WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2008

Well, it's basically the same Smackdown we have been playing for years with some minor improvements and additions, which is either good or bad depending on how you look at it. The graphics are much improved from the PS2 days, especially the wrestler faces. Practically every wrestler looks very close to their real-life counterpart. The gameplay is very smooth and more realistic than ever. The new fighting styles and improved "Ultimate Control" moves add much-needed depth to the classic Smackdown fighting engine. I love the fact that they included many ECW wrestlers and some good legends, such as Sandman, Sabu, CM Punk, Terry Funk, Rick Rude, and more. And finally Jeff Hardy is back in a WWE game (first appearance since Shut Your Mouth in 2002)!!! The only thing that sucks is that they copied and pasted Stone Cold and The Rock from SvR 2007...I swear the character models, animations, and attires are exactly the same. I never once saw The Rock wear those tights with the blue-green lettering. Plus their entrance animations are WAY off - I don't know who mo-capped these entrances, but they obviously weren't very big fans of the "Attitude" era. One cool thing Yukes DID add, though, is alternate DX attires for Triple H and HBK. Very nice!

The 24/7 mode is kinda boring...it's like they combined GM mode and Season, but it just doesn't work as well as it should. There is no continuity and the storylines make little to no sense at times...oh wait, that IS just like the real WWE. Way to represent the brand faithfully, Yukes! But seriously, am I the only fan who misses the old-school season mode from games like WrestleMania 2000? You fight you way up from the lower card to the mid card (winning, defending, and losing multiple titles along the way) and eventually reach the upper echelon and fight for the WWE title at WrestleMania. No stupid nonsense storylines, no space-consuming voiceovers, just lots of matches with the ultimate goal of winning (and successfully defending) the WWE title. I swear I miss the old days. On the bright side, Tournament mode is back! Or some refer to this as King of the Ring. I am very addicted to this mode, so it's such a welcome addition in my opinion. Now if they would only bring back the "I Quit" matches...

Online kinda sucks. They just can't seem to eliminate the lag. Oh well, I never play Smackdown online anyways because of the cheaters, so it's a dead issue for me.

The commentary is, well, pretty horrendous. JBL sounds like he's mentally handicapped or something. Just turn it off as soon as you get the chance.

Finally we can import our own tracks for the CAW entrance themes!!! And you can update themes for the existing wrestlers, too. Very cool!

Anyways, everything else is pretty good. The match types have not really been updated (just minor fixes), the A.I is still dumb, and there are lots of little glitches and other things that I could nitpick all day long, but that's the case with every new Smackdown game, so it was all expected. At the end of the day, this is still a very fun game - probably the most fun I've had since Here Comes the Pain in 2003. The little additions to the gameplay (especially the new hardcore weapon moves and high-flying moves) really do add a lot to make the game feel fresh, especially after last year's somewhat dull offering. If you're a fan of the WWE or past Smackdown games, you'll want to pick this up ASAP. Anyone else, rent it first, but I think everyone that plays this will find something to enjoy.

Another year, another WWE licensed video game. Some will go down as bona fide classics (No Mercy 64, WWE Smackdown Vs. Raw 2006) and some will not (this game). 2008 had every opportunity to be one of the best around, especially with the potential of the PS3. I've been playing these games since WCW vs. NWO: World Tour for the N64 and even WCW vs. The World for the original Playstation and each year the game has its high peaks and its transitional games, and this would fall into the latter. This game just doesn't seem finished, the new ideas like Wrestler Styles (brawler, submission, hardcore, etc.) are a step in the right direction, but limit your wrestler too much. I understand giving a 400lb guy an enziguiri or shooting star press is a bit unrealistic, but weren't we the ones who paid $60 for the game? Also, different move sets are assigned to different styles, so there's little chance of giving a dirty wrestler any elaborate power or technical move. My powerhouse won't have any decent submission holds or technical moves; by now you're starting to get the point. Some moves are even missing from earlier editions of the game. The ultimate control grapple from last time is a good enough idea, but good luck trying to get them to work half of the time. It's a 50/50 shot whether or not I'm slamming my opponent's head into the ground or getting my head slammed into the ground. Also, the moveset controls aren't explained extremely well. I actually didn't figure out until a week or so of owning the game that both styles' movesets can be accessed in the same match (strong grapple + up or + down on the left stick access the other sets). Some other minor control features aren't explained very well or don't appear in the manual at all.

