WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 – PS3 – Review

Another year
and a new iteration of Jakks WWE franchise. And because we are treated to the
next-gen console system, but what is here and how much you want to play it
really depends on your fascination with the WWE wrestling franchises.

In some cases
this is a limited game, in terms of the Diva portion, while the male wrestling
is a bit more robust. And the fact that you can only have one career path is
rather silly. With such robust options when it comes to all the moves you can
select from to customize your grappler, having just one career is just wrong.

When it
actually comes to creating a wrestler, there are quite a few options for
customizing the look. (Up front, having fun creating a diva might be amusing,
but if you are serious about playing the game, the diva gets five matches to win
the title, and then you either wrestle the same matches over and over, or you
transfer to the men’s side – where you will find yourself woefully lacking in
physicality; you can win a match and boost your stats, but don’t expect it to be
easy, or that enjoyable).

The game offers
several modes of play; you can embark on a career, which favors the male
wrestler while also driving along various paths representing the various arms of
the WWE. But there is some confusion (the disc sent for this review was for the
debug/developers machine, so no instructions) as to how you get ranked up. While
on the career path to the ECW title, the created wrestler was one star short of
qualifying for the No. 1 contender match. Many, many battles were fought without
the character moving up and gaining that extra star.

Also as you
move up the rankings, you will unlock other skills. Some of them are simply
silly (like using the ref as a shield) while others will have practical
applications in the game.

You can also
undertake the Road to Wrestlemania, which allows you to take one of a handful of
recognized wrestlers and then work through to the premier wrestling showcase
event. There is also an exhibition match in which any wrestler can take on any
other wrestler. The exhibition mode offers 14 match styles, which do bring some
enjoyment and challenge to the game.

The tag team
offers an interesting dynamic and is actually played out well. Not only will the
computer run your partner (should you not have someone else to play with), but
as the member of the team on the outside of the ring, you can go around and beat
on the opponent’s ringside partner, thereby prohibiting interference.

At the heart of
the wrestling game is the controls and they are intuitive enough, configured so
that even newcomers should be able to pick up and play. The NPCs also act
decently enough.

Graphically the
game has some problems. Not only are there a few clipping issues and you have to
really have the control mechanics down in order to charge an opponent who is
diagonal to your position, but the character animations – at times – leave a lot
to be desired. Notably, the open mouth bit when applying a submission hold is
horrendous. Also, hair does not move all that well. If you put long hair on a
character, the ends may move slightly, but the top two-thirds are glued in.
Also, there is blood in the game, but only the male wrestlers will bleed.

The sound is
decent, with some solid music (some of the tunes used by the wrestlers makes an
appearance) though the announcing can get a bit repetitious.

Because of the
disc sent to review the program was not retail, and test servers were not
available for multiplayer at the times played, some aspects of the game could
not be tested.

While some
elements of the game could certainly have been deeper (the Diva section, which
as it stands now just seems to have been tacked on to appease certain fans of
the sport), generally speaking – in spite of some of the flaws – this is a
decent game and should garner a few smiles here and there.

Review Scoring Details for WWE Smackdown Vs. Raw 2009

Gameplay: 7.5
The controls are
intuitive enough but there was a bit of a delay at times in pulling off
reflexive skill moves. The game also has load times, which can be prolonged if
you allow the wrestler intros to play all the time.

Graphics: 8.0
The moves are
decent, but contact is sometimes made and it does not appear that the wrestlers
are near one another. The blood seems to flow from one area on the forehead and
can be quite messy.

Sound: 7.2
Kudos for the
musical score, but the announcing can get a bit repetitious.

Difficulty: Easy/Med

Concept: 7.5
The game has some
solid features, but it feels like others were added in quickly without regard to
game depth or even true functionality.

Multiplayer: N/A
Online could not be
tested. A couple of controllers works well, especially with the fixed camera,
but online offers the opportunity for tourney play.

Overall: 7.5
A game with decent
entertainment value. The AI seems pretty tight and the game looks pretty good.
Unfortunately online could not be tested. The single-player campaign is decent
with a challenge that ramps up slightly as you move along. Still this game
should have appeal to those who are fans of the sport.