WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009

"Finally, the Smackdown series becomes fun again!"

Finally the fun has come back to SmackDown! For the past few years I have dreaded the release of each new SmackDown game; I don't think I'm the only one who became increasingly disillusioned by the poor controls, the terrible story modes and absence of anything that's really good fun to play. Since the excellent SmackDown: Here Comes The Pain, each subsequent release has been a bitter disappointment. This situation came to a head last year with the awful Wii version, which finally broke my spirit. I tapped out... 1, 2, 3. WWE games were dead - "Move along boy, there's nothing to see here!" That was until today…

THQ has at last taken notice of all the criticism, broken out the defibrillators and shocked the SmackDown franchise back to life. WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 is the best wrestling game I've played in ages and it's so great to see the series make a long-awaited return to form. My biggest problem with SmackDown over the past few years has been THQ's constant tinkering with the controls. I could never fault their attempts to offer the player more control, but I feel that it wasn't ever necessary and became more of a negative aspect than the positive it should have been. This year's controls have improved amazingly since SmackDown vs Raw 2008. For starters, the movement and grapples, which are controlled via the thumbsticks, feel a lot smoother; I'm not sure if this is the result of an evolution of the controls over the three years since the system was introduced, but I was able to play for a solid hour without having to consult the manual every three minutes to figure out what I was supposed to be doing - or, more importantly, how I was supposed to do it. The reversals are still a little bit hit and miss, but at least your opponent doesn't block and reverse everything you do, like in TNA iMPACT.

Of course, the revamped and intuitive controls would mean nothing if the game wasn't fun to play, but thankfully it is. The beauty of this latest WWE release lies within the effortless pick up and play gameplay that the previous two or three iterations have lacked. When a match begins, you never find yourself just performing the same two or three moves over and over; you will discover new techniques and skills to utilise, and even when you think you know everything that your character can pull off, you'll discover a new environmental grapple in the turnbuckle that you didn't even know existed. As you play, you get the feeling that the computer's AI is adapting to your playing style, so you can't simply slam and stomp repeatedly until you work up enough momentum for a finisher - by the second slam you will find your moves being blocked and you will have no choice to thus forcing you to change your tactics.

Another significant change comes with the fact that you cannot save your finisher any more - you must use it within a short time of building up enough momentum - alters the gameplay dynamic significantly. You need to really plan your build up to the finisher now; if you are banking on using a submission then you need your opponent in the centre in the ring or if you have an aerial move lined up then you need your opponent on his or her back. If you are unable to set up your finisher in time then you can save it as a Signature Move, which is slightly weaker but still much stronger than a standard grapple.

You also have no less than fifty-six match types to grapple with across the single player and multiplayer modes, compared to TNA's laughably paltry six. It'll take a long time to explore every match type - and it may be that you never manage to experience everything that the game has to offer - but the fact that so much has been included shows THQ's dedication to providing a truly authentic WWE experience, and the incredible range of match types on offer is very much welcome. All belts are available to fight for as well, adding an appealing element to any match that you wish to set up.

The newest addition this year is the Inferno Match. This match type isn't used very often in WWE, with (to my knowledge) only three ever taking place, but each of these have been an amazing spectacle to behold. In an Inferno Match, the ring is surrounded by fire, which is set at a temperature of 185 degrees; you must perform grapples and strikes to increase this temperature to 300 degrees, at which point the ring's ropes explode into a blazing inferno and you have a limited time to move your opponent into the flames to win the match. This is an odd match to play for two reasons; the first is that the movement element, which is similar to the environmental grapples from previous years, is a little awkward and really should have had a Finisher Trigger (similar to the old Buried Alive) to end the match. The second reason is that the sight of the wrestlers being set on fire is a little disturbing, especially given the lack of protection that their minimalist outfits provide.

The other new addition is the slight revamp of the Tag mode to include 'hot tags'. What this essentially means is that during the match, if you (or your opponent) is being beaten to a pulp then your HUD suddenly begins to glow to indicate that hot tag has been activated. If you (or they) can then get a tag, your partner immediately enters the ring, with full stamina to deliver as much punishment as possible. Also, rather than having separate momentum meters for finishers, you and your partner share the same one, so if you are not the legal man then the more taunts or illegal manoeuvres you perform, the more you help to increase your partner's meter. Though this feature works well, I do wish there was more to it, as it's not that much different to the last few games and not really the radical revamp that the promos promised.

