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Added 2/14/00
We've spent a lot of time playing WWF Smackdown and wanted to let our readers send in questions about our opinions of the game. For the most part, we were able to provide answers for all of your queries. However, we couldn't answer them all--too many blows to the head, no doubt! Read on to see the question and answer session we came up with.

Q: Can you go under the ropes in the Royal Rumble?
A: Unfortunately no. You are force to actually wrestle the wrestlers in the ring. What a concept.:)

Q: Say you start a season with The Rock, then you start another season with Stone Cold, will you fight the same wrestlers?
A: No, you would not fight the same people.

Q: Will there be a Nintendo 64 version of WWF Smackdown?
A: As far as we know, the answer is no.

Q: Is Stephanie McMahon in the game?
A: Well, we have not unlocked her yet at least.

Q: I've seen in most videos that after the wrestler does their finisher, it's an automatic KO. Can you turn this off, is it just a bug that hadn't been fixed yet or can't you do anything about it?
A: It is not always an automatic KO. Just depends on how worned down your opponent is.

Q: Do the wrestlers come out with their belts?
A: So far, the answer is no unless THQ decides to change that.

Q: When you are playing career mode who do you think is the best wrestler to use?
A: My favorite wrestler is SGN Rules, but if you are talking about a real WWF wrestler, The Rock is my favorite. He has the most electrifying move in sports entertainment.

Q: Is there a 'Hell-in-the-Cell' or 'Ladder' match?
A: Nope.:(

Q: Can you fight in the crowds or slam people through windows?
A: These features are beyond the capabilities of the Playstation, so the answer is no.

Q: Will WWF Smackdown be out for the Dreamcast?
A: We asked someone at THQ this question and they were not sure about WWF Smackdown being developed for the Dreamcast. They did state that there will be a Dreamcast wrestling game published by them in the upcoming future.

Added 2/9/00
For the past few years, WWF gaming fans' only option was WWF Warzone/Attitude. A few months ago THQ took the WWF licenses from Acclaim. Their first release was WWF Wrestlemania 2000, which has been selling like crazy. THQ's next WWF game is set to be released in early March for the PlayStation. WWF Smackdown is based on the Toukon Restuden wrestling engine, which most Americans have not had a taste of unless they imported some of Japan's wrestling games. We were very fortunate in being able to play a preview version of WWF Smackdown.

After a few matches with WWF Smackdown, I am very impressed by the progress so far. To start off, the game's season/career mode is simply amazing. WWF Wrestlemania 2000, which featured a not-so-bad season mode does not even match WWF Smackdown's mode. Some of the features were not finished yet, but I will list my favorites of those features already completed.

Throughout the season, your wrestler's health is an important characteristic in determining the outcome of your matches. A little heart next to your wrestler's name shows how healthy he/she is at the moment. The game adds an extra touch of realism by featuring random cut scenes of wrestlers coming out and making statements, as well as wrestlers attacking one another in the back.

The video quality and music quality is uncanny for a PlayStation title. Each of the superstar's theme music and entrance movies are included. Although there is no real entrance, the movies should be enough for most gamers.

The backstage portion of the game is by far the best in any wrestling game that has been released in North America. Your wrestler is able to move from room to room. You are no longer restricted to just one backstage area.

Fans should be really excited about WWF Smackdown. WWF Smackdown is the Rock's game, who fittingly could also be called the Great One. WWF Smackdown will indeed be a Great One. Look for us to update our preview with more info on the create-a-wrestler and create a pay-per-view mode as well as our final review in the upcoming weeks.

Meanwhile, if you have any questions you would like us to answer, please send them to sgnnews@sports-gaming.com and we will try to post any answerable questions. We will be posting more screens shortly.

Related Link: Soxx's WWF Gaming