Is the world ready for an all-touch
wrestling game? It wasn’t last year, prompting THQ to re-tool the WWE Smackdown
Vs. Raw series for 2009. This year’s edition adds the ability to walk with the
D-pad. The rest is primarily touch-based, but most of the moves are simple
enough for any player to pull off. That’s the good news. The bad news, however,
is that the DS version of SVR 09 is too shallow to hold your interest through
the next year.
SVR 09’s move list is short and
simple. Want to strike (punch/kick) your opponent? Come ‘on, you know you want
to. How else are you going to annoy your opponent and deplete his life at the
same time? Not at all surprisingly, strikes are performed by touching your
opponent with your stylus. Hold the D-pad in various directions to change your
attack type. Downward strikes work the same way when your opponent is laying on
the ground. Remember that the D-pad is also used to move your character in and
out of the ring, so don’t press it too soon or you could end up stepping back
from your opponent and miss when you try to strike.
Grapples are initiated by drawing
one or two circles. Draw one circle for a weak grapple; draw two for a strong
grapple. In either case, after a circle has been formed, your wrestler will only
reach to grab your opponent once the stylus has been lifted.
From the grappled position, players
can do many different things. Push the D-pad in various directions to finish the
grapple move, causing your wrestler to flip, slam, and deal pain to any
opponent. Draw a line toward the ring to execute an Irish Whip. If your opponent
is in the corner of the ring following an Irish Whip, draw another circle (or
two) to perform yet another move. In this scenario, your wrestler climbs the
post, grabs his opponent and slams him down a few feet. The grapple initiator
(drawing circles) can also be used to start a finishing move, provided that the
finisher gauge is full. Use a strong grapple and press the L button. You’re done
– the finishing move will now commence.
Downed grapples work the same as
regular grapples. Weapons are picked up by touching them. When performing a
submission move, you’ll get a body icon to touch and drag along the screen. It’s
your job to move it around the screen fast enough to prevent your AI opponent
from touching the icon. Technically the AI never will, since it is an artificla
player that can’t physically do anything. But if you were to play this against a
friend, he would then be required to touch the icon several times to get out of
the submission move.
That’s about all there is to SVR 09.
Mechanically, it’s hard to complain about. The controls are not deep but they
work well for a game that relies heavily on the DS’s touch screen.
Unfortunately, not every series is improved by using a system’s assets. The
whole experience is just too simple and repetitive. Making it more complex would
turn off most players, myself included. Complexity isn’t the issue so much as
the fact that not every game needs to be touch-based. SVR 09 succeeds as a
novelty. But if that’s not what you’re looking for in a handheld wrestling game,
don’t expect the fun to last.
SVR 09 tries to extend the
replayability with exhibition mini-games, such as the Steel Cage, where players
have to tap their wrestler’s hands to climb the cage. This isn’t much fun.
Single, Ladder, Last Man Standing, Table, TLC and Hardcore match types are also
included.
The season mode contains several
battles, dozens of playable characters from Smackdown, Raw and ECW, and a few
training games (more touching! …and blowing, if you want to squat) to increase
the stats of your superstar. There are also a few locations to explore in full
3D, such as the gym and the arena where you compete. But that’s only cool the
first time you see it, and since this game is rooted in touch-based combat, you
can’t escape the repetition.
If vanity is of any concern, the
Create-a-Superstar mode isn’t the deepest feature SVR 09 has to offer. Thirty
attribute points may be assigned to your wrestler’s power, submission,
durability, speed or momentum. You can choose the brand (Raw, Smackdown or ECW),
select one of four body types, change his skin tone to any color (forget normal
human aesthetics and go with alien green!), tweak several different facial
features (hair, eyes, mouth, etc.), and make a couple other adjustments. Your
wrestler’s move set may be customized as well, allowing you to add another
personal touch.
But as we’re all too aware, no
Create-a-Player mode is enough to pull a game through tough times. Die-hard SVR
fans may be eager to get their hands on each handheld iteration, but you’d be
wise to rent SVR 09 before going all in.
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Gameplay: 6.8
The gameplay is almost entirely a novelty. SVR 09 is the kind of title
you’ll enjoy as a rental but may want to think twice before spending the full
$30 to own it.
Graphics: 7
SVR 09’s character models are hardly mind-blowing, but the
Create-a-Superstar mode is fairly deep and kept the visuals from dropping a
point or two.
Sound: 5
Like a beat-up tape recorder emitting forgettable rock sounds, SVR 09
doesn’t sound very good.
Difficulty: Easy
Tap. Draw. Scratch.
Concept: 7.5
I like what the developers have done with the controls but there isn’t
enough to the combat or the game as whole to produce longevity.
Multiplayer: 5.5
The multi-card requirement will prevent most players from experiencing the
multiplayer feature, which doesn’t have nearly as many options as the console
versions.
Overall: 6.8
On one hand the controls are a testament to what can be done with the DS; on
the other, they also prove that not every franchise should be wholly
touch-based. Hopefully the developers can prove me wrong with some radical
changes and/or additions next year. But if not, they’d be wise to abandon the
touch mechanics.
