WWF SmackDown! (video game)


WWF SmackDown! is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and released for the PlayStation by THQ. It is based on the World Wrestling Federation and is named after the company's SmackDown! television program. Originally released in March 2000, the game received a direct sequel released several months later, .
The first WWF game on the PlayStation to be published by THQ, SmackDown! marked the start of a long running series of WWE video games from THQ, then continued by 2K Sports and rebranded as WWE 2K. The game was also re-released under the Greatest Hits budget range.

Gameplay

The story mode contains three main parts, first with the Pre-Season, but after ten in-game years of playing the Pre-Season, players are allowed to skip it. However, the season mode is nearly impossible to complete. By playing and advancing in the season modes players gain rewards such as unlockables or attires, but instead of unlocking new characters, players unlock new body parts to put on new creations, to play as that "unlocked" character. Once players build a creation, they must fight in a Pre-Season year to build their skills and make their alliances. Once players finish the Pre-Season, they can never replay it without deleting the custom wrestler, and friends and foes for a creation are set in stone. The story mode contains no voice-overs, instead the characters meet each other backstage with mouths that move to no voice and on-screen cutscene text. The game also lacks play-by-play color commentary.
WWF SmackDown! has many match types including Single, Tag Team, Hardcore, Steel Cage and many more. The game features the late 1999 WWF roster following SmackDown!'s premiere including the then-newcomers The Dudley Boyz.

Development

Yuke's, the developer of SmackDown! had previously created the well-known Toukon Retsuden series of wrestling games in Japan for New Japan Pro Wrestling. Despite this, the game engine used in SmackDown! is not based on contemporary Toukon Retsuden titles, but rather The Pro Wrestling, a title developed by Yuke's as part of D3 Publisher's Simple series and released several months in Japan beforehand.

Reception

WWF SmackDown! received "favorable" reviews according to video game review aggregator GameRankings.
The game was a bestseller in the UK upon release, and again three months later. The PlayStation version of WWF SmackDown! received a "Platinum" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association, indicating sales of at least 300,000 copies in the United Kingdom.
Daniel Erickson reviewed the PlayStation version of the game for Next Generation, rating it four stars out of five, and stated that "While not quite in the same realm as WrestleMania 2000, this is the best PSX wrestler to date."