WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth

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Short description: 2002 professional wrestling video game
WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth
NTSC cover art featuring Kurt Angle, Brock Lesnar, Triple H, Chris Jericho and Booker T[lower-alpha 1]
Developer(s)Yuke's
Publisher(s)
SeriesSmackDown!
Platform(s)PlayStation 2
Release
  • NA: 13 November 2002[1]
  • EU: 15 November 2002
  • JP: 26 February 2003
Genre(s)Sports
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth (known as Exciting Pro Wrestling 4 in Japan) is a professional wrestling video game released on the PlayStation 2 console by THQ and developed by Yuke's. It is the fourth game in the WWE SmackDown! video game series, based on the professional wrestling promotion World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), and the sequel to WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It. It is also the first game in the series to be released under the "WWE" banner.

The game was succeeded by WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain released in October 2003.[2]

Gameplay

Season mode was lengthened to two in-game years and features the Brand Extension featuring Ric Flair's Raw and Vince McMahon's SmackDown!. For the first time, only WWE superstars could participate in Season mode. Players compete exclusively on the show they are drafted to for the first few months of year one, consisting of four Raw or SmackDown! events, plus a monthly pay-per-view (PPV) event. If the player's character is a created superstar, or if the original superstar has a rating lower than 60, they will instead begin their season on Sunday Night HEAT. Eventually, the player will be booked on the two major television shows, appearing on two Raw and two SmackDown! shows and the PPV event. One of the featured storylines is based on the WWE debut of the nWo of early 2002, which in-game, includes Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, and X-Pac (who replaced the released Scott Hall).[citation needed]

Like its predecessor Just Bring It, Shut Your Mouth's championships cannot be contended for in Exhibition mode and can only be defended in Season mode. All of the major titles of the time, with the exception of the WWE Women's Championship, are included in the game: WWE Undisputed, Intercontinental, European, Tag Team, Cruiserweight, and Hardcore championships. Various unlockables such as alternate attires for characters, extra movesets, and arenas can be unlocked throughout Season mode.[citation needed]

Televised and pay-per-view events are televised from the SmackDown! Arena, the exterior of which is based on the design of Madison Square Garden. Although Jim Ross announces a different city at the start of each event, the exteriors remain the same. Notable areas are a New York City Subway stop named SmackDown! Station, Times Square, and The World. The game features several arenas based on the various pay-per-views held by WWE in 2001 and 2002. There are also arenas based on each WWE television show. In certain arenas, players could make their wrestlers scale the TitanTron and jump off of it. For example, a player could have Rob Van Dam climb to the top of the fist in the SmackDown! arena, and perform a Five Star Frog Splash. In addition, The Undertaker's signature motorcycle could be ridden in some matches and backstage areas. Create-A-Superstar mode gives the player freedom to manipulate any part of the superstar's body. It also offers over 58 move sets from a combination of superstars in WWE not featured in the game or working in different promotions.[citation needed]

This is the first WWE game to feature superstars on different brands, Raw and SmackDown!. In this game, all the superstars, including champions are eligible to be drafted on both brands, with the exception of the WWE Undisputed Champion, who is available on both brands, so long as he is the reigning champion. This also marks the first WWE video game appearances of Billy Kidman, Brock Lesnar, Chuck Palumbo, Diamond Dallas Page, Jazz, Maven, Randy Orton, Rico, and Torrie Wilson.

Development

Shut Your Mouth received a major graphical overhaul during its development, with superstar models being updated to include realistic facial features. Fully animated entrances for each character are also featured, with the superstar's signature entrance video playing on the TitanTron, while their respective themes playing in the arena. The title belts are also displayed in the entrances in realistic fashion (e.g. The Rock carrying the title belt to the ring and raising it above his head).[citation needed]

For superstar entrances, most of the themes used in the televised and house shows were incorporated into the game. Along with the in-house music from Jim Johnston, remakes of Johnston's originals from bands such as Breaking Point (for Rob Van Dam), Boy Hits Car (for Lita), Cypress Hill (for Tazz), Our Lady Peace (for Chris Benoit), and Saliva (for The Dudley Boyz) were also featured. However, Maven, Stacy Keibler, Tajiri, Randy Orton, and The Hardy Boyz do not have their correct themes (although an instrumental version of Maven's actual entrance theme is included on the game disc). Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler provide sporadic play-by-play commentary, while ring announcer Howard Finkel provided his voice for match introductions and superstar entrances.[citation needed]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic82/100[3]
Review scores
PublicationScore
EGM7.33/10[4]
Eurogamer8/10[5]
Game Informer7.5/10[6]
GameProStarStarStarStar[7]
GameSpot8.9/10[8]
GameSpyStarStarStarStarHalf star[9]
GameZone8.8/10[10]
IGN8.2/10[11]
OPM (US)StarStarHalf star[12]
X-PlayStarStarStarStar[13]
BBC Sport87%[14]

