it to HCTP and had a blast. HCTP ftw.

[andrethegiantstopfan]

I'd say the best one overall is Here Comes the Pain because of its never before seen features like the elimination chamber and limb damage as mentioned before, and of course the Legends, but I still enjoy Shut Your Mouth to this day. I loved all the interactive backstage areas, and sadly there were only a handful in the later games of the series. For I used to get great fun out of throwing a snowball at Ric Flair out on Times Square. Also I feel the CAW mode on there was the most user-friendly.

Whatever you do, don't go near the latest release, SmackDown vs. RAW 2007, especially on the PS2 (as I haven't seen it on the Xbox 360). The control system is awful, the fan has been juiced out of it completely, and the only new match type is Money in the Bank. Also, loading times are worse than Know Your Role on PSOne.

SmackDown vs. RAW and SmackDown vs. RAW 2006 are quite good, and the season modes are good for the first time you play them, but when you're faced with Teddy Long getting run over every single time at the start of a SmackDown season, things get a little boring. 2006 has a few anticipated match types like Buried Alive which are quite fun to play, and the start of match mini-games have been improved.

I noticed someone say Just Bring It! was 'godawful', but it wasn't all bad. I liked the look of some of the wrestlers, although they do look a little squashed and loading times [bar the opening screen] were minimal. If you can find a later SmackDown title where Triple H looks more like himself, tell me. The 'season mode' (if you can call 3 or 4 matches in a row that) was awful though.

We can only wait and see what SmackDown vs. RAW 2008 holds (if that is indeed being released on the PS2) before we say which is definitely best. Judging on last winter's release though, I'm going with a tie between HCTP and SYM.

[Cactus Drags]

You disputed your own point. The wrestlers looked good, but squashed? WTF. And I care more for enjoyable gameplay than graphics, and JBI blew. I only really played it as it was the only SD out for PS2.