This is quite possibly the greatest pro-wrestling sim ever made. The roster is fairly robust, the controls are simple yet expansive, and the difficulty settings are finely tuned. I wasted many hours dreaming up angles and playing out the matches in exhibition mode; my only gripe is I wish there were title belts in exhibition mode that you could put on the line in matches. My only other gripe is that "rest holds" should not make my opponent submit. Other than that, this game is nearly perfect.
You would think the sequel to the excellent WWE: Day of Reckoning would be equally as good, but sadly this is not the case. While it has a bigger roster and a slightly better create-a-wrestler tool, it unfortunately has a wrecked submission system, annoying stamina meter, and horrible difficulty imbalances. If playing the highest difficulty in the first game was like driving a Ferrari, playing it in this game is like driving a Yugo; don't expect matches to have any give and take - your opponent will counter just about everything you attempt. Also, how hard would it be to have title belts in exhibition mode? Or AI opponents who fight each other in triple threat matches? Stick to Day of Reckoning 1 if you want a satisfying wrestling sim.
