WWF SmackDown! (video game)

Did You Know?

• Yuke's previously developed the Toukon Retsuden series for New Japan Pro-Wrestling.
• The game engine is based on The Pro Wrestling, a Simple series title released in Japan months earlier.
• The game was known in Japan as WWF SmackDown! (no alternate title given).

Gameplay

The main story mode has three parts, beginning with a Pre-Season for created wrestlers; after ten in-game years players may skip it. Advancing in season modes rewards unlockables such as attires and body parts for creations, but not new characters. The story mode has no voice-overs; characters meet backstage with on-screen text and moving mouths. The game lacks play-by-play commentary. Match types include Single, Tag Team, Hardcore, Steel Cage, and others. The roster reflects late 1999 WWF, including The Dudley Boyz.

Reception

WWF SmackDown! received favorable reviews on GameRankings. NextGen's Daniel Erickson praised the controls, graphics, and modes like Season and Referee, but criticized the shallow arcade quality and create-a-wrestler mode. Famitsu gave it 27 out of 40. Lamchop of GamePro found it superior to WWF Attitude in graphics and speed, but noted Attitude had full commentary and voices. The D-Pad Destroyer praised the Season mode, calling it one of the best wrestling games in history. The game was a UK bestseller on release and again three months later, earning an ELSPA Platinum award for 300,000 UK sales. PC Data reported 980,000 units sold in 2000.