WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008

"A Very Buggy Game By WWE"

Introduction

The Smackdown series has been around for quite a while, dang near a decade. There have been many ups and downs (more downs unfortunately), and this one goes near the very bottom. The game has fabulous graphics and... that's about it. Between the bugs and the restrictions, this game has way more problems than it has good features.

Gameplay

Okay, the gameplay isn't too bad, but it still leaves much to be desired. There are seemingly fewer moves than ever before, and the new controls are a bit awkward unfortunately. All grapples are done with the right analog stick now, and compared to previous installments of the game, all the buttons have been moved around, giving the game a rather steep learning curve for people who played the previous games. The good news is that the controls are actually smoother if awkward, no more walking in a square.

There are several modes to play, and this is where it gets bad. First off, you have your basic matches, and those are decent. Unfortunately, if you like playing as a woman, you might as well find a different game, as they're crippled in this game with regards to match types and options. Moving on to 24/7 Mode, one option is GM Mode. Problem is, none of the kinks from the last two years have been worked out, so this also gets pretty repetitive and unrealistic. If you playing through this years "story mode", you will see the same problems as the other modes plus some. Not only can you not play as women, but there are several very nasty programming glitches that destroy any sort of organized gameplay. You will be given lots of choices during play, but the game randomly decides whether to give you your choice or go with the opposite of the one you picked. As a result, there is no possible way other than luck to play through the way you intend to. It almost seems as if they never bothered to play test the game, that's how buggy it is. There are others, as well; for instance, during character creation, there are several female models that are glitched to where you can't move the underwear to be under the clothes as opposed to over the clothes, and you get an error if you try. So basically, the game is a buggy mis-programmed mess that even the most hardcore players will find difficult to navigate through. Other than that, you have some stuff to unlock, which can only be done by making money in the aforementioned buggy "story mode", which basically adds insult to injury.

Lastly is the online play, though this is a minor feature at best for most players. A lot of online players are cheap and only interested in wins, and people have a tendancy to just disconnect if they're gonna lose. No organization makes online play pretty random at best.

Graphics/Sound

This is where the game shines. Being on PS3, it was to be expected. The graphics are better than good, they're fantastic. Several people even look like their real-life counterparts. Unfortunately, the women included in the game leave much to be desired as they look nothing like their real-life counterparts. Despite that, created women can look pretty good, at least if you lower the chest size to a realistic level. That is probably the only graphical complaint, really; the women just look unreal unless you set things just right. Since you can set things right, though, this can be forgiven. So if you only care about graphics, this won't disappoint.

As for the sound, the game falters again. There are only a handful of good musics, with the rest sounding more like noise than music. The rest of the sounds are in the form of commentary by the announcers, and that gets really repetitive really fast. Not only that, but it also gets very annoying very quickly. Almost all of it is recycled from previous games, too; I heard most of the commentary two years ago on WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2006. Not much new here.

Play Time/Replayability

It's about as much fun as getting your teeth pulled, so once you've unlocked everything, there basically is no replayability. There are other games that do every aspect of this game better save for the graphics. I suppose you could play more GM Mode or online, but all the aforementioned problems really take the fun out of it.

Final Recommendation

Avoid this game like the plague to send a message to WWE: play test your games and make sure to get the bugs out of it before release in the future. Unless graphics are the only thing you like, there are better games out there. If you want GM Mode, go buy TEW2007, and if you want good gameplay, go buy Fire Pro Returns. Graphics are the only thing this game excels in other than being a buggy mess. This game is really only for the most masochistic of players.

Reviewer's Score: 2/10, Originally Posted: 02/19/08

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