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2.0 out of 5 stars It's Official: THQ has offically destroyed the WWE video game franchise, November 17, 2008

By	Marvin Powell - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Fun:1.0 out of 5 stars

Let me just start off by saying that I've been a WWE fan for most of my life, and still fondly remember the WWF Attitude era has a teenager. I've also bought every single Smackdown vs RAW game since it's 2004 series debut. I have done so, every year, merely because, despite how many flaws THQ had in the game, there was at least ONE thing that made the game salvageable. And now that THQ has done away with that one thing, I can honestly say that this series is no longer worth YOUR time and YOUR hard-earned money.

The original "WWE Smackdown vs RAW" game was an average wrestling game, that had a lot of improvements over it's predecessors. Frankly, both 'WWE Day of Reckoning' games for the Gamecube were better than it, though.

"WWE Smackdown vs RAW 2006" remains to be the best in the series today, as it had far greater improvements over it's last title, had great action-packed gameplay, had over 100 different match types including the Divas' Bra & Panties Match, had a stellar Story Mode with good, realistic WWE storylines, had an in-depth Create A Superstar mode, had PPV Mode, and introduced the first ever General Managers (GM) Mode.

"WWE Smackdown vs RAW 2007" was our first disappointment as it mainly had a huge amount of bugs and glitches and mistakes and problems with it that ruined more than 50% of the actual gameplay. The storylines were terrible at best, the General Manager's Mode devolved into being worse than it was the year before, and the introduction of the new control stick scheme was something that many gamers today still aren't willing to get used to. The game was a major step down from "2006."

"WWE Smackdown vs RAW 2008" was a major disappointment too, mainly for it's very limited roster (13 prominent WWE Superstars missing), it's limited customization, and the fact that the game series was STILL no better than it's 2005 release. Despite fixing some things up, like greatly improving it's Control Stick control scheme to be more comfortable and easy to use, the game still lacked any new or exciting features and managed to limit or prohibit just about everything Creation or Customization wise. They had destroyed all possible wrestler movesets and decided to repackage them as "Fighting Styles" which were done to hide and celebrate the fact that THQ were giving the least available options for a wrestler's moveset and in-ring abilities in any 'SmackDown vs RAW' game to date. The Create-A-Superstar's options for physical looks were improved, but without a cheat device like a Codebreaker, it was impossible to accurately give them stat attribute points. Why THQ decided to make this so, I'll never know. The WWE 24/7 General Manager's mode was the weakest to date, and even LOOKED bad, with it's new visual display. More rules and restrictions were put onto it that took out all the fun of actually wanting to play it. And with the constant timing and continuity mistakes and glitches involved in WWE 24/7 Career Mode, you often found yourself getting confused about storyline messages you were recieving, that were related to preparation of matches you had just finished. On top of that, the writing was just horrible. As bad, or possibly worse, than the 2007 game's opaque storylines, that could NEVER happen on real WWE programming. To add insult to injury, both SmackDown! and RAW brands had identical storylines in 2008's game, despite the last two games remedying this very problem! And the storyline matches themselves were ill-conceived and unexciting to play through. In fact, the ONLY thing that made 2008 worth playing over 2007 was it's new ECW Extreme Rules match.

.

And now, we get to "WWE SMACKDOWN! VS RAW 2009". And every single problem mentioned above still persists to this very day. This game, I can honestly say, isn't even worth really playing, let alone renting. It's the same as 2008, only with even less to offer. If you do want to play it very badly, then by all means, DO NOT waste your money on actually buying this! Even if you rent it, you'll soon find out how this title could possibly be the biggest disappointment that the Masters Of Disappointment, THQ, have to offer.

*** Gameplay ***

Exactly the same as 2008's, only with even less moveset options and the Superstar Abilities, more or less, gone. This time, you actually have to EARN the ability to do such things that just two short games ago were standard for EVERY single wrestler or diva. In short, it's just like the SvR franchise: it's the same, but worse.

