The real pulling point of this game is without doubt the Season mode. In past incarnations of this game it has been only partially effective but Yuke have really started to get it right in this version. You get the option to organise the roster split or simulate the draft. You can fight as an unknown or as an established wrestler and this has a serious effect on how long it will take you to become the undisputed champion. To begin with the Undertaker is the undisputed champion and once you have defeated him both sides of the draft will be after your title.

The greatest element of this Season mode is that you can choose if you are a face or a heel by befriending other wrestlers in the locker room or attacking the winner of the king of the ring. These friends and enemies will come back to haunt you in the cut-scenes before and after matches but I’m sure you’ll be a big enough wrestler to take whatever comes at you in your stride. It all contributes to a more involved experience.

At the end of the month the PPV of the month will take place and winning it will allow you to unlock loads of cool extras including new ‘create-a-wrestler’ parts, movies, new moves, new arenas and much more.

The fighting improvements although at first may seem minimal, there is a great increase from previous incarnations with a much greater sense of realism and interaction between fighters as many of the best moves come from a dialogue of moves between different characters. This allows for very interesting varied fights. Whereas most fighting games you trade blows which can get very repetitive there is a sense of real variation in Smackdown SYM.

The games always involve similar game play with increased extras such as the ability to drive the Undertaker’s bike anytime during the fights and being able to remove the corner post padding to inflict extra pain.

The Create-a-Wrestler mode is simply incredible. It has come on leaps and bounds from Just Bring It. The face options are so detailed you can pretty much create anyone you like and with the realistic hair options there is almost limitless potential. They have also included the looks and moves of some of the big names not included in this version such as Mysterio.

The commentary is the last real point of interest and while it has changed little from Just Bring it it is still subtle, and combined with the pumping soundtrack is a nice combination.

Shut Your Mouth comes out quite well overall, then. The problem which faces most wrestling games, that wrestling is an ever changing beast which rolls on steadily with the ever increasing demand, and is therefore very difficult to keep up-to-date. Yuke has still delivered a very well rounded game, which has obviously had a lot of time and care spent in its creation. Don’t get me wrong this game isn’t perfect, but it is without doubt the best next-generation wrestling game on the market at the moment.

85%

By Chris Monk