Customer Reviews

WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2008

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Well, it's basically the same Smackdown we have been playing for years with some minor improvements and additions, which is either good or bad depending on how you look at it. The graphics are much improved from the PS2 days, especially the wrestler faces. Practically every wrestler looks very close to their real-life counterpart. The gameplay is very smooth and more realistic than ever. The new fighting styles and improved "Ultimate Control" moves add much-needed depth to the classic Smackdown fighting engine. I love the fact that they included many ECW wrestlers and some good legends, such as Sandman, Sabu, CM Punk, Terry Funk, Rick Rude, and more. And finally Jeff Hardy is back in a WWE game (first appearance since Shut Your Mouth in 2002)!!! The only thing that sucks is that they copied and pasted Stone Cold and The Rock from SvR 2007...I swear the character models, animations, and attires are exactly the same. I never once saw The Rock wear those tights with the blue-green lettering. Plus their entrance animations are WAY off - I don't know who mo-capped these entrances, but they obviously weren't very big fans of the "Attitude" era. One cool thing Yukes DID add, though, is alternate DX attires for Triple H and HBK. Very nice!

The 24/7 mode is kinda boring...it's like they combined GM mode and Season, but it just doesn't work as well as it should. There is no continuity and the storylines make little to no sense at times...oh wait, that IS just like the real WWE. Way to represent the brand faithfully, Yukes! But seriously, am I the only fan who misses the old-school season mode from games like WrestleMania 2000? You fight you way up from the lower card to the mid card (winning, defending, and losing multiple titles along the way) and eventually reach the upper echelon and fight for the WWE title at WrestleMania. No stupid nonsense storylines, no space-consuming voiceovers, just lots of matches with the ultimate goal of winning (and successfully defending) the WWE title. I swear I miss the old days. On the bright side, Tournament mode is back! Or some refer to this as King of the Ring. I am very addicted to this mode, so it's such a welcome addition in my opinion. Now if they would only bring back the "I Quit" matches...

Online kinda sucks. They just can't seem to eliminate the lag. Oh well, I never play Smackdown online anyways because of the cheaters, so it's a dead issue for me.

The commentary is, well, pretty horrendous. JBL sounds like he's mentally handicapped or something. Just turn it off as soon as you get the chance.

Finally we can import our own tracks for the CAW entrance themes!!! And you can update themes for the existing wrestlers, too. Very cool!

Anyways, everything else is pretty good. The match types have not really been updated (just minor fixes), the A.I is still dumb, and there are lots of little glitches and other things that I could nitpick all day long, but that's the case with every new Smackdown game, so it was all expected. At the end of the day, this is still a very fun game - probably the most fun I've had since Here Comes the Pain in 2003. The little additions to the gameplay (especially the new hardcore weapon moves and high-flying moves) really do add a lot to make the game feel fresh, especially after last year's somewhat dull offering. If you're a fan of the WWE or past Smackdown games, you'll want to pick this up ASAP. Anyone else, rent it first, but I think everyone that plays this will find something to enjoy.

I really had a hard time deciding whether or not to buy this game on the 360 or Wii. After seeing the lack of match types and repetitiveness on the Wii, I went and got the 360 version. At first, I wasn't very happy with my decision. I wanted to take it back and get the Wii version. Boy, am I happy I didn't. It takes a couple matches to get used to the new controls and superstar fighting styles, but once you get in the groove, it's full throttle fun! There are so many match types, it's insane. Of course, the create a wrestler mode is incredible and it's cool you can put in your own entrance music. This makes it a lot cooler to create the likes of Chris Jericho, who recently came back to the WWE. From the top down, this game rocks. The only reason I don't give this game five stars is that the 24/7 mode has a lot of moments that don't make any sense or go along with the storyline. Also, I think the roster is pretty weak compared to the other games in the Smackdown series. With a better roster and a fixed 24/7 mode, the 2009 version has a chance to be even better.

Ok so I like wrestling games, I mostly like the ones for nintendo (No Mercy, Day of Reckoning 1+2, Wrestlemania 19). However this time I decided to give the xbox wrestling game a chance. There is a certain learning curve when switching from the nintendo wrestling games to xbox wrestling games. One problem that is a total beach is the fact that reversing is switched around for some reason. It used to be on the games I'm used to R reversed strikes and L reversed grapples, but now its the other way around, which is really dumb and just makes the transition harder.