*** Story/Career/Season Mode ***

This year, THQ decided to give specific storylines written for specific wrestlers. Good if you're a fan of that one guy, but bad for EVERYONE else. Sure, "WWE 24/7 Mode" was a bad idea, but at least, ANYONE you used or created in the game could actually go through it. The idea of a seperate Individual's own Story Mode and a seperate General Manager's Mode was an idea no one thought was bad, and thus, never needed fixing in the first place. And yet, we will probably never get that again with the way THQ seems to give us "More of Less" every year with these titles. 2007's game will probably be the last of the Season Mode & GM Mode formats.

And since I'm bringing it up, I should mention that there is No General Manager's Mode in 2009's game. I repeat: THERE IS NO GM MODE!!! So, once you play through all of these horribly-written storylines for each of these superstars, (HHH, Taker, Cena, Jericho, CM Punk, and a Batista/Rey Mysterio tag team) there is quite literally nothing else to do in the game, but play exhibition over and over and over again.

General Manager's Mode was never what anyone would call "perfect" since it's 2005 debut, but at least it was there. At least they were trying. Scrapping it altogether is the sole reason I decided not to keep this game and why I am urging you not to waste your money on it, either. And even if you didn't play that mode and kept playing the single superstar mode in 2008's game, you don't even have that option, either, as the single star storylines given here are very short, very uninspired, and like I said before, just poorly written. HHH's is the only okay one and each storyline takes place after the Royal Rumble and lasts until Wrestlemania, putting each of them about two hours long, at the very most.

*** Create Modes ***

This is a 2009 game. We have Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 technology. We can do just about anything with these consoles. And yet, in a 2009 wrestling video game, we STILL cannot upload our own music onto the game, we STILL cannot have any previous-game-to-current-game technology letting us upload our old Created Superstars into the newest installment, and we STILL cannot even have any real (or useful, if they ever decide to actually do it) downloadable content. In 2009!!!

I, like many out there, am a CAW (Create-A-Wrestler) fan. Every year, I've filled up all of my slots and memory cards with Created Superstars. And even though it was a hassle, I even managed to Re-Create my favorites onto every, single newest 'Smackdown vs RAW' release. With 2008's title, I had to use a Playstation 2 Codebreaker just to give them attribute stats, and just to make GM Mode not suck so much that I couldn't make any matches on it or let anybody, including women, be champion title holders. It was a lot to do, but I did it for enjoyment of the game's sake, and to fulfill my own imaginative side. But I shouldn't have had to do so much JUST to make a WWE wrestling video game enjoyable.

Why THQ -who has admitted the Create-A-Superstar mode as their most popular feature- continues to limit us to what we can do and how we can do it, in a game WE bought with OUR own money, continues to boggle my very mind. To put it shortly, the few Create Modes left in this game suck, and Re-creating your favorite Created people from the previous games is not even worth it this time around. It's not like you'll be able to really even give them attribute stats, anyway. Maybe one of them, if you actually decide to do the endless "Season Mode" portion of this game, which is just an endless series of exhibition matches. So, just listen to me and save your time by not doing it. Especially since there is no stage for your performers to even act out in, being there is *NO* General Manager's Mode! "WWE Day of Reckoning 2" on the Gamecube had these same limitations, but at least, their game was... fun!

I should also probably mention that the Xbox 360 version of the Create A Superstar mode, is in the Metric System! That's right! Feet and Inches and Weight in Pounds are now Centimeters and Kilos! I'm an American. I'm not from Europe. So why does the North American release of this game have the Metric System in it? Why??? Why does THQ do anything stupid in their games? If there's one good thing to say about the Create modes, then it's that the Created Superstars clothes are now more of "3D" objects than the paper mach� layers of "clothing" that they've always been since the WWE Create-A-Superstar's debut. However, this is all "too little, too late" at this point in time. Should we be proud that THQ finally decided to give us "actual character model clothing" instead of "2D layers of skin that look like clothing" this late in the game?

