WWF SMACKDOWN! 2: KNOW YOUR ROLE FAQ
For play on Sony PlayStation
Presented by BoredGamer
Version: 1.8
Last Updated: 8/17/2001
Phase: Technically Complete
THE FOLLOWING SITES HAVE BEEN GIVEN HOSTING PRIVILEDGES:
GameFAQs (www.gamefaqs.com)
PlayStation Cheat.net (www.psxcodez.com)
The E-mail Dealy...
Okay, I have two different E-mail addresses that I'd prefer you use for
different purposes.
If you are e-mailing me about feedback, questions, or anything having to do with
any FAQ, please send it to Blublublublu1129@cs.com.
If, however, you are e-mailing me on something that does not concern a FAQ,
e-mail me at Liverboyjoe179@cs.com.
If any e-mail is sent to Blublublublu1129 that does not concern a FAQ, it will
be deleted/ignored. Please try to refrain from sending FAQ information, etc. to
Liverboyjoe179.
This FAQ is technically complete. If there is anything I missed, please let me
know. The only updates that do pop up will most likely be in the form of
corrections.
________________________________________________________________________________
_______________
UPDATE HISTORY
8/15/2001- v.001 I have given birth to this FAQ (sorry if the idea gave you any
bad mental images). Set up the basic design of the guide. I also added Section
14: Legal Bit and started Section 15. Started and completed the introduction.
8/16/2001- v0.09- Completed the full wrestler list with finishers (as the name
appears in the game). Also started and completed Section 3. Completed Section
7 on "Create a Taunt Mode." I also just added Section 1C since I figured I
would need a little section on how to play the game. Also completed Section 10.
8/16/2001- v0.11- Did more updating today and updated the version info to suit.
Section 5 completed. So was Section 11, probably the easiest and shortest
section since there really isn't much to Belt Records in this game other than to
examine. I also completed Section 8 on creating stables. I even gave a list of
existing stables in the game.
8/17/2001- v0.6- Completed Section 10. Got started on Section 6. It looks like
this'll be the longest section with all the details and such. Well, I'm
shutting down for the night. That fabulous Breath of Fire 4 disc is calling my
name.
8/17/2001- v1.4- Completed Section 6. Whew... That was rough. Also completed
Section 12 on in-game options. Just completed Section 4 to complete the FAQ.
And hey! It's even been spellchecked!
9/28/01- This one has been resurrected from the flames. I'll be adding some new
sections. Created the General Gameplay Tips section, which is the new Section
11. Pretty much got most of the tips down, but there could be more added in the
future.
Contents According to Joe
-------------------------
Section 1: Introduction
1A: Layin' the Smackdown!
1B: My Thoughts on This Game
1C: A Brief Breakdown of the Gameplay
Section 2: Wrestlers Featured
2A: Ready Characters
2B: Hidden Wrestlers
Section 3: Exhibition Mode
3A: Single
3B: Tag
3C: Anywhere Fall
3D: Hardcore
3E: Handicap
3F: King of the Ring
3G: Royal Rumble
3H: Survivor
3I: Special
3Ia: Casket
3Ib: Cage
3Ic: Hell in a Cell
3Id: I Quit
3Ie: Iron Man
3If: Ladder
3Ig: Special Referee
3Ih: Table
3Ii: Slobber Knocker
3Ij: TLC (Tables, Ladders, and Chairs)
Section 4: Season Mode
4A: What is Season Mode?
4B: Entering Created Superstars
4C: Matches- Fighting and Skipping
4D: Storylines and Cut Scenes
4E: Attack of the Killer Unkowns
Section 5: Create a PPV Mode
Section 6: Create a Superstar Mode
6A: Edit Appearance
6B: Edit Moves
Section 7: Create a Taunt Mode
Section 8: Create a Stable Mode
8A: Pre-set Stables (Ready and Hidden)
8B: Creating a Stable
Section 9: Create a Manager Mode
Section 10: Rankings Mode
10A: Contendorship
10B: Re-Entering
Section 11: General Gameplay Tips
11A: Basics
11B: CAW Tips
11C: Advanced Gameplay
Section 12: Belt Records Mode
Section 13: Options
Section 14: FAQ
Section 15: Legal Bit
Section 16: Thank You and Goodbye!
I remember the first few home wrestling games that came out. The most you could
do in those days was play as one of maybe 5-12 wrestlers doing basic one-on-one
and maybe tag team matches. Options were limited and that is understandable as
technology wasn't as advanced back then. I remember hearing about Sega CD's WWF
Rage in the Cage having cage matches and having 20 wrestlers. Just the part of
over 20 wrestlers was enough to make us all soil our drawers. 20 wrestlers
around that time was pretty much unheard of. Even when I heard of WWF Attitude
having 40+ wrestlers, I was pretty well excited. When WWF Smackdown! 2 was
finally announced, I looked into some of the information on it and actually got
quite excited even though I really didn't fully buy into the hype. I feel that
the game did come through on its hype about 85-90%. Finally, you got to nearly
replicate matches almost as they appear on TV. While the engine isn't as
versatile as something as oh, say... Fire Pro, it is a decent one. You can take
your opponent out in so many different ways and means. Who would've actually
sat down and played one of the NES wrestling games and thought that they'd be
putting their opponents through tables or jumping off cells onto your opponents.
1B: MY THOUGHTS ON THIS GAME
I did review this game for GameFAQs (in fact, I was the first to review it) and
gave it a 10. While the game didn't have a good Season Mode (which doesn't
matter much to me since I rarely ever play Season Mode on any wrestling game to
begin with), it did follow up with a decent wrestler creation mode and some
really cool options and matches. I think the most unique of them all was Create
a Taunt. Even though this doesn't allow major, epic taunts, it does allow you
to do some good ones. I still crack up seeing the Pee-Pee Dance I made or one I
call the Crack Twitch. Yeah, the name explains it all. Some say the engine
lacks a lot, but I actually enjoy the engine quite a bit.
IC: A BRIEF BREAKDOWN OF THE GAMEPLAY
The game is played a bit like SD!1. You have two action buttons to start: X and
Circle. X does regular attacks while Circle performs grapple moves. Pushing
Circle by itself makes you whip your opponent. You can also push Circle with a
direction button to execute a set grapple move. For example, pushing down and
Circle while playing as The Rock executes a DDT. You can also push directional
buttons with X to execute different attacks. You can also push buttons
diagonally to execute different attacks that way. You can also use the X and
Circle principles while your opponent is down, against the ropes, or against the
turnbuckle. You can also perform attacks off the top rope. Depending on which
direction you push, you'll execute different aerial attacks. Pushing Up, Down,
or just X by itself will perform attacks meant to be used when your opponent is
down. Left and Right are set for a circumstance in which your opponent is
standing. You can also use the ropes to your advantage. By running right
against the rope, then pushing the direction toward the rope+X, you can jump
over the top (or perform a Lionsault if it's set). You can also run toward the
rope and push Square followed by X almost immediately. This one can be hard to
perform. I usually slide my thumb from Square to X quickly. Pushing L2 makes
your wrestler taunt. You can also push a direction with L2 to do their second
taunt. R2 changes focus of wrestlers in the ring. R1 can be used to climb out
or grab weapons. Finally, L1 can be used to perform finishing moves whenever
you can. To perform a finishing move, you must first have a finisher built up.
Finally, you need to find out which situation it is that the word SMACKDOWN
appears near your wrestler's name. For example, to perform Kane's Choke Slam,
build up a finisher then get your opponent groggy and push L1.
------------------------------
/ SECTION 2: WRESTLERS FEATURED \
----------------------------------
These are the wrestlers featured. I do have to say it's a nice amount.
Certainly much more than the first Smackdown! and they definitely didn't get
cheap/lazy with the hidden characters this time.
2A: READY CHARACTERS
Name- Finisher
Albert- Spinning Rack Pancake
Al Snow- Snow Plow
Big Boss Man- Sidewalk Slam
Bradshaw- Clothesline from Hell (I dunno why, but hearing the name of this move
reminds me of a portal to Hell opening with a clothesline coming out with fresh,
clean clothes on it)
Buh Buh Ray Dudley- Buh Buh Cutter
Bull Buchanan- Scissors Kick
Chris Benoit- Crippler Crossface
Chris Jericho- Walls of Jericho
Christian- Impaler
Chyna- Rear Naked Choke Drop
Crash- DDT
Dean Malenko- Texas Cloverleaf
D'Lo Brown- The 'Lo Down
D-Von Dudley- Strong Reverse DDT
Eddie Guerrero- Frog Splash
Edge- Downward Spiral
Essa Rios- Diving Moonsault
Faarooq- Dominator
Funaki- Hurricanrana
Gangrel- Inverted DDT
The Goodfather- Pimp Drop
Grand Master Sexay- Hip Hop Drop
Hardcore Holly- Falcon Arrow
Ivory- Test Neck Breaker
Jacqueline- Tornado DDT
Jeff Hardy- Swanton Bomb
Kane- Choke Slam
The Kat- DDT
Kurt Angle- Olympic Slam
Lita- Diving Moonsault
Mankind- Mandible Claw
Mark Henry- Big Splash
Matt Hardy- Twist of Fate
Paul Bearer- DDT
Perry Saturn- Rings of Saturn
Rikishi- Rikishi Driver
Road Dogg- Pumphandle Drop
The Rock- The People's Elbow
Scotty Too Hotty- The Worm
Shane McMahon- Test Driving Elbow
Stephanie McMahon- Women's Special Slap
Steve Blackman- Martial Arts Kick
Steven Richards- Super Kick
TAKA Michinoku- Michinoku Driver
Tazz- Tazzmission
Test- Diving Powerbomb
Tori- Tori Suplex
Triple H- Pedigree
Trish Stratus- Women's Special Slap
Undertaker- The Last Ride
Val Venis- The Money Shot
Vince McMahon- Stunner
Viscera- Big Splash
X-Pac- X-Factor
2B: HIDDEN CHARACTERS
Billy Gunn- Fame Asser
Cactus Jack- Double Arm DDT
Debra- Women's Special Slap
Gerald Brisco- Double Arm Suplex
Joey Abs- Diving Moonsault
Michael Cole- Standing Crossface
Mick Foley- Mandible Claw
Pat Patterson- Atomic Drop
Pete Gas- Full Nelson Drop
Rodney- High Angle Back Drop
Shawn Michaels- Sweet Chin Music
Stone Cold- Stone Cold Stunner
Exhibition is probably the mode I use the most. This allows you to set up any
match available in the game with so many different options and variations. You
can have up to four players at a time during your matches, depending on the
match. There are no matches that are totally multiplayer, so even one player
can enjoy any type of match setting.
