WWE SmackDown vs. RAW 2009
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WWE Smackdown vs RAW 2009
After last years Smackdown vs. Raw for the Wii, many were left with a bad taste in their mouths. The Main Event mode was a poor replacement for a regular season mode, the controls were unrefined, and overall the game felt rushed and unfinished. SVR 09 is looking to make up for the previous effort and it does a fairly good job. It integrates Wii specific features, and also offers most of the same modes and features included on the PS3/360 versions. While it’s a ways off from being a true champion, Yukes have definitely got themselves a contender this year.
Gameplay
During the series run on PS2 and into the next gen, the Season mode has been the meat and potatoes of the game. This year, that changes as THQ and Yukes introduce the new Road to Wrestlemania mode. In this mode you have the option to take a specific superstar through a storyline written distinctively for them. There are six Superstars to choose from here, and while that sounds limited, the focused storylines are a great improvement over the generic schlock that has appeared in nearly every version of the Smackdown series since its inception. The superstars available to choose from are John Cena, Chris Jericho, The Undertaker, Triple H, CM Punk, or if you want to enter the RTW mode with a partner, you can pick Mysterio and Batista for a tag team storyline. What makes this mode better than previous versions is that the focus on a specific superstar means you won’t see any uncharacteristic behaviour from the likes of the Undertaker or Triple H. These stories are sculpted for this superstar and this superstar alone. That said, it would have been nice to see a little more variety, but for a first run, this is a solid effort.
In addition to the storylines being character specific, the commentary during the matches is storyline specific. This means you won’t hear JR and the King just spout random lines about the wrestlers like they did in previous versions. This is a welcome feature and definitely adds to the feeling that you’re participating in the televison program. There are however, a few shortcomings in this mode. For instance, you can blow through each storyline in about an hour, with little to no reason to replay that story once it’s complete. You’re given a couple of choices here and there, but the game never lets you feel that you are controlling any aspect of the plot, as you’ll always wind up fighting the opponent they intend you to fight eventually, regardless of your choice. It’s all just a matter of when you get there. Another problem is that once you’ve won the belt at Wrestlemania, you’re done. There’s no defending the title, which leaves this empty kind of feeling after you’ve accomplished your goal of becoming champion. Part of the fun of winning the belt was defending it and having that removed in favour of streamlining the game feels kind of unsatisfying. Hopefully this is something they’ll be able to focus on next year, as for most, this is where the meat of the game is.
Replacing the disappointing GM mode from previous games is Career mode. The premise behind this mode is simple enough. Select the superstar of your choice (created or non), and pick the belt that you wish to compete for, eventually shooting to be a Hall of Famer. There’s a good number of belts to choose from, which is nice, but there’s very little to this mode at all. You pick from a predetermined list of superstars, and work to earn a certain number of stars in order to attain the right to challenge the # 1 Contender. Stars are determined by how much the "fans" enjoyed your match. However, there’s no storyline, it’s just a simple series of matches that you’ll likely mow through until you reach the title you want. Your grapplers stats are decided by the actions you perform in the ring, and while that’s a pretty cool feature, it’s pretty meaningless when you’re able to drop most of your opponents at a 30/100 overall rating. You can unlock match types during the #1 Contender matches for use in exhibition, but most won’t find the mode engaging enough to do so. During your career you can also unlock certain "reward" titles for completing objectives during a match, such as not using a finisher, or making an opponent bleed within a certain amount of time. These are simply used for bragging rights and don’t really add anything to the gameplay. While it’s nice to unlock a particularly hard reward title, it’s not engaging enough to hook most players beyond one or two title bouts and only the most hardcore of fans will ever get a superstar into the Hall of Fame. There’s just no personality to the mode and this makes it harder to recommend to those looking for a deeper experience.
One fantastic addition is online mode. This is an area that it’s nice to see utilized, as not enough third parties are using the online capabilities of the Wii in their games. Playing online couldn’t be simpler, as you select your preferred wrestler of choice, pick your match-type and slog it out with whomever is available for a free match. You can compete in a number of available match-types which is nice, and the ability to play with up to four people online is great, but online with no voice-chat feature is boring. You can’t trash talk your opponent, and there’s very little life inside the squared-circle. Yes, there is the option to use pre-determined texts in order to liven things up, but it’s just not the same. As a result, you simply beat your opponent until they stop getting up and move on. The one incentive to play online is the addition of leaderboards, and facing opponents that are a lot more intelligent than the brain dead AI offered in single player. For the first online Smackdown offering available, this is a great mode and hopefully will see improvements in next years version.
Obviously, what really sets the Wii version apart from the other versions of the game is its unique controller. Nearly all moves performed are motion-based, and while at times it can feel a bit gimmicky, it’s still a fairly intuitive system. Most of the time. Using the nunchuck’s analog stick you can move your character around the ring, while the Wii remote is used to perform your grapples and strikes. Waggling the Wii remote in conjunction with a direction on the analog stick will perform your strikes. The same is true for your grapples, although you need to press the A or B buttons to determine whether you use a quick grapple or the interactive Total Control grapples. For Total Control grapples, after initiating the hold, you’ll need to follow the onscreen motion prompts in order to pull your move off. The same goes for Finishers and the newly added Signature moves. Performed by holding A and B while swinging the Wii remote with a full momentum meter, you can pull off a devestating Signature or Finishing move, depending on how low your opponents health meter is. Signatures can be pulled off at any time, so long as you have a full momentum meter, while Finishers require the opponents health to be in the "danger" zone. The interactivity of these moves feels incredibly satisfying, and is one aspect that truly shines over the other console versions. The controls generally feel pretty tight here, though sometimes the motions can be a little finnicky and you’ll find yourself performing moves that you didn’t necessarily intend to.