I also wish I could say this time around, they decided to finally give us a 'Create-An-Entrance-Video' mode in Create-An-Entrance, only the "Highlight Reel" as it's called, is only useful for online gamers to look at, and absolutely nothing else. Um... why give us a "Create-An-Entrance-Video" option if we can't actually use it for any Created or Real Superstar's ACTUAL videos??? Have you ever noticed how THQ makes me ask so many questions that shouldn't even need to be asked in the first place?

They also have the new "Create A Finisher", but I'll get to that later.

*** Graphics/Music/Presentation ***

Once again, the game looks like crap. Even on Xbox 360 and PS3 versions. Although the Nintendo DS version looks surprisingly good. Of course, most gamers are willing to excuse bad visuals if the game is good, but this game is not good, so it will not be excused. Some superstars end up looking good and lifelike, while others, look not a single thing like their real life counterparts. Most likely, this is due to them using differently talented artists on different superstars. It would've been much easier for them to just use their one good artist on EVERYONE, but alas, this is not the case.

The music regarding Superstar Entrances and such are okay and standard fare, but as far as a soundtrack goes, this one is one of the worst, yet. No big surprise though, right? SvR 2006 probably had the best soundtrack in the series mainly because half of all the songs were original and made specifically for the game itself, but even that soundtrack was just "okay." But this year, the music is so bad, that once again, I had to Mute all music on the game's audio options just to not have to hear it.

The presentation style of the game looks weak. It's rare when I complain about menus and selection screens in a game, but this one warrants it. Plus, I don't want to have to look at John Cena's bare body every single time I navigate the game's menus.

*** "New" Features ***

In a game series that has mastered making foolish consumers pay for less of something every single year, they sure know how to fool you with the actual "new" content. The three new things they are 'hyping' this year are the new Tag Team format, the new gimmicky Inferno Match, and the new Create A Finisher option. All of them suck. It's that simple.

The Tag Team format is probably the best out of these three, here. It's basically more of an emphasis of the cooperation needed in order to make a tag team work. But it's nothing impressive, at all. The Inferno Match isn't even on level with 'ECW Extreme Rules' from '08. It's a gimmick, and not even an accurate one, at that.

The Create A Finisher, as I might have pessimistically guessed, sucks. I'm sure though, it would be near impossible to please everyone with the mode, THQ manages to once again disappoint, by giving us an incomplete, unfinished version of their new Create-A feature. It starts you off with many options for a finisher, but with each new step given, your options just about literally are cut in half. So by your third or fourth option in making your own finisher, you are left with virtually nothing useful or creative. To emphasize this point, you will find it virtually impossible to make already EXISTING finishers by using this poorly made new mode! Want to make a modified F-U? Well, good luck trying!

*** Overall ***

This game is just more of the same, less of the good, and none of the improved, as the last THREE titles have been! It really is a letdown to me, and really makes me wish THQ wasn't holding tightly onto the reigns of the WWE Gaming franchise. With a severely lacking Create-A-Superstar mode, and NO General Manager's Mode, or anything to possibly replace it or have in-place of it, there is zero reason for me to own this game or even recommend it to the good people on this website. Even if you didn't like all the aspects of the "WWE Universe," there at least used to be enough customizable content to create your own WWE Brand, and run it however you wished, with your own fully created Roster of wrestling talent, made up of your own WWE title belt champions. The fact that even THAT no longer exists warrants me saving my money, hoping to help you save yours, and hoping that you heed my words carefully and AVOID THIS GAME.

Even if you never used the Creation modes, then even still, this game is a rental at best, as the poorly concieved Storylines given in this title will only last you a week or two, at the best. In a 2009 game, only giving the gamer an Exhibition Mode and a few very short Season Modes and virtually nothing else, is utterly inexcusable! If all you're going to do is play Exhibition and then play, a handful of "specially made" individual storylines, which only last about two hours each, then WHY even bother spending forty to sixty dollars on this game? Don't.

