WWE SmackDown vs. RAW 2008

"Could Be Better"

First off let me say I actually enjoy this game. I play it more than any other 360 game that I own but there are some serious problems with this game.

Here are the problems

1. Matches and moves have been removed from the game. Theres no reason for this. Why take out moves like the octopus hold or the torture rack? Is it simply so you can add them back next year and claim that there are new moves? Why was the special referee mode removed? Whats the point in removing a mode in any new release?

2. THQ seems to want to force people to play through boring 24/7 modes. This is pointless and annoying. I play SVR just for online mathces. I don't want to play 24/7 mode. I don't want to unlock moves or movesets, I don't want to unlock attribute points. I want to make my wrestler and go play.

3. Sadly if you have friends over who don't own this game you're not going to have fun introducing them to it. The controls and grapple system aren't user friendly. Playing this reminds me of the pointless motions of WWF Attitue back on the PS2. Doing a running strike should not requre a three press combination.

4. I hate the new submission system. I think THQ fixed something that wasn't broken. The old submission system was good, it was possible to break a sumbmission at anytime and timing the submission bar is more fun than analog presses.

5. The online mode for xbox isnt much different than it was on ps2. There should be upgrades in this. Why can't 2 players play a Man/Man VS Man/Man tag match? Why can;'t we do elimination tag anymore?

6. Isn't SVR supposed to be a WRESTLING SIM? This game feels very Arcade like! Reminds me sometimes of the old in your house arcade game. I've never seen a wrestling game that did so little to encourace grapple moves. It seems like the way to play is cheap hard to reverse running attacks, top rope dives and off the rope attacks. I personally think it should be impossible to win a match in a wrestling game without a single grapple move. There are too many cheap and irreversable moves in this game.

The Good
1. The create features are nice as it usually is. In the future I'd like for there to be more original caw templates and entrance moves. Bringing custom tracks would be a nice addition too.

2. Despite the game engine rewarding cheap play, playing online is a blast. The online and GM mode give this game a high replay value.

3. The graphics and sound are good, the commentary isn't too annoying.

To conclude this game is good but it could have been better. The controls need to be reworked and things that were taken out need to be readded. This game is like a luxury car with a nice sound system. It looks nice, and sounds nice but theres something wrong with the engine. Better wrestling games have been made. That being said it's enjoyable and worth owning.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 01/28/08

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