The best story mode in a wrestling game was probably No Mercy's. The story actually changed depending on the if you won or lost. In this story mode (24/7 mode) the computer has already decided if you won or lost you just play the match and afterwards it tells you if you won or lost despite what you did.

The good parts of the game are things like the new fighting style feature. It adds another element of strategy and originality to the game. There are also plenty of matches that are all pretty fun once you get the hang of the game, especially the ECW extreme rules match where you can choose your weapon from under the ring which is pretty B.A.

Overall I think the game is in the same league as Wreslemania 19 for Gamecube. The game is fun but the story mode is trash in both, also both are rather skimpy on the rosters. Anyways it is still a good pickup.

The series is no longer aimed at the older gamer. In an attempt to simplify the controls they instead made them overly complicated. SvR06 had 25 front grapples, SvR08 has 12. Why the step backwards? Why does a PS2 game from 2005 offer more customization, with more moves, than a Xbox 360 title? What was wrong with manual targeting that they had to completely remove it? Why can you still throw someone outside and apply unblockable headlock after unblockable headlock? Why did they change the animation for this, but not fix the unblockable glitch?

Any long time Smackdown fans will ask themselves these questions and more. This is not a fun ride at all. You're forced into playing the way Yuke's wants you to, not the way you want to. Either you use the analog sticks or you don't play. Either you hope manual targeting works (it usually doesn't) or you don't play.

One scroll through of the roster will confirm my previous statement about this game being for children. All of the wrestlers are stacked in attributes with no real weaknesses present and half of them have a championship.

The biggest problem with this game are the fighting styles. They took things from previous games that everyone could do and separated them into categories. To make the kids happy they added features that allow you to make your character invincible to strikes, grapples, submissions and pinfalls.

Unlike in previous titles there's no strategy in this version of SvR. It s a race to the finish. A race filled with glitches, cheapness and overpowered brutes with unblockable abilities.

Recommended only for hyper little children with a short attention span and no skill beyond repeatedly mashing buttons and flicking analog sticks like actors do in sitcoms when their character is supposed to be playing a video game.

Another year, another WWE licensed video game. Some will go down as bona fide classics (No Mercy 64, WWE Smackdown Vs. Raw 2006) and some will not (this game). 2008 had every opportunity to be one of the best around, especially with the potential of the PS3. I've been playing these games since WCW vs. NWO: World Tour for the N64 and even WCW vs. The World for the original Playstation and each year the game has its high peaks and its transitional games, and this would fall into the latter. This game just doesn't seem finished, the new ideas like Wrestler Styles (brawler, submission, hardcore, etc.) are a step in the right direction, but limit your wrestler too much. I understand giving a 400lb guy an enziguiri or shooting star press is a bit unrealistic, but weren't we the ones who paid $60 for the game? Also, different move sets are assigned to different styles, so there's little chance of giving a dirty wrestler any elaborate power or technical move. My powerhouse won't have any decent submission holds or technical moves; by now you're starting to get the point. Some moves are even missing from earlier editions of the game. The ultimate control grapple from last time is a good enough idea, but good luck trying to get them to work half of the time. It's a 50/50 shot whether or not I'm slamming my opponent's head into the ground or getting my head slammed into the ground. Also, the moveset controls aren't explained extremely well. I actually didn't figure out until a week or so of owning the game that both styles' movesets can be accessed in the same match (strong grapple + up or + down on the left stick access the other sets). Some other minor control features aren't explained very well or don't appear in the manual at all.

Roster-wise, this game also disappoints in more ways than one. I can honestly tell you that I haven't watched pro wrestling since I was in my freshman year in high school so I'm not as familiar with all of these wrestlers as most fans are, but come on, at least give us more legend options. The familiar faces are all there, such as The Undertaker, Triple H, John Cena, Rey Mysterio Jr, Edge and so-on, but where are legends like Hogan, Ted DiBiase (my old favorite), The Iron Shiek, Jake Roberts, Tazz (this game has ECW guys in it and he'd be perfect) and I could go on for ten minutes. Also, every guy on the roster is rated extremely high, completely removing the sense of balance from the game. Matt Hardy is a 90 but Triple H is only a 94? That eliminates possible mismatches, but it also makes half of the roster too good. In the old games, if the guy was a jobber (like say Rico or Hurricane Helms) he'd be a 70-something, and if a guy was a winner, he'd be a 90-something. On the bright side, the ECW additions are extremely fun to play as (I dare you not to absolutely love being Sabu or Sandman) and the ECW weapons system is a lot of fun. I do miss the backstage areas a lot, but a Money-in-the-Bank match has kept my friends and I occupied.