There are basic ways to win a match. You can pin your opponent either by using
a set pin move or by pushing Circle+Down. You can also make your opponents give
up by using submission holds. You can also win if your opponent is absent from
the ring for too long on some matches. This is called count out. Finally,
there's K.O., which I normally turn off. K.O. are pretty much random and only
happen when you use a finisher. The more you've worn down your enemy, the
higher the probability of getting a K.O. K.O.'s call also only happen inside
the ring.
Please also make a note of the following match sub-types:
Tornado Tag- Two teams of two square off. All combatants are available to be
pinned or forced to submit. No need to tag the other person. In regular
Tornado Tags, all four wrestlers are in the ring. Match ends when one wrestler
is defeated.
One On Two- One wrestler fights two. Winner is found when either one of the two
wrestlers defeats the lone wrestler or the lone wrestler defeats one of the two.
One On Three- Same principle as One On Two, only with three people.
Triple Threat- Three wrestlers and every man for himself. First one to make a
pin/submission wins.
Fatal Four Way- Same as Triple Threat, only with four wrestlers.
Special Referee- Can have someone guest ref a match.
3A: SINGLE
Single matches are the most basic types of matches. There are two types of
single matches: regular singles or with a manager. In regular singles, the two
wrestlers square off in one-on-one combat. The first one to score under regular
win rules (pin, give up, count out, or K.O., assuming all are turned on) wins
the match.
In manager singles, you pick a four wrestlers: two to wrestle and two to be
managers representing each manager. The managers can fight on the outside and
can also come inside. I noticed the AI rarely ever makes managers come inside.
You can on multiplayer, though. Using pins or submission holds on managers
makes no difference other than to hurt them. You still have to defeat your
regular opponent inside.
Tag matches are common in today's wrestling games. In tag mode, four wrestlers
square off, broken into two teams. In regular tag matches, one person from each
team wrestles inside while the other two stay out and wait to be tagged. Only
the person who is legally tagged can be pinned, made to give up, etc. You can
also do double team attacks by throwing your opponent into your corner and doing
a move to them (pushing a direction and Circle together).
There is also Tornado Tag mode, which is like regular tag team except that all
wrestlers are in the ring and anyone can be defeated to win the match. I find
these ones to be the best for multiplayer, especially if you have four people.
Regular Tag: 1-4 players; On one player, you can either set yourself to control
your partner or the computer.
Tornado Tag: 1-4 players
3C: ANYWHERE FALL
The mode says as it implies. Falls can occur anywhere. You don't need to be
pinned or whatever inside the ring. Of course, there are no count outs. So
what's the difference between this and Hardcore matches? In Hardcore matches,
you start in the ring. In these kind of matches, you start anywhere in the
building. I also noticed that submission is turned off, unlike Hardcore. As I
stated before, you start the match anywhere in the building; it's yours to
explore. Every once in a while, you might throw your opponent into a certain
area where a weapon will fall out. You can pick up the weapon with R1 and use
it against your opponent. The only thing that Attitude and War Zone really had
over the SD! games was that you can do moves on top of chairs. This one doesn't
allow you to do it as easy or as brutally since the chairs are shoved out of the
way when someone lands on them or near them.
You can only move through the stadium where ever you see the arrows. When the
arrows change color, that means you're cleared to go. Of the areas you can
explore, there is: The ring, the stage, the lobby, outside (try setting up your
opponent to get hit by a car), the parking lot, the kitchen, the restaurant, WWF
New York, the locker room, and the VIP room. There's a couple other rooms, but
they're not very important.
You can also have Tornado Tags, Triple Threat, Fatal Four Way, One On Two/Three,
and Special Ref.
Anywhere Fall
Single: 1-2 players
Tornado Tag: 1-4 players
One On Two: 1-3 players
One On Three: 1-4 players
Triple Threat: 1-3 players
Fatal Four Way: 1-4 players
Special Referee: 1-3 players
3D: HARDCORE
Hardcore is a bit like Anywhere Fall except that you always start in the ring,
you can use submission, and you start with weapons. You can also trade weapons
under the ring by pushing directional towards the ring and pushing R1. Much
like Anywhere Fall, you can go anywhere throughout the arena and defeat your
opponent anywhere as well. You also get a cool mode called Time Limit Title
which allows you to defend the Hardcore title against four other guys. Whoever
pins the champion gets the title and whoever has the title after time runs out
not only wins the match, but claims the title. Only people in the Hardcore
title division can enter into that match.
Hardcore
Single: 1-2 players
Tornado Tag: 1-4 players
One On Two: 1-3 players
One On Three: 1-4 players
Triple Threat: 1-3 players
Fatal Four Way: 1-4 players
Special Referee: 1-3 players
Time Limit Title: 1-4 players
3E: HANDICAP
Handicap is pretty self-explanatory. One person goes against 2-3 other
wrestlers. As I said before, you can either win by having the lone wrestler pin
one of the 2-3 or having one of the 2-3 pin the lone wrestler. This one also
has a mode called "One On Tag" in which the opposing team has to tag out rather
than be in the ring at the same time, so your chances of winning are a bit
greater. I still like playing multiplayer against the computer and
beating/double teaming the life out of it.
Handicap
One On Two: 1-3 players
One On Three: 1-4 players
One On Tag: 1-3 players
3F: KING OF THE RING
That's right! The prestigious tournament is available in this one. King of the
Ring is a yearly tournament in which eight wrestlers battle it out
single-elimination style until only one is left, and that one is the king. You
can set up one of two different KotR's: Regular or Special. Special will set a
random special match (see section on Special Matches) such as cage matches or
casket matches in each match of the tournament.
King of the Ring
Both modes are 1-4 players
3G: ROYAL RUMBLE
Yet another of my favorite modes, although this one isn't quite as fast as the
original SD! game. This one has too long of a loading time between wrestlers.
Basically, four wrestlers start out in the ring. When one is thrown over the
top rope, another wrestler runs in after 10 seconds. It's a nice mode if you're
patient. You can also choose to play as whoever is in the ring once you're
fully eliminated (that is, when your character leaves the screen) rather than
playing as whoever the game sticks you with. This continues until 30 wrestlers
have gone through. The last one left is the winner.
Royal Rumble: 1-4 players
3H: SURVIVOR
Not to be mistaken with a TV show I seem to have a strange amount of spite for,
Survivor mode pits more than two wrestlers against each other. One of my
favorite modes of the game is found here: Battle Royal. In Battle Royal, you
start with four wrestlers. When one is defeated, that wrestlers leaves the ring
and the rest continue until one is left. You can also do Triple Threat and
Fatal Four Way here.
Special matches are those that really don't fit with the others. That and I
think THQ was trying to save us a little room rather than having a gigantic menu
list. Ah... Bless their hearts. Anyway, you have 10 different matches to chose
from here, one of which must be unlocked.
3Ia: Casket
In this match, you and another wrestlers battle it out in the ring. You'll
notice there's an open coffin somewhere around ring side. The object is to
stuff someone in the coffin by whipping them into it and attacking them until
they fall over. I laughed hard when I saw the other wrestler slowly lay over
while a lid magically appears on the coffin. Ah... Memories...
Casket: 1-2 players
3Ib: Cage
Another mode that is pretty much ignored mainly thanks to Hell in a Cell. You
and another wrestler fight in a cage. A winner is found when someone can
successfully climb out of the cage. Pins and submissions do not apply. Whoever
is climbing can be knocked down easily, so it's not quite a walk in the park, so
to speak.
Cage: 1-2 players
3Ic: Hell in a Cell
Some would say it's a bit like a Cage match, but it's actually quite different.
There is now a chain link cage around you. You can break through the sides and
fight on the outside as well as climb up on the cage. Yes, you can even throw
people from the top and jump on them. I also like putting them through the top
of the cage (can only be done once in the very middle). The object to winning
this one is pinfall only.
Hell in a Cell: 1-2 players
3Id: I Quit
I Quit matches are okay. You and another wrestler fight like you normally
would, only pins and submissions do not apply. You can go anywhere in the
arena, in fact. The only way to win is to knock down your opponent, grab a mic,
and push down+Circle as though you were cover them. This will cause your
wrestler to put the mic to the other wrestlers mouth. The chances of getting an
"I Quit" out of the other wrestler are random like K.O., but gain a higher
probability as you pound on them more.
