WWE SmackDown! Vs. RAW 2006 review

The good news: the gorgeous Stacy Keibler is in your pocket. The bad? So are the Hulkster and Booker T

GamesRadar+ Verdict

Pros

  • +

    Almost everything the PS2 version has

  • +

    It looks great for a PSP game

  • +

    Synchs up with the PS2 version

Cons

  • -

    Excruciatingly long load times

  • -

    Can't play online

  • -

    Same problems as the PS2 version

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The PSP version of WWE SmackDown! Vs. RAW 2006 is best summed up like this: it’s all the acrobatic violence, macho posturing, and gruffly-voiced trash talk of the PS2 game crammed down onto your PSP. It’s got pretty much everything that made the PS2 game great, but with a few tweaks. Most notably, the annoying commentary had to be cut, but that's actually a blessing in disguise because that was one of the worst parts of the PS2 game. The Locker Room has changed to a more streamlined, menu-based system, and three new minigames have been added.

Other than that, the PSP version plays almost exactly like the PS2 version. It’s just as easy to pick up and play, perhaps a little bit easier since the PSP has fewer buttons to worry about. While it’s by no means a graphical rival to the PS2 version, it’s a very good-looking PSP game. We mentioned the commentary getting the axe, but the voice acting in the story mode was retained, which helps make the whole experience more immersive. Unfortunately, online play had to be cut, but we forgot all about that when we discovered that you can play this on the road and continue your progress on your PS2 when you get home ... assuming you own both versions, that is. The two games synch up, so the progress from the on-the-go version is carried over to the on-the-couch build and vice versa. This feature flat-out rocks, and we wish more PSP/PS2 games did stuff like this.

More info

GenreSports
DescriptionAdds even more realism and interactivity to the series.
Platform"PS2","PSP"
US censor rating"Teen","Teen"
UK censor rating"16+","16+"
Release date1 January 1970 (US), 1 January 1970 (UK)
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