Career mode is arduous at best. It feels like a lot of work, and not a lot of fun to move through a year in the 24/7 mode. Storylines make little to no sense and cutscenes often repeat themselves. Wrestlers will turn on you or befriend you with no rhyme nor reason (which I guess is like real WWE) and as usual, the McMahon family is pure evil. I honestly just simulate through 24/7 mode to build up my guys and make money.

The create-a-player hasn't changed too much but still seems off, as for every addition or a new hairstyle or outfit, there's a subtraction of another one. The Xbox 360 version DOES allow for re-writable soundtracks and entrance music, as well as twice as many layers for our create-a-wrestlers. I actually sold my PS3 version online and bought the Xbox 360 version just for those two differences. I love finally being able to give my wrestlers whatever entrance music I want. The PS3 version's graphics seem slightly less colorful and bright and maybe a tad more realistic, but the gameplay moves much less smoothly than the 360 version. I was surprised how noticeably different the Xbox 360 version felt than the PS3's. I'll take slightly diminished graphics over smoother gameplay nine out of ten times, and there isn't even a huge, noticeable difference. The load times seemed a lot longer for the PS3 as well, especially with a create-a-wrestler match.

Overall, this game doesn't feel like a total disappointment. It's still just as fun to play with a group of buddies as any of the old games, it's just no fun to play by yourself. I usually make about twenty create-a-wrestlers anyway, so the roster issue isn't as big of a problem for me as it is for a real fan of WWE wrestling; I'll just make my own roster. This game shows serious potential but just isn't a classic. If anything, I really look forward to next year's game so that THQ can fine tune the gamplay.

People are bashing this game left and right, but compared to svr 2007, its really a pretty good game. The graphics are amazing as well as the sound with a few exceptions like JbL sounds like he's got laurangitus, just to give you an example. Overall I really do recommend this game if you are a wrestling fan.

Once again the WWE leaves the ladies high and dry. Please tell me why there is no 24/7 game mode for the female wrestlers and why they are left out of all the interesting match types like the hardcore ones and the main event matches. They pretty much can only compete in the single matches and a couple of the tag and fatal 4 way style matches but that is it. It is so weak! Why were they left out? Where are their main events liek evening gown matches, bra and panties, mud battles? Its a game and about fantasy so it shouldn't be hard to believe that women could compete in matches like that just like they do on the show! I find it to be so annoying which is why I gave it a low rating. WHEN THE WWE DECIDES TO BE FAIR TO THE WOMEN I WILL GIVE THEM BETTER RATINGS!

Smackdown vs Raw 2008 is one of my least favorites even if I do find myself playing it a lot on PSP. I'll start by mentioning the bad:


1: Anyone, can toss the big guys around, like the Great Khali. I mean guys like Rey Mysterio, Flair and HBK can lift anyone up for the Razor's Edge. Meanwhile I don't even remember when any of them have even done that move. They got things right in the 2007 game with how it was hard to move the Great Kahli around. So they should have kept things that way. It was a lot more of a challengle to not even be able to lift the Great Khali as John Cena for even his finisher in Smackdown vs Raw 2007.

2: The submission moves: Yes it's awesome that you can control how much pressure you can put on some submission moves. However with some submission moves such as the ankle lock you don't get that option. Hell, you can't even make people submit with the hold on the game! There's a few holds that you can't make people submit with infact.

3: The Legends: Yes it's cool to have Rick Rude finally. However, it barely looks like him. While it would have worked more to have him if someone he actually feuded with was also on the game like Ultimate Warrior or Ricky Steamboat. He had a small feud with Flair once but that's it. It's also lame to keep having Piper on each game. I do admit though that he's better in this one since you can control how much pressure you put on his sleeper hold at least. I still would have liked if they just brought Mr. Perfect back instead though or even Hogan. I'm a little tired of Mick Foley on each game as well. While the late great Eddie Guerrero can just be used on the PSP version.

4. Some wrestlers you don't even get the option of giving them such holds as the figure 4 in create a wrestler mode. They have less of a variety of moves in this game as well.

