THQ and Yuke’s already had something good going with Sony and the PlayStation 1 with the release of the SmackDown! series. Every WWE title released on the PS2 would be published by THQ with Yuke’s working on the main series of SmackDown vs. Raw titles. Let’s venture back to the start of the 21st century and see where all the WWE titles on PS2 rank against each other.

Metacritic.com scores are taken from all consoles together as PlayStation 2 scores alone were harder to find for certain titles.

The First Road To WrestleMania Mode

“Don’t get me wrong, SVR 09 is a fun game. The solid controls from last year are back…but it’s pretty much exactly what you saw last year.” – Greg Miller, IGN

The fifth SmackDown vs. Raw title was released on practically every console available at the time. It would also see a massive downgrade in reception as fans and critics thought the series wasn’t innovating enough and started to be stagnant. While graphics and detail were improving, the game was removing beloved modes such as General Manager mode and Season mode in favor of Road To WrestleMania and a lackluster Career mode.

Also, it was apparent around this time that THQ and Yuke’s were going to focus more on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of the games while the PlayStation 2 was being slowly faded out. Review scores for the PS2 still remained favorable, with a 7.5/10 from GameSpot and a 7/10 from IGN.

11 WWE Crush Hour Attempted A New Genre

Twisted Metal Meets WWE

“While the game actually does do a few things right, Crush Hour has far too many problems to make it a worthwhile purchase.” – Alex Navarro, GameSpot

WWE Crush Hour is an odd title as it is THQ and WWE trying to attempt something different with their wrestling titles and venture into other genres of video games. This was them attempting to cash in on the success of motor combat style video games like Twisted Metal that became a staple on the PlayStation.

It was unique, however, and saw something that WWE hasn’t attempted since. Every wrestler would have a unique vehicle based on their gimmick, such as The Rock driving a luxury sports car or The Undertaker riding a 3-wheel chopper. While not the best game in this genre, it still provides some fun for fans and is far from the worst thing someone can play.

10 WWE SmackDown Vs. Raw 2010 Was A Small Step Forward

A Forgettable Follow-Up To An Already Forgettable Title

“WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010 isn’t a revolution for the series, but it is a hefty package comprised of solid parts…For those who can get beyond the game’s shortcomings, however, there’s some real value to be enjoyed here.” – Tony Capri – Cheat Code Central

SmackDown vs. Raw 2010 suffers from many of the same problems that 2009 did, as the title doesn’t innovate enough to have much memorable from it and feels stagnant for the series. The big new addition was “Superstar Threads”, the ability to color a wrestler’s gear, but that was exclusive to PlayStation and Xbox 360, so PlayStation 2 players were dealt another boring title.

Modes like Road To WrestleMania and Create-A-Superstar still delivered enough to keep sales figures for this title from sinking. If it was apparent enough from SVR 2009, the PlayStation 2 was an afterthought and fans needed to make an upgrade for the better titles.

9 WWE SmackDown Vs. Raw 2011 Played Much Better On The Next Gen

Surprised They Kept Releasing On The PS2 By This Time

“Sure, it feels like a suped-up version of last year’s title here and there, but there’s nothing wrong with that when the game is this much fun.” – Greg Miller, IGN

Even though the PlayStation 2 was very much an afterthought for Yuke’s and THQ, small advances were still being made with the previous generation of consoles. SVR 2011 introduced the fan-favorite Universe mode and a drastically changed gameplay system. While the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions were superior, PS2 fans were not missing out on much besides better graphics and smoother gameplay.

Sadly though, this would be the final main series title released for the PS2, as next year’s title, WWE 12, would be exclusive to the next generation, meaning fans needed to finally upgrade, or they would miss out.

8 WWE SmackDown Vs. Raw 2008 Gets Too Much Hate

The Arrival Of ECW

“With little notable improvement to the formula and steps backward in several key areas, SmackDown! vs. RAW 2008 is a big disappointment.” – Alex Navarro, GameSpot

The quality drop from SmackDown Vs. Raw 2007 to 2008 is major and is often mentioned as a point when fans stepped away from the series. Even with inclusions such as the ECW roster and legends or the upgraded General Manager mode, this title would be the first in a series that is often overlooked and forgotten.

The gameplay was slowed down drastically and fighting styles were brought in that limited wrestler’s movesets and abilities. This is typically the last title that fans will go back to play the PlayStation 2 version, as SVR 2009 onwards became much more apparent the level of quality and effort put in the current-gen editions. Review scores reflected general opinion, as scores hit 6.8/10 and 6.5/10.

The PlayStation 2 Debut

“I’m not sure it’s the finest wrestling game that there is, but it is an excellent example. There is an absolutely jaw-dropping overabundance of things to do, and the multiplayer modes are unmatched for sheer In Your Face-ness.” – Tom Bramwell, Eurogamer

After the massive success that was the SmackDown! series on PlayStation 1, what better way to follow that up than by moving to the next generation of consoles and continuing what made those games great? SmackDown! Just Bring It plays and feels like an upgraded version of SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role and, for most fans, that is far from a problem.

The game sold amazingly and had review scores reaching the 7.8/10 and 8/10 area. Yuke’s and THQ would change things for the next entry and create what has been considered one of the most impressive runs in the series.

