WWE Smackdown! Shut Your Mouth (Ps2) 2002
Next in the Smackdown series came Shut Your Mouth, marking the first time the WWE initials were used after the lawsuit against the WWF name. Despite his catchphrase as the tagline, the Rock didn't grace the cover in the US for the first time, though he retained his position on the PAL box. The games were now settling into a noticeable yearly groove, much like EA had done for all of their sports franchises. Though the games in previous generations only lasted a few games before a new approach was tried, Smackdown was now in its fourth incarnation with THQ slowly perfecting annually. With "Shut Your Mouth," they finally seemed to nail most things they had been working to perfect. Story Mode was finally getting things right. For this game, it was extended in game to two calendar years and focused on the real life WWE Brand Extension that pit Raw and Smackdown against each other. When starting as a Create a Wrestler or star below 60, you wrestle on Heat until you are good enough to make it to the big shows. Starting as existing wrestlers made you exclusive to that stars show, though eventually being able to appear on both (even if you didn't hold the Undisputed Title.) It also included remakes of big storylines from TV, the major one being the return of the N.W.O that was all over WWE TV that year. Scott Hall was removed last minute due to his release from the company, but all the other major players were present. It held another huge roster, including for the first time the majority of the major stars acquired in the purchase of WCW and ECW, including first appearances in years for stars like Hogan and Ric Flair. Additionally, it was a first appearance for then rookies, Randy Orton and Brock Lesnar. One of the more memorable aspects of the game was the interactivity offered outside the ring. Backstage areas included new brawling environments like Smackdown Station, Times Square and "The World" (formerly WWF New York.) Ringside areas also offered extra fun like being able to climb the set and driving the Undertaker's motorcycle. Create a Wrestler of course is even more impressive with even more attires and allowing for over 50 move sets and faces and features from WWE wrestlers to other wrestlers who weren't "officially" in the game. This allowed for a sneaky way for fans to create the popular stars that weren't under contract like Bret Hart. Entrances had even better lighting and character animation, with the all new graphics from the TV shows making it all the more authentic. Wrestlers now even handled their belts realistically, some carrying it on their shoulders, others wearing around their waists and some dragging it along the ground like it was a piece of scrap metal (The Rock.) Graphics were hugely improved, though some wrestlers still looked a bit off, like a particularly dead eyed Shawn Michaels. And that was years before they really went AWOL on him. Most wrestlers though were excellent representations of their real selves. Gameplay was mostly the same, though a more complex reversal system made things even better to play. Reversing simple moves was easy but more complicated attacks took a deeper understanding of timing and the opponents move set. Finishers finally felt as impactful as they should have been, though submission moves were still underpowered, making wrestling as certain stars feel a bit unbalanced. With "Shut Your Mouth," the pieces were finally falling into place for the Smackdown series. The yearly franchise was improving little by little every release and fans were understandably positive about the direction the franchise was heading in.