WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2007

"A good wrestling game for both fans and newbies"

I'll admit it, Im not a big fan of WWE/WWF wrestling. I haven't really watched any of it on TV since the 1990's when Hulk Hogan and Macho Man Randy Savage were still there. Even so, I have played numerous Smackdown games on the PS1 and PS2 and have really enjoyed them without knowing many or any of the current crop of wrestlers. The same goes for WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2007 on the Xbox 360.

WWE wrestling has always being a little guilty pleasure of mine. I've always being fascinated by the outrageous story line's during the course of seasons, the crazy personalities and the huge euphoria surrounding the whole sport. To play a videogame that truly captures all the above and more is something special. THQ have been making WWE games for a while now so they certainly know how to make a successful game for the fans.

In WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2007 , you can play a whole host of exhibition matches against the CPU or friends from Ladder Matches to Royal Rumbles. But the real gem of the game is the Career mode in which your created character is put up against other WWE wrestlers in one of the most original story lines around. While your character continues through Career mode he will level up in stats and becomes more stronger throughout the season. My only gripe with the career mode is that its too short, very entertaining but too short. One other mode worth a mention is the General Manager mode in which you will be giving the chance to become Manager of either WWE brand. Your objective is to beat the other brand in terms of viewer ship and can be accomplished by signing new superstars, spending vasts amount of money and a whole other list of things. Its a very interesting mode, fun the first time you play it but after that its just plain boring.

The graphics in WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2007 are very pretty but not spectacular. Character models are well detailed, fans are well animated and the games presentation is very nice. Yet it still feels like a last generation console version to me, just now in high resolution. The music is one of the few gripes I have. During the menus and loading sequences, there are few too tunes being played meaning in a very annoying Rock song being played every few minutes. Other than that, sound and music are ok.

In all honesty, I enjoyed this game. It may not be the most spectacular or well made game ever but it captures that WWE spirit that people desperately craze to get into very well. How different is this version to the previous years version, I don't know. But I can tell you from a newbies perspective that this is a very enjoyable game. No question about that.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 02/20/07