WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008

"Not as bad as some would make you think..."

Introduction/ Summary:
Let me start off by saying that I waited until now to get this game for a reason. The series has went downhill and I always picked up the smackdown games the day it came out via pre-ordered. But after SVR 07, I decided it was no longer worth pre-ordering. I seen this game really cheap so I decided to pick it up and that was the only reason I actually wanted it.. I don't watch the wrestling shows anymore and I haven't for a very long time. I popped this game into my PS2 and I was actually surprised that I liked it. I started by creating my superstar and even though they took out alot of stuff in CAW mode this year, it still felt very well done and just enough. The Create-an-entrance is a nice touch and it's fun to play around with sometimes. The overall presentation of the game was very nice, but there were a few things very off and there was no reason for that.. Let's get onto the review shall we?

The Gameplay 8/10 - The meat of any game out there, the gameplay is truly a precious element to any game and it's no different here. This area gets a generous 8 from me only because I had plenty of fun with the game thus far, but there is some flaws that I have no reason on why they were missed before the game was finalized.. Does THQ just decide to ship the game without enduring some testing first? The flaws revolve around the 24/7 mode.. Sometimes if you win a match in 24/7 mode, the ending scene of the match still sets it up to where you are the one walking away from the ring looking like the loser.. Maybe this one the intention sometimes, but it just looked out of place. Also one of the most spoken of flaws, the decision glitch in the game.. It's where you are given the option to pick a decision to a certain match or so on and you pick one.. You think it would be okay to delete your messages, but really it's not because if you do delete that message where you had to make that decision, then the game automatically thinks you chose option 1.. So don't delete your messages if you want your decisions to matter. This year they got completely rid of the old control scheme and adapted to the new one they were working on since 07. This may anger some old veterans of the older controls, but you can no longer play with the D-pad what so ever.. It's now for taunting. Among that, this new control scheme may seem complex and confuse a few people, but the good news is eventually you will adapt to it and get the hang of it. Another new feature that may step in the wrong direction is the all new fighting styles. On paper, this is an awesome idea but ofcourse THQ didn't get it right and didn't tweak it enough to feel right and work for the game. It's far from broken, it's just some of the wrestlers can't use some of their moves they might be known for because of this new feature. Another thing that I disliked this year was because of the control scheme they decided to go with, the move sets have been reduced alot. Also you remember how any wrestler could tear off the turnbuckle pad, do weapon grappling moves, powerful whips, and ect? Well that is a thing of the past and not everyone can do these things because of the style system.. Only hardcore stylists can perform weapon grapples and only powerhouse stylists can perform the power whip and also only heel stylists can fight with the ref or tear the padding off the turnbuckle... Well, you get the point? I guess it wasn't such a bad thing considering it makes you choose your styles more wisely and adds alot to each style. Lastly the last new feature this year is the new submission system that lets you have more control and makes it more of an interesting struggle than before. You can now apply pressure with the analog stick or use the stick to try and struggle your way out of a lock. This was a nice touch and this is one of the new features that actually didn't bug me to no end.. Somehow overall the flaws don't weigh down the game for me. The big picture is better than I thought probably because I got this with absolutely no expectations... Others will disagree with me on it though. LASTLY, another thing that irritated me was the blood in the game.. THQ could've went further with this.. Wrestlers do get hurt and sometimes cut on other parts of their body besides the head and blood shouldn't disappear on the mat.. Why not stay or atleast stain the other person hitting them in the face. I expected more from the blood this year.. The PS2 can handle some advanced blood..

Graphics 9/10 - The one thing THQ can do absolutely right is the graphics. They are amazing for a ps2 game, but they are only a little bit better than last if they are at all but not a big noticeable difference. The arenas are stunningly detailed and everything is in place and the cutscenes are great.. The graphics add to this game and it shows.. It really does, but with that being said, you've got to wonder just why I have given this a 9 instead of a 10 then right? Ofcourse! Well some of the character models in this game are not spot on and some look downright wrong. Shane McMahon to me looked off by alot.. Most of the wrestlers are spot on though thankfully. Overall the graphics help make a game and this is a great part of the game..

