''WWE Day of Reckoning'' is a

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

released for the

GameCube The is a home video game console developed and released by Nintendo in Japan on September 14, 2001, in North America on November 18, 2001, and in PAL territories in 2002. It is the successor to the Nintendo 64 (1996), and predecessor of the Wii ...

console Console may refer to: Computing and video games * System console, a physical device to operate a computer ** Virtual console, a user interface for multiple computer consoles on one device ** Command-line interface, a method of interacting with ...

in 2004. The game is based on

World Wrestling Entertainment World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...

and many of the wrestlers who were on the WWE roster at the time of release were included as

player character A player character (also known as a playable character or PC) is a fictional character in a video game or tabletop role-playing game whose actions are controlled by a player rather than the rules of the game. The characters that are not control ...

s. The game also features the option to create wrestlers. The game's single player mode involves the player guiding a created wrestler through the ranks as a rookie and into main event stardom on either of WWE's

brands A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...

Raw Raw is an adjective usually describing: * Raw materials, basic materials from which products are manufactured or made * Raw food, uncooked food Raw or RAW may also refer to: Computing and electronics * .RAW, a proprietary mass spectrometry dat ...

'' or ''

SmackDown! ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that as of currently airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Fox Deportes simulc ...

''.

Gameplay

The game features a control system similar to that of AKI's

Nintendo 64 The (N64) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo. The successor to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, it was released on June 23, 1996, in Japan, on September 29, 1996, in North America, and on March 1, 1997, in Europe and Au ...

wrestling games with weak/strong

grappling Grappling, in hand-to-hand combat, describes sports that consist of gripping or seizing the opponent. Grappling is used at close range to gain a physical advantage over an opponent, either by imposing a position or causing injury. Grappling i ...

attacks and strikes. Players are also able to counter their opponents' attacks with a timed button press. One of the game's unique features is the "Momentum Shift" move - a desperation attack that gives a character an instant advantage during the match. The game's Exhibition mode allows players to wrestle in various match types including

Hell in the Cell Hell in a Cell is a professional wrestling steel cage-based match which originated in 1997 in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It features a large cell structure, a five-sided cuboid made from open-weave steel mesh chain-link fenc ...

and Iron Man matches. The game's Story Mode allows players to take a created wrestler from WWE developmental to

main event In sports, a card lists the matches taking place in a title match combat-sport event. Cards include a main event match and the undercard listing the rest of the matches. The undercard may be divided into a midcard and a lower card, according to ...

status by achieving various goals during matches.

Plot

The player creates a new WWE developmental superstar and assumes their role for the game. The created superstar starts off as a new wrestler signed to a WWE contract attempting to work his way up to the main roster. After this series of matches and cutscenes, the superstar is allowed to perform on '' Sunday Night Heat'', before he finally is allowed to join the main roster. There are two different brands to choose from (''Raw'' or ''SmackDown!''), each with their own distinct roster of wrestlers. As an effect, this will also choose which

stable A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals and livestock. There are many different types of stables in use today; the ...

they will join. Choosing Raw results in joining

Triple H Paul Michael Levesque (born July 27, 1969), better known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive, actor, and retired professional wrestler currently serving as the chief content officer for WWE. He is widely regarded as on ...

Evolution Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...

. Choosing SmackDown! results in joining

The Undertaker Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1965), better known by the ring name The Undertaker, is an American retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Calaway spent the vast majority ...

's New

Ministry Ministry may refer to: Government * Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister * Ministry (government department), a department of a government Religion * Christian ...

. The superstar goes on and works his way up the "rungs of the ladder" in a series of matches, ultimately resulting in the acquisition of the show's World Championship. If the player has chosen Raw, the World Heavyweight Championship will be awarded. If SmackDown! was chosen, the

WWE Championship The WWE Championship is a world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, representing the Raw brand division. It is one of two world titles on WWE's main roster, alongside SmackDown' ...

will be awarded. As the story progresses, Triple H or The Undertaker starts kicking people off the team as they fail him or (as in the case of the created superstar) become a threat to his championship. The final battle is an Iron Man match at

WrestleMania XX WrestleMania XX was the 20th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It featured professional wrestlers from both of the promotion's two brands divisions – Raw and ...

for the championship. The story is continued in the sequel, ''

WWE Day of Reckoning 2 ''WWE Day of Reckoning 2'' is a professional wrestling video game released for the GameCube by THQ. It is the sequel to ''WWE Day of Reckoning''. The soundtrack features music by industrial metal group A Dark Halo, who performed two songs in th ...

'', though under the assumption that the superstar chose ''Raw''.

Reception

'' GameSpot's'' Alex Navarro lauded the game for its improved story mode and graphics compared to the WWE's previous GameCube game '' WWE WrestleMania XIX'', as did '' IGN's'' Matt Casamassina. However, both sites found fault with the game's limited selection of wrestlers. The game itself received "favorable" reviews according to video game

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

. In Japan, ''

Famitsu formerly ''Famicom Tsūshin'', is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly formats as well as in the fo ...

'' gave it a score of one eight, one seven, one eight, and one six, for a total of 29 out of 40.

Sequel

The game was followed by a sequel released in 2005, titled ''

''.

References

External links