WWE Day of Reckoning 2 (GC) Review

Posted by Jordan Williams on 07.16.2006

Can DoR2 improve upon DoR1? Find out inside

Game: Day of Reckoning 2
Console: Nintendo Gamecube
Players: 1-4




Almost like 'real' sports games, every year WWE slaps another console game onto the market. This year was no exception with the addition of WWE: Day of Reckoning 2 for the Nintendo Gamecube. Now, if you ask anyone, it's a pretty well-known fact that Day of Reckoning 1, despite its shortcomings, was the best Gamecube-based grappler on the market. Did DoR2 expand upon this? Or is it a step back in the progression of a promising franchise? Read on.



Graphics-
DoR2's graphics are a BIG improvement over DoR1; however, you'd have to compare them side-by-side to notice any real difference. Every model's skin still has that telltale sweaty shine, and the hair still looks like a flat texture instead of strands, but overall, the polygon count is a little higher, and the facial animations are a lot more realistic this time around.



This doesn’t come without its faults. A lot of the animations in the game are still fairly jerky, especially strikes and anything that requires jumping. While animations that lead into counters are smooth, it seems like they could've spent a little bit more time motion capturing so each animation didn't look like the same thing replayed over and over. Also, the audience in the arena, while varied, looks downright horrible, especially in the bigger arenas where you can see how badly they look and animate. (And how often the same model repeats.)

The CAW mode in the game is a mixed bag, if you liked DoR1's CAW, you'll be happy because it is essentially the same thing with a few new added bells and whistles, but again, on the negative while the selection of items you have to customize is a lot, very few of them actually look 'right'. A lot of the clothes have bland textures, a very flat feel to them, or just don't fit on the polygon well. Trying to add on extra 'gear' (extra polygon models) to your CAW is next to impossible. And be prepared for some SERIOUS load times during CAW. Everytime you change or edit something, you always get a 10-15 second loading time. So make sure you get it right the first time.


Gameplay-

And here it is, the meat of the game, and a meaty game it is. Gameplay is pretty much unaltered from DoR1, which is a good use of the old AKI set up. The biggest change is how ground grapples are handled. If you lock in a move on a downed opponent, instead of going right into it, you and your opponent get a Crosshair-like Menu mapped to their C-stick. Up, Down, Left, and Right give different attributes to the submission move itself. For instance, if you choose "Taunt" on top of doing the move, you will also slowly sap away at their spirit meter. Or if you chose "Rest Hold" you will slowly replenish some of your lost Stamina.

Speaking of Stamina, in this game it plays a big part, depending on how you build your CAW (or the pre-made wrestler). This can make or break your game. Every move you do takes stamina, so once you run out, you are pretty much defenseless until it refills. This adds a deeper feel to the matches because it allows you to pick and choose when the best time to unload on an opponent is. If you make a mistake and burn yourself out too early, you pretty much leave yourself to the will of your opponent.



The difficulty in the game ranges from laughably easy to annoyingly hard. On the hardest difficulty, the CPU-controlled players become masters at countering everything you throw at them, and I do mean EVERYTHING. You'll find the CPU able to counter stuff you didn't think was possible.

As I said earlier, the controls outside of the new submissions menu remain fairly unchanged. So if you are a fan of DoR1, or played it, you should feel right at home. A newcomer shouldn't have much to worry about. The game itself has maybe an hour learning curve, and that's only if you are completely new to wrestling games.


Story-
It simply isn't a wrestling game without a storyline, right? DoR1's storyline was fairly impressive, but lacked any real interaction. You were pretty much shoved into the next match with no way to dictate your actions.

DoR2's storyline is no different.

The plot itself is so laughable that you'll forget it soon as you get on into the matches, but like I said earlier, you really have no choice in how you react, what you do, or even who you will face in these matches. Given at certain points in the game you do have a choice of who you can team up with, or what KIND of match you want, or even what title you can hunt. But in the end they are all ultimately alternate routes to the same outcome, not even long routes at that. Maybe an extra one or two matches.

Now, extending on my earlier gripe with the sound department, there's a LOT of exposition in this game. I am talking a good 5-10 minutes of reading between almost every match. That's a LOT of text to read, and you can't skip any of it. This wouldn't be so bad if there was voice acting to back it up, but there isn't. All you get is the fairly generic techno and rock I spoke of earlier and the sometimes hilarious animations that go with them.



As for the difficulty of the story mode, it's like every other wrestling game. It starts out easy, but with the flick of a switch you find yourself in some pretty impossible matches. You'll be counting a lot on luck with some of the matches (Namely a pretty brutal Fatal Four Way Cage match).

Overall, if you liked DoR1's story mode, you'll like this one. It's not an improvement by any means, but it's not a step backwards either.



Lasting Appeal

Multiplayer is simply wonderful, although there is a bit of slowdown when too much is going on at once, but it's still a blast. With all of the different matches and options, you'll have fun. Period.

Overall, nothing outside of the ordinary if you have played the first. If you are new, it should be enough to entertain you.

Fun Factor-

The game is fun, as are most wrestling games. Doing a Fatal Four-Way Last Man Standing match is fun at its fullest. Slap in some multiplayer and the game proves to be one of the best wrestling titles on the Gamecube (although that's not saying much). CPU-controlled opponents at their hardest are annoying but offer up enough challenge to where you really feel triumphant when you win.


The 411-

Overall, DoR2 is a slight improvement over its older brother but not by much. A little bit of polish and a LOT of work on the sound and story would've made this game a great contender with Smackdown vs. RAW for the PS2. But without those, it amounts to a solid wrestling game that should keep you entertained just for the difficulty, multiplayer, and CAW alone.

Graphics	8.0	The models themselves look great, but it's a shame the CAW models couldn't live up to the same standard. Some jerky animations plague this as well
Gameplay	8.0	Although Storymode is a bit thin, the gameplay in the other modes is almost perfect. The CPU is a tad cheap and some matches push the patience, but it's all good
Sound	5.0	Disappointing music and a severe lack of voice acting keep this score from going any higher. Sure, the punches and kicks sound good. But they get old, fast.
Lasting Appeal	7.0	Nothing in the game is truly memorable, but it is a good game nonetheless. The matches are hard, but rewarding, and there's tons of stuff to buy in the In-Game Store, so you have a reason to play.
Fun Factor	9.0	You'll be coming back to this game. Period. It's nowhere near as great at some of the newer games for the PS2, but it is a definite one to play if you are looking for something at a slower, and more realistic pace.
Overall	7.5   [ Good ]