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"RAW 2 first impressions..."

Slow, unresponsive and boring. It feels like a chore to play and it makes me glad that I have a PS2 with Smackdown 4 and the possibility of Smackdown 5. It actually feels slower than the first despite what reviews say. Graphically its gorgeous, one of the most stunning games to date, fantastic character models and a real life like feel to them.

*Struggles to compliment the game outside of the visuals*

I am completely with Sav on this one, its utter guff to be honest and I am glad its just a rental as I would be kicking myself having paid £30 for this! A few problems I have encountered so far:

1. Turned Xbox on to receive damaged disc error despite it being completely free of anything. Did it two more times and it finally worked.

2. Setting up Table to put opponent through is streesful and completely disatisfying. Tried and tried to put opponent through using Rock Bottom and when I lined it up and did it the table didn't break. The only let down with the tables in Smackdown is that you can only put them through it with 4 moves and the opponent has to be on the table, I was under the impression that in RAW 2 you could do any move and so far I have managed to put them through using a boring fishermans suplex.

*YAWN*

3. Trying to get tables etc from under the ring is a nightmare, you press the white button and nothing happens. Keep trying and within 5 minutes you might have some luck.

4. Trying to get weapons, tables etc into the ring from the outside. Once again an absolute nightmare. Pressing black makes him drop it and even though the guides say you need to be in the middle of the ring it still doesn't work.

5. Shockingly slow game engine, very unresponsive and very annoying.

6. Poor layout of controls, whoever laid the control shceme out should be shot.

There are more problems with the game than I have noted down but I will list them as they arrive. So far absolutley gutted.

Avoid!

Change renting to buying in the final paragraph.

Luckilly, I was never interested in this... so I'm in no way tempted now.

Wrestling is gay.

Ali, you criticised somebody in the Nintendo forum for judging a game they have never played before (this being Mario Golf) yet you seem to be convinced that Smackdown! 5 is the ultimate wrestling game. Call me an ass, but me no undo-stand.

You may, yes.

I have played a beta version of Smackdown 5 in an Exhibition match. I know that the engine has been tweaked ever further from Smackdown 4 which I love to play. Do you understand now?

We are poofs because we enjoy a genre which can be cracking fun and a great laugh when developed properly? Yes I see the logic behind that...

The games are never any good either. They're always sluggish, boring and with collision detection bordering on non-existant territory.

From someone who wasn't particually a wrestling fan I was converted in The Rock vs Stone Cold era. Not from a technical point of view but purely from the awesome entertainment factor. Armageddon 2000 8 of us sat and watched one of the most compelling WWE events in the history of the sport in the form of the 6 way Hell in a Cell match for the WWE title and it didn't disappoint.

Since then I haven't watched it outside of when The Rock very rarely comes back.

Bring on Backyard Wrestling.

Smackdiwn 4 isn't sluggish. Its flent and great to play. Strangely different from the first 3 but ultimately an aweomse game.