I Quit: 1-2 players
3Ie: Iron Man
Iron Man matches are usually the most brutal and agonizing to go through.
Actual matches last usually around 60 minutes. Ones in the game only last 15.
You and another wrestler battle it out as normal, only every time you or the
other scores a fall, you get a point. When time runs out, whoever has the most
points wins. You can also have special refs in this match (must be unlocked).
Iron Man
Regular: 1-2 players
Special Referee: 1-3 players
3If: Ladder
Ladder matches are typically another brutal kind. These can only be done
one-on-one. You start with a ladder near the ring and a belt suspended above
the ring. To win, you must grab the ladder, set it up just right, climb it, and
push the Circle button to attempt to grab the belt. Whoever grabs the belt
wins. You can also use the ladder as a weapon or perform moves off the ladder
like you can the turnbuckle.
Ladder: 1-2 players
3Ig: Special Referee
This one has also been explained before. You have three wrestlers: two to fight
and one to be the ref. You can choose to either be the ref or the combatants.
I like this mode because you can choose who you want to win. A good way to get
someone to win a title without actually having to play them. You can also count
at your own speed. There's also a double ref mode in which the referees
represent a different wrestler and battle to get their representee to win.
Special Referee
One Ref: 1-3 players
Two Refs: 1-4 players
3Ih: Slobber Knocker
This mode allows you to run the gauntlet. You pick a wrestler and see how many
you can defeat in 15 minutes or until you are defeated. K.O. is permanently
turned on and K.O.'s can actually happen a lot easier in this mode (their
probability is high no matter how weak your opponent is). Score enough points
and be featured in the Hall of Fame. It's an okay mode once in a while.
Slobber Knocker: 1 player
3Ii: Table
Table matches are quite fun. You and another wrestler or a Tornado Tag Team
battle inside the ring. There are no pins or submissions. The only way to win
is to put your opponent through a table. There exists two ways to do so. One
is to set your opponent on the table by whipping them (or by other means) and
pushing Circle. The weaker your opponent, the better your chances. You can
also set them on the table and jump off a platform.
3Ij: TLC (Tables, Ladder, and Chairs)
This is a bit like combining the Table and Ladder matches. Two wrestlers fight
and are given two tables, a ladder, and a chair to mess with. I love setting
them up on a table and jumping off a ladder. There are two different kinds of
TLC matches. There's Regular, where you must pin them to win. There's also
Title, which is just like Ladder in that you must grab the suspended title.
TLC (both modes): 1-2 players
------------------------
/ SECTION 4: SEASON MODE \
----------------------------
4A: WHAT IS SEASON MODE?
The time-honored tradition... Season Mode! Many have complained about the
slowness of this game's Season Mode, but that doesn't effect me much since I'm
more into Exhibition than I am Season to begin with. Season Mode is a lot like
playing a wrestler's career. This is especially cool for created wrestlers as
it would be like watching your wrestler go through his/her own career. In
Season Mode, you can get into many battles, spark rivalries, and get involved in
small storylines. So, choose away and have fun. Here's some features in Season
Mode. When you enter a new game, you'll be asked to pick your wrestler. Make
sure that wrestler is entered into a title division first. You may want to be a
little patient because it could take a while before your wrestler begins to
appear more often. You can change wrestlers using the menu within Season Mode.
4B: ENTERING CREATED SUPERSTARS
When in Season Mode, select either New Game or Continue. Either way, you should
get a list of options at the side. There should be a second selection in there
labeled "Enter." This allows you to enter your created wrestlers. You should
see a list of all the wrestlers you have created over time. The ones with
indicators next to them are the ones that will be featured in Season Mode. That
means the computer can randomly set your created characters in matches. You
don't have to enter any of your wrestlers or you can enter them all. The choice
is yours.
4C: MATCHES- FIGHTING AND SKIPPING
As time goes by, you could be forced into different matches. Sometimes it'll be
a tag match, sometimes just one-on-one. Even the type of match is pretty much
random. You'll notice as you defeat some characters that they will attack you
after the match is over. This means they wish to start a rivalry. You may be
forced into a ton of matches against them. Sometimes, it'll seem no matter how
often you beat them the game will force you into another match with them.
You can skip matches other matches. When you do, you'll notice two bars to
represent each wrestler. When a bar has run out, that wrestler has lost. You
can skip your matches, but you could lose.
4D: STORYLINES AND CUT SCENES
As time permits, storylines will unfold. There's no guarantee that you'll be
swept up in a storyline since most of them usually involve the big main eventers
or the big feud that's been going on. Heh, thankfully you don't have to be big
to get special cut scenes. There are dozens of different cut scenes that could
involve you. Some will just show you relaxing in the back. Others will show
you chatting with various other wrestlers during when all gimmicks come off
(sort of a behind-the-show type thing). The ones I really like are when
something is sparked between you and a passer by and the two of you engage in
combat. You can actually fight in the area for a minute. Just for kicks, you
even get a special off the bat. How 'bout that?
You can also get some even better cut scenes, such as someone approaching you
about either attacking a wrestler or interfering in a match for them. You can
select either yes or no, either selection will produce some cool outcomes as far
as including more cut scenes. You can even approach someone and ask them to do
something for you. Whether or not they will be instrumental in getting the job
done is up the computer, I guess. Sometimes, though, they can turn you down.
Heh, I remember when one of my characters approached the Acolytes to either
interfere in a match for me or attack Faarooq (!?!?!). Even though I tried to
day "Attack Faarooq," they turned me down.
Storylines can even lead to unlocking new wrestlers and creation settings.
These are mainly played through major storylines involving characters and
matches that are still locked. For example, one of the first storylines you'll
see is a match between Hardy Boyz and Edge and Christian. After the two are
done fighting, TLC match will be unlocked. If you go through Season Mode to the
sixth year, everything will be unlocked.
4E: ATTACK OF THE KILLER UNKNOWNS
Sometimes, you'll see a series of cut scenes that revolves around a mysterious
character parading around the arena. First, you will see someone get jumped but
the attacker will be unseen. Then, you will see your character pass by a
mysterious person, followed by another cut scene in which the victim claims to
be injured (sometimes, they'll be accompanied by EMT's). Eventually, Vince will
reshape a match and stick you against an Unknown in a special match. Win the
match and you'll unlock some new stuff in your character creation area (new
appearance settings and new moves). Defeating that same Unknown a second time
does not result in unlocked goodies, though.
------------------------------
/ SECTION 5: CREATE A PPV MODE \
----------------------------------
Thanks to WWF Attitude, we can now make PPV's quite a bit like the ones we see
on cable (well, not me since I don't get PPV, but I don't know about the rest of
you). In Create a PPV Mode, you can create PPV's of eight matches (no more, no
less) of any kind except Slobber Knocker. I recommend clearing the data that is
preset (unless there's a match in there you want to keep) and then going into
the "Enter Match" selection to create a match. It'll give you a menu similar to
the Exhibition menu. PPV Mode can have up to four players in each match,
depending on how you set them. The only downside is that once a wrestler is
entered in the PPV, they cannot be entered a second time. This sort of annoys
me if one of my wrestlers holds both a singles title and one of the tag titles
and I want an all title PPV. Not surprisingly, you can name your PPV whatever
you want. Another downside is that even though it's a PPV, you can tell the
ring and stage do not correspond with the PPV.
After all eight matches have ended, you get to see a rating on the matches.
This is basically ow the audience reacted to your matches. Each match can be
stored under records as which matches got the highest crowd reaction. The same
can be said for the average reaction of each PPV.
------------------------------------
/ SECTION 6: CREATE A SUPERSTAR MODE \
----------------------------------------
A mode that has be redone and refined many times over. From early wrestling
games that had a very limited creation mode (if you can even call it a creation
mode) down to the ones featured in SD!2 and No Mercy and even in future ones,
Create a Superstar has probably been one of the best modes in wrestling games.
Not only does this allow you to get in touch with your creative side, but it
also gives you the opportunity to pit any character you've ever wanted to create
against a wrestler of your choosing. Among WWF Warzone, Attitude, Smackdown!
and Smackdown! 2, I've created nearly 100 wrestlers. Some were recreations of
older ones, but many are new. Most of those still exist on save files for my
WWF Attitude game.
6A: EDIT APPEARANCE
As the name implies, this is where you can create/edit the way your wrestlers
look. If you try hard enough and mess around with colors, you can get their
looks pretty well detailed. It just takes a little creativity and a lot of
patience. This process actually can take a long time in this game.
After entering the mode, you'll get a selection between editing appearance or
moves. If you don't have any wrestlers yet created, then it is best/logical to
go into appearance first. Select new and you'll get a choice between two
different base types. Type A is male and Type B is female. Pick your gender
and move on. Now, you're going to get three choices, each are numbered. 1
represents a skinny build, 2 represents a moderate build, and 3 represents a
rather chunky build. Make a selection there and move on yet again. Now, we
move on to the main body. Why not start with the head.
