The Raw wrestling videogame brand has been around since the Genesis days but after Acclaim lost the WWE license to THQ the Raw brand disappeared.

The WWE wanted to put for every console a definite WWE game (Nintendo=Wrestlemania, Sony=Smackdown, Sega=Royal Rumble, E.T.C.) Using the knowledge it gained from helping develop Sega's Dreamcast main interface, Microsoft edged into the console race like a retarted horse on fire.

Bill Gates team of developers recruited a list of game companies for the launch of the Xbox; including one called THQ. THQ isn't a really innovative game company per se, THQ mainly deals with toy video game licenses (hence T-TOY HQ-Head Quarters) and acquiring old game licences (Road Rash 64, Croc1&2 for GBC, Destruction Derby 64, E.T.C.) So after WCW/NWO Thunder, the WWE approched them to develop for them and THQ accepted. After a Wrestlemania 2000, NO Mercy, Royal Rumble, and two incarnations of Smackdown; THQ began to become known as the WWE people.

This brings us the courtship of THQ for Xbox, the WWE gave THQ all ownership rights to use whatever name they need as the name for a wrestling game. And what is more trustworthy than WWE RAW? Nothing. If You read my review the last time, I stated that WWE RAW had a lousy time due to some nagging techical and gameplay related problems.

AH, THE ATTITUDE DAYS

Anchor still remains to have the reigns to this wreslting game series. After a year of soul searching, Anchor seems to have gone to Wrestle 101 school because this game is better than its predecessor.

As soon as you pop the disk into the Xbox, the screen over comes you with pop culture icons, over zealous characters, and just other mentionable has beens.

Anchor fixed the lackluster main menu which now looks like its intune with the current raw settings. The only problem is that although this game is a game dedicated to Monday Night RAW it also includes Smackdown super stars which I believe should have been credited too. Smackdown does it, why can't RAW?

Anchor also fixed the motivation-less season mode that we saw in the first RAW. This also has its faults, being just shallow enough to have some fun; GMs from different shows call each others shots, CPU controlled wrestler can hold up to five different titles at the same time and the list goes on.

Anchor saw fit to put a enemies and allies list according to the traits of your personality. This while seems like a great concept falls short because no matter what you do you can never side with your enemies. This f@#%s your wrestler up too because every enemy (whether it is a cruiser wieght to a bottom listed grappler) thinks they deserve a title shot and they dont quit calling you out and making deals with the GM for a match with you.

This incarnation of the RAW series also suffers from out of date theme songs and entraces, but it you have money and could buy WWE Anthology then your able to update the entraces by just extracting the songs to your Xbox. I've always felt that it should already be up to date when you buy it and that why this has become such a disadvantage and let down.

INHALE

This franchise was supposed to be better than No Mercy in terns of the grappling engine. WWE RAW showed signs of becoming a great wrestling sim but WWE RAW 2 feels more arcady with a dash of sim on the side.

The Create a Superstar mode had improved and also you can customise your created superstars entrace to a "T". The sound is spectacular, and the graphics are mind blowingly realistic.

Unlike the first incarnation which most of the features were nagging and made the game nearly unplayable (unless you had patience with games;) the second incarnation improves over this but still has many minor things that nags at the play-replayablity of this game. Overall if your a diehard WWE fan you might be dissapointed and if you indifferent Xbox fan or if your a newcomer to the wrestling game scene then this game can very well be your Xbox wrestling messiah.