It's No Contest: 'Smackdown' Is Ring King of Wrestling Titles

By AARON CURTISS

April 20, 2000 12 AM PT

At the risk of ticking off a few people much larger than myself, I consider televised wrestling about as much of a sport as playing video games. In fact, the two would seem a perfect match: Over-the-top action with bizarre costumes and characters right out of central casting.

You would think.

But in a recent crop of video wrestling games, only one is much fun to play. The others plod along with plenty of pre-programmed attitude, but little in the way of challenging or enjoyable action in the ring.

The three games in this batch span the major game consoles and wrestling organizations: “ECW Hardcore Revolution” is for Sega Dreamcast; “WWF Smackdown” for Sony PlayStation; and “WWF Wrestlemania 2000” for Nintendo 64. All offer similar in-the-ring-style play, and at the beginning, it can be difficult to tell the three apart.

Each begins with heavy guitars. The disc-based games on Dreamcast and PlayStation boast video images of oiled-up wrestlers diving across the ring interspersed with frenetic and slightly leering cuts of scantily clad she-wrestlers wiggling around backstage. It’s supposed to get players in the mood.

But after that kind of intro, most of the games are a letdown. Only “WWF Smackdown” delivers the play where it counts. Players can choose from a variety of play modes--ranging from single-match tag teams to backstage grudge matches. The control in each is superb and the graphics are surprisingly good for a PlayStation title. Standard to just about every sports title these days, wrestlers such as “Stone Cold” Steve Austin had their faces captured, giving the on-screen characters a look of authenticity.

Making them even more realistic: lifelike movement. Sure, the characters lumber around a little bit, but it’s nowhere near as bad as in “Wrestlemania 2000” or “ Hardcore Revolution.” Despite the more powerful processors in both the Nintendo 64 and the Dreamcast, neither of these games consistently matches “Smackdown.”

My hopes were highest for “Hardcore Revolution,” but nothing about the game is very special. Graphically, it’s a very small cut above games for Nintendo 64 or PlayStation, but it never delivers the kind of clarity or fluid movement for which Dreamcast is known. For instance, when characters walk through the crowd, they lurch along like some sort of wrestling cyborg.

“Wrestlemania 2000” suffers from being too much like professional wrestling in that there’s a lot of noise and flash, but very little actually going on. Most matches are slow and tedious, although designers tossed in signature moves to liven things up. So just before players fall asleep, they can have the Undertaker administer the “Tombstone Pile Driver” to some unlucky opponent.

Road Rash Jailbreak

One of the best reasons to own one of the old 3DO Multiplayers was to play “Road Rash,” the original bad boy of motorcycle racers. The platform died, but the game series survives on Sony PlayStation. The latest installment, “Road Rash Jailbreak,” lets players cruise and bruise across the countryside with decent racing and exceptional roughhousing.

The franchise survives because of its simplicity. Players race motorcycles and kick, slap and punch competitors off their bikes to claim victory. In “Jailbreak,” the stakes are higher. Players ride either as a member of a gang of outlaw bikers or as one of the baton-wielding cops sworn to stop them.

The only real differences between the two are the clothes they wear and the bikes they ride. Even so, it’s a kick to alternate between the two, giving the id and superego their time in front of the tube.

In Jailbreak mode, players sign on to a biker gang and work their way up in status and ability by racing other bikers. Depending on which gang is chosen, players ride either big American-style cruisers or nimble Japanese sport bikes. It’s possible--but not likely or very exciting--to win a race solely by riding well. More often, players must take out opponents who invade their space.

In Five-O mode, players assume the role of a police officer charged with nabbing the bad guys. Each race has a quota, meaning players must pick up either the required number of lesser thugs or catch up to the baddest bad guy in each level and try to arrest him. Neither option is easy.

Although enjoyable alone, the game takes on new excitement when played against--or with--a buddy. Players can opt to challenge each other as opposing sides of the law or as members of opposing gangs. The split screen provides each player with a view of the action that never seizes or slows up. For players who prefer teamwork, the game offers a cooperative mode that enables one player to ride and the other in a sidecar to wallop opponents.

Control is nice and tight, using the analog controls on the PlayStation joypad. After a while, the use of both thumbsticks becomes so natural that it makes one wonder why all racing games don’t use the configuration.

Visually, though, “Road Rash Jailbreak” clunks along. Tracks have nice detailing, but sometimes there’s so much happening at once that none of it looks very good. Some of the riders are blobby and the scenery often is blocky. Compared with the original “Road Rash,” which featured such sparse tracks that players felt a little lonely, “Jailbreak” represents a big leap forward. But compared with some other racers, the look is pretty primitive.

Aaron Curtiss is participating in a Times management training program, where he currently serves as assistant to the senior vice president of advertising. He has no financial dealings with the companies he covers. To comment on a column or to suggest games for review, send e-mail to aaron.curtiss@latimes.com.

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Essentials

Road Rash Jailbreak

* Platform: Sony PlayStation

* Publisher: Electronic Arts

* ESRB* rating: Teen

* Price: $39.99

* Bottom line: Two-wheeled mayhem

ECW Hardcore Revolution

* Platform: Sega Dreamcast/Nintendo 64

* Publisher: Acclaim

* ESRB* rating: Mature