Sound 9/10 - Sound was great and all.. The entrance theme music was there and was perfect for the most part, but that is where it ends.. The soundtrack is the same rock/ rap kind of music and I thank god that they atleast have the matches without the music.. It's just the same old stuff and the soundtrack is just boring to me.. Maybe it's not to some people, but to me it could've been alot better and they could've added some more music.. Lastly the worst part of this area of the game... Commentary.. It's been the same commentary since what? 06 or maybe even before that!? That is absolutely crazy.. Sure it's now JBL instead of Tazz, but they basically had him record Tazz's commentary lines WORD FOR WORD.... Why not start fresh with commentary and try again THQ? Every year we just want to turn the commentary off anyway and roll our eyes wondering why you seem to be lazy with commentary instead of stepping up and actually re-recording some stuff that desperately needs some refreshing new stuff.. It wouldn't be that bad if the same lines weren't repeated every match.

Roster 8/10 - I decided to add this area in my review since afterall this is a wrestling game and a paramount component to any wrestling game is the roster. The roster is just enough up to date.. I tend to play mostly with my CAWs anyway but there is a few people missing that really don't matter that much and there is a few outdated and people that were terminated, but I guess with a roster deadline, it can't be perfect.. The addition of ECW this year was a nice touch but I guess that was going to happen since they basically made 08's gimmick to be ECW.. They could've tried harder to get some people more up-to-date but again lazy aren't we THQ? As long as people buy the games, it's okay to be laze?? NOT...

Matches and Modes 9/10 - This could've been perfect if it wasn't for the flaws in 24/7 mode. Don't get me wrong 24/7 mode is fun and it gives you more control than every before and it adds so much depth, but sometimes it can be frustrating and can eat you alive if you have no idea what you are doing or what to do. It's fun but can be overwhelming at times like your fatigue level and injuries that can leave you missing many storylines. If you can get over that and learn to get it down, then you'll have some fun with it. It has indeed come a long way since the beginning and I do give them props for that but it could've come alot longer.. The only new match if I am not mistaken, that was added this year was the extreme rules matchup for the ECW presence in the game.. The match can be fun but the only big difference in this match than hardcore matches is the fact that you can light tables and 2x4s wrapped in barbed wire on fire and use them to your advantage. This is all good and fun but thats it THQ? It's just a hardcore match with a new arena and lighting a table and 2x4 on fire? There is plenty of other matches that ECW is known for.. What about barbed wire match? I guess it wouldn't add much to the game though because all it would likely be is throwing your opponent into the ropes to make to send him into the barbed wire and then have a fixed animation of him thriving in pain for a moment and then thats it.. More about 24/7 mode is that it's basically GM mode and season mode combined.. This is why I didn't want to get the game in the first place. The past two years with GM mode was dull and I only probably played halfway through one once. I steered clear from it but when I heard it was being combined to season, I said screw that.. I didn't want anything to do with GM mode and to my surprise you really don't have to be the GM if you don't want to.. You can just manage your wrestler and stick to the stories and training.. I did like the training, building skills, and events. It was fun to have all that control over what my wrestler does with his free time. Lastly I wanted to talk about one of my favorite modes.. Hall of Fame.. It's kind of like the previous years challenger mode except it's much more harder, but also there are alot less challenged which kind of left me with more to be desired with all the challenges of years before.. You can play the epic match of Taker vs Foley in the Hell in the Cell for example.. This is a great mode but I wish there was alot more challenges.. Oh well... Didn't bother me that much though. Most of the challenges if not all of them have to be done in legendary difficulty only.. This is fun though and leaves it to be a true challenge.

Overall 8/10 - This game did leave alot to be desired but it was very fun and 24/7 is endless fun once you get over the flaws. It's overall a good game and not as bad as some people try to make you believe. It's very different than last years game and that is probably why some people hate it, but it's not all a bad change. I would say give this a rent if you are interested in it.. Again, the only reason I bought this was because of the cheap price and I certainly don't regret it.. I am glad I picked this up and discovered it. So rent it before you buy if you are not sure.. It's not everyone's cup of tea.. Thanks for reading my review.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/12/08

Game Release: WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 (US, 11/13/07)