WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2007

"A great WWE game for the PSP."

Ah yes, finally. The SmackDown! Vs. Raw series has once again expanded onto the PSP. There is a lot of talk saying the this game is horrible. Let's have a look and see if those statements are correct, shall we?

Load Times: 8/10

Ah yes, the infamous loading times of the PSP. Well, this game has avoided being bashed because of it's loading times because they are excellent. Very much improved from last years game, where it took 5 minutes to load a match with 4 Create-A-Wrestlers(CAWs.) I think this alone makes it better then last years game.

Gameplay : 9/10

This years gameplay is a bit different than last years. The strike button has changed, as well as the grappling system. Overall, I think this is a much better system when you get used to it. But if you have been playing SDvR06 like me on the PSP for a year, it does take a while to get used to. You may find yourself going for a pin when you want to pick someone up, or doing the wrong type of grapple at first. This will change with time and when you get used to the new controls. The only downside here is that the game pauses in the middle of a pin or when you do certain moves. It doesn't pause for long and doesn't affect the gameplay all that much.

Audio: 9/10

Now we arrive at the audio. The songs that play when you are at the menu and playing matches are great choices to listen to. Or if you need entrance music for your CAW, this music is perfect with songs such as Animal I Have Become which is a perfect song for a monster, or a crazy person CAW. Or you could use Riot for a stable with outlaws or people who don't give a crap about anything.

Graphics : 8/10

An improvement from last year. If you have the PS2 version, you might be slightly disappointed with them. The crowd is just cardboard cut outs, but really who pays attention to a crowd when you're busy bashing someone's face in with a steel chair?

CAW : 6/10

I hear many complaints from the CAW makers of the series that the CAW system is bad this year. Some of the key things from last year were taken out, such as some of the hair options. But, the previewing the layers is better. You don't have to wait 2 minutes to view one hair, and then when you don't like it wait 2 more minutes to view the next one. It all appears right from the beginning. Overall though, the CAW system was a step down. You still only have 6 layers to work with.

Overall: This is an enjoyable game, with better loading times. There is no PSP to PS2 connections this year, so no transferring data this year. But, this is still a great game. I'd pick it up at your local gamestop.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 04/04/07