Most of the storyline elements in the game don’t work too well when applied to the world of wrestling logic. One moment Paul Heyman and The Coach are telling you about how everything is planned or a “work” while in the next sequence you’re getting attacked backstage by Rhyno. While Rhyno could plausibly be upset after getting beaten, it’s implausible that he would be able to brutally attack me and get away with it. What happens is that the game mixes up reality and the WWE’s perceived reality where storylines actually occur. It was interesting when the game decided to showcase the behind the scenes elements (i.e. dark matches, match plans) but it just got weird when the game tried to toss rivalries at us after ensuring us that all of the guys backstage were buddies. What needed to happen was that the game needed to differentiate between what the perceived TV audiences were seeing and what was really happening to our wrestler when the cameras turned off. Was Rhyno’s attack a part of a storyline or was he really upset? We’ll never know because the game never really makes it clear. I wish that the designers could have just gone with one line of reasoning instead of consistently contradicting itself. Don’t get me wrong, it’s one of the best wrestling game storyline modes to-date, but it’s far from perfect.
If you’re looking for a frame of reference to help time stamp the game you’ll probably have a difficult time. Although the title holders are correct, the storylines seem to have been completely fabricated by the game’s designers. This means you’ll have factions like the New Ministry where the Undertaker runs with The Big Show, Booker T and Charlie Haas. It was probably for the best, considering just how horrible the WWE storylines have been for the past couple of years.
Yukes! has made some major improvements to the wrestling engine, most of which seem to be borrowed from the
Smackdown! franchise. In this year’s game there’s positional damage that plays a crucial role for submission-minded wrestlers. Ring psychology is a huge aspect of wrestling amongst purists and it can now play a key role in Day of Reckoning. Fans wouldn’t expect Chris Benoit to take out The Undertaker with the Crippler Crossface after working over his legs the whole match. The fact is that Benoit uses a lot of high-torque moves to setup his finisher, it’s what makes his matches so exciting and believable. Here you’ll have that same luxury, so if you want to take out someone with the Walls of Jericho your best bet is to wear down their legs and then perform the maneuver. Another new addition is a carryover from the Smackdown! Franchises. In order to take the guesswork of when and where you can pin your opponent, the game now features a heart rate meter that shows the condition of your opponent. It’s simple, when it’s red and flashing quickly the guy is amped up and ready to unleash. If it’s blue and slow then he’s lethargic and susceptible to the pin. You can also say good bye to the day when Spike Dudley could toss the Big Show around like a rag doll. This time around a new system has been implemented to prevent such an oddity from occurring.
Some of the grappling is still awkward due to the system’s inability to keep up with the action. The game’s lock-on system is very slow and unresponsive as you’ll constantly grab and punch at empty air as opposed to your opponents. It takes awhile but after you get used to it, the system
does work quite well. Tapping the A button and a direction will perform a weak grapple while holding the A and a direction will perform a stronger move. Weaker moves won’t do as much damage but your opponent is less likely to counter them. To balance out the stronger attacks the game adds a small transition animation where the opponent has more time to hit the counter button. In past games the counter system was the engine’s weakness. It was simple, to the point where players could win a match by wailing on the shoulder buttons. This time you’ll need to be more precise in order to counter an opponent. It requires much more skill to pull off and feels much less cheaper.
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