In fact, the only reason I did not give this game a [One] is to not come off as a biased WWE hater-just-to-hate. I am giving this game a 100% fair review and the fact that the game can give you at least a couple of hours of enjoyment with your friends as a rental and nothing more, warrants it at least being worth Two Stars. But my disappointment in these THQ-made WWE games makes me feel like giving this latest title a [Negative Five]. I can honestly say that this game, is no better, nor worse, than that very disappointing "TNA Impact" release, if you want to call THAT a "game."

Until someone else other than THQ (The Horrible Quality) and Cory Ledesma at THQ makes these WWE video games, I will not continue to buy them and support them. With 2009's release being a joke, almost to the point that you think that literally and are hoping that they have done this just to make their upcoming "Legends of Wrestlemania" game look good by comparison, it kind of makes you wonder about WWE fans, in general. Most of them are white males with a lot of disposable income, and if you don't have to even try to make a good game, just how many of them will buy it, regardless?

Yes, the WWE has that kind of power, to draw in people to buy their products without even thinking twice about them, but when you continue to fail every single year, us as gamers, have to step in and say, "No more!" Say "No More!" by not purchasing this title and by not supporting below-quality WWE video games every single year. Much like the WWE continues to lose fans and viewers without WCW or any other wrestling franchise to give them any true competition (sorry TNA fans, but it's true), the WWE will continue to put out programming so bad, that SmackDown! is getting 1.5 ratings each week. And the same thing is true with THQ as, as long as no one else owns the rights to WWE video games, we will get garbage-quality gaming like this, with only the bare minimum effort, if any, put into it. Maybe IF enough people stop buying, THQ will start actually caring about what they release each year. But that's a pretty big IF.

This game is horrible, not worth your money or time, and should be avoided altogether, if possible. Stick with the older SvR games, or stop playing WWE video games, altogther. Those are your only two choices when THQ messes up on a scale like this.

To sum it up in three simple words: "This game sucks."

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3.0 out of 5 stars IT'S OKAY, BUT STILL LIMIT FEMALE WRESTLERS!, January 30, 2009

By	Andrew M. Joyner - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars

First of all, I don't think that these WWE games are as bad as everyone say they are. Although I did'nt care for the "Road to WreastleMania Mode" (I like to use my created superstars in the storylines). I also did'nt care for the lack of story in "Career Mode".
But, I still enjoy the exhibition matches and like the new Tag Team features.

However, there is something that I have dis-liked about these WWE games since "Smackdown: Here Comes The Pain", and that is the way they limit female wreastlers! When blood was introduced in the "Smackdown series" in "Here Comes The Pain", I was glad. But I hated that women could'nt bleed in the game because women wrestlers bleed as well!

Back then, I said "Well, at least women can compete in all of the matches like men can". But now that's limited as well! Now women can ONLY compete in normal match types like "One on One", "Two on Two (Tag)", and "Battle Royal"! Another thing that I don't like is that you can't add your extra created women to "Career Mode" like created men (although you can still play "Career Mode" with a one woman which is a MAJOR improvement).

Despite the various limitations for women in this game, in "Career Mode" women can go for all titles (except the "Hardcore Championship")!!!! Another good thing about this is that it is possible to have a pair of women for the tag team championship (but you can't have a created woman as your partner which I don't like)!! I was shocked when I noticed this, but you still CANNOT compete in all the other matchtypes in "Career Mode" as a woman (which is REALLY STUPID since you can be ECW Champion but can't compete in a "ECW Extreme Rules Match)!

The new "create-a-finisher" and "Inferno Match" are pretty good but still can't overshadow how this game limit match types for women! I admit that I did'nt get "Smackdown Vs Raw 2008" because of the way woman were limited but I was hoping that this was diffent (I got it for Christmas). I still like the game and I can still find ways of making the diva matches "Hardcore or Extreme" but I will not get used to these limitations! One thing that I can say is that women can compete in a "Six-Man Tag Match"!!

I like this game but if the next releases limit women, I won't get them and I won't put them on my Christmas list either!

And yes, I'M A GUY!

