WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role2000

Anyone who grew up with the first PlayStation and the then WWF, should at WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role instantly become nostalgic. For me, the game is a real piece of wrestling history, reminiscent of a time when you turned on the console, picked your favorite superstars and spent hours in the ring. My absolute highlight is the story mode. I know that many players have never really gotten warm with this mode and consider it more of a vulnerability of the game. For me, however, it was always something very special. As a child, I used my own imagination to spun together the most diverse feuds and storylines for the individual wrestlers. Who should betray whom? What rivalry would escalate? Who should win the title in the end? The story mode was the perfect basis for me to tell my own wrestling stories. Perhaps this is why I still associate so many beautiful memories with this game. What was rather minor for others has made up a large part of the appeal for me. The match modes were also really strong for the time. The selection was varied and offered plenty of opportunities to compete with friends or to create your own dream matches. Of course, you notice the game its age now, but that is exactly for me part of the charm of these old wrestling games. A small downside is the Hell-in-a-Cell match. Unfortunately, the implementation does not really correspond to the original, which is a pity with such a legendary match type. I would have liked a more authentic implementation here. Overall, the roster has succeeded well and offers numerous familiar faces from the former WWF. Nevertheless, I would have been happy about a few additional wrestlers from the Undercard and some legends. Especially for someone who likes to organize their own shows and tournaments, a larger selection would of course have been fantastic. Create-a-Wrestler mode was also really good at that time. For hours you could tinker with your own superstar, adjust the look and fulfill your personal wrestling dream. From today’s perspective, of course, the possibilities seem limited, but back then it was just great to have your own wrestler compete in the ring. My biggest criticism is the long loading times. As much as I love the game, they can slow down the flow of the game. Especially if you want to play several matches in a row, the waiting will be annoying at some point. Conclusion: WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role for me is one of those PS1 classics that you just took to heart. Especially the story mode has a very personal significance for me. While many players couldn’t do much with it, it inspired my childish imagination and allowed me to create my own wrestling feuds. Together with the varied match modes, the successful Create-a-Wrestler mode and the good roster, the result is an overall package that I still appreciate today. The long loading times are annoying, the Hell-in-a-Cell match could have been better implemented and the roster would still have been air up. Nevertheless, for me the positive memories clearly prevail. Smackdown! 2 is not just an old wrestling game, but a piece of my childhood. And sometimes that’s exactly why you love a classic so much even decades later.

Translated from German·Show original