Roster-wise, this game also disappoints in more ways than one. I can honestly tell you that I haven't watched pro wrestling since I was in my freshman year in high school so I'm not as familiar with all of these wrestlers as most fans are, but come on, at least give us more legend options. The familiar faces are all there, such as The Undertaker, Triple H, John Cena, Rey Mysterio Jr, Edge and so-on, but where are legends like Hogan, Ted DiBiase (my old favorite), The Iron Shiek, Jake Roberts, Tazz (this game has ECW guys in it and he'd be perfect) and I could go on for ten minutes. Also, every guy on the roster is rated extremely high, completely removing the sense of balance from the game. Matt Hardy is a 90 but Triple H is only a 94? That eliminates possible mismatches, but it also makes half of the roster too good. In the old games, if the guy was a jobber (like say Rico or Hurricane Helms) he'd be a 70-something, and if a guy was a winner, he'd be a 90-something. On the bright side, the ECW additions are extremely fun to play as (I dare you not to absolutely love being Sabu or Sandman) and the ECW weapons system is a lot of fun. I do miss the backstage areas a lot, but a Money-in-the-Bank match has kept my friends and I occupied.

Career mode is arduous at best. It feels like a lot of work, and not a lot of fun to move through a year in the 24/7 mode. Storylines make little to no sense and cutscenes often repeat themselves. Wrestlers will turn on you or befriend you with no rhyme nor reason (which I guess is like real WWE) and as usual, the McMahon family is pure evil. I honestly just simulate through 24/7 mode to build up my guys and make money.

The create-a-player hasn't changed too much but still seems off, as for every addition or a new hairstyle or outfit, there's a subtraction of another one. The Xbox 360 version DOES allow for re-writable soundtracks and entrance music, as well as twice as many layers for our create-a-wrestlers. I actually sold my PS3 version online and bought the Xbox 360 version just for those two differences. I love finally being able to give my wrestlers whatever entrance music I want. The PS3 version's graphics seem slightly less colorful and bright and maybe a tad more realistic, but the gameplay moves much less smoothly than the 360 version. I was surprised how noticeably different the Xbox 360 version felt than the PS3's. I'll take slightly diminished graphics over smoother gameplay nine out of ten times, and there isn't even a huge, noticeable difference. The load times seemed a lot longer for the PS3 as well, especially with a create-a-wrestler match.

Overall, this game doesn't feel like a total disappointment. It's still just as fun to play with a group of buddies as any of the old games, it's just no fun to play by yourself. I usually make about twenty create-a-wrestlers anyway, so the roster issue isn't as big of a problem for me as it is for a real fan of WWE wrestling; I'll just make my own roster. This game shows serious potential but just isn't a classic. If anything, I really look forward to next year's game so that THQ can fine tune the gamplay.

I really had a hard time deciding whether or not to buy this game on the 360 or Wii. After seeing the lack of match types and repetitiveness on the Wii, I went and got the 360 version. At first, I wasn't very happy with my decision. I wanted to take it back and get the Wii version. Boy, am I happy I didn't. It takes a couple matches to get used to the new controls and superstar fighting styles, but once you get in the groove, it's full throttle fun! There are so many match types, it's insane. Of course, the create a wrestler mode is incredible and it's cool you can put in your own entrance music. This makes it a lot cooler to create the likes of Chris Jericho, who recently came back to the WWE. From the top down, this game rocks. The only reason I don't give this game five stars is that the 24/7 mode has a lot of moments that don't make any sense or go along with the storyline. Also, I think the roster is pretty weak compared to the other games in the Smackdown series. With a better roster and a fixed 24/7 mode, the 2009 version has a chance to be even better.