WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009

"Not perfect, but very good!"

I just gotten every single achievement besides the "5 Hall of Famers" achievement. After playing every match and experiencing everything in this game, I decided to write my first review for GameFAQs.

Graphics: 9/10

There is very little missing from graphics. Actually there is really only one possible thing I could complain about and even then it is something extremely mild, so I will start with the flaw first. The only thing that bothers me is sometimes you still see the hair go inside the character, or go through the ropes, minor graphical glitches. The only other complaint is while some of the characters look as if they are real, there is also a few that just seem very off. Examples are the Miz and Maria. Miz looks like a poor excuse for a CAW and Maria, well words can't explain how they messed her up.

Pushing the flaws aside, the shining aspects more than obliterate the flaws. Some wrestlers like Batista or Jericho just look incredible. Everything from the hair, muscle definition, down to beads of sweat dripping down their bodies and veins nearly protruding from their flesh. Yukes definitely nailed the graphics on this game and comparing to some of the more graphical known games such as COD or GOW, they rival or even in some cases, surpass them.

Even arenas and pyro is extraordinary. When watching the entrances, it creates an extreme illusion that you are there with the camera yourself, following the superstar to the ring. The pyro goes in-sync with the entrances and arenas and it all mixes well. It will be hard to top the graphics next year, and I personally look forward to seeing what they can do next year. [On a side note, play this in HD, it is incredible!]

Sound: 9/10

As was with the graphics, there is very few sounds issues that can get a little tedious. I am speaking about the commentary. Anyone who has played any of the other games of the series knows this issue. While they did improve the commentary and it really shows, it still is lacking. There is a lot of repeating, cutting off, and very rarely it will continue after the match has ended and is loading to the victory screen. This won't depreciate the value however of how improved it is, but sometimes you just get tired of hearing, "Oh my god!" whenever you do a finisher with certain superstars.

Now you can expect that entrance themes are more incredible than ever. Personally I love Randy Orton's new theme song, and instead of making it just custom enough to fit his entrance, they have entire songs. The songs flow very well for all the entrances too. Each song is very clear and easy on the ears and I was not disappointed. Let's just hope next year they keep all this good, but fix the commentary just a little more. Sound will be perfect then.

Game play: 910

There is different parts to the actual game play. Controls, matches, story modes, so I will address them each differently here.

I found the game play to be absolutely great. It was a little clumsy at first, me never having played 08' but once I got the controls down well enough, I found it more so easier to play than ever. Doing a move just felt right. Running was more in control also. It just felt really easy to switch from strikes, to a strong grapple, to a diving move off the turnbuckle with ease. Grapples felt polished this time around also. No more did I feel like a cartoon, it felt like if I was giving Jericho a chokeslam with Kane. If I decided to hit HBK with an RKO, it felt smooth and good. I recall back in 07' the RKO just felt really clumsy and scattered. Personally the new controls, the way moves play out, just everything felt very controlled and perfect. I hope they don't change anything except for fixing a few moves up that still need to be recycled.

I noticed this year they introduced the Inferno match finally. Seriously, how many years has it been? Regardless, this is both a fun and boring match. It's possible to win this match in about a minute if you wanted to. At the same time, if you take your time and playing with friends, it could last a decent amount of time. My friends and I try to make it last as long as possible and it keeps it fun. Some people will not like this match though. It's more flash than skill.

What I didn't like was how they removed other matches on top of this one; such as the three way tag matches and several others like it. Speaking of the tag matches though, they are much better. Now during a match you feel like you have a partner instead of a one on one exhibition match. There is new and recycled tag team moves and they not only look better, they flow much smoother now also. Entrances for most tag teams are well done also and there is even tag team finishers. I like the tag team matches and so happy they fixed them finally. Just for that alone this game is great. There is much to be explored in the tag team division portion of this game and I advise you explore it for its fun.

Now onto the story mode. This year they took a new approach to the game. Instead of having the generic "any superstar" story lines, this year there is two modes. Road to Wrestlemania and Career Mode. You might ask yourself what they are, and they are very different from what you might be used to. I'll start with Road to Wrestlemania.

As the name applies, Road to Wrestlemania is you taking a superstar through a series of events until Wrestlemania. The only problem that has stirred with most people is that you can only take certain superstars through this mode. While you only have a handful, the stories and events are made for them and it felt much better. The superstars you can take are: Triple H, CM Punk, Undertaker, John Cena, Jericho, and Rey Mysterio & Batista. You get five singular superstars along with a tag team storyline to do. This mode I thought was the best addition to Smackdown vs RAW 2009 ever. For once I was not playing as Kane and having a ladder match for the contract of a Diva. Instead take the Undertakers story for example. You are met up against challenges that lead to the looming presence of the Urn, and an unknown figure called: The Man. It was interesting to go through and you even have certain optional challenges to complete, unlocking hidden stuff when done. These could be characters, entrances, move sets, attires, and the list goes on. Amazing mode, and for something that was more or less a beta, it was great. Add some more characters and longer stories next year and it will be incredible.

Career mode now is different. There is no story or cut scenes, but instead you can take any superstar and they start out with a mediocre overall, 36-37 I believe. Depending on what you do during a match directly effects how your stats will go up. Striking, strong grapples, doing these the entire match would boost your strength stat, or maybe using weapons and running a lot, your hardcore and speed ratings would increase. You are in direct control. During this mode you are on a path to fight for every championship, one at a time. You start off on a path and unlock matches to compete in. Way too many people hate this mode and I was one of them, but after exploring, it is growing on me. Now I can play to how I want and feel is correct. The only downside is that it does take some time to work up a CAW and you have to do this for each one. [There is a patch coming out to correct this, don't worry.]

The final thing I would like to review is the Create A Finisher mode. As it implies, you can create your own finisher. Not much to say about this, but it is a growing progress. At the moment, you can only create front moves, no submission or turnbuckle, just front based finishers. I hope next year they advance on this option because it does allow absolute freedom to a Created Wrestler, further allowing you to express.

FINAL THOUGHTS.

There is a lot to explored in this game. Tournaments like King of the Ring, Beat the Clock, new game modes, Create a Finisher, too many things to write in one review. Overall I rated the game an 8/10 because unless you are a hardcore fan of the Smackdown games, it will not be that great to you. Along with that, the very few glitched type stuff and errors on the game keep it from getting a perfect rating. If you are a ran of the game, it is a great investment however. Very fun game, and my friend does not even like these games and had a blast playing.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/18/08

Game Release: WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 (US, 11/09/08)