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WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2009
Publisher: THQ
Developer: Yuke’s Media Creations
Genre: Wrestling
Release Date: November 9, 2008
Platforms: Playstation 2, Playstation 3, Playstation Portable, Xbox 360,
Nintendo DS, Wii, Wireless
ESRB: T - Teen
Reviewer: Eric
Every year we have the same old bunch of games coming out. Electronic Arts
brings out a few dozen sports games every year and THQ brings out the latest
Smackdown vs. Raw game. All of these games tend to throw gamers off because they
don’t know if this years game is better than the last. Smackdown vs. Raw 2009 is
worth the price and it is more than a rooster update.
There were some that thought TNA Impact! was going to be the best wrestling game
in town. When the game finally came out it was clear that Smackdown vs. Raw was
still the best, even with last year’s installment. I admit I did give last years
game a good score, but as time progressed the game started to get real bad.
Thanks to all of the pissed off fans THQ listened to what they said and they
fixed Smackdown vs. Raw 2009.
Nothing about this years game is slacking. The graphics and animations are the
best the series has seen. All of the wrestlers this year look fantastic,
especially on a high definition television this game comes to life. Yuke’s Media
Creations has made this year’s game feel just like the different television
shows WWE has on cable.
As good as the graphics are the clipping issues the series has seen for quite
some time are still here. Some grapples go a little to into characters and
certain camera angles make the characters disappear a little. Character
creations still have certain clothing show through others. Yuke did manage to
fix the clipping a little, but it is still there.
The controls have changed some but for the best. This year each character has so
many signature movies and finishers. It is a little hard to figure out where you
have to be to do some of these moves. With some time though you will figure it
out and trust me you don’t have to do this with every character, nobody will
want to play as some of the jobbers of WWE.
The computer seems to be easier this year. Only the legend difficulty is the
only real problem. This is a huge let down, certain modes will not be any
enjoyable unless you bite the bullet and play on the highest difficulty.
Road to Wrestlemania is the latest mode in this years WWE game. You can pick
from 7 superstars, two of which are actually part of a co-op storyline. This
mode is real cool and a lot of fun. Commentary is unique and Yuke’s made
everything feel like a real television showing of a WWE program. There are
numerous paths to pick from in Road to Wrestlemania with your character but the
huge let down is you can only pick from 7 superstars. ECW’s name is still on the
box but again they are getting the short end of the stick, only CM Punk is
selectable.
This year’s rooster will confuse more people this year than ever before. Legends
have been taken out because of next years Wrestlemania game. What we do get is a
huge rooster of both Smackdown and Raw wrestlers with a few ECW superstars.
There are actually some hidden characters but none of them really matter too
much. Do you really want to play as Zombie Fit Finley or John Cena’s arm buddy?
Career mode is still in the game but this year this mode has been merged with
WWE 24/7 mode. It doesn’t feel right at all. Road to Wrestlemania is a much
better mode. Still if you want to make a character and go through a story then
you have to play the career mode. I think it is getting to the point where the
whole 24/7 aspect needs to be dropped for a crazy, over the top story/career
mode.
Create mode has a new feature this year with create a finisher. This is a real
neat mode that lets you re-create your favorite moves or make some of the
craziest moves in WWE history. Along with this and the other great create modes
you can’t deny that Yuke’s has the best create mode ever to brace a game.
With all of the new additions to the game they did manage to take out a real
neat feature. You can no longer fight in the crowd. There wasn’t too much area
to fight in the crowd but it was still cool. The Gauntlet match was brought back
at least if anybody cares.
Last years online structure is back with one new option. The Highlight Reel is
another new addition that lets you tape your favorite parts in matches. You can
share those with people online but what is the point? Online is still the same
and there is no Royal Rumble yet online. When will we be able to have one of
these matches online?
I am saving the best for last and I know this part will make fans real happy.
The loading screens have literally been cut in half! All of those mindless load
screens are absent so now we can view stats from the game. How many matches did
Undertaker win so far? Its pretty cool though I am confused when the stats don’t
match the wrestlers picture on the left side.
Lastly I wanted to mention that THQ has some plans for downloadable content.
There are a few options that lead us to believe this in the rooster menus (you
can make a WCW rooster if you want (need to unlock first)) and create menus.
Final Verdict
Another year and another WWE game. This year’s game is a big improvement over
last years. There really wasn’t a huge improvement over the online play and the
same clipping problems are still on the disc. Next year might be better but for
now pick this game up if you are a wrestling fan.
Rating
8.50 out of 10
WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2009 Trailer
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