WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009

"Blazing inferno"

Every year, there is a new SmackDown! vs. Raw title on the shelves and every year, I am always amazed at how entertaining this series remains despite the annual releases. Last year, there were numerous problems, including a new feature where you had to choose a class for your wrestler to be, leading to extreme disadvantages and broken wrestlers. Next in line on the problem list was the shameful career mode that didn't even attempt to tell a story but rather just threw random things together and was more boring and slow than in any entry in the series yet. Does the latest game in the series, WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2009 fix these issues or does it just pile on the problems?

Well, you'll be glad to know that the class system has reformed to actually be very awesome. Instead of forcing you to choose your wrestler to be a certain class for every match, thus limiting their abilities in the ring, the wrestlers all have a number of abilities that they can use. This keeps matches from getting too one-sided and it definitely keeps things mixed up and entertaining so matches don't fall into monotony any longer.

Another issue I had with that system was when you filled your special meter you stored it to perform an ability that definitely wasn't that cool most of the time. Sure, there were highlights like the hardcore class smashing chairs against their heads (hilarious), but it also took away from the spark the series had. Instead, you can now lock in your special in order to perform a “signature move”, which is less powerful than a finishing move but it still gets the job done. Superstars have multiple signature and finishing moves at their disposal and the game is simple enough that you can comfortably master the wrestlers as you go, leaving no guess work and providing a pretty damn solid in-ring experience.

There have been other small changes made to the formula that give SmackDown! vs. Raw 2009 a slight edge over its predecessor. Before, if you got damaged enough, you stood absolutely no chance in matches, but now you are given the opportunity to heal yourself in the middle of a match by holding down the Y button to keep matches from becoming totally hopeless. You are also allowed to guard yourself while you're standing to your foot, which prevents spamming, and I'm glad to see games like these finally addressing spamming issues.

Each installment of the series adds a new match type to make sure the multiplayer stays awesome and while 2009 does add a new match type, and reintegrates some forgotten ones, the new Inferno Match just isn't all that great. In the match, there is a number in the bottom left hand corner of the screen. This represents how hot the flames are that surround the ring during the match. By doing powerful moves, this number builds up, and when it reaches 300 degrees, you have to drag your opponent to the side of the ring and throw them out, effectively catching them aflame. It's good for a couple of times, but it ultimately doesn't add anything that new or exciting to the series and it's a real shame that more time wasn't spent on making this match the hardcore awesomeness that it really could have been. One match that has been re-added is the Special Guest Referee Match, so fans of that match type should be happy. Backstage and Locker Room Brawls also return but without the full freedom to roam the arena as you could in No Mercy, they aren't really that fun anymore.

One type of match that has had a ton of attention paid to, and is generally the main theme of this game, is the tag team match. If you watch wrestling at all, you've probably seen moments where one wrestler in a tag team match is being beat up the entire contest, until he miraculously makes the “hot tag”, and then his partner comes in and cleans house. If your partner is getting the crap kicked out of them during a match, you can push down or up on the d-pad to build the hot tag, represented by flames on your HUD name. Once it is engulfed, you can tap RB+Y to initiate the hot tag, which leads to a short quick-time event scene where you run in and, like in the WWE, clean house, assuming you hit the buttons as they pop up on the screen.

Instead of having a bunch of names clogging up the screen like tag matches used to do in the series, you and your partners' special meters are represented by a single meter, meaning you can tag your partner in and they can have their finishing move all ready for them. You can toss your opponent in your corner and by pressing up on the right analog stick you and your partner will perform a grapple move on your opponent. If you have your special meter filled, you can do a tag team finishing move which is usually quite elaborate and cool to watch.

Ever since Halo 3 had its Theater Mode, games have been copying it like crazy, and SmackDown! vs. Raw 2009 is no different, though it does actually improve upon the concept presented in Bungie's first-person shooter. What we have here is the Highlight Reel, named after Chris Jericho's old segment on Raw. During any match across any of the modes, you can save what goes on in the match. Later, you can take the footage, splice it together, add new camera angles, add graphics, sound effects, music, shades, trim it, as well as other options, and create your very own video that can be uploaded on Xbox LIVE or for you to show your friends whenever you wish by going to the “Theater” option. You can even design your own DVD case for your video, which is a nice little feature that adds even more to the experience. Gallery mode is also available and you use it to take screenshots of your videos at any part of the match. Highlight Reel is easily the best new feature in this installment and you will find yourself spending hours messing around with your videos. It's addictive and extremely awesome.

Other create modes like Create-A-Superstar and Create-A-Entrance return, but they seem a little more limited compared to previous offerings. You can create your own finisher now, and it's surprisingly intuitive and easy to use, though you won't be spending nearly as much time with these modes as you would with Highlight Reel. I still can't wrap my head around why there isn't a “Create-an-Arena” mode yet but maybe next year.

Last year's career mode is horrendous. There's no getting around that. It had a terrible plot that didn't matter at all and it was sluggish and boring. Thankfully, this mode has been replaced by Road to Wrestlemania mode. Here, you choose between Triple H, John Cena, Chris Jericho, CM Punk, and the tandem of Batista and Rey Mysterio. They all have their own stories, which are actually quite good, and some of them even branch off to reveal new plot lines. The matches here are extremely varied and there are moments here that are easily the most memorable in the story mode of any wrestling game ever, including the legendary WWF No Mercy. Some matches will have special stipulations assigned to them that, if completed, you will earn a bonus, like unlocking a character or arena.

