Chances are that if you've been playing video games for a while, you've got at least a passing familiarity with pro wrestling. After all, the glory days of Hulk Hogan, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, and The Ultimate Warrior were shared by the heyday of the original NES, and it seems like wrestling grew right along with the video game industry.

Perhaps it's only a coincidence that the Sony PlayStation was booming right around the same time that the phenomenon formerly known as the World Wrestling Federation was at its peak, but without a doubt, wrestling games have established themselves thanks to a fervent fan base, and a license filled with colorful characters that evolves more often than any true sport. In fact, with SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth, Yuke's has truly evolved the wrestling game as we know it from what is essentially a grappling-based fighting system to a simulation of sports entertainment; cheesy storylines and all.

If you're a fan of World Wrestling Entertainment, then you'll feel right at home with the remarkably up-to-date roster of available wrestlers. You've got nearly all of the recently popular WWE Superstars, like The Undertaker, Brock Lesnar, Kurt Angle, and Chris Jericho, as well as mid-carders like Raven, Diamond Dallas Page, and Randy Orton. The amazing thing about the roster isn't the respectable size ( there are over fifty different wrestlers), but instead the incredible move variety, giving each grappler a custom-fitted arsenal of attacks.

One great example is The Hurricane, the caped cruiserweight wrestler whose garb is a tribute to Green Lantern. Instead of normal body slams and strikes, he's got a fully tailored list of moves that reflect his actual in-ring mannerisms. For instance, he often gives the crowd the thumbs-up, he strikes heroic poses with his cape, and even offers a handshake to his opponent before giving them a cheap shot. You may also laugh at the possibility of him performing his patented "Hurri-Chokeslam" move on The Big Show; suspension of disbelief will go a long way here.

It's marvelous fun to play with Hulk Hogan as well, whose creative grapples include his back rake, a test of strength, and the classic "Hulking-Up" routine where he shakes off an opponent's punch, and follows up with a stiff blow.

But sticking the same characters with new moves isn't all that has been changed since last year's SmackDown! Just Bring It. The game impresses from a graphical standpoint, with smooth, well-animated character models that bear an amazing level of facial detail. You can see each and every one of Hogan's wrinkles, and in a departure from previous wrestling games, the ladies actually look quite feminine, resembling their human counterparts rather accurately.

The different venues look great, particularly during the stunning wrestler entrances. Watching Booker T make an entrance, complete with pyrotechnics, and his unmistakable gestures is quite impressive, especially if directly compared to the almost identical real-life version. The full-screen entrance videos look good as well, and you'll find that the game's slick television-style presentation can almost fool you into thinking that you're watching SmackDown! on a Thursday night.

The gameplay has also been suitably upgraded with a number of smoothly integrated features. The reversal system in the previous games was far too easy to use -- mashing relentlessly on the square button could reverse any move. Now, reversals require a bit of luck and forethought: the square button on its own will reverse strikes, while grapples require that it be pressed along with a directional button, although which directional button you press dictates whether or not your reversal will be successful.

However, while you'll reverse fewer moves, you'll find that the results can be spectacular. Nearly every move has a custom reversal allocated to it, and it's quite interesting to see the variety. Even better, all finishing moves can be reversed as well. You'll also find that weapons have been thoroughly revamped in SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth. All weapons can be used in a variety of ways, leading to incredibly fun hardcore, tables, ladders, and chairs matches. A steel folding chair can be used to simply whack someone over the head, or it can be dropped onto the floor before performing a face-first DDT. A ladder can be used as a makeshift spear to jab an opponent in the gut, or you can set it up in a number of different ways. You can erect the ladder and use it as a launching pad for an aerial move, or set it up against a corner to toss an opponent into.

If you get to fight backstage, you can also make use of other everyday objects, like soda machines, fire extinguishers, and anything else you may find in a parking lot or boiler room. If so inclined, you can even steal the Undertaker's bike, and take it for a spin around the arena. Every superstar also has access to more options where finishing moves are concerned, specifically, the ability to steal an opponent's finisher. You'll no doubt have a blast watching Trish Stratus perform an F5 on Brock Lesnar, or any of a slew of similar impossibilities.