After you've sampled some of the delights of the single mode, it's time to tuck into the meat of the game, which is divided into three separate elements: Career Mode, Road to Wrestlemania and Tournaments. The latter of the three are the same as last year; you set up brackets to wrestle a number of opponents to challenge for a belt or become King of the Ring. This mode really comes into its own in multiplayer, as you can play as many or as few of the wrestlers in the tournament as you wish, which is a great way to find out which of your friends is the real champ. All the belts are also available to win in this way and so you can defend any belts that you have previously won in single mode.

After the woefully inept career diary from last year, THQ has done the sensible thing by splitting the story and the championship element into two separate modes. Career allows you to compete for the nine available belts, but instead of just playing the main bout, you have to earn yourself a title shot first. You do this by facing off against four opponents in an attempt to gain a certain number of stars. Each match is graded based upon a number of different criteria (number of reversals, use of weapons, aerial moves and so on) to gain up to the maximum five stars rating. Once the required number of stars has been obtained over as many or as few of the matches as are available, you then move onto a number one contender match and finally a shot at the title. Once the belt is yours, you can then move on to the next title until you have a full bag of gold. The simplicity of this mode is beautiful, reminiscent of Here Comes The Pain, and you can play through Career mode over and over again, with any created character or available wrestler. Also included is the ability to use a Diva to fight for the Women's belt, which almost makes me forgive the inclusion of so many hideously-rendered women.

If you always enjoyed the 'story' element of the WWE games then you might be disappointed to learn that there are only six available. Furthermore, rather than being available to any wrestler or just to your created character, they are only available to one specific wrestler, with a story for Triple H, John Cena, Chris Jericho, The Undertaker, CM Punk and a co-op story featuring Batista and Rey Mysterio. These stories are nothing new for anyone who's played a SmackDown game or watched WWE over the past few years. For example, one involves the creation of a faction of bad guys who target you for their abuse. Most involve the chase for a title and while they are still fun, this more generic story (that could be applied to anyone) would be better suited to a created character or indeed to any wrestler, although to say this is really just nitpicking.

Within the stories are various bonuses that can be gained by achieving a range of targets or goals within the matches, such as winning via submission or within a set time limit. If you don't achieve them (in which case I suggest just resetting the game), you have to play the whole mode again. The co-op story mode is an interesting idea, although Batista and Mysterio were a poor choice when a more established team (such as the Hardy Boyz) would make more sense; nevertheless, it's still a great feature that could have fallen flat on its face, but didn't.

Longevity has been a big issue in the past few games due to their reliance on linear storylines. However, SmackDown vs Raw 2009 has a huge lifespan, if you're interested in discovering all that it has to offer. The Career mode will take at least a good few days of solid playing to complete in Easy Mode, and in Difficult it's a week at least. Each of the six stories take a day to go through and then you have all the other match types to explore, not just in single player but online as well. The online mode hasn't changed much since last year, but the ability to play most match types online and select any character is fantastic.

The gameplay and features aren't the only areas of SmackDown to have been enhanced, as the graphics and sound are beautiful to behold. It is doubtful that THQ will manage to better the look of the characters next time around (apart from their eyes and lip-synching, which can at times look a little odd), but on the whole, the wrestlers look, move and feel completely realistic. All of the sixty-six available wrestlers are very lifelike, and the promise of new wrestlers to download means that you don't have to worry if one of your favourite performers is currently absent. The omission of any Legends is also due to be rectified with the imminent release of THQ's Legends of Wrestlemania (a trailer for which is featured in this game, along with the Edge vs. Undertaker match from Wrestlemania 24). Even the environments, crowds and cut scenes are wonderfully recreated and their animation is better than it has ever been before. The inclusion of a new Create a Finisher mode is the perfect example of how this type of 'create' feature should be made; it is simple, easy to understand and no matter how crazy or impossible the move you make, the linking animation that results is as good as everything else in the game. On the audio front, the music is your typical rock/rap mix, with perfect replication of all the entrance and theme music, as well as convincing sounding effects to accompany the action. The only aspect that sadly hasn't received the improvement it so desperately needs is the commentary, which is the usual concoction of repetitive and badly synched phrases - but thankfully you can turn it off should it become overly irritating.

WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 is the best wrestling game to come out in years and easily the best wrestling game available on console at the moment. The enhanced controls are finally spot on, making for a streamlined and extremely enjoyable experience, the range of match types and modes has never been wider or better conceived, and the game has never looked or sounded better. After a string of arguably disappointing releases, THQ has finally hit upon the magic formula and created the definitive wrestling experience; my hope is restored, I'm back off the mat and fighting once more, and I await the next instalment with great anticipation, with the full expectation that I'll still be playing this one when it arrives.

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

Game Release: WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 (EU, 11/07/08)