5. Come on, if you can create a wrestler, you should be able to give them good music to walk out to. Here Comes the Pain got that right. You had a good list of original music choices. Instead with the newer games, you get a lame list of music choices. Who wants their created wrestler to walk out to the annoying background music that already irritates us as we play the game. There should also be a better list of entrances for created stables. I also don't like how some legends you can't even use in GM mode, like Vince and Shane McMahon. They also need to finally add 8 man tags. They also should have kept in PPV mode.

What I do like: I already mentioned that I like how you can put pressure on...some submission moves. I also like how they brought title mode back. I like how it's easier to build up your wrestlers popularity in GM mode by simply having them sign autographs or interfere at the other shows. I also like how they added beat the clock matches in Tourament Mode.

Legends I'd like to see in the 2009 game: Hogan, Bret Hart, Stone Cold, 80's Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat, The Rock, Arn Anderson, The Demolition, Randy Savage, Yokozuna " and he should be very very hard to move", RVD, Eddie Guerrero, 1-2-3 Kid "to beat up lol", Sid, Vader, Owen Hart, British Bulldog, Mr. Perfect, Honkey Tonk Man

I have heard the bad reviews and most of them can't even spell F-U-N or W-R-E-S-T-L-I-N-G G-A-M-E. This game is awesome for WRESTLING FANS who actually like the sport and pay for the ppv and watch it every Monday. Or for people who have played others before. Anybody should enjoy this game so give it a chance. The new modes offer variations that are long but repetitive but I overlook that because I feel like a wrestler. I can create my own entrance and character, belt, stable, all in hitch. Buy this game it's awesome.

If I have a pet hate in the Xbox world, it is games, especially annual releases, that are rushed and do not maximise the full capabilities of the Xbox 360.

This falls into that category and sadly, is no real improvement on the series as a whole. The WWE games need some competition from somewhere to maybe force them to buck their ideas up a little.

I will say that the graphics, though flawed a tad, are very good and the feature to include your own music into the wrestler's introductions was a welcoming one too. The highlight of my game was seeing my guy enter the ring to the tune of "Snake Bit" (Jake the Snake Roberts). There are many match types, though the omission of a Survivor Series type, as well as tutorials and a decent manual, is disappointing. I have not been a real fan of WWE since I was around 13-14 (I am now 25) so am not familiar with many of the gametypes.

The control system is hard to get to grips with and it seems that a very brief manual, it is almost as if they want you to buy the guide, forgetting you splashed out $60 on the game already. I just want to know the fundamentals, and then try and beat the game alone.

"Create a Wrestler" is okay, but the annoyance of being unable to form a stable with a friends wrestler is stupid. This is the beginning of the problems for the game.

Firstly, whoever decided that making the game Xbox Live compatible (good idea) should have considered making the game co-op, with tag team competitions etc. We were looking forward to the prospect of teaming up with our guys and taking on others but unfortunately, we couldn't do it.

Secondly, the career mode is poor. Too too linear (it was better on the PS2 with the older games when you could play it like a proper RPG and talk to who you wish) and the storylines string together with little explanation or logic. The mini games and little "activities" you can do to boost your wrestler are unimaginative too. Plus it is frustrating to have to wrestle through injury. I wonder if this was playtested because they do restrict the flow and the enjoyment of the game.

To give value for money, perhaps the creators of the game could release DLC or bonus disks with new wrestlers on too. I am sure any fan would pay $20 for a "Legends disc" with 10 or wrestlers on or some extras to the roster. Even new career storylines perhaps?

The 360 has a huge memory and storage capability. I am sure it could sustain a more veritable career mode, not on the scale of a full RPG but with more elements of interaction and creativity involved. They could also freshen it up with some newer graphics, videos, commentary and other things as many have been recycled from the '07 version.

There is so much potential within this franchise but sadly, it looks as if the creators are going through the motions.

Graphics - 8/10 Not bad and the effects, intros and such look good
Sound - 7/10 No complaints here though the crowd are quiet and the commentary tedious.
Playability - 4/10 Awkward controls and after you've played through the same storylines 25 times, you may get a bit frustrated
Lastability - 5/10 Not bad with a bunch of mates but the limited online play and repetitive single player mode will hinder somewhat.
Overall -4/5 out of 10