In recent years, WWE games have fallen from grace. There have been wrestling games that metaphorically took a chair shot to the head, and were down for the count and there are others that "cashed in" and found a vast amount of success.

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While some fans are eager to return to the crowd after COVID 19, many are still connecting to their favorite form of sports entertainment through video games. Fans looking for the best experiences in WWE gaming will find that some games stand out above the rest.

The original Smackdown Vs. Raw was met with mostly positive reviews. At this point (2004), WWE's brand split was gaining real traction, with fans picking a side and deciding what weekly show they'd support. WWE Raw, WWE's long-running flagship program, or WWE Smackdown the newer on the rise show of talent.

Smackdown Vs. Raw made full use of the marketing that was the WWE brand war, and the rivalry the two shows had. While this game had its flaws, it still made up for it with advanced mechanics and showed what customizable options could look like for future installments down the road.

One of the biggest complaints WWE fans have is that modern games are lacking in a good story mode. This is mostly true, but this is not the case for WWE Smackdown! Shut Your Mouth.

This Playstation 2 classic is highly regarded for its advanced story mode, where players select rosters and choose their own designated path through the WWE ladder. Many fans are still begging for this concept to be replicated since it is arguably the most intricate and highly interactive story mode in any WWE game to this day.

WWE 2k16 is an entry in the series that serves as a grand improvement when compared to its 2K15 predecessor. After the negative reception of WWE 2K15, fans were about ready to give up on the WWE 2K games series. Developer Yuke's went above and beyond to improve everything they could from their previous installment and succeeded in a majority of different ways.

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The greatest thing about 2K16 isn't the improvements or added match types though. The overflowing roster containing over 120 characters is what makes this game stand out. Adding some much-needed diversity to a stale cast of playable talent with the introduction of numerous NXT superstars makes this entry stand out especially.

Smackdown Vs. Raw 2007 was the first WWE game to be released on Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 consoles, and while there weren't many new additions such as game modes, match types, commentary, etc. it's still a great entry in the series nonetheless.

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Keeping much of what made the 2006 edition of the game so successful, but not offering anything new likely due to developer Yuke's having to create four different versions of the game due to the newly released console's arrival. One aspect worth mentioning is the game's ever-growing roster though as newcomers and legends are both present and accounted for.

While better than the 2007 entry in the series, and a majority of the other titles as well, Smackdown Vs. Raw 2010 isn't the best of the Smackdown Vs. Raw era of WWE games, but it's a sequel worthy of the namesake in its own right. While the roster is a lot more lacking when compared to the 120 playable characters that 2K16 possesses, it still makes up for that with major enhances to gameplay and a few standout game modes.

Character creation was enhanced exponentially in this title, allowing players to customize every attribute of their wrestler, along with creating their own entrance, highlight reels, and finishing moves. Another welcomed addition was the improvements to the vastly underrated Road to Wrestlemania game mode, which allowed players to create personalized stories for every single wrestler in the game where one's imagination could run rampant.

Mostly beloved for its absolutely brutal gameplay, this WWE game is by far the most "attitude era" out of any WWE game to date, and that's likely why fans still can't get over it. Being that the attitude era was and still arguably was the best time to be a wrestling fan, creating a game with attitude was definitely key, and that's what developer syn Sophia did.

The sequel to Wrestlemania 2000 runs off the same engine but proves that it can still prosper. The first game in the WWE game mythos to include storylines into gameplay, along with epic and brutal combat and finisher animations make WWF No Mercy a game long-time fans still reminisce about.

The final game developed by Yukes in the WWE 2K series, WWE 2K19 is the wrestling game that longtime fans have wanted for years.

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Older entries in the series are highly regarded for their ridiculous and oftentimes over-the-top atmosphere, and it seems like 2K19 developer Yukes took those games to heart, and created something that both hardcore and casual fans could get behind. Serving as by far the best title in the WWE 2K series, WWE 2K19 has nearly everything from wacky match types, a steller roster, and incredibly fun gameplay. It's a shame the series couldn't keep the momentum going following it.

Smackdown Vs. Raw 2006 took the concept of brand wars to a whole new level with the introduction of fan-favorite game mode, General Manager mode, (Or GM mode for short).

GM mode is a fairly simple, and straightforward game mode. Players take control of either Smackdown or Raw and produce their rosters, matches, rivalry, champions, and more. Players could run their own show and decide the fate of their show's wrestlers. While this game mode hasn't been around for over 10 years now, WWE 2K titles have introduced players to Universe mode which is similar to GM mode. Sadly Universe mode is nowhere near as good.

Named after one of the many iconic catchphrases said by Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, WWF Smackdown! 2: Know Your Role is a standout in the series. Releasing in 2000 as a PS1 exclusive, Know Your Role seemingly already knew its role when it hit shelves that fateful year.

The addition of some wild match types such as backstage brawl and outrageous weapons make this entry a highly sought after, and much-beloved wrestling title to this day.

Similarly named after a prominent catchphrase (said by former wrestler and commentator Tazz every time Brock Lesnar came to the ring), Here Comes The Pain still holds up to this day. While Xbox players weren't graced with this wrestling gem of a game, Playstation 2 users were.

At the time of release, Here Comes The Pain was the best-looking wrestling game ever and had gameplay reminiscent of WWF No Mercy in regards to the ridiculous, brutal, and overall enjoyable combat mechanics. Finishing moves especially felt huge in this game, as the camera angle would change and create the epic environment a fan would see viewing WWE's actual product from home. While completely unnecessary, Here Comes The Pain seemingly knows this and gives fans an experience that many still rave about to this day.

NEXT: WWE 2K22: Fresh Ideas For it (& Ideas It Should Take From Old Games)