-Head-
You'll get a choice on whether or not you want a standard head or an advanced
head. Standard will just give you preset heads, but if you want to get
creative, go advanced. Let's just say you picked advanced. The first selection
is the face. After selecting the face, you now have three more selections (this
sounds like it's getting a bit frustrating or confusing, but bear with me). The
first of the facial selections is the nose. This allows you to grab the nose
you desire and stick it on your wrestlers. After grabbing the right nose, you
can also change the nose type which'll alter the wrestler's facial structure a
bit. This can be selected in any face selection. Next is the eyes. You can
choose from either masculine or feminine eyes. I personally like grabbing some
evil or devious eyes, myself. I guess that's because the bulk of my characters
are slightly evil and devious with a few minor exceptions. Anyway, after
choosing your eyes, you can alter the type again and then go into an area that
allows you to change around the color of the eyes. After the eyes are complete,
it's time to move on to the mouth. This will let you select different lip
colors and mouth expressions. There's even more feminine ones for the lady
characters. After you've selected your mouth, you're done with your face and
it's time to move on to the next part of the head.
Your next selection is hair, which is also broken down into three parts:
forehead, base, and back. The forehead is mainly only if you want hair dangling
down the front of your character's face. You can select different styles in
different lengths and then edit the color. Next is base. Base is your basic
hair style with nothing dangling. After selecting a hairstyle, you can select a
head type. You'll notice your head taking on strange formations. This is to
help make some rather strange and outlandish hairstyles. Finally, there's back
which is only if you want hair dangling off the back. It's just like forehead,
only for the back of your head. This is good if you want a character with
extremely long hair. Okay then, time to move on.
The next selection is facial hair. It's not preset on either of the base
settings, but you can set it to either man or woman. Yep, if you're creating
the bearded lady character, here's the place. You can select from various
mustaches, beards, and goatees and then change the color as you see fit. After
facial hair is accessories. This one is split up into paint and accessories.
The paint section can hook you up with some different kinds of make up and
paints for your face. As before, you can change the colors. Accessories are
various types of characters or objects you can have on your head like Japanese
writing or piercings. Once you've selected that, move on to the next
department.
Next is masks. This is a great section for those looking to make a luchador.
You have three sections here: Base, accessories, and horns. The base gives you
the main part of the mask. This is a good place to mask hunt for your luchador.
After that, you can choose accessories, which are little add-ons you can make to
a mask. Heck, you don't even need a mask to use accessories. You can just
plaster an accessory to someone's face and call it a deal. After that are
horns, which allows you to choose from various horns or sharp objects to put on
your character. Each of the selections can be recolorized as you see fit. Time
to move on.
After masks comes hats. In hats, you can choose from several baseball caps to
add to your character. Finally, there's glasses which allows you to give your
character any glasses or shades you wish them to possess. After this, you're
finished with the head and it's time to move on.
-Upper Body-
Again you are given the selection of standard and advanced. You should already
know the drill here. In the advanced section, the first selection is base.
Base is the tone or type of body you want your wrestler to have. Here, you can
make them look muscular, flabby, or whatever. This sections is made to
complement the body you selected earlier. You also get a type selection after
you choose the base you want. The type selection just pushes out the chest a
little more. I'm pretty sure this area is for people making female characters
to make them a bit more busty. After you've gotten your base, let's move on.
Next is tattoo. This is pretty self-explanatory. Tattoos are mainly to add a
little liveliness to your character. You can only have one tattoo out of this
selection, so make it good. You'll notice that there are tattoos of different
kinds, both feminine and masculine. After selecting a tattoo, you can select a
body type again. After that, you can change the color of the tattoo as you see
fit. Pick a tattoo and it's on to T-shirts.
T-shirts are different short-sleeve shirts you can choose for your character.
Unfortunately, if you got a tattoo, it'll most likely be covered up. There are
two selections in T-shirt: base and accessories. In base, you can choose a
bunch of different kinds of shirts. Don't worry too much about the color of a
shirt because you can change it. When you've selected a base, you can then
select an accessory if you want. All these are are different logos and
insignias that you can put on your shirt. If you decided you don't want a
T-shirt because you want something with long sleeves, the shirt selection is the
right place. There is no accessory section in the shirts, so if you want one,
you'll have to go back to the T-shirt accessory section to get one. Shirts are
exactly like T-shirts and have all the same characteristics aside from the fact
that shirts have long sleeves.
After shirts comes wrist bands. The selections in the wrist band section are
right and left, obviously referring to right and left wrists. This way, you
don't have to have bands on both wrists if you don't want to. As with almost
anything else in this section, you can change the color of your wrist band as
you see fit. Yes, you can also get elbow pads in the selection below wrist
bands. If someone is given the People's Elbow as a finisher, they can take off
their elbow pad. Like wrist bands, you don't have to have elbow pads on both
arms. Just select the elbow pad(s) you like, change the color if you wish, and
it's on to the next selection.
The hands section allows you to equip your character with different kinds of
gloves and hand equipment. While gloves do not add damage, they can add to
style depending on your character. Like before, you can choose to have only one
hand wear a glove or both. So, if you want that Michael Jackson character, the
glove section doesn't seem to be stopping you. Yep, you can change the colors.
Next is vests. You can choose vests if you've already gotten a type of shirt.
Vests are more of a decorative addition to your body. After vests come
accessories. These are secondary additions you can make like extra tattoos,
shirt paints, or ties you can add. You can indeed add them if you've already
selected from the T-shirt accessories. You can change their color around and
then move on to jackets. Jackets are a bit like vests, only they cover the
whole body except for a little spot on the chest. I wouldn't recommend grabbing
a jacket if you too tattoos and want the tattoos to actually show. You can
select from a large amount of jackets and change the colors. Man, changing
clothes and messing with accessories. Am I the only one who feels like I'm
playing with Barbies?
-Lower Body-
Like the head and the upper body, in the lower body section you can choose
either standard or advanced. Assuming advanced was chosen, your first selection
would be skin. Under skin, you have base and tattoo. Base is the type of leg
form you want. It's a lot like the upper body base, only dealing more with
legs. Under the form, there are two extra types. Those types basically alter
the groin area a little. Tattoo, of course, allows you to add tattoos to your
legs. I would recommend you only grab tattoos if you plan not to use a long
type of pants. As before, you can change the color of the tattoos. Now, time
to move on.
Underwear is your next selection. You'll notice that most of these are women's
apparel. If you're creating a male, you may want to skip this section unless
your character is a cross-dresser. Select the types of clothing you want and
set the colors as you see fit. Moving on now to feet. Feet gives you two
selections: socks and shoes. Socks are not necessary, but if you really want
them, here they are. They do add a little to the shoes that you choose. If
you're going for long pants, then you may want to skip socks because you may not
even see them. Shoes add different kinds of shoes and boots to your character
so his/her feet don't look so naked. Both socks and shoes can have color
changes if you please.
Your next three selections deal with leg wear. First is tights, which are long,
spandex pants. These can accompany and complement spandex shirts very well.
You can also change the colors on many of them and get some unique color
variations going, especially with tights that have flames and other multi-color
depictions. After that is short pants. If you were making male character and
was disappointed with the selection of underwear, here's the more manly
selection of short tights. Some of them are still feminine like the
mini-skirts, but there still are some masculine stuff here. If you still don't
like that, then it's on to pants. Pants are your non-spandex variety of leg
apparel. These including things like jeans, khakis, slacks, etc. Hopefully,
you'll find something you want here. As with any article of clothing, you can
change the color of pants and other leg apparel.
Next are accessories. These can put a little life in possibly bland pants.
Patterns is the first selection here. This adds different designs to the type
of leg apparel you're wearing. Next to that is letters, which adds different
words to your buttocks, hip, or even the side of your legs. Finally, there's
accessories which is different add-ons you can put on your legs like braces and
such. All of the different selections can be re-colorized for top
customization.
Long skirt is a type of leg apparel that didn't get grouped in with the big
section above thanks to the accessories section. These are different kinds of
skirts and dresses you can add to your characters. They don't have to be female
to wear these and they can add some dimension to your characters clothing. Feh,
in my opinion, the long skirt section is less fruity looking than the T-shirts.
Finally, there is the belt section to complement pants and give your characters
a more rugged lot. After you've selected a belt and customized colors, you can
now move on to skin color.
-Skin Color-
Here you can give your character a different skin color. There are two areas
for doing so. First is the base section. This gives your character ready made
skin colors. There's only four to choose from, but they could help if you
really want them. Below that is the advanced section. This is where you can
get creative with skin colors. Ever wanted to make a plant person with green
skin? You can do it here. One thing my best friend and I used to like to do
was make a black silhouette character.
-Figure-
This allows you to bulk up or slim down different parts of the body. This can
get fun for making huge or tiny character, or even making ones with their body
way out of proportion. You can basically have a tooth pick character with a
gigantic head. The first selection on there is head, which obviously can change
the size of the head. The upper body section can change the size of the chest,
abdomen, arms, forearms, wrists, and hands. You can pick and mix what size you
want what part to be. So, if you want a character with a sunken chest and
gigantic hands, so be it. Next is the lower body which can change the figure of
the waist, legs, thighs, ankles, and/or feet. Finally is the height. If you're
making a female character, you may want to turn down the height since the
default setting is way taller than all of the other women in the WWF unless
you're making a really tall women (which I'm not saying there's anything wrong
with that). Once you've picked your dimensions, hit decide.
-Weapons-
This is the array of weapons your character will start with in a hardcore match.
Pick the one you like the best and move on.
