Australian Gamer Review :: WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2008

124 DAYS WITHOUT A STABBING

WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2008

Reviewed on: Wii
Available on: , Playstation 2, Playstation 3, Wii, Xbox 360, Playstation Portable

Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, Children of all ages - Australian Gamer's self-proclaimed "Heavyweight Reviewer" theCAVman is entering the ring, ready to face off against a vicious opponent in the form of WWE Smackdown! Vs Raw 2008! So to bend the words of Michael Buffer - Llllllllllllets get ready to REVIEW IT!!!!!!!

Players: 1 - 6 Players
Genre:
Release: 2007-11-15

Developer: Yukes
Distributor: THQ

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Who would have thought, right? Aren�t you just simply amazed that the guy with the WWE logo on his T-Shirt in his caricature for AustralianGamer got to review the latest installment? Actually, I was not amazed when no one else on the team asked to review the game, as Wrestling itself is actually an acquired taste. I have been watching it for the best part of twenty years and I have even looked back at early tapes of World Championship Wrestling at Festival Hall in Melbourne, with stars like Mario Milano, Killer Kowalski and Spiros Arion. Now I�d put a dollar or two down that many of you haven�t heard those names before, so next time you speak to your Mum or Dad, just ask them and I�m sure they will bail you up for a while, with stories of the whole family sitting down to watch it after a Sunday meal, with Jack Little calling the action from ringside.

For those of you a little closer to my age bracket, a young man named Terry Bollea is probably responsible for you knowing about Wrestling. Terry who? Well how about I call him by the name the world knows him as: Hulk Hogan. Hulkamania started to �run wild� in the early 80�s, thus creating the foundation for the �Sports Entertainment� industry as it is today. The stars of today, like John Cena, Triple H and the Undertaker, certainly have a little thanks to give to Mr Hogan. But enough of the history lesson, let�s get our hands dirty and play the game! Ring the Bell!!!

Whatever is happening here certainly looks painful

I was lucky enough to have the choice of two consoles to play this on, but from the moment I know it was going to be on the Wii, THAT�S what I wanted. So what if the graphics aren�t going to be as good as the competitors? The WiiMote is bound to make up for that, right? The potential of the control system for the Wii has always intrigued me and I knew that a Wrestling game had the possibility of testing those boundaries... and it has. Using the WiiMote with the Nuchuck is a big change from my previous outings with the WWE in the Xbox360 and PS2, but it�s hell of a lot more fun. It doesn�t take a Uni degree to work out that striking an opponent is done by swinging your WiiMote. If you add a button press to that swing, you will grapple your opponent (or just plain grab them, for those not up to speed with the jargon of the squared circle). This will initiate a selection of moves to perform by showing on screen, a choice of directions in which you can move you WiiMote.

Some moves will take more than just one motion to complete. Say you were going to slam your opponent to the canvas - your first move would be to swing the WiiMote up to pick them up and then downward to send them to the mat. Another great feature in using the nunchuck and WiiMote combo is using the thumbstick in the latest addition to the SDvR gameplay, which is called the Struggle Submission System. Movement on the stick will decipher how much pressure you apply to a submission hold. This also goes for trying to break the submission hold.

All these moves are a hell of a lot of fun, but these guys have saved the best for last. For those of you who have ever seen a WWE Program, you know when a Superstar is going to bust out his finishing move because he makes a signal, be it a thumb drag across the throat, mounting the turnbuckle and posing or the like. Well you can do this to! Known as a Taunt, you character�s signature gesture is used to replenish your health and possibly extend your life bar. I�ve even seen a pic of one of the WWE�s biggest names, Triple H, doing his famous Degeneration � X �crotch-chop� with a WiiMote and Nunchuck in hand. I suppose the only downside to all of this is the slight possibility that you may get yourself tangled up in you Nunchuck cord! There is a slight learning curve, as there always is with anything new, but you will love it, once you�ve beaten it into submission. I tell you now if I was getting anymore into this WiiMote action, I�d probably go the hard sell and pull a blade job.*

Lllllllets get ready to Rummmmmmmmmmmmblllllllllle!!

