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08-26-2005, 04:11 PM

ALIAS_FAN

Hurley should die instead

Join Date: May 2005

Location: Geez, it's becoming another sausage fest on "Lost."

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WWE DoR2 Review

Thanks to 1up:

Quote:

So the WWE did it again and added another product to its rich bounty of franchise licensed eBay-able memorabilia and doodads. But is Day of Reckoning 2 of the same caliber as that pink Rey Mysterio 619 Princess T-shirt? Or maybe that retro Road Warriors poster? Or what about that RKO Orton medallion? DoR2 isn't just another collectible, because in simple fact, it's a beautiful wrestling game that feels less like an in-your-face licensed product than an appeal to both casual button-mashers as well as wrestling strategists to enjoy. Grappler fans rejoice, because the series has returned with astonishingly young Hogan-style good looks and super smooth button-pressing to character action magic. DoR2 easily wins the belt for being one of the best wrestling games available, but let's get some bad news out of the way first.

It looks like the developer, Yuke's, had to cut corners for the limitations of the itty-bitty teeny-weeny GameCube disc. They thinned out the roster and excluded voice-overs, lessening the epic WWE fanfare feel and experience. The story mode's subtitled cut-scenes are oddly endearing, but at the same time, feel like reading a lackluster young adult storybook entitled How the Superstar Got His Belt Back. As compared to past WWE Xbox and PS2 titles, DoR2 doesn't offer the same supremely detailed customization options when creating your own Superstar in the story mode. But the bonus is you actually wouldn't notice the difference between Pyrotechnic Entrance Effect #1 from Pyrotechnic Entrance Effect #2. That's because Yuke's has put most an impressive effort into locking down what really matters: slick graphics and fun gameplay. They really squeezed the GameCube's processing capabilities to the very last drop.

The fans' graphical expectations are always challenged with each new installment of the WWE line, and players of licensed and unlicensed wrestling fare are already used to the realistic-yet-exaggerated looks of the WWE coven of glossy, sweaty men and women, but DoR2's pack of Superstars and Divas look more life-like with more modest and realistic skin rendering. We can finally now say farewell to weird, plastic-like skin! Now's a good time to mention that if you are turned off by the sight of blood, this is an even worse date game than you might otherwise think. You can look forward to doing the Big Show's chokeslam and watch your opponent actually, really, bleed. The graphics aren't flashy, but all of the visual components such as blood, skin textures, cinematic camera angles, and well aped-entrance sequences are pretty as a picture -- a picture of brutal, pulse-pounding drama and pathos!

The AI has been retooled particularly well, resulting in some very smooth Fatal 4-way matches. A CPU player never got themselves stuck in the corner or running in place (despite the hilarity that used to cause), and your foes are smart, sharp, and respond quickly to your strikes and grapples. The new submission system, rather than mashing one button fanatically to make or break a submission, requires more scheming. And as we all know, scheming equals fun. When executing the move, you are able to choose one of four submission types: submit, drain, taunt, and rest. This is done by simply selecting one of the four cardinal directions on the right thumbstick. At the same time, the opponent is given the four options as well, and has the chance to counter and proceed to do the ugly to your character only if they choose the same submission move as you.

It's a clever and logical matching mini-game that adds some depth, although it could have been a lot more exciting if the animations of the four submission moves weren't all the same teeth-gritting and arms-flailing sequence. Other than this complaint, the animations throughout the game look very life-like and genuinely painful, especially those of the Divas: Stacy Kiebler's stilettos just don't look that pretty when they're being lodged in your eye socket. You can definitely see when your Superstar feels wiped out with the incessant panting and wilting stature as your stamina runs out. A bona-fide addition and improvement from the first DoR, the stamina meter is now becoming a standard for wrestling games as it balances out gameplay and prevents incessant cheap moves on repeat mode.

The well-mapped and smooth controls of DoR2 result in a game where you're very rarely frustrated when you're challenged, in stark contrast to its competitors in the genre. Grapples, strikes, and counters are basic and bare-boned down to what is important, thanks to the effective, tight button scheme of the GameCube controller. The emphasis of DoR2 is to ensure a good fight isn't pressing a string of button combos, rather to execute the right moves by carefully inspecting the animation and timing of your opponent on-screen. It wouldn?t be going too far to call it good gameplay that rewards good gamers.

Day of Reckoning 2 gets the fundamentals right, and then amplifies them to the maximum effect. But sadly, a lot of the unnecessary and extraneous details that are absent are what recreate the over-the-top and cheesy WWE arena experience. The heart and soul of WWE, though a tad bruised, is still preserved in the game by the solid wrestling mechanics and remarkable looks. The result is an excellent game for the wrestling purists, and while it would actually have been nice to get a little more good ol' WWE brand tackiness, it's hard to decline what the game offers: beautiful bodies on beautiful display, doing beautiful violence.

OVERALL: 8/10

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08-26-2005, 04:13 PM	#2
Wesker Shepard... Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Idaho Falls, ID Posts: 7,522	Good, I will be getting this game after all. __________________ My Awesome Games TheWesker.com I write reviews for EndSights.com

08-26-2005, 04:18 PM	#3
Curtis Someone's Ugly Daughter Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: In a new home. Posts: 19,288	Been waiting for a review from IGN for a while now. Already have this pre-ordered thanks to Twilight Princess. __________________

08-26-2005, 04:21 PM	#4
Orangeade saucy Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Where is it that you live? Posts: 2,075	alias_fan in response to your signature no __________________

08-26-2005, 10:54 PM	#5
ALIAS_FAN Hurley should die instead Join Date: May 2005 Location: Geez, it's becoming another sausage fest on "Lost." Posts: 3,115	IGN Review: http://cube.ign.com/articles/645/645924p1.html 8.0 Presentation Massively improved, stylized menu interface, a strong selection of wrestlers, arenas and match types, but lack of spoken dialogue and level loads damage the experience. 8.0 Graphics Far and away the prettiest wrestler on GameCube. Gorgeous character models with fluid animation. Improved arenas and crowds. Lighting and particle effects. Some compressed video and model clipping. 7.0 Sound A fitting selection of metal-style guitar riffs and licensed music from largely unknown hardcore bands. But the lack of spoken voice is a real misstep. 8.0 Gameplay Fast and intuitive. The light and heavy grapple system works great and the new stamina/submission/momentum shift systems eliminate button mashing and add strategy. 9.0 Lasting Appeal A robust single-player experience goes hand-in-hand with a wide selection of multiplayer-ready exhibition matches that can be enjoyed for months on end. 8.5 OVERALL __________________

08-27-2005, 02:06 AM	#6
Revelade Heave-Ho Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 53	Meh, I'll give it a rental.