-Closing Sections-
The closing sections help make your wrestler's personality. The first section
is name. Choose the letters you wish to use and it's time to move on. Next is
gender. What? Gender? Didn't I choose that earlier? No, actually you chose
the body that befits a gender. So technically, you can grab a woman's body and
tag the male gender on her and she'll count as a male. There are three
selections here: male, female, and ???. ??? allows you to enter the character
into men and women divisions alike. Choose the gender and move on. Next is
entrance music. This allows you to choose the music and Titantron you want your
character to come out to. So, if you choose Crash's music, you'll also get
Crash's Titantron, which is an unfortunate downside to this game. Too bad you
can't choose a different Titantron to accompany different music. Oh well, not
that it's a major downer. Moving on... Next is crowd signs, which are the signs
the crowd will throw into the air during your matches. You can choose three
different signs. Choose what you like and move on. Next are the Yes and No
commands. This applies to Season Mode. If you are approached by someone who is
asking you a yes or no question, instead of yes or no these selections will
appear. After that is classification. This allows you to put your character in
the heavyweight or light heavyweight divisions. Yep, you can enter a gigantic
guy into the light heavyweight division, so size isn't a factor. After that is
personality, which basically adds a background to your character and also
estblishes allies and rivals. The abilities section is next. This is a very
important section as it allows you to distribute ability points as you see fit.
Here is where you can make the type of wrestler you want. You can set the
wrestler to be more speedy, powerful, technical, or rough. You can even average
out the points and make an average character. After that is move set. Here you
can pick the preset moves to go with your characters abilities. You can also
grab a wrestler's moves and use those. So, if you want a wrestler who has the
exact same moves as Kane, there you go! Now it's on to logic. This determines
how the character will act if (s)he's set as a computer character. Once you've
finished that, BAM! You're done! Time to edit moves!
6B: EDIT MOVES
Unlike the first Smackdown!, you don't actually need a certain amount of ability
points in a certain area to set a character with a move. You can set them with
any move, but it's best to try to stay within the strongest two sections. So,
if your strongest two areas happen to be Power and Technical, then it would be
best to set mostly powerful and technical moves. You can preview the moves
(with the exception of entrances) by pushing Circle while in the moves list. To
edit moves, go into Create a Superstar Mode, select "moves," and finally, select
your character. Be sure to push over while looking at move lists to see
different moves for the four different ability settings.
-Bases-
These are your non-attack moves such as taunts and winning stances. The first
selection is fighting stances. This is the position your character will take
when they are standing still (assuming they are not slouched over from being
badly beaten). There's also your "ring in move" and your "ring out move" which
determine how your wrestler will move in and out of the ring respectively.
Careful on which you pick because some of the slower ones can put you at a
slight disadvantage. Taunts are poses you can execute anytime in a match by
pushing L2 or direction+L2 (notice that it slightly increases your special bar).
You can choose from a huge selection of taunts, but can only set two. Your win
move is the post or stance your wrestler will take if (s)he wins. Finally,
there's entrance. This determines what your wrestler will do while your music
and Titantron are playing. For example, if you select "With Anatomy," your
wrestler will enter in with a skull and throw their arms in the air with the
skull in both hands (it's basically Al Snow's entrance with a skull instead of
Head).
-Ready-
Ready moves are the moves you can execute when both wrestlers are standing and
facing each other. There are two types of ready moves: attack and grapple.
Your attacks are moves like punches and kicks. Essentially, they're blows.
Your grapple moves are your throws. In the ready section you can set three
types of grapples which I refer to as regular, groggy, and behind. Your regular
grapples are those you execute when face-to-face with an opponent. They can be
done by pushing direction+Circle. Groggy moves are like regular, except they
can only be done when your opponent is groggy. They are also typically
stronger. There are more moves for you to choose from in your groggy section.
Finally, there's behind. Those are the moves you can execute from behind, as
the name implies.
-Ground-
These are the moves executed when your opponent is on the ground. It doesn't
matter if they are facing up or down, you'll execute the same moves either way.
Like the ready section, you can set attacks and grapples here. Attacks are
basically blows you can deliver, such as elbow drops, to your opponent. Grapple
is a combination of throws and submissions holds you can use on your opponent.
If you're going to use submissions, I recommend you find some within your
character's top abilities.
-Turnbuckle-
These are the moves you can execute when your opponent is against the
turnbuckle. You'll notice there are three different selections here: upper,
lower, and run to lower. Upper are the various moves you can do when your
opponent is leaning against the turnbuckle, still on two feet. These mostly
include body blows and high-impact throws. Lower is the moves you can do when
your opponent is sitting. There's only two moves to choose from here: choke and
foot choke. Run to lower allows you to set moves that you can perform when you
run towards your opponent while they are in the lower position. Again, there
are only two moves here and those are Bronco Buster and knee attack.
-Rope Opponent-
The moves here are ones that involve using the ropes. Rope down involves your
enemy being tied into the ropes. You can perform these maneuvers as you would
ready moves. There's also jump off rope. Most of these involve jumping over
the rope onto your opponent on the outside. There is the lionsault, which
allows you to hit the opponent on the inside. These can be executed by running
right against the rope, then pushing direction towards the rope+X. Finally,
there's jump down over. These moves must be done while you are running. It's
best to get some good room before trying one of these. When you get near the
rope, slide your thumb over Square, then X to perform the attack. It could take
a little practice.
-Aerial-
These are the moves you can execute off the top rope. To get on the top rope,
either right at it or push R1+direction towards turnbuckle when near it. There
are two different aerial attacks. One is stand, the other is down. Stand
attacks are best done when your opponent is standing. These can be done by
pushing either right or left and X simultaneously. You can only set two of
these. Down are the moves you use when your opponent is down. Some of them can
even instantly go for a pin. Woohoo! These are done by pushing up or down with
X or even just X. You can set three of these.
-Run-
These involve running either on your behalf or your opponent's. There's three
different run settings: attack, grapple, and counter. Attack and grapple both
involve you running. Attack, like before, are different blows and such you can
throw at the enemy. You can set two of these. Grapple is just the same as
before: different throw-type moves. You can also set a grapple from behind.
You can set three grapple moves here (two from the front, one from behind).
Counter is different throws you can do when your opponent is running at you.
The first is executed with just Circle and the other with direction+Circle. You
can set two.
-Double Team-
Double teams are done during tag matches. They can be done when your opponent
is in the "upper" position against the turnbuckle in your corner. You have two
double teams that are permanent, both involving pushing either left or right
with Circle. You can set the other two which can be executed with pushing
either up or down with Circle.
-Special-
These are your special moves. Duh! The first is called "special." That is your
finisher. I usually like to pick one with a really high attack rating. Either
way, the choice is up to you. Favorite depends on what kind of move set you
picked in the appearance editor. It will take a handful of moves you have set
corresponding with the move set selected and allow you to choose one as your
favorite. This will add a little extra power to the move. Finally, you'll
notice there are three combinations right after your favorite. These are the
attacks you can perform by just pushing X by itself. If you keep pushing X,
your character will do a three-hit combo. These are the three different hits
you can set for the combo. You'll get an even higher selection of attacks on a
higher number in the combination, so keep that in mind.
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/ SECTION 7: CREATE A TAUNT MODE \
------------------------------------
This is probably the most unique mode in the game. This one allows you to
create custom poses for your characters while they are wrestling. Taunts, as
you should hopefully know by now, are set within the move editor. After
creating a taunt, naming it, and saving it, it automatically appears in the
taunt section of the move editor.
This is also probably one of the hardest modes as it takes not only patience,
but creativity and thought. When you enter CAT mode, you'll get three choices:
Base, Modify, and Sample. Base is the foundation on which your taunt is built.
There are two different selections for you. Base 1 and Base 2. Base 1 is the
first action your character will perform and Base 2, of course, would be the
second action. So, if you set a jumping action for Base 1 and a saluting action
for Base 2, your character will jump then salute. Sounds logical, eh? Modify
can get a bit complicated to explain, but it's easy to figure out. You have
Upper Modification. This allows you to modify the frame animation of the
character's upper body in the taunt. You can change the animation during most
of the taunt to have them do actions of your pleasing, as long as you do so
within the given amount of extra frames. I usually delete the ready given
frames and make my own action from there. Lower Modification changes the lower
body movements of one of the base settings. So, to change Base 2's lower body
movements, just modify Lower 2. The only difference is that you can't do
frame-by-frame modification of the lower body. Sample gives you pre-made taunts
for you to test out. If you like them enough, you can also set them and save
them as anything you wish.
I really have only made about five taunts. I don't make them very often as the
option is somewhat limited to frame amounts. It's not a simple activity, but if
you try hard enough, it can be rewarding.
---------------------------------
/ SECTION 8: CREATE A STABLE MODE \
-------------------------------------
This mode is actually new to WWF, even though it's been featured before in other
games. This allows you to put 2-4 wrestlers in a group and give them their own
name, entry movie (unfortunately, ones that are already featured), and
movements. Yep, you can even make tag teams by just setting two people in the
stable.
8A: PRESET STABLES (In no particular order)
D-Generation X: Triple H, Road Dogg, and X-Pac
New Age Outlaws: Billy Gunn and Road Dogg
Acolytes: Bradshaw and Faarooq
Kaientai: TAKA Michinoku and Sho Funaki
Right to Censor: Steven Richards, Bull Buchanan, and The Goodfather
Hardy Boyz: Jeff Hardy and Matt Hardy
Edge and Christian: Edge and Christian
Dudley Boyz: Buh Buh Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley
T&A: Test and Albert
Too Cool: Scotty Too Hotty and Grand Master Sexay
McMahon Family: Stephanie McMahon, Shane McMahon, and Vince McMahon
Gerald Brisco and Pat Patterson: Gerald Brisco and Pat Patterson
Mean Street Posse: Joey Abs, Pete Gas, and Rodney
8B: CREATING A STABLE
Creating a stable is quick and easy. Just select "New" and you'll get three
selections: Name, Members, and Entrance. They are all pretty self-explanatory.
