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Developer: Yuke's
Publisher: THQ
Genre: Wrestling
Region: NTSC
Format:
Release Date: 13 Nov 07
User Rating
8.5 (2 votes) -
- The WWE gaming franchise continue to dominate the genre, but even the additional of modes and match types cannot disguise an otherwise uninspiring title.
Overview
I for one am impressed that there is still such a following behind the WWE franchise, with the steady drop in TV ratings in the recent years, and they have switched to so many different networks it's hard to keep up. With that being said, the virtual side of the business hasn't taken as much of the heat, as people are still pre-ordering titles and anticipating each installment of the series. Today we are checking out WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2008 for the Xbox 360, a game which hopes to really bring the franchise to the next level. But does it have all that it takes to be great? Read our full review to find out!
Gameplay
I used to be an avid wrestling fan, I would watch every episode on TV and subsequently order the pay per views. Wrestling hasn't changed much since, maybe a few new faces, and even some old ones that have been out of the game for a while. With all this being said, even though I am not an avid WWE viewer like I once was, I to am still one who looks forward to these games, I have so many fond memories in the past of playing wrestling video games that I hope to be able to recapture it with a new experience. Does Smackdown vs. Raw 2008 have that?
Let's get a few things out of the way first, more of a housekeeping task if you will. First and foremost, this is not a game with a revolutionary step forward. There is not one feature in this game that I would tout as being a brand new innovation that takes the series to the next level. However what the developers did in this title, was make a handful of small changes. And that starts by adding basically any mode of play you could ever think of. There is no shortage of match types in this game, whether you want hardcore, steel cage, or even the ECW Rules, which takes things to a new extreme in the game, and is a welcome addition.
The game has the 24/7 mode which allows you to take either a created wrestler or a pre-existing one and go through the calendar year pumping up your character to become the best in the business. This sounds great, but one complaint I have had since becoming a video game reviewer is that with all of the crazy stories that go on, on the WWE, why can't they bring just a few of those to the video game. The story in Smackdown vs. Raw 2008 is a dumbed down, pathetic excuse for a story and actually made my experience a lot less enticing than had there been no story what so ever. You can also take the lead of one of the managers of the different venue's (Smackdown, RAW, ECW) which involves a lot of micromanaging and once again feels underdeveloped.
So the story mode is really lacking, and that is a big disappointment, gamers have been begging for one for a long time, and as of right now, WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2008 doesn't have what it takes. Outside of the story mode, there is the quick play and now online play. The online play is much improved over last year's game. For one it flows a lot better, there is very little lag, and the games work very nice. There is still so much untapped potential for a deep online experience that just wasn't put into this title.
In terms of mechanics, there have been some changes to the formula, for one things seem to be slowed down a bit. The grappling system has been tweaked a bit, making things a bit more realistic, and takes a bit of the guessing out of the experience. Overall this wasn't a giant leap forward like many would hope for the game. It has some solid ideas, but unfortunately none really materialize the way you would hope.
Graphics
WWE on the Xbox 360 hasn't been all everyone has hoped for, in many cases this is a title that really promises a lot more than it delivers. Visually there haven't been many changes in the game, there are still some clipping issues, some weird textures, and great character models. If you were to put this game up against last year's game, you would be heart pressed to find a "big" difference. There are some small changes, but overall this is still just a pretty good looking game, that never makes it to great.
Fun Factor
One of the things that has always amazed me over the years that no matter how little they change, the experiences still in one way or another manages to be a lot of fun. WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2008 is not the best outing for the series, and yet I still enjoyed all the match types and online play. I think however you can tell how much of an improvement a game is by how long this feeling last, and unfortunately the excitement of this version just doesn't carry, all of what is supposed to make this a deep experience just doesn't amount to much.
Overall
It may sound like I am being extremely hard on this game, and in some ways I am because this is a franchise that has somewhat of a monopoly on the genre, and so if wrestling fans want to get their fix each year it has to be from this franchise, and I just feel the game didn't live up to its standards in this year's game. If you are a big fan the game might be worth a rental, but a purchase would probably be going a bit overboard.
- Gameplay
7.0 - Graphics
7.0 - Fun Factor
7.0 - Overall
7.0
