Online play first appeared on WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw, and was available to owners of the Sony PlayStation 2 and its network adapter. The online game was very inferior – the players had only two modes for the game – the usual “1-on-1”, as well as the “Bra and Panties” match, in which, playing as Diva, you have to remove as many clothes from your opponent as possible. With the release of WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 multiplayer added more match options, defending titles you created, and support for four players at a time. Exit WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 on the Xbox 360 (on PS3 this feature was only available in the next game in the series), players could select music from their console’s hard drive and import it into the game, then apply it to the wrestler/Diva’s entry into the ring.
Roster
Each game in the WWE SmackDown vs. Raw included a real-life WWE roster of wrestlers and Divas. Every year, with the departure of the old and the arrival of new wrestlers in real life, the wrestlers changed in the game. With WWF SmackDown! to WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It wrestlers were not affiliated with any brand. And in 2002, WWE created a division of brands into Raw and SmackDown! On WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth was the first to have split brands. In 2006, WWE launched a new brand, ECW, which was named after the Extreme Championship Wrestling promotion. This brand first appeared on WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008. Since 2002, WWE has been holding an annual event – “WWE Draft”, as a result of which some wrestlers (selected by lottery) move from brand to brand. The game enters the development stage after the moment the Draft takes place, which means that the results of the Draft are reflected in the games. On WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain first appeared at the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony. The so-called “Alumni” (Alumni) and Hall of Famers were included up until WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008, but the next game in the series did not have them due to the development of WWE Legends of Wrestlemania. WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 was the first game to feature DLC characters.
An interesting fact is that in each of the games in the series there were: The Undertaker, Triple H, Kane, Edge, Vince McMahon (sometimes he appeared as a non-playable character), as well as Big Show and The Rock.
Creation Modes
The games in the series included the ability to create your own wrestler or Diva, including a set of moves and entering the ring. This feature first became available with the release of WWF SmackDown! in 2000. The first changes to this mode came with WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role – the player could create and set up signature moves (warming up the audience, mocking the opponent). On WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth added the ability to change the way a wrestler walks. Customizing your entry to the ring became possible with the release of WWE SmackDown vs. RAW 2006. Further improvement came with WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007, where during the release of the wrestler it became possible to add specials. effects and pyrotechnics. In addition to the create wrestler mode, there were other modes in the games in the series. For example, in WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 introduced the “Create a finishing blow / hold” mode. The player was given a choice of 500 animations, from which, by choosing up to 10, he could create his own, unique finishing move. On X360 and PS3 consoles with the release of WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010 made it possible to customize the color of clothing for existing WWE wrestlers. The mode exists in the games of the series to this day and is called “Superstar Threads”. In the same game of the series, the “Create Story” mode appeared, in which you could create your own storyline, consisting of promos, segments and battles. A new feature, “Create an Arena”, was introduced with the release of WWE ’12, which offered the player the option of creating 50 custom arenas to fight in. This possibility was also confirmed in WWE ’13.