You can name your stable under "Name." After naming it, select "Members" and
you'll get a list of wrestlers. Choose the 2-4 out of that list to be make up
your new stable. Finally, there's the entrance. Once you've selected
"Entrance," you can give them any move and Titantron entrance that's presented.
Once you've finished, hit "Decide" and your stable is now complete. You can
also edit stables you've made and already existing stables as well as delete
them completely.
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/ SECTION 9: CREATE A MANAGER MODE \
--------------------------------------
This is the mode I spend the least amount of time on and is pretty much useless
unless you're making your own storylines, alliances, and such. This basically
allows you to stick someone from the "Other" section in the rankings (see
Section 10: Rankings Mode for details) with another wrestler. How about I pick
two random names... X-Pac and Chris Jericho. Let's just say you want X-Pac to
be the manager for Chris Jericho for some quirky reason. You need to put X-Pac
in the "Other" section of the rankings, then go into Create a Manager Mode and
select both Chris Jericho and X-Pac to respond to their given roles. After
that, anytime you see Chris Jericho walking to ringside, you'll see X-Pac
walking a few paces behind him and it'll say Chris Jericho w/X-Pac.
Rankings Mode allows you to know who is in which division and what rank they
stand within their division. You have before you eight divisions (one of which
is technically not a division): WWF Title, Intercontinental Title, European
Title, Hardcore Title, Light Heavyweight Title, Women's Title, Tag Titles, and
Others. The "Other" section is for people who have not been entered into a
specific division yet. These people also very seldom show up in Season mode and
cannot gain any titles.
10A: CONTENDERSHIP
The reason for all these divisions is for contention of each title. You can
only have someone entered in one division at a time (not counting Tag Team, in
which anyone can enter). All women except Chyna can only be entered in the
Women's Title division. Contention works like this. The person at the top of
the list is the champion. The person below him/her is the number 1 contender.
Only that person can compete for the title within that division. The only
exception to that is the Hardcore mode Time Limit Title in which you can anyone
in the Hardcore Division compete for the belt. If someone is made a champion,
they can also compete for other titles and become a dual champion. The only
title that does not guarantee #1 contendership for is the Tag Title. So, how
does someone become number 1 contender if they are ranked at 3 or lower?
Simple. Defeat the number 1 contender (second person on the list) that person
becomes the new number 1 contender. The only other way is to re-enter the
current number 1 contender into another division. Gugh... Another Division... It
almost sounds like the original dubbed DBZ editing's "Another Dimension."
Heh... "I'll send you to another division!"
10B: RE-ENTERING
Re-entering allows you to move one character from one division to another
instantly. The only thing is that the person must be qualified for that
division. So, you can't move Grand Master Sexay into the Women's Division or
Rikishi into the Light Heavyweight Division. The only readily usable character
that can be put in any division is Chyna. If you wish to move someone from one
division to another, select Re-Enter, then select the character. Now, push the
right and left directional buttons over to the desired division and press X.
That character should be entered in at the bottom. Be careful about re-entering
champions. If you re-enter someone who is holding a title into another
division, then they will lose the title and whoever was number 1 contender is
the new champion. You cannot re-enter anyone into the Tag Division. The only
way to enter that is to defeat a team that is in the division.
-----------------------------------
/ SECTION 11: GENERAL GAMEPLAY TIPS \
---------------------------------------
This game shouldn't take too long to get the hang of. However, that doesn't
mean everyone is an instant pro or a natural at this game. This one may not
take as much patience and skill as oh, say... Fire Pro Wrestling, but this one
does take a bit of know-how to drive you to become a great player.
11A: BASICS
-Opening General Tips-
The first one is a given. If you really aren't doing too good at the game, as
always, start on easy mode. You should be well normed on easy almost instantly
and almost be wanting a challenge pretty quickly. If you do become really good
at easy mode, you will notice that you can finish matches around a minute or so.
Sometimes, you may not even need finishers to get the job done.
-Grapple Moves-
Grappling is very simple in this game and is a must to get down if you wish to
succeed, especially when you consider that grapple moves are the best way to
wear down your opponent. As stated earlier, to grapple you simply get near your
opponent and push Circle+d-pad direction. Let's set up an example. You're
playing as The Rock and you want to nail someone with a DDT. At the same time,
push down+Circle. If you hit the move close enough, Rock will grab the opponent
and do a DDT. If you weren't close enough, Rock will just extend his arms out.
This will leave you wide open and allow the opponent to counter your move with
either an attack or another grapple. Sometimes, you will be close enough, but
the opponent will be blocking or will move, so you must be careful on executing
grapples. Try to be sneaky when throwing them out.
Yep, there is still a bit more to the story. Learn to use grappling from
behind. One way to get behind your opponent that is the easiest is to push
circle twice while your opponent is down to pick them up (bear in mind, you must
be near your opponent when you push circle twice). This will pick your opponent
up with their back facing you. From here, there's four grapple moves you can do,
depending on which ones are set. You can also whip your opponent or use regular
attacks.
Grogginess is your friend. When an opponent is groggy/dizzy, use your grapples.
This will cause you to do a more powerful grapple move which can wear them down
faster.
-Regular Attacks-
In early difficulties, you can go far with regular attacks and combos. Later
on, you don't want to be too dependent on them as they can be countered quite
easily (and will be quite often). Be sure to push different directions with
attacks to bust out some different ones once in a while.
-Opponent is Down-
Take advantage of your opponent being down. If you feel you've worn them out
enough, go for the pin. If not, then use some regular attacks or some
submissions or grapples. Submissions are quite critical to the game (see the
lower sub-section on CAW Tips). You should get at least one really good one.
Just because your opponent didn't submit to it before doesn't mean they ever
will. Pay close attention in the game to which submission holds seem to make
your opponent give up the easiest. As I've noticed, two that seem to have a
nice give-up rate are the Sharpshooter (opponents legs when they are down) and
the Cobra Clutch (behind opponent). This will allow you to wear down your
opponent faster, assuming they don't give up.
11B: CAW TIPS
-Creating a Good Wrestler-
Idealistically, it does seam nice to have a wrestler with even-rounded stats.
Even power, speed, technical, and rough stats, that is. However, I find making
a wrestler based more on one aspect a little better. There are some opponents
that are not as easily weakened by certain types of stats as they are others, so
you may want to consider deeply which one you really want to work with. Power
gives you a lot of those vicious and brutal slams. Speedy gives you a nice set
of luchadoresque and high-flying moves. Technical is more for suplexes, throws,
and wearing on those joints with painful moves and submissions. Finally, rough
is more of a rule-breaker type of fighting that administers the cheap shots such
as low blows and rakes to the eyes.
What I usually do as far as making a wrestler with a dominant base is max out
the attack (push it to level 4) and either max out the defense or bring it to
level 3 or so. Let's say you want someone with dominant speed. I would usually
max out the speed attack and either max the speed defense or only push it to 2
or 3. If you don't max the defense, then you can have some more points to work
with. If you prefer defense over attack, then you surely can max the defense
and just say "Screw the attack." Now, when I do this, I don't very much work on
the antithesis of the dominant stat. That is, if I work on speed, I don't very
much work on power, but I do give it a little boost. Same can be said for
technical and rough. Now, as far as the other two stats go, that's your call.
I usually beef one a little more than the other. So, we'll again assume we're
beefing a speedy wrestler. I boost the speed, don't emphasize much of the
power, and then either give a small boost to either technical or rough. Let's
just say we picked rough. So, we give a bit more to rough than we do to
technical. This way, we have established a hierarchy of sorts, with speed at
the top, then rough, technical, and power (at times, the last two stats on the
hierarchy can ge interchanged or tied).
-Choosing Moves-
Let's again assume you took the single dominant stat style. You want to at
least try to keep all the moves you select as types of that dominant stat. So,
again with the speedy character, you want to set mostly speedy moves. You may
not want to pick all the flashy moves, but if you wish to, go right ahead. Be
sure you do check the moves power rating and that you pick some powerful moves.
A good array of powerful moves can defeat your enemy quickly. Make absolutely
sure you select no move twice.
Pay attention to what regular ready moves you pick in relation to what groggy
ready moves you pick. I usually like to try to pick the stronger moves for my
groggy ready moves, which means I don't pick as many moves as I could've from
the regular ready moves.
Be sure that when you pick different kinds of aerial moves off the top rope or
when running through the ropes, etc., that you pick ones that are easy to land.
Some of them have a nice tendency to miss quite often because your opponent can
dodge them easily (yes, I will elaborate more on out-witting your opponent
further down). A good example of one that likes to miss is the Dragon Attack
(off the top rope when opponent is down). While this attack can be quite
powerful, it is very picky at what angle your opponent is lying in when you
execute it. Another one is the Fame-Asser from the top rope. Your opponent can
easily dodge this unless they're getting careless.
I also said before, set the best submission holds available. MAKE ABSOLUTELY
SURE YOU HAVE SOME SUBMISSIONS unless you want to make a character that doesn't
use submissions at all. Submissions can be very helpful in the game if you and
your opponent are having a real knock-down-drag-out, especially if you're in a
situation where "the next move could win the match." If you can apply the
submission to your opponent, that's an extra added chance of you possibly
winning the match.
