I groaned when I saw my brother walk in with THQ's latest Smackdown for the PS2. THQ's attempts to step out of developer Aki's (No Mercy) shadow turned out to be abysmal failures, lackluster wrestling games that, despite selling well due to the license, featured ugly graphics and stiff gameplay. It is therefore my pleasure to inform you those very dark days are a thing of the past! Smackdown: Here Comes the Pain is an absolutely phenomenal wrestling game. Not only is it the best in the series, it's the greatest wrestling game ever released in the U.S.

When my brother popped Here Comes the Pain into the PS2 I decided to watch, convinced THQ simply rehashed last year's Smackdown and included some new wrestlers. However, something looked different about Here Comes the Pain and it didn't take me long to notice that the graphics had been given a major overhaul. While not as realistic looking as RAW 2's, they're very impressive, so much so I'm still baffled as to how the PS2 is pumping them out while the game maintains such a high frame rate. In fact, I prefer Smackdown's wrestlers to the other games on the market because they're not as cartoony as Wrestlemania 19's and they're not as plastic looking as RAW's. What you're getting is an engine that pumps out highly detailed visuals that are complimented by an impressive level of detail and a plethora of special effects. The game's music, the pyro, the crowd that's now a mix of 2D and polygon people, the animation and the detail on the wrestlers is very well done.

While my brother played I leaned forward in my chair, then sat on the floor and asked him to exit out of his match so we could play. What floored me; what knocked my socks off was the unexpected quality of the gameplay. Smackdown is, simply put, the best wrestling game I've ever played and it's not that THQ completely changed the game from last year. It's the little things that make it great. For example, instead of pressing a button to target you'll automatically look at the wrestler nearest you. It fails once and a while but it's better off not worrying about who hit you last and whether or not you'll still be looking at them when you get up.

The animations are fantastic and the special effects during matches are also exquisite. Jump off the top rope and the game shows a slower and much more dramatic angle of you delivering the pain to your opponent. Plus, the special moves are easy to perform and very authentic looking. Watching Goldberg stalk his hapless foes while prepping himself for the spear is a lot of fun. In fact, all of the wrestlers look and perform like their real life counterparts! That, combined with the fast-paced gameplay creates this awesome synergy that had me rubbing my eyes in disbelief. It's like you're watching one of the shows.

The gameplay is just the beginning though. It's a hub, and connected to it are what seems like a million options and match types you can tailor to your liking. It's really a lot of what I saw last year but with a new coat of paint. You can still battle it out backstage in several different areas and there are weapons aplenty. Pushing your opponent in a shopping cart and diving off the top of a building in a Time Square-looking environment are two of my favorites.

There are the usual match types we're used to but you'll also duke it out in bra and panties and first blood matches, and if you really want to settle a score, drag your opponent to the Elimination Chamber! Out of these the first blood matches are my favorite. You don't have to play this type of match to make wrestlers bleed though. I very happily discovered they can be busted open any time.

If you dream of being a WWE superstar and would like to play out certain scenarios you can play Season Mode, a choose-your-own-adventure that takes you through WWE shows and PPVs on your journey to WrestleMania. You can attack people from behind, forge alliances and demand title shots, and there are various routes you can take as well.

In addition to the huge superstar roster THQ included famous WWE legends complete with their trademark signature moves. The Million Dollar Man, Jimmy Snuka, The Legion of Doom, Hillbilly Jim and the old school Undertaker are but a few of the legends and they even come to the ring in those old trains from Wrestlemania 6! My only gripe with them is the lack of music when they come to the ring because it takes me out of the experience. I don't know why THQ couldn't get their themes but I hope this is fixed by next year and they continue including legends in its Smackdown games. While playing as The Iron Sheik is fun, there are a ton of greats that were left out. Bret Hart, Yokozuna and Hulk Hogan are a few that are disappointingly absent.

The music issue unfortunately applies to the other superstars in the game because not all of them come out to their current themes. In particular, Rob Van Dam comes out to the music he debuted with. Why THQ? Please try harder to get all of the themes!

My other gripes are quite minor. Create-A-Superstar could always be deeper but how much time can I spend with it? I would like to see voices in the Season Mode but reading is fine and the crowd could be better animated. However, when I'm getting my butt kicked they're the least of my concerns. This is what makes Smackdown so great. For just about every flaw there's a counterargument as to why said flaw isn't a serious issue. As you can see, there's very little to complain about.

Here Comes the Pain is one of those games that has me hotly anticipating next year's installment because I can't fathom how THQ is going to improve what is already a near perfect wrestling game. I can complain about the game's musical woes and the crowd animations but it's all petty compared to the rest of the game, a WWE action feast! No Mercy fans, it's time to upgrade. Here Comes the Pain is looking for new satisfied customers and guess what? YOU'RE NEXT!