While the main movesets may feel pretty good, there are some definite issues that need mentioning in other areas. The first issue is that there’s no real way to make your character run. This is definitely a problem if your opponent happens to be on the other side of the ring, as you’ll have to trudge very slowly from one side of the ring to the other. You do have the option to perform a running strike or grapple, but these are so imprecise that you won’t really want to. Another issue is getting in and out of the ring, or climbing the turnbuckle which are just huge pains. The reason for this is that again, there are no buttons to press to perform either action. Instead, you need to hold the analog stick in the direction of the ropes and wait for your character to eventually leave the ring or climb the ropes. This is just frustrating and you’ll likely want to keep the action in the ring as much as possible, in the long run.
Entrances are once again interactive, which is a refreshing and functional Wii specific feature. The more interactive moves you pull off, the higher your in-ring momentum will be at the beginning of the match. Fans will want to see different moves every time, so if you constantly fall back onto the same motion over and over again, you’ll lose momentum. Entering a match with higher momentum means that you’ll be able to build up to your Signature and finishing moves quicker, so it’s important to keep the fans happy if you want to gain the advantage over your opponent.
One of the best aspects of SVR is the always deep create-a-superstar mode. If you’ve ever played the game on another console, you’ll know what to expect here. The Wii version is slightly limited when compared with the other console versions, but it’s still the best customization feature available on the console. You can almost literally re-create every wrestler that’s ever graced the WWE with the amount of options available here...at least looks-wise. Where the creation system falters is in the movesets. There just isn’t enough variety here to set you apart from the other superstars on the roster. That said, the finishers and signatures for most of the roster are here, which should make the majority of fans happy. The Wii version does not include the Create-a-Finisher mode which is featured on the 360 and PS3 versions, which is a bit disappointing, though understandable given the limited memory and disc space available on the Wii.
Graphics & Sound
Smackdown has always had excellent presentation values and this year on the Wii is no different. The character models are nicely detailed, especially in the cut-scenes, but this also translates to the in-ring action. No, they haven’t fixed the collision detection issues that have plagued the series since its inception, but the moves look effectively brutal and animate nicely here. The entrances, cut-scenes and menu screens all look fantastic and the only visual short-coming is the crowd itself. The crowd actually looks like it was pulled from the PSone Acclaim games here and while it’s not going to affect you while you’re in the ring, during the entrances and commentary scenes with JR and company, it takes away from the overall tv show feel.
There’s a good amount of voice work in the game, from commentary and match-specific storylines. The announce teams are the most prevalent here, and for the most part they get the job done. The announcing during the Road to Wrestlemania mode is match-specific which is an extremely welcome change of pace. Announcers during this mode will now call out moves performed, as well as comment on the story in general that you’re involved in. This is a very welcome change of pace from the last several years of non-specific rhetoric. The announcers themselves vary in quality, though. JR and the King are as enthusiastic as ever, but Michael Cole sounds bored, and Joey Styles sounds like he’s reading his lines straight from the teleprompts. The wrestlers themselves range from good to terrible, with no real in-between. If you’ve played previous versions, you’ll know what to expect. The music during the loadscreens and menus is the same as previous versions, so depending on your opinion of Nu Metal, you’ll love it or hate it.
Value
There are a ton of match-types to play in SVR, from the standard one on one, to Fatal Four-way Hell in a Cell matches and everything in between. The sheer amount of match types alone will mean that you won’t want for more from the title in offline multiplayer or single player modes. Online falls just short of the other versions, but it’s a solid first effort and something that I hope they develop further in the next game. That pretty much sums up the game in general, actually. It’s full of solid first efforts, from Road to Wrestlemania, which is great, but short...to the Career mode, which feels like an after-thought that needs to be developed further. On the whole, this is still the best grappler on the Wii, and any wrestling game fan with a Wii will definitely want to check it out.
Conclusion
If Yukes can find a balance between past successes and the features that work here, they could easily offer a game that’s worthy of the championship, instead of just champion by default. As it stands right now, they’ve got some great features, but not enough hooks to keep all but the hardcore coming back for more.
Pros
+ Motion controls are fleshed out, and feel tight, most of the time.
+ Good looking character models
+ Road to Wrestlemania is a great mode while it lasts.
+ Online Multiplayer functions as it should and offers a good start...
+ Excellent Create-a-Superstar.
+ More match types than you can shake a Wii remote at.
+ Commentary is refreshingly match-specific during RTW mode.
Cons
- Not being able to run at will affects the pacing too much.
- Movesets are severely lacking.
- Crowds look terrible.
- Some commentators are lacking the enthusiasm they have on the show.
- Career mode needs something to keep it from getting stale.
Final Verdict
Here's a small guide to help you understand our evaluation of games.
PRESENTATION GRADE
Can be from the game's box to the contents of the booklet, and even the game introduction. (Intro, menus, options, etc)
GRAPHIC GRADE
Up to what point the graphics have been worked on my the developper. The design type, the effort used for textures and environments, as well as animations and framerate.
AUDIO GRADE
Is the soundtrack a good match to the game's style, he ambient sounds keeping with the gameplay and the sound effects clear and convincing?
GAMEPLAY GRADE
Placement of the controls and the inferface that the player with be using during the game.
REPLAY VALUE GRADE
The most important factor in the evaluation of a game. It identifies the lifespan of the game and the fun of coming back again and again.
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