Finally, it's time to pick a finisher. Unless you have a heart set on a
particular finisher, go with one that is extremely powerful, especially if you
can't decide on a finisher. Here are some I, personally, found quite useful in
different stats...
Powerful- Chokeslam, THQ Slam, Stone Cold Stunner, Jackknife Powerbomb 2,
Rikishi Driver, The Last Ride.
Technical- Pedigree, Crippler Crossface, Special Anklelock, Dragon Attack (if
you can get around its pickiness), Dangerous Driver.
Speedy- Matt Twist of Fate, Michinoku Driver, Osaka Street Cutter, Sweet Chin
Music, The People's Elbow, The X-Factor,
Rough- Reverse Death Valley, Double Arm DDT, Mandible Claw.
That is not to say that these are automatically the best moves. Treat it not as
gospel. The best way to find out is to experiment yourself, but these are the
ones that seem to work for me.
Finally, there's the attack combo you set up. Each combo number you see is the
different attacks you do in a given sequence by constantly pushing X. So, if
you set a chop for the first, Austin Punches for the second, and a big boot for
the third, your combo will go:
Chop, Austin Punches, Big Boot.
Sound logical, huh? Anyway, what I was going to tell you is this: Make sure the
third move in your combo is the type of move like a big boot or a clothesline
that will knock your opponent down when successfully landed. This is good to
have as it can slow your opponent down and give you a quick advantange to take
when they hit the mat.
11C: ADVANCED GAMEPLAY
Finally, we get to some stuff that's more advanced. Using basic attacks and
grapples all the time isn't going to cut the mustard for long on the higher up
difficulties. You need to make good usage of blocking, counter, dodging,
sliding, and taking advantage of your opponent's mistakes.
-Countering-
First off, there's basic countering. This shouldn't be too hard. Most would
say to basically mash the Square button. This might get you there sometimes,
but it doesn't always get the job done. Time the moment you push Square. The
easiest moves to counter are regular attacks. When your opponent throws the
attack, watch it closely. When it comes close enough to you to just about make
contact, hit the Square button. Depending on the attack, your wrestler will act
in different ways. If it was a punch thrown somewhat like a hook, your opponent
will stop their arm and throw a punch back. Careful here, because your opponent
can counter the punch you throw back by blocking it and throwing another punch
back. Of course, you can counter that punch and throw yet another back. In
fact, you can do this constant countering over and over again, if you time your
counters just right, until one of you finally either lands a blow or dodges out
of the way of an attack. Some punches will cause you to dodge out of the way
(as mentioned in the previous sentence) of the coming attack. This might
temporarily daze your opponent and leave them wide open. There's your cue to
execute a powerful grapple move. If you successfully counter a kick, you will
grab your opponent's leg and throw it sideways, causing them to spin around.
From there, you can attack them from behind. Sometimes, though, they will
counter an attack from behind.
You can also counter grapples either before they happen or counter certain ones
at different times to execute an escape. I've noticed with the vertical suplex,
if you push Square at just the right time, you will "pull out" of the hold and
land behind them. I'm not quite sure exactly when to do this, but I think you
have to do it at the very top of the move (when your body reaches the highest
point it can). You can also counter grapples before they even happen. If an
opponent grapples with you, push Square the exact moment they would touch you.
This applies to both front and behind. If you did this right, you should
struggle with them and break the grapple, given neither of you the advantage,
but keeping you safe from harm. Sometimes, you will, instead of breaking the
grapple, duck underneath their arms and dizzy them. This is a good cue to
execute a grapple move. The same can be done from behind on both accounts. You
will either struggle with them or dodge around them and wind up behind them
instead, allowing you to get an attack off. If you should happen to struggle
from behind, this will give you a good advantange. They will be off balance for
a brief moment. I usually hit them with a running move right here. Speaking of
running moves, you can counter them just as you counter ready attacks. Just
push Square at the right time and you will go underneath the attack. If you
opponent didn't attack, yet you pushed Square when they were coming at you, you
will automatically lay down and they will run over you and continue running.
Square can also be used when coming off the ropes. If you opponent whips you
and you come running back, they will try to execute a move. Right there, push
Square. This will cause you to do one of two things: You will either jump right
over him/her and land directly behind him/her, or jump over your opponent and
keep running (which can result in you falling out of the ring). If you do
indeed land behind them, execute an attack or move of some kind.
Watch your opponent when they climb the ropes. There is even a way to counter
them there. If you push Circle (yes, Circle, not Square) while they are on the
top rope, you can grab them and throw them across the ring. Good opportunity to
take there while they are down. You could either climb to the top rope or kick
'em while their down, so to speak. Another cool trick to do is to run toward
the turnbuckle and do a running attack while they are on the top rope. Doing
such will cause them to rack themself on the top rope and plummet to the mat.
Take good advantage of that. Remember, you can also hit your opponent with a
move while they are up there. For instance, while they are just standing there,
you can execute a standard punch or kick and it will cause them to tumble to the
mat. That would cause them to fall as well.
Just because you are down doesn't mean you are totally out. You can counter
moves while your down as well. If an opponent tries to grab you from the head,
push Square at just the right time and your legs will kick up and hit him/her in
the face. You can do the same at the feet and one foot will kick forward
quickly and kick them. I've noticed that mashing Square seems to help the most
here since it's a bit hard to tell when exactly a down move will be executed.
Whips are a great moment to counter. When an opponent whips you, push triangle
as they grab you and you just might reverse the whip by whipping them. This one
I've noticed is a bit hard to do, but it can be done. Also, if your opponent
decides to try to do a whip-elbow combo (which I will elaborate on later in this
sub-section), push Square at just the right time and duck underneath the elbow.
From there, you can attack your opponent from behind.
Being against the turnbuckles also has its own counters. If an opponent tries
to do a grapple move to you there, you can counter right as they do it and
either kick them in the fact (if you're facing outward) or struggle (if you are
facing inward). If they execute an attack, then it will follow the same
procedure as if it were a ready move.
Being tied up in the ropes doesn't have to be such a biggy if you counter
correctly. Countering attacks in this position will act like a regular ready
attack counter. However, countering a grapple can result in doing a back body
drop to your opponent such that they fall out of the ring. Very useful during a
Royal Rumble and someone decides to try to grapple with you while you're tied in
the ropes.
-Dodging-
Dodging takes a bit to get the hang of and remember all the time. If your
opponent is executing an attack or grapple from any angle, dodge immediate.
Hopefully, your awareness is high enough that you can detect an imminent attack.
To dodge, simply push any one direction twice. Each direction will help you
easily escape the flames. Which way you go all depends on which way you and
your opponent are facing. Here are some basic direction patterns:
KEY
Scheme
D-Pad combination- Pattern
Facing Down (Your back pointed toward Titantron)
Up, up- Move away from opponent
Left, left- Moves to the left (your wrestler's right)
Right, Right- Moves to the right (your wrestler's left)
Down, Down- Moves toward opponent
Facing Up (Your back pointed toward the commentators)
Up, up- Move toward opponent
Left, left- Move to the left (your wrestler's left)
Right, right- Move to the right (your wrestler's right)
Down, Down- Move away from opponent
Facing Left (Your back to the right side of the ring)
Up, Up- Move up (your wrestler's right)
Left, Left- Move toward opponent
Right, right- Move away from opponent
Down, Down- Move down (your wrestler's left)
Facing Right (Your back to the left side of the ring)
Up, up- Move up (your wrestler's left)
Left, left- Move away from opponent
Right, right- Move toward opponent
Down, down- Move down (your wrestler's right)
Diagonal position dodging really depends on which end you are closer to. Let's
say that your back is facing pretty much to the top left of the screen. If you
are closer to being at the left side (back facing left) of the screen than the
top, then your motions will reflect on the Facing Right motions. I hope you
understood that.
After executing a successful dodge, there are some good chances your opponent
could be open for moves. Hit him/her with a well placed grapple, attack, or
running move.
-Sliding-
Sliding is another good way to get around your opponent. To slide, you need to
push Triangle to execute a run toward your opponent. When coming close to your
opponent, hold Square to execute a slide move.
Sliding can be used in a variety of fashions. Probably the easiest done is the
one I depicted above. That will allow you to slide underneath your opponent and
get them from behind. That's probably one of the best ways to get any moves in
from behind. Okay, so not every thing done with sliding looks exactly like a
slide. Doing this from behind has some slightly different consequences.
Instead of sliding under them, your wrestler will jump over them. While your
wrestler continues running (unless you prompt him/her to stop), your opponent
will stand there, groggy. Good opportunity right there!
Sliding can also be applied to moments when your opponent is against the
turnbuckle. This will allow you to execute aerial moves more efficiently and
effectively (although very few, like the Dragon Attack, really don't work well
using this strategy). When you opponent is facing outward (back against the
turnbuckle), run toward them and hold Square when you get close. You will
automatically leap over them and they will fall drunkly to the ground. In the
end, you will be on the top rope waiting to do a move and they will be on the
ground, waiting to receive it. You can also do this while they are against the
turnbuckle facing inward (back pointed towards the middle of the ring). If you
do the same procedure here, you will be on the top rope and they will be
standing, dazed. Good way to execute a standing aerial attack.
Sliding comes helpful when trying to leave the ring. If you run towards the
ropes, then hold Square when you get close to the ropes, you can slide under
them and land safely outside.
-Blocking-
Blocking isn't as important as the others above, but it does help as a default.