By July 2006, the game had sold 1.1 million copies and earned $50 million in the United States. Next Generation ranked it as the 44th highest-selling game launched for the PlayStation 2, Xbox or GameCube between January 2003 and July 2006 in that country. Combined console sales of WWE games released in the 2000s reached 8 million units in the United States by July 2006.[15] It also received a "Platinum" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA),[16] indicating sales of at least 300,000 copies in the United Kingdom.[17]

The game received "generally favorable" reviews, according to video game review aggregator Metacritic.[3] GameSpot named it the second-best PlayStation 2 game of November 2002.[18] It was a runner-up for GameSpot's annual "Best Graphics (Technical) on PlayStation 2" award, which went to Ratchet & Clank.[19]

References

  1. I. G. N. Staff (2002-10-29). "SmackDown! Goes Gold" (in en). https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/10/29/smackdown-goes-gold. 
  2. "WWE's History of Video Games" (in en). WWE. http://www.wwe.com/inside/thq/wwe-13/the-history-of-wwe-video-games. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 "WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth for PlayStation 2 Reviews". https://www.metacritic.com/game/wwe-smackdown-shut-your-mouth/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-2. 
  4. EGM staff (January 2003). "WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth". Electronic Gaming Monthly (162): 182. http://www.egmmag.com/article2/0,2053,1492331,00.asp. Retrieved 12 February 2015. 
  5. Bramwell, Tom (18 November 2002). "WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth". http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_wwesmackdown4_ps2. 
  6. Leeper, Justin (December 2002). "WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth". Game Informer (116): 119. http://www.gameinformer.com/Games/Review/200212/R03.0731.1034.41662.htm. Retrieved 12 February 2015. 
  7. The D-Pad Destroyer (8 November 2002). "WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth Review for PS2 on GamePro.com". GamePro. http://www.gamepro.com/sony/ps2/games/reviews/26996.shtml. Retrieved 12 February 2015. 
  8. Varanini, Giancarlo (7 November 2002). "WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth Review". http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/wwe-smackdown-shut-your-mouth-review/1900-2897046/. 
  9. Villoria, Gerald (10 December 2002). "GameSpy: SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth". GameSpy. http://ps2.gamespy.com/playstation-2/wwe-smackdown-shut-your-mouth/563602p1.html. 
  10. Romano, Natalie (3 December 2002). "WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth - PS2 - Review". GameZone. http://www.gamezone.com/reviews/wwe_smackdown_shut_your_mouth_ps2_review. 
  11. Smith, David (7 November 2002). "WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth". http://www.ign.com/articles/2002/11/07/wwe-smackdown-shut-your-mouth. 
  12. Zuniga, Todd (January 2003). "WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine: 136. http://www.playstationmagazine.com/article2/0,2053,1493932,00.asp. Retrieved 12 February 2015. 
  13. Baldwin, Michael (11 November 2002). "'WWE Smackdown! Shut Your Mouth' (PS2) Review". X-Play. http://www.g4tv.com/articles/40992/wwe-smackdown-shut-your-mouth-ps2-review/. 
  14. Gibbon, David (21 November 2002). "Let's play: WWE SmackDown! [Shut Your Mouth"]. BBC Sport. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/funny_old_game/2498399.stm. 
  15. Campbell, Colin; Keiser, Joe (29 July 2006). "The Top 100 Games of the 21st Century". Next Generation. http://www.next-gen.biz/index2.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3537&Itemid=2&pop=1&page=1. 
  16. "ELSPA Sales Awards: Platinum". Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association. http://www.elspa.com:80/?i=3944. 
  17. Caoili, Eric (26 November 2008). "ELSPA: Wii Fit, Mario Kart Reach Diamond Status In UK". Gamasutra. https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/112220/ELSPA_Wii_Fit_Mario_Kart_Reach_Diamond_Status_In_UK.php. 
  18. ((The Editors of GameSpot)) (December 7, 2002). "GameSpot's Game of the Month, November 2002". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/all/gotm/120702/index.html. 
  19. GameSpot Staff (December 30, 2002). "GameSpot's Best and Worst of 2002". GameSpot. http://gamespot.com/gamespot/features/all/bestof2002/. 
  1. The PAL-region cover art features The Rock and "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan.
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
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