However, if you want your wrestling without the plot, in a classic sort of way, SmackDown! vs. Raw 2009 has you covered. In a newly revamped mode, adopting the moniker of career mode, you choose any superstar or diva from the WWE roster and then choose a title to go after. You are given five different superstars to face for any given path, and your matches you have with them are rated based on if the finish was exciting, if the match was exciting, and how the technical wrestling in the match was. Depending on your performance, you will be given one to five stars, and you have to earn a certain amount of stars to earn a No. 1 Contender's Match. If you win this match, you are immediately taken to the next Pay-Per-View if you choose to challenge for the title you're after. By winning the title, you are allowed to go after other titles or defend the titles you have already won.

The greatest part about this career mode is that not only is it addicting, but you are given a lot of customization options as you play through it. If you don't feel like being forced to skip the entrances all the time, like we all do, you can turn them off, and you can even determine whether the matches are No DQ, if you can get counted out, and even if you can win by pinning. The customization is on the level of the multiplayer and it's great that the developers decided to put this mode in the player's hands, something that needed to happen for a long time.

Unfortunately, the basic gameplay is starting to lose its luster finally as WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2009 doesn't really add any new match types that are as great as the Elimination Chamber was or the ECW Extreme Rules Match was. I don't see why the developers don't dig into the matches in the old WCW for these games but whatever. If you played previous installments in the series for extended periods of time, you may find yourself get a little bored with this entry in the series but you will still feel the need to go through all of the Road to Wrestlemania Modes and Career Mode will still be fun to you for a couple of times through.

Fans of WWE will love the storylines as they very much feel like authentic WWE storylines and they blend with the gameplay brilliantly. Since each story is tailored for their respective superstars, there are actual cut-scenes that make sense and provide for some pretty entertaining moments, though this new freedom wasn't explored as much as it probably needed to be. From Triple H struggling between rejoining DX or Evolution to Chris Jericho hunting down a mysterious masked individual who cost him a title match, there is plenty of awesomeness to be had, with John Cena and Undertaker's storylines standing out as some of the best well written, with Chris Jericho's right behind. It's not Final Fantasy caliber and there are some moments that were a little too obvious, but for the most part, the storylines are great and you will still be shocked by some of the things that happen.


Character models and everything are improved over last year's and the load times have been drastically cut; obviously, two very welcome things. There are definite issues though. Wrestlers' body parts seem to go through objects quite a bit, to the point that it's almost ridiculous, but it's never anything that's game breaking. There are some minor annoyances like tables breaking before the wrestler is actually thrown through it but these can be overlooked as they won't ruin any of your fun.

The soundtrack in the SmackDown! games are usually the best part, but I'm sorry to say that this installment sort of ruins this time-honored tradition. During menu screens and such, instead of being treated to some awesome rap and rock music, you have to listen to the wrestlers' theme songs. While there are some catchy tunes, you've probably heard them all a million times before anyway. I'm not saying that there is no licensed music, because there is, but there's just barely any that it's rather insignificant. Thankfully, if you don't feel like listening to The Undertaker's slow entrance theme for the hundredth time, you can quickly skip a song by pushing down on the left analog stick. The voice acting has been improved and it's nice that the actual wrestlers provided the voices this time around instead of some poor actors. The commentating is a little on the irritating side though because a lot of what they say is recycled from 2008 and Jonathon Coachman just doesn't have the star power that JBL did behind the announcer's table. Michael Cole is really annoying this time around too as he repeats himself much more than anyone else. It is neat though in Road to Wrestlemania when the commentators actually talk about things that have been going on in the story during the matches instead of just calling out the moves.

WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2009 definitely isn't light on replay value. Road to Wrestlemania alone can take about eight to ten hours, plus there are some branching paths in there which gives you incentive to go through them more than once. Career Mode can take a while, about two or three hours, and there are also tournaments to complete and the multiplayer will hold your attention for a long while. Highlight Reel is easily one of the best features of this game and you will be spending plenty of time with this feature, but it's unfortunate that General Manager mode has been taken out. I loved that feature and I hope to see it return in next year's installment. There are only 18 achievements and while some of them are very easy to achieve, others do take quite a while.

WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2009 is the best wrestling game since No Mercy on the Nintendo 64, and that's saying something. Highlight Reel is an awesomely addictive feature that fans of the WWE will be very appreciative of, while Road to Wrestlemania mode brings unique storylines and varied gameplay to the table that injects a ton of freshness to the franchise. Even Career Mode is fun this time around, plus the game does have that awesome SmackDown! multiplayer, even though longtime fans of the series may not spend as much time with the multiplayer as they have with previous entries in the series. With no new really noteworthy match types, some graphical issues, and a somewhat disappointing soundtrack, SmackDown! vs. Raw 2009 does have its flaws, but even still, if this is the first SmackDown! game you play, then take my score of nine and turn it into a ten. This game is really just that good.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/16/09

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