If you really can't dodge or counter an attack well enough, hold Square to
block. Be careful, though. Blocking doesn't keep you safe from everything
(like grapples).
-Taking Advantage of Your Opponent's Mistakes-
Your opponent is imperfect. The computer (or your opposing player) does make
mistakes. Anytime you see a hole, take advantage of it quickly. Just remember,
they can still counter you, even when you are taking advantage of a mistake, so
be aware and ready of what to do in just such a case.
There are several different methods to take here. If you get around your
opponent and they are fairly close, but not groggy, use a regular grapple. The
same can be said for the event above, only considering that they are groggy.
Keep in mind what your best grapples are when you go for a groggy grapple. If
you get around your opponent and, no matter what state they're in, they are too
far to reach with an attack or grapple, run towards them and do a run attack or
run grapple. To execute run attacks, push X while running. Grapples are the
same, only push Circle instead. You can also push other directions to get some
different moves going. Yes, you can even do special run-grapples from behind
(like a bulldog). Be aware, though. Doing a run attack doesn't keep your
opponent down for long, but it does give you a little momentum to work with.
Take advantage of every moment that your opponent is down as I said before.
This is also a good time to go for a top rope attack. If you plan to do a
standing-aerial attack from the top, it's best to do so when they are down and
hit them when they come up. If they run at you, then time your attack to hit
them when they reach a certain point. That can be hard to do, then again, this
is advanced gameplay strategies. Never run to the top rope while your opponent
is up. This may have worked wonderfully in SD!1, but it isn't working worth
silver smack here.
I've noticed that, even in the harder modes, your opponent likes to do taunts if
they land outside the ring while your inside. If they are close enough, it's
time to execute some rope moves. You can do this off the top turnbuckle, for
instance. You can also do this off the ropes (as long as you don't have
Lionsault as one of your moves)(see introduction for explanation on how to do
rope moves).
-Hitting a Well-Placed Finisher-
Finishers are not something you want to hit from the get-go. Obviously, it's
almost impossible to unless you added one to your finisher bar before you
started the match (shame on you!). Obvious as it may sound, the key to hitting
a well placed finisher comes in the form of wearing your opponent down
efficiently with some good moves. If you're badly hurt in a battle, hitting
waiting to end the match with a finisher should be the least of your worries.
You should try to finish it any way you can from there. Pay close attention to
your opponent's stance when (s)he stands. The instant you see them slouching,
it's time to nail a finisher. Get your opponent in a compromised position that
would be a great opening to do your finisher, and administer it! If your
finisher is a type that requires you to manually pin them after you've done it,
then try to make a pin from the legs. I noticed if you get a good hook on one
of the legs, your chances of pinning them seem better than the regular lateral
press (regular pin done from the head).
-Manipulating a Whip-
I'm pretty sure by now you know how to whip your opponent (don't you?). Well,
if not, here's how. It's just like a grapple. Simply get close to your
opponent and ONLY push Circle. It doesn't stop from there because you can
manipulate some elements in the whip. You can influence which way you want your
opponent to run. Let's say you want your opponent to run up. Well then, use
the whip on your opponent and right when you execute it, push up. Make sure you
do not push up and Circle at the same time. You want to push Circle, then up.
It's not over yet. After adjusting the direction (assuming you did), you can do
an extra move to your opponent to give you an advantage in different ways. If
you push Square when you do a whip, you will stop your opponent right in front
of you, exposing their back. This doesn't seem to do much in harder
difficulties, but for those who are not ready for such a move, you can take
quite the initiative here. You can also do the same, except pushing X. This
will do an elbow combo as mentioned earlier. With this, you will elbow your
opponent in the face and they will be rendered groggy for a good amount of time.
That is a GREAT opportunity to hit a finisher or a powerful grapple. You can
also push Circle in this circumstance. This will bring your opponent right back
at you to immediately do a move to them right as they come at you.
-Misc. Tips-
-Remember, you don't have to push the shoulder buttons when you want to climb
the ropes. You can climb them by running at the turn buckles. It's much
faster.
-In hardcore matches, don't rely too heavily on your weapons to do the damage.
They can be nice, but moderate between those and grapples throughout the match.
-When your opponent does particular moves, you can throw them off balance by
pushing Circle. This can mainly be done when they are doing flying-type moves
(not necessarily aerial ones, but ones that require them to leave the mat and be
airborn for a given amount of time).
-In a Table match, it is easiest to end it by doing an aerial move when your
opponent is on the table.
-I've noticed that pushing the D-pads in a clockwise motion when climbing out of
a cage in a Cage match seems to make you go just a bit faster. Hmm... It could
be me, though.
-Take notice to the different aerial moves that cannot be done off the ladder
(i.e. Bonzai Drop).
-Do not get too arrogant. If it does not seem you can finish the match with
particular move, then go for the next best thing... or sometimes anything you
can take!
-There are no moves that cannot be avoided. This is double-sided blade for you.
While you can avoid any move the enemy puts out, they, likewise, can avoid any
of yours.
-Pay close attention to the positions your opponent stands or lays in.
Slouching or sprawling (respectively) is a good sign that (s)he is starting to
weaken.
[NOTE: Although this is declared Technically Complete, there may be more
additions in the form of more tips added to this FAQ. I will keep everything,
as usual, posted in the Update History at the top.]
-------------------------------
/ SECTION 12: BELT RECORDS MODE \
-----------------------------------
I think this is more of a "Show and Tell" type mode. This shows who your
current and past belt holders for each title were, and how many times each
defended the belt successfully. One thing I don't like about this is that it
doesn't show you the full history. It cuts off around 10 or so back. So when
you're down to holder #40-50, you can't see who all those holders way in the
past were. There's nothing much more to this feature than that.
Here, you can edit the rules and set the basic options as you want them! This
is also where you can load your data in case you inserted the wrong memory card.
Bah, happens to me all the time. Here's a list of each section and the options
you can modify
-Rules 1-
K.O.- When active, you can defeat your enemies by knocking them out. Can only
be done with a finisher and happens at random. Chances are greater the more
hurt your enemy is.
Give Up- When active, you can force your opponents to give up with submission
holds. Doesn't work for all modes of gameplay.
Rope Break- When active, it allows you or your opponent to escape from a hold or
pin when one of their body parts is extended past the ropes.
Ring Out- When active, wrestlers can leave the ring.
Ring Out Count- When active, wrestlers can be disqualified for leaving the ring
past the count of 10.
Entrances- When active, it will show wrestlers' theme musics and Titantrons
before a match.
-Rules 2-
Interferences- When active, wrestlers can enter in regular singles matches and
interfere for their ally.
Match Length- Sets the length a match lasts before it is called a draw.
Charge Speed- Determines how fast wrestlers' finishers build up.
Arenas- Sets arena or area in arena for you to start in.
Mats- Sets ring mats for matches.
-Options-
Difficulty- Adjusts how hard or easy you want the gameplay.
Camera Angles- When active, moves can randomly switch to different camera
angles, giving it a more realistic effect.
Vibration- When active, your Dual Shock control will vibrate slightly during
moves. [this is actually quite useful because it will vibrate at the time
submission holds could make your opponent give up]
Player's Indicators- Leaves markers on the screen showing where the wrestlers
are.
Sound- Allows you to choose between mono and stereo.
BGM- Sets background music for a match.
BGM Volume- Sets how loud the background music is.
SE Volume- Sets how loud the sound effects are.
-System Data-
Allows you to save or load your system data. Also allows you to copy a created
superstar or taunt to another data file.
-Credits-
Allows you to view the credits (I think this has to be unlocked, but I'm not
sure).
Q: How do I unlock TLC match?
A: Season mode. Play until you witness a TLC cut scene between the Hardy Boyz
and Edge and Christian.
Q: How do I unlock Michael Cole?
A: Play to the sixth year.
Q: How do I make [insert character name here]
A: Don't know. Check CAW guides.
Q: Can you counter finishing moves?
A: No.
Q: Why did someone just kick out of my finisher?
A: Because finishers don't always finish the opponent. Ironic, huh?
Q: How do I do a 3D through a table?
A: You can't.
Q: Can I do any moves through a table?
A: Just aerial moves and the three preset ones (piledriver, Rock Bottom, and
power bomb)
Q: Does Undertaker come out to Kid Rock or Limp Bizkit?
A: Thank God no!
Q: Why aren't Big Show and Ken Shamrock in the game?
A: They are, but not as playable characters. You can create them both and I
think they're also both Unknowns that appear during Season Mode (I know Big Show
is, but I'm not sure about Shamrock). They weren't put in because WWF told THQ
to remove them from the finished project.
Q: Is it possible to play as any of the Unknowns?
A: I think you can create them. Other than that, they are not unlockable.
-----------------------
/ SECTION 15: LEGAL BIT \
---------------------------
This FAQ is copyright 2001 to Joe Shaffer, aka BoredGamer. Any use of this FAQ
for commercial purposes in any way, shape, and form without confirmed consent of
the author is strictly prohibited. This can be used for personal use and freely
distributed, as long as there is no profit being made off the FAQ without my
approval before hand (this includes magazines). This also cannot be posted on
any websites without my solid approval. Any failure to comply with said
premises can, and probably will, result in legal actions.
-----------------------------------
/ SECTION 16: THANK YOU AND GOODBYE \
---------------------------------------
Thanks goes to the following people:
Jeff "CJayC" Veasey for maintaining GameFAQs and giving me some feedback on this
FAQ.
