''WWE Raw 2'' is a

professional wrestling Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to Real life, real- ...

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

released for the

Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand that consists of four main home video game console lines, as well as application software, applications (games), the streaming media, streaming service Xbox Cloud Gaming, and online services such as the Xbox networ ...

console Console may refer to: Computing and video games * System console, a physical device to operate a computer ** Virtual console, a user interface for multiple computer consoles on one device ** Command-line interface, a method of interacting with ...

THQ THQ Inc. was an American video game company based in Agoura Hills, California. It was founded in April 1990 by Jack Friedman, originally in Calabasas, and became a public company the following year through a reverse merger takeover. Initial ...

in 2003, and developed by Tokyo-based company Anchor Inc. It is the

sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music, or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...

to the '' WWF Raw'' game that was released in 2002. ''WWE Raw 2'' is the last Raw video game to be released on the

and was succeeded by '' WWE WrestleMania 21''.

Gameplay

For the first time in the series, a season mode is included in the game. It allows players to set up wrestlers, call others out from the locker room, form alliances, and hire

managers Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administr ...

. In Create a Superstar mode, users have the ability to choose their character's alignment type and whether he or she is to be a face or heel. The alignments determine who the character's friends and enemies are in the career mode. ''Raw 2'' also allows players to edit WWE's wrestlers into the way they want them to look similar to the N64 games '' WWF WrestleMania 2000'' and '' WWF No Mercy''. In season mode, alignment cannot be changed, but players can change who likes or dislikes their wrestler through various options. Changing between face and heel can also be done through the options. The game features several arenas that WWE held events in during 2002 and 2003. There are also arenas based upon each WWE television show. New match stipulations are included in the game:

Hell in a Cell Hell in a Cell is a professional wrestling steel cage-based match which originated in 1997 in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It features a large cell structure, a four-sided cuboid made from open-weave steel mesh chain-link f ...

TLC TLC may refer to: Arts and entertainment Television * ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2 * TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network ** TLC (Asia), an A ...

and

Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after, and centered on, the Royal Rumble match, a modified Battle royal (professional wre ...

matches are available in ''Raw 2''. The Create an Entrance feature allows the player to use custom music tracks that have been ripped onto their Xbox's

hard disk A hard disk drive (HDD), hard disk, hard drive, or fixed disk is an electro-mechanical data storage device that stores and retrieves digital data using magnetic storage with one or more rigid rapidly rotating hard disk drive platter, pla ...

(although this feature is inaccessible when playing the game on the

Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the Xbox (console), original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detail ...

), synchronize two sets of

pyrotechnics Pyrotechnics is the science and craft of creating fireworks, but also includes safety matches, oxygen candles, Pyrotechnic fastener, explosive bolts (and other fasteners), parts of automotive airbags, as well as gas-pressure blasting in mining, q ...

with taunts or poses, and create an entrance video featuring the player's character performing various wrestling moves. Upon its release, the game was praised for an improved and more current roster. A select few of these abilities returned for ''

WWE '12 ''WWE '12'' is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by THQ for PlayStation 3, Wii and Xbox 360. It was released on November 22, 2011, in North America, November 25 in Europe, and on January 26, 2012, in Japan. ...

'' and '' '13''. The game also features ''Raw'' and ''SmackDown'' referees in the game that the player can choose.

Rules

If the player is competing in a title match, the belt can be won via disqualification, going against the usual WWE rules. This means that if two superstars are competing for a championship and somebody interferes and causes a disqualification, the winner will become the champion. Divas are able to win heavyweight titles. This is a reflection of WWE programming in that

Stephanie McMahon Stephanie Marie McMahon Levesque ( ; ; born September 24, 1976) is an American businesswoman and retired professional wrestler. She is known for her various roles within WWE between 1998 and 2023. The daughter of Vince McMahon, Vince and Lind ...

competed for the Undisputed WWF Championship in a triple threat match on ''Raw'' in 2002. In the Royal Rumble Match, the rule that a wrestler can exit the ring on their own terms and still not be eliminated, as was seen numerous times in the 2003 event, is recognised in the game. However, under rules that the Royal Rumble is over-the-top-rope, this would only be legal as long as they do not flip over, jump over or step over the top rope. The player would be eliminated if they stayed outside the ring for too long.

Season mode

To successfully complete a season, it is required to play through 12 months of '' Raw'' and ''

SmackDown ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE. It airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on USA Network in the United ...

'' shows, as well as

Pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program ...

events, and finish the season with either the WWE Championship, or the World Heavyweight Championship. Successful seasons earn points, which can be seen in the "Hall of Fame" section of the main menu of the game, which in turn unlocks items of clothing and entrance videos which can later be used in the creation or modification of characters. These items can also be unlocked using the "Steal" action during events in Season Mode. Unlike season modes from the ''

'' series, ''Raw 2'' has no voice overs or text. The odds of receiving title shots, and of successfully completing the various available actions in season mode, are mostly based on the popularity of the character in use. Other factors, such as a character's level of friendliness towards other characters, such as Surprise Attacks, Encouragement, or the use of repetitive call-outs can also affect the odds.

Reception

The game received "average" reviews according to video game

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. Many praised the creation modes, but criticized the gameplay.

References

External links