Title WWE Smackdown vs. RAW 2008 Date 11.23.2007 Genre Sports Platform Xbox 360 Developer THQ Publisher THQ

When I saw the videos concerning Smackdown vs. Raw 2008's gameplay, I knew the game was really no different from ANY of the SvR series. In fact, other than updated graphics and the ECW extreme rules match, consider it the original Smackdown vs. Raw all over again: limited, fun at times, but ultimately not a step forwards.

Graphics
First and foremost, Smackdown vs. Raw 2008's graphics on the X-box 360 are phenomenal and superior to the PS2's in every way. Even the created wrestler's skin-tones and hair look flawless, even if a tad unrealistic. Hair looks like actual hair, dreadlocks and cornrows now LOOK braided instead of drawn, you can see virtually ever strand of curly/long hair. The skin looks great as well as the eyes and facial features, no complaints there. I honestly do not really play the actual WWE/ECW superstars (I'm a CAW player), but from what I have seen they look adequate enough. The ring, weapons, and even the moves all look updated and accurately done.

Sound
Smackdown vs Raw 2008 continues in the tradition of having heavy metal/rock music from various alternative underground bands and the occasional rap artists perform some of their songs during the menus and loading screens. Truth be told, most of the music this year sounds alike, but it does a decent job. If I were to critique the game based on just the in-ring sounds and music I would give sound an 8. But there's one area the sound is SEVERELY lacking, and that is the announcers. Aside from ECW's Joey Styles/Tazz, the announcer's pretty much have the exact same voiceovers as it did the original Smackdown vs. Raw. Up to 2007 I guess it was alright. Now it’s just pathetic. If they are going to put announcing in the game, why not update the commentary every year like everything else? Sorry, but that's just lazy, they should have taken out commentary altogether if it was going to be that way.

Controls
This is where the game hurts... badly. The controls are clunky and the new control scheme hurts more than helps. Maybe it’s just a transition from a PS2 controller to a 360, but now actions are not as easily accessible as they were before. Attempt to execute a strong grapple and I get an ultimate control move (which by the way, should have been left out of the game). It takes getting used to and becomes fun after some practice, but ultimately the controls just aren't that great.

Gameplay
Sorry, the new WWE 24/7 mode, for a lack of a better word, sucks. The new training options are just tedious as you pick from either a limited amount of WWE superstars (mind you no divas, female created wrestlers, or ECW superstars) or one of your created wrestlers (for which unless you unlock the extra “movesets” just lacks all over). After about four "weeks" of gameplay in 24/7 I just switched to GM mode. Sorry but it got that boring. The only worthwhile part about going through this mode is earning cash for WWE shop.

The GM mode, likewise, really isn't all that. In fact, the menus are so much harder now. Before everything was accessible (trading superstars, rosters, etc...), now its just one big tired menu after another. You don't even have access to storylines (you now have to buy them, and keeping up with it all is quite difficult), let alone even get to watch it play out. I admit the GM mode is only slightly better than the superstar mode, if only for the interest of the mode.

The game's create a wrestler is pretty much the same as any other Smackdown vs. Raw game, except with much better graphics. Unfortunately, in the moves department it is just lacking...A LOT. Yes a lot of the moves were reanimated and updated, and believe me they look great, but at the same token the majority of the submissions and just moves in general were all taken out in favor of that. In the end, you wind up feeling like you've made the same CAW over and over again except that looks different from one another. Add to the fact that only male superstars can play all of the matches, and as a fan of both women's wrestling and female created wrestler's, it makes creating such not even worth it.

Playing actual matches is both fun and frustrating. The computer AI switches from being painfully easy and pushover to being ridiculously annoying with the same moves and counters over and over again. Why couldn't the developers of Smackdown take a page from Fire Pro Wrestling or even Day of Reckoning? The AI in this game just kills the game. “Simming” matches is even worse as the wrestlers don't even attempt their finishers or even the new featured fighting styles in the game (which by the way does more to hamper the game then help it), they just pound each other over and over again with the same moves, some of their actions totally uncharacteristic to their real life or programmed behavior. (Your powerhouse will act like a cruiserweight, your "hardcore" wrestler will do nothing but submissions, etc...). In the end it's more fun to play with more than one person rather than by yourself.

Overall Score
As a collector of the Smackdown game series, I was hoping I'd be able to look past what I already knew will probably not be one of the better wrestling games out there. It seems each year the developers get lazier and lazier. They seem to focus more on the flash and style of the game rather than substance. Fighting styles, more accurate “movesets” and nice graphics? All cool to me, but when you have AI that doesn't make such look any realistic, a lack of moves in general, and graphics that pretty much keep the game looking good what good is it?

First it was limiting divas/female created wrestlers to only singles/tag matches, taking what was once an awesome season mode (Smackdown: Here Comes The Pain), in favor of what's supposedly "realistic" and more emphasis on the main event WWE Superstars, and now you have a series which pretty much is all just to make sales. Sadly, it just isn't that fun anymore. With that said, I think I will wait for Fire Pro Returns and hope TNA Wrestling doesn't make the same mistake.

Game Score

C

Reviewed By: Contributed