Title: WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2009
Platform: PS3/360/Wii/DS/PSP
Platform Reviewed: 360
Developer: Yukes
Publisher: THQ
MSRP: $59.99, £39.99, €59.99
Writer: Martin '
lost' Perry
WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2009 Review
Yukes has been refining it's men-in-tights fighting game for years now. With WWE's popularity on the slide how have they kept the game interesting?
The latest in a consistently good but not great wrestling series and the third “next-gen” iteration Smackdown vs Raw 2009 makes the same promises as each of it's predecessors have. More wrestlers, more moves, more match types and more fun. The game delivers but it's a very similar experience that will leave you wondering why you the spent hard-earned cash. Unfortunately, the game is a bland experience that takes no advantage of it's virtual setting. That it unless you push past the stuffy story mode.
You see the human body is limited. It can't really survive the sort of abuse that can be exercised within Smackdown vs. Raw. This limitation is what holds wrestling back and the very thing that so many of today's franchises fight against. The primary mode of this new game doesn't really think it worthwhile to make up for such failings. “Road to Wrestlemania” provides set stories for the company's biggest stars and moves along with competent, familiar storylines. It also likes to throw you head first into the dullest matches going. Over the years the game has picked up a crazy amount of modes so why have me fight quite so many plain one-on-one matches? Why not create the most bizarre run of matches any wrestler has ever experienced?
Similar restraint is shown elsewhere. The early PlayStation Smackdown games allowed you to wander backstage from the main arena, moving from spot to spot to make the most of special trigger areas that allowed you to properly mess up your opponent. I was excited when screenshots appeared to promise a return to such shenanigans but in fact the backstage areas are merely alternate arenas as opposed to a sprawling environment. In Smackdown 2 I could force somebody into getting run over. Years on, with boundless new technology, the best I can manage is throwing him against a bin.
The unfortunate reality of a 1 year development cycle is that developers will often struggle to change enough to make another purchase worthwhile. With Smackdown vs. Raw 2009 it seems like Yukes have removed content in order to make screenshots look different. The interactive area found in the crowd that was especially fun in 2008 has been removed. In turn, this makes the ring area pretty plain. The announce tables are there to smash people through but no crazy leaps from 20 feet above the ground. It's frustrating that you still can't fight on the stage given that this is a fairly common occurrence in the shows. Yet again, it's something that a far older game managed to include. More restraint from a game that should be all about spectacle.
More recently the Smackdown vs. Raw games allowed you to select a weapon from under the ring using an easy interface. Now it's random and mostly restricted to chairs. So, in Hardcore matches I can't set up ridiculous chair and ladder combinations at will but instead I rely on the charity of the game. Directing the player like this feels backward compared to the direction the series appeared to be taking. It could, quite fairly, be put down to the direction of it's licensee. The WWE has become a gimmick-less, fun-sapped affair and in all honesty Yuke's have done a good job to pull this level of entertainment from the identity-challenged franchise.
So it must do plenty right then? Spot on observant reader! This games particular strength is the volume of moves you can pull off. The recent TNA game was criticised for becoming too repetitive too quickly but that isn't a problem here. More in-game items can be used for innovative offense and the control system is just right. Should I beat my opponent to a suitably sloppy pulp it is possible to carry out some crazy things. I can wrap a chair around his leg and dropkick it. I can throw my opponent through a table rather than just crash down upon him. I can even jump from a ladder onto a guy on a table...unfortunately no chair can be involved. The fact the developers seem unwilling to capitalise on such carnage becomes somewhat irrelevant in the games Exhibition mode. Almost every move imaginable is here, you just have to dig deep to uncover the real gold.
The Exhibition mode holds the real fun in terms of match types too. Your favourite TLC, Hell in the Cell and Elimination Chamber matches are all here. There's a few omissions which don't really fit the storylines from the show. The casket match has disappeared even though Triple H shoved the Big Show in one at a recent pay-per-view and the I Quit match is gone too. With so much content carrying over from previous versions it seems strange to strip anything out at all. Yukes, surely it doesn't matter if these get limited play after release, you've developed them anyway? These are minor complaints for the only game that allows you to throw a man from the top of a caged ring. Spending half an hour destroying your opponent in the most violent and crazed modes is endless fun, perfect for a rainy day.
Fans will be pleased with the roster. It's up-to-date and secret characters fill in the gaps. The developers have finally delivered the sort of likeness that has been missing. Whilst not quite matching TNA Impact for detail and gloss the wrestlers all look really sharp. Outfits are perfect and the old tentacle hair gets a few more strands. Animations for grappling moves look really great too but unfortunately punching and kicking suffers from some very old fashioned clipping. Given the amount of content in the game this is forgivable but still impacts that “as seen on TV” experience.
Other “key” things like entrances and music tracks benefit from the improved graphics and purists will be happy with the level of detail put into the light shows and fireworks that signal the entrance of their favourite muscle-bound hero. They won't be quite so lucky with the commentary though. The same old lines are pumped out with dwindling enthusiasm from Jerry “The King” Lawler and his comrades. Quite clearly the year between games isn't quite enough to get them enthusiastic again. The music tracks are fairly entertaining at times and it's a shame that you can't simply replace the droning voices with some nu-metal angst. Yukes focus appears to be to emulate the show as close as possible, the limitations of the commentary really let things down.
The series' wide range of create modes make a return without a whole lot of change. So you can create move sets, characters, entrances and even make highlight videos. They do, however, shine light on the title's biggest let-down. You can't apply certain items to your own visage if you want to go online. Instead, you better pick from the safe options that the dodgy network code can cope with. Online play should be a joy with the amount of variety on offer here. Instead it's plagued with lag, connection issues and limitations you simply don't want to
deal with. The weak, buggy counter system can't be forgiven in the multiplayer as the tactics which ensure victory of computer opponents can be employed with similar effectiveness online. It really turns into who can hit who first punch as the opening suplex will often govern the course of a match.
Overall it's a shame that you can't just push all the bits from the last decade of WWE games together. You'd easily have the best wrestling experience of all time. My advice to Yukes for next year is to do a Mortal Kombat Armageddon. Pile on the content, ramp up the insanity and shake off the cobwebs quickly gathering on the WWE as a whole. Smackdown vs. Raw 2009 is a worthwhile update to a continually pleasing series. It's only really worth the full-price purchase if you must play with an up-to-date roster. They still haven't fixed the loading times and the difficulty has been set by your mum. However, anybody can find pleasure in slamming a man through home furniture.
Score: 3.5 out of 5
The Good- Most complete moveset yet.
- Most complete set of matches yet.
- Backstage areas make a limited return.
The Bad- No real game changing moves.
- Not every match type is here.
- Not nearly as crazy as it should be.
The Ugly- Disgustingly bad network code.