Now that we have shaken the ring rust it�s time to embark on a somewhat repetitive, but eventually fruitful career. Known on the Wii as Main Event, this sees you select a Superstar (or your own creation), choose a show (or �Brand�) to appear on and battle your way through the ranks to claim top spot and the Heavyweight Title. While on the subject of Brands, it�s great to see Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) get a run in the 2008 edition. I wouldn�t call the list of Superstars available for use the cream of the crop, not by a long shot, but this is a hard task as the turnaround of Wrestlers is actually high at the moment with the �Wellness Program� that the WWE have instigated (trying to keep the boys drug-free). Actually I can count at least half a dozen Wrestlers appearing in this issue of SDvR that no longer work for World Wrestling Entertainment, but of course you have to consider production time for this game. For what it is, The Superstars that appear on the Wii version are well represented, and their move sets and Taunts hold true to their characters. To get back to the point, you take your selected combatant and compete night after night, week after week, with actually little storyline other than securing the services of a WWE Diva as you Valet, upgrading your dressing room as your status in the company improves and accepting challenges via SMS. One improvement is that your health between matches won�t get better unless you seek out a massage. A massage from a trainer will do you well, but a massage from your Valet will put you back to maximum health. Also located in the same area your massage is the ability to train and improve your player, but this can only be done by trading points earned in matches. It�s a slow process, but it also allows you the time to familiarise yourself with your Superstar and his abilities. Eventually you will reach Main Eventer status and score yourself a title match at your Brand�s Major Pay Per View Event. This should be won relatively easily, with all the practice you have now had... but that is where you hit a wall. You are the Champ, the occasional guy challenges you and you see him off with little or no trouble. You play week in, week out in the hopes that you will be coaxed over to another brand by a General Manager now I don�t know what I am doing wrong, but it never seems to come. I remained in the Top 3 wrestlers in the organisation for weeks on end, but to no avail. No sign of change, no sign of unlocking any secrets, due to my longevity at the top. I even went to the extreme of starting a Title match and just putting the controller down so I could get beaten and drop the Title. I thought it may have been harder to get it back, but I won my rematch in about a minute flat. So where do I go from here?

It's all fun and games until someone slams him into the ground.

If attempting to plough your way through a career is not your thing and you need quick gratification, you can choose Quick Play, which drops you straight into the action after a few minor selections, or you can play Tournament mode which aside from having to option of King of the Ring or Beat the Clock modes, is all pretty self explanatory: Beat people and win.

So you have played through a career with a WWE Superstar, so why not make your own? Actually, this CAW (Create a Wrestler) is not bad, with a large variety of option to re-create the image that you always wanted for yourself as you walk down that ramp to the adoration of the fans... sorry, fantasy world reared its ugly head for a moment. There are eight different fighting styles to apply to your character: Brawler, Dirty, Hardcore, High-Flyer, Submission, Powerhouse, Showman and Technical. I have seen the listing of these styles as they are applied against the WWE Superstars in the game and I am still at a loss as to how WWE Diva Kelly Kelly was classed as a Brawler. She couldn�t fight a dead fish and win, but when you look like her you don�t have to, right? You can choose almost everything, from the colour of your socks, to your move set, to the Intro music, thus making your character almost truly your own.

Even though the Wii version is a lot of physical fun, the other versions of this game have some awesome features too:

Hall of Fame Mode � Taking original WWE Storylines and letting you recreate them.

24/7 Mode � Letting you not only guide the career of your chose Superstar inside the ring, but backstage as well.

These two options are found in the Xbox360 and PS3 versions, but there is also exclusive content for each console:

PS3
� Interactive Entrances � where you can see the fans reaction to you entering the arena from your characters point of view

Xbox360
� Customizable Soundtrack � Insert your own music from your Xbox360 Hard Drive

PSP
� Three unlockable WWE Legends: Eddie Guerrero, Jim �The Anvil� Neidhart and Sgt. Slaughter.

NDS
� A whole new way of playing the game by use of the DS Stylus, including Season Mode and wireless multiplayer.

* I am happy to explain all my Wrestling Analogies. Ask me all about them in my forum here.

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Final Verdict

You want the game for its graphics? Get it on the PS3 or Xbox360. You want interaction? Then it�s the Wii for you! No matter which console you choose, just ease yourself into it and don�t rush it, to get some longevity out of it. Play it on the Wii if you have had enough of Wii Sport Boxing! I my opinion, the only thing getting new blood to the genre would be the Wii version.

Pros
Great menu soundtrack. Moderate learning curve. Always great with friends (that you can beat!) for a quick pick up and play. Swing those WiiMotes!
Cons
Repetitive in places, dragging career mode. No online for Wii (leaderboards or CAW share would have been nice) Better if the Wii version had the storyline capabilities of its PS3/Xbox360 counterparts.