Wrestling fans prepare yourselves: WWF Raw is War for the Xbox will be one of the major launch titles, and it looks to be the best wrestling game ever. For years now, wrestling games have tried to catch up to the spectacle of the WWF, but all have fallen short in some areas. Interminable matches with slow action have been fairly standard, and have been typically enhanced by nods to the drama of WWF episodes, including predictable "run-ins" and repetitive out-of-arena settings. Like other sports games, announcers have blurted out late and often irrelavent commentary, limited by the AI that can be sacrificed to the commentators.

WWF Raw is War changes all of that. Featuring 35 wrestlers, including all the faves, Raw is War enhances almost every element of the wrestling game. You can now grab opponents’ clothing for more realistic moves. You can intercept an opponent as he or she approaches the ring. Audiences will scramble as the action pours out of the squared-circle and into the stands. Backstage areas will be randomly generated at each venue, so no two fights will ever be the same. In short, this is as close as a wrestling game has ever come to re-creating the spectacle of a real WWF match.

In addition to the enhanced gameplay elements, the graphics are at a completely new level, impossible before the technology of the next-gen consoles. Wrestlers look and move almost exactly like their real-life counterparts, giving much more enjoyment to completing special moves and finishers. The audience moves and reacts to the excitement in the ring. Lights and objects look ultra-realistic, lending to the overall suspension of disbelief.