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2.0 out of 5 stars Not quite copy/paste from last year, December 12, 2008

By	Andariel Halo "Disillusioned Smark" (Phenomynouss@hotmail.com is my real e-mail) - See all my reviews

Fun:3.0 out of 5 stars

At this point in the franchise, I'm expecting total suck from any future WWE releases that continue the "Smackdown vs Raw" name.

Since this is basically a slightly improved rehash from last year (and the years before)'s game, I can't criticize it since I've already criticized it in last year's game review of mine.

So I'll point out some improvements and new things:

- Perhaps in response to last year's razor-thin roster, this year has a far greater roster (including love of my life, John Morrison). Story mode is now actually "Story" mode, as it features the perenniel main eventers (John Cena, Triple H, the Undertaker, etcetera) and some IWC favorites (CM Punk, Chris Jericho) and the tagteam of Batista and Rey Mysterio in separate storylines in which you actually have a story that does not repeat itself on an endless loop; each superstar(s) get their own unique storyline, including some twists like in Triple H's campaign where you either re-form DX (for the FIRST TIME in THREE MONTHS) or re-form Evolution (only with Randy Orton on top).

- I can't complain about a lack of "legends", as the WWE is releasing a "Legends" full game of its own in a few months.

- The CAW creations are far better and far more attractive for wrestler creation; this is the first time in any game since Day of Reckoning (2004) that I've been able to create the most accurate representation CAW of my fictional wrestler "Bloody Margie". Though unlike DOR, she still can't compete in anything except normal matches and tag team matches.

- A big move up for females (or "divas"); there is a generic "Career Mode" which any superstar, male or female, can compete in for ANY title; meaning for the first time in years, a female wrestler can hold a championship belt bigger than the Women's Championship. Still no luck on competing in the "heavier" matches.

Then here come some negatives which need to be addressed:

- Create a Finisher is perhaps a nifty, innovative idea, but much like the entire "TNA iMPACT!" video game, it's simply a beta test; You can't really "create" finishers so much as just add some extra steps in between pre-existing finishers. For example, you can choose to stall for 30 seconds before dropping an FU or a Samoan Drop, or you can bounce a superstar on your shoulders so they're facing up or down before dropping them. There is no innovation, like making a Military Press Slam that transitions into a Hurricanrana and into a dropkick; once you pick a certain move, your next options are extremely limited to only basic transitions. In totality, it's not even worth making a messy created finisher when the pre-existing ones are so much better.

- Gameplay has not changed one bit since SvR08

And now comes the very crux of this review and of the game. Everything I said before can/has/will be addressed by others, but this part of the review is my most important aspect that I feel needed to be addressed.

In my opinion, the gameplay is terrible. In my opinion, this is because there is no collision detection, and no breaking up of moves in progress.

Starting in WWF Wrestlemania X8 for Gamecube, an option was made where any time there are more than two wrestlers in the ring, any wrestler can break up moves by attacking the people involved, or throwing objects at them, or so much as slapping one of them. This was mostly a beta, carried over into every succeeding Gamecube release, and while it may have annoyed some people when someone would do a "Giant Swing" in the middle of the ring and knock EVERYONE ELSE over, it was fun, hilarious, innovative, and much more realistic than punching thin air around superstars when one is suplexing another.

Despite the massive fail that "TNA iMPACT!" was, they managed to perfect this collision detection, as moves could not only be broken up, but broken up realistically---that is, if one superstar is about to be suplexed, when you attack the person suplexing him, you will only knock down the other person and not the victim.

WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2008 does not have this. WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2009 continues not to have this.

It is about time that this franchise begins to include collision detection/move breakups. Even if it means ripping the idea straight from Midway, I think it's worth the risk if only to add the extra fun factor of it to these games.

More so than with SvR08, the more I played SvR09, the more I wanted to stop it and hook up my Gamecube to play DOR2 again, just because I could break up moves at any time.

If this game had had that, I would have rated this game five stars, and considered it the best wrestling game of the decade thus far.