WrestleMania or Smackdown!: Which Wrestler Is the Champ?
By: Joe Rolfe

Gameplay: If there is one spot where WrestleMania does kick ass in, it's gameplay. Smackdown! isn't a horribly playing game; it's very fun, filled with speed and tons of action. But some of the collision detection in the game tends to be a bit off, and the max amount of moves per wrestler is tiny compared to the mighty list that it's N64 brother has. WM2K paces the matches much better also; matches never seem to be too fast or slow. Each wrestler has their own basic and personalized moves at hand, something which Smackdown! is sadly lacking. While the big names in Smackdown! (such as The Rock, Triple H, Mankind, Stone Cold, etc.) all have their big time moves, a percentage of the other grapplers just have regular moves that don't' reflect what they do on TV. WM2K one ups it here because EVERYONE has personalized moves and taunts, which gives the game a better overall lookout that you're controlling your favorite superstar. Smackdown! is no doubt fun, but WM2K tears down the house with its easy controls and polished engine that has years of experience behind it.

Winner: WrestleMania2000

Multiplayer: While both games claim home to good multiplayer modes, WrestleMania 2000 is just easier to play. Smackdown! is very fun, but can prove to be frustrating for newbies to the game who have a hard time dealing with the cheapness that the collision detection offers. WM2K's speed paces the game along just right, while Smackdown!'s engine has it so that you can pull of a few monstrous moves in a matter of seconds, which can be easily done to someone who has not had much experience with the game. Smackdown! can be a very fun game when you have a ton of friends around, but it may possibly frustrate more than one of your buddies if they don't enjoy the style and speed of the game. A small piece of advice is to give both games a chance with a few friends, and see which one is better for your tastes.

Winner: WrestleMania2000

Modes: Smackdown! is the dominator here. WrestleMania 2000 has all the usual modes, but Smackdown! clearly outdoes WM2K with it's brilliant (though somewhat lacking) season mode, and the Special Referee and I Quit Matches are nice additions also. WM2K doesn't get boring by all means, but Smackdown! just has many more things to keep you busy, and the Season mode goes on and on and on and on....

Winner: Smackdown!

Create-A-Wrestler: Yeah, I know that this should probably be in the "Modes" section, but the CAW's in wrestling games are becoming very, very important now and days. To me, I don't think that THQ realized that with Smackdown!. To put it simply, Smackdown!'s CAW just plain...sucks. The amount of costumes you can pick for your creation is laughable (especially compared to what Acclaim's Attitude had), and the personality your character receives from this mode is about as exciting as a block of wood. Now, the CAW in WrestleMania 2000 is a completely different story. Appearance-wise, WM2K isn't as good as Attitude's, but not as horrible as Smackdown!'s. But the real meat of it is the moves editor. Never before have you been able to customize how your wrestler acts and wrestles in the ring. From submission moves to your finisher to how your wrestler taunts when they're on the top of the turnbuckle, WM2K excels here.

Winner: WrestleMania2000

Fun: This is the hardest decision to make. I found both games to be equally fun in their own rights. WrestleMania 2000 has an awesome Create-A-Wrestler, and multiplayer was killer, but Smackdown! brings all the excitement and action of the WWF to your PlayStation with it's blitz of sound, graphics, and innovative playing modes. Both games deserve a pat on the back for having some of the best videogame fun you'll find on any platform

Winner: WrestleMania2000 AND Smackdown!

And the overall Winner is... WrestleMania2000!!!

Both games put up one hell of a fight, but WM2K's playability has a slight edge over Smackdown!'s flash and pizzazz. WrestleMania won basically because it's more in touch with its "inner wrestler". What do I mean by that? Well, Smackdown! tried to win us over by having only the biggest moves and strongest holds in the business as the repertoire for the wrestlers, as opposed to WM2K going down and dirty to the mat, giving us any move conceivable and letting us make an actual wrestler; not some punching dummy. But, Smackdown! is nothing to sneeze at, let it be known. The quick action and insane attention to detail make it the most vivid representation of the WWF known to man, and I take my hat off for THQ's ability to do this. It's style and flash puts WM2K to shame and makes it look like some rookie amateur. But WM2K comes out on top for the sole reason that it does the sport of wrestling justice. I'm not coming of as saying it makes it look like some boring high-school wrestling type of game; rather, it's ability to portray all the big superstars at the WWF's signature moves and nuances wins me over. I recommend both titles to the fan of the business, as both are well deserving of your hard earned money. In the end, the only real winners are the fans, as they are treated to two games of WWF excellence. Good job, THQ!