WWE SmackDown! vs RAW 2006

Also known as: WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2006 [UK]

The Visual history of WWE SmackDown!

From hard body jaggies to marble-sculpted brawlers, we chart the smoothing of the beefcake

Words: Shane Patterson, GamesRadar US

With the recent announcement of ultimate Cro-Magnon bust-em-up, WWE SmackDown! vs RAW 2009 for every system under the sun, we rounded up images from all installments to see if history’s been kind to the aging grappler. Head here to chart the rise and fall of the core gameplay, even if it has changed little (why mess with sweaty success?) The graphics, however, have gone from what we’d consider Picasso baby-chum on the PS1 to near lifelike Real Doll status on the next-gen systems. Behold the visual history of the celebrated SmackDown! series.

WWF SmackDown! - 2000
It’s hard to imagine what we accepted as visually breathtaking a mere eight years ago on the original PlayStation. Still, THQ and Yuke’s first SmackDown contrasted heavily from AKI’s WWF No Mercy, released the same year on N64. Wrestlers rendered in SmackDown appeared more like their real-life counterparts and less blocky like Mercy’s rotund superstars. It would be a while before faces realistically resembled the wrestlers. Can you tell which McMahon is which in the screens below?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Related Games
The Top 7... Game expos better than E3
360 Feature
Oct 6, 2008
Who fights a Bill of Rights?
PC Feature
Oct 3, 2008
Primetime to real-time
PC Feature
Oct 3, 2008
NBA 09 The Inside: The Jukebox N4G
PS2 News from N4G
Oct 6, 2008
UK charts (week 40,2008) . FIFA 09 kickstarts Q4 N4G
PS2 News from N4G
Oct 6, 2008
Griffin pops into music-game biz N4G
PS2 News from N4G
Oct 6, 2008
EB Games Offers 'Gaming Guarantee' On WWE... N4G
PS2 News from N4G
Oct 6, 2008
Persona 4 Webisodes N4G
PS2 News from N4G
Oct 4, 2008