32 out of 32 people found this review helpful.
"I'm sorry this game is a little Raw, can I get another medium rare?"
Date of Review: Oct 14, 2002
The Bottom Line: Good multi-player game, but the game play falls behind the looks.
WWF RAW (THQ, Feburary 2002)
Whoa! It's my first X Box review and I couldn't think of a better place to start then with the WWF's first wrestling game for the green machine (A machine that the Rock personally endorsed). The very delayed and much hyped wrestling game for X box is fairly good for wrestling fans however in my opinion it's still nowhere near as complete as the N64/Aki games. Even though WWF Raw for the Xbox looks absolutely incredible, there are some issues that keep it away from greatness.
Get the 'F' up!
The first thing wrong here was the slow game play which is very annoying when you're trying to get up to fight after being knock down. The game's controls are fine but it still doesn't need to be this slow. Even the quick K-Kwick is pretty slow. Secondly you can forget about special matches like Hell in a Cell, Ladder matches, Table matches, and other crazy stuff the WWF is known for because they are not here. You just get the basics like Hardcore, Tag, Royal Rumble, Create a Wrestler, nothing we haven't seen before. Lastly the most unforgivable element to WWF RAW is the fact that superstars like Booker T, Lance Storm, DDP, RVD, Hurricane Helms, and more are not in the game despite making their appearance in the Summer of 2001, talk about a out dated roster, eh? I did like that there was guys like K-Kwick and Haku still in the line up despite the fact that K-Kwick (Ron Killings) no longer works for the WWE and he's actually the NWA/TNA World Heavyweight champion at the moment as for the other guy (Haku/Meng), he is a big 300 pounder with a giant afro he hasn't been seen in a year and his family is worried.
gameplay: 6/10
Just Increbile!?
Raw for X Box is easily the best looking wrestling game ever made so far and that includes the disappointing WWE WrestleMania X8 for the GameCube. The intros themselves are done really well and even characters like the Hardyz and Lita have their trademark full motion video's and bouncy intro animations, some may even mistake it for live TV even? It's that good! K-Kwick even does his cool dance and rapping routine before he gets to the ring. It's not all perfect though because some the animations are a little off. For example; most of the characters like Triple H and the Rock walk as though they have to go to the bathroom. The game also has some sloppy camera work too, sometimes a fan's sign may even block your view of the action.
graphics: 9/19
It not only looks great but Raw also has the all the 30plus wrestler's have their complete theme sounds or tracks. Like I said before with the K-Kwickster, he actually sings his 'Rowdy' track to the ring. Even some of the sound effects are good. You gotta love the booing that poor ol' X-Pac gets!
sound: 8/10
"Raw or Rotten?"
Although this game has superior graphics and great music with the real intros, it's not up there with older wrestling game like WWF No Mercy for the N64.... or is that WWE now? WWF No Mercy won so many rave reviews because it features some of the WWF's 1999-2000 story lines (Raw has none), unique matches, and well over 1,000 moves in the Create a Wrestler game. WWF Raw does deserve a rental first before you drop the fifty bucks and if you like what you played then dive right in, but be careful, a sequel has already been announced for next year and the better playing N64 games still go much cheaper at $5-10 a pop. "Get Rowdy!"
WWF RAW overall rating: 50/100
For 1 or 4 players
Rated (T) for Teen
StarSoldier1 2002 (Ryan Genno)
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