6 WWE SmackDown Vs. Raw Was The Ground Work For The Future

The Dawn Of A New Series

“It may not offer the same level of improvement that Here Comes the Pain did when compared to its previous incarnation, but for diehard wrestling fans out to complete their collections, they can certainly do a lot worse than this.” – Jeremy Dunham, IGN

Due to the brand extension in real-life WWE, Yuke’s and THQ decided to mirror that with the yearly releases and create the SmackDown vs. Raw series. This first entry would be quite similar to SmackDown! Here Comes The Pain in gameplay, plus a bunch of new features such as the clean/dirty system, Create-A-Championship, and an upgraded Season mode.

That mentioned upgrade Season mode saw a huge change with wrestlers voicing themselves and giving the mode a much-needed polish. Reviews were great for this game and SVR even reached Platinum sales figures.

5 WWE All Stars Was Over The Top And Fun

A Much-Needed Break From The Main Series

“Maybe WWE All-Stars is the NBA Jam of wrestling games that gamers never knew they wanted. Which, when you think about it like that, is pretty awesome.” – Nick Chester, Destructoid

WWE All Stars was a surprise that fans of the WWE video games very much needed, as things were getting a bit boring in the main series. The exaggerated and arcade-like gameplay was a breath of fresh air and resulted in one of the more beloved titles in WWE history.

Even for PlayStation 2 fans, this game still ran great and the difference between the last-gen and next-gen wasn’t as great as other titles. It would mark the final WWE title as a whole that was released on the console. From WWE 12 onward, PlayStation 2 was phased out, and the focus shifted to the PS3 and Xbox 360.

4 WWE SmackDown Vs. Raw 2007 Moved To New Consoles

The Start Of The Next-Gen Transition

“Like every year before it, it offers a number of new gameplay and feature additions and continues its reign as one of the better looking combat games around.” – Jeremy Dunham, IGN

One of the higher-regarded titles in the SmackDown vs. Raw series, 2007 saw a huge leap in graphics, gameplay, and improvements to existing modes. Whereas the previous title added numerous more features and modes, SVR 2007 took a different route and focused on improving what was already there.

Yuke’s continued killing it with the Season mode, amazing General Manager mode, and a slew of fun and difficult challenges to unlock new characters. SmackDown vs. Raw 2007 also marked the first time that the SmackDown series was put onto the Xbox and was the first to be featured on next-gen consoles. A PlayStation 3 port was planned but ultimately scrapped before release.

3 WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth Laid The Foundation For The Best Title

Yuke’s Starting To Hit Their Stride

“It’s by no means perfect, but WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth is a scissor-kick to the wrestling genre’s collective throat.” – Tom Bramwell, Eurogamer

Yuke’s really started to push themselves between the development of Just Bring It and Shut Your Mouth. Whereas Just Bring It felt like a better-looking Know Your Role, Shut Your Mouth truly felt like that next-generation leap the series was due for. From the graphics to the gameplay, Shut Your Mouth eclipses the previous titles tenfold. There isn’t much that makes this a lesser title compared to its successor Here Comes The Pain, besides maybe the graphics not looking as clean.

Changes to the Season mode alone make this a title worth a fan’s time even in the modern-day. Other smaller features, like the backstage brawl match being able to go outside and in the New York City Subway are things that WWE titles have stopped doing. With how great this title is, it is surprising to know it only gets better from here.

An Underrated Classic

“Yuke’s delivers one of the best wrestling games ever released on the PlayStation 2 in its latest SmackDown! vs. RAW installment.” – Alex Navarro, GameSpot

The decision to place SVR 2006 over 2007 might be controversial to some, but to others, the change in gameplay wasn’t as beloved as expected. 2007 took an approach to continue similarly to 2006 while also feeling a bit more realistic, whereas 2006 still kept that arcade-style feel and speed that titles like Here Comes The Pain, SVR, and Shut Your Mouth had.

On top of that, the introduction of General Manager mode, another great Season mode, and other small tweaks make SmackDown vs. Raw 2006 an amazing title. The PSP port is also one of the better ones on the console and had exclusives such as Jake “The Snake” Roberts and the odd but fun mini-games.

1 WWE SmackDown! Here Comes The Pain Did Everything Right

The Greatest In The Franchise

“WWE Smackdown! Here Comes the Pain is probably the best wrestling title ever made, No Mercy included. It not only plays well and looks great but is also the most accurate depiction of the WWE product to date” – Charlie Sinhaseni, Gaming Nexus

Widely considered one of the greatest wrestling video games next to the Nintendo 64’s WWF No Mercy, SmackDown Here Comes The Pain took everything that Shut Your Mouth had and made it better. The graphics still hold up as Yuke’s didn’t try to replicate the somewhat realistic approach they did with Shut Your Mouth and the gameplay is easy to learn and fun to play. Things like the gameplay feel and the very detailed and replayable Season mode are things that fans are begging to make a return with the modern 2K series.

Here Comes The Pain also has one of the greatest rosters of all time with names like The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and Brock Lesnar at their arguable peaks, while new additions such as Rey Mysterio, Batista, and John Cena were very welcome. Here Comes The Pain received critical acclaim upon release and reception has only improved with time as fans beg for a return to this form from WWE and their newer titles.