"Hey I just got Here Comes the Pain.
I dont mean this in a bad way but after comparing the 2 games I find that HCTP is much better looking, has more players, allows six people on screen at once, has elimination chamber etc while DOR has nothing. All of its new features are just rip-offs of HCTP.
What will this game have that sets it apart from HCTP?"
Probably nothing as the PS2 has successfully taken the wrestling game crown from the N64. It's very clear to me that the Smackdown games are THQ and the WWE's main focus now. Why THQ can't just get Aki to make these damn games again, I don't know but like EA's Bond games the WWE games have this "decent but not as good as on the N64" pattern going. All these attempts to find a new grappling system are ridiculous because a near perfect system already exists and as Def Jam Vendetta showed it still holds up incredibly well.
Wrestlemania XIX actually was pretty decent and the ladder match was pretty fun and way, WAY better than the No Mercy ladder match (as good as the grappling in Aki's games are the cage and ladder matches are complete ass). However the single player Revenge mode was insanely poor and the grappling system, though an improvement, was still too limiting. The way weak grapples were handled was really hard to get used to and resulted in matches where everyone does the same damn move again and again. And the wrestlers didn't have as many moves to pull off either. The CAW was also pretty weak. Sure you could customize really superfiscial stuff like the entrance taunts but the amount of moves to pick from was pretty slim. Maybe I've just been spoiled by Fire Pro Wrestling but I think having a wide list of unique moves to choose from and some cool variations of common moves is important.
I'll give Day of Reckoning a rent if it gets decent reviews but I sincerely doubt we're going to get something classic. With THQ publishing and the WWE calling a lot of the shots this is never going to get beyond sheer product and as a result will be only decent at best. The WWE's stagnation due to lack of competition has spread to their games as well.
Personally I'd like Nintendo to make a new version of the NES classic Pro Wrestling. Only without the WWE license holding them back could someone truly make a great wrestling game. Flexible release date, freedom to work on the grappling system and tweak the AI, no pressure to make the character models look exactly like the real people, etc. That would just be sweet and if I was a game designer it's the first game I would make.