WRESTLING ANYONE?

After SD vs. Raw 08 was pounded by reviewers, developer Yukes took those criticisms to heart and tried to remedy as many of them as possible for this year’s release. For the most part, they were successful and WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 is a much better game overall than the first two Xbox 360 WWE titles. There are a couple of hiccups, but wrestling fans will find a lot to like here. Find out all of the details right here in our full review.

Quick Hits

 

• Title: WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009
• Publisher: THQ
• Developer: Yukes
• ESRB Rating: “T” for Teen
• Genre: Pro Wrestling
• Pros: Tons of match types; fun gameplay; Road to Wrestlemania; creation modes
• Cons: Career mode; limited Create-A-Finisher options; recycling is a good thing, except in $60 videogames

Features and Modes

SD vs. Raw 09 is a much tighter and more polished game than 08 was. The load times are much better than last year, and are downright speedy if you install the game to your hard drive. The roster is improved, although still not on the level of the late 90’s/early 00’s. It is also a bit disappointing that legends such as The Rock or Stone Cold are not in this year’s entry, as THQ is saving them for the Legends of Wrestlemania game coming in a few months.

The biggest changes come in the form of new modes. Road to Wrestlemania mode lets you take Jericho, HHH, CM Punk, Undertaker, Cena, and Batista/Mysterio (tag team) through easily the best story mode in a wrestling game ever. The production values and presentation make the story look exactly like the real deal on TV, and the storylines are actually quite good. It is a shame that the only people you can use are the ones I listed above. What can everyone else do? Career mode, and let me tell you, it is pretty darn disappointing. There isn’t a storyline and instead you are just chasing after titles and building up your stats along the way. And, honestly, when you strip away the storylines and over the top stuff, pro wrestling is kind of boring.

The creation modes are back, of course, but there are some issues. First, the only way to improve your Create-A-Wrestler’s stats is by playing through career mode. This process takes for-ev-er and you have to do it for every single character. THQ is working on a patch for this so you can apply your stats from one playthrough to all of your CAWs, but there is no date for when it will come. The CAW mode itself is every bit as detailed and in-depth as always, and you can literally make anyone you want. Top that off with a custom entrance, complete with your own entrance music, and you are good to go. One new mode this year is Create-A-Finisher, and while it sounds cool, it falters a bit in the execution. Basically, all it lets you do is add extra animations and fluff to existing finishers by stringing together as many as 10 animations. You can make some cool moves, but limitations in the movelist and what the game actually allows you to string together put a damper on things.

Another new feature is a Highlight Reel where you can record clips of the game and edit them together similar to 2K’s sports games. Other features in the game are mostly the same as last year. The Buried Alive match has been dropped for an Inferno match, and the Parking Lot Brawl has morphed into a Backstage Brawl, but everything else is intact. The online modes are back and as solid as ever and are nice and smooth.

Gameplay

The gameplay in Smackdown vs. Raw has always been solid, and 09 is no different. The great controls introduced last year are back, and are just about the most intuitive controls used in a wrestling game. Changes to 09 include more hot spots that let you do nifty special moves around the ring as well as a greatly improved tag team aspect. Another change is that each wrestler has 6 abilities out of a list of 21 that give them specific advantages in certain match types or lets them use different tactics. This makes each wrestler feel fairly different since everyone has a different combination of special abilities. The final change is the addition of “Signature Moves” that are used the same way as finishing moves. Signature moves include things like Chris Jericho’s enziguri kick or Lionsault while his finishers are the Walls of Jericho and Codebreaker, just to give you some examples of what to expect. All in all, the gameplay is very good all around and some of the changes and additions make the game even closer to what you see on TV every week.

Graphics

Graphically, SD vs. Raw 09 is a better looking game than 08, but some clipping and hit detection issues and the difference in quality between the main event stars and mid-card wrestlers still exists. The animation is very impressive, however, and each wrestler moves just like their real life counterpart. The entrances and pyrotechnics are also very good.

Sound

The sound is fairly mediocre. The dialogue in Road to Wrestlemania mode is over the top and goofy sounding, which is par for the course in these games. The sound effects are generally fine, and the music is decent enough, but you’ll be grateful for the option to use your own themes. The commentary is generally a step or two behind and repeats a lot.

Bottom Line

WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 is a definite improvement over last year’s entry, and a solid wrestling game overall. It plays very well and has plenty of match types and creation modes to play around with. Road to Wrestlemania mode is a great addition, but the career mode and Create-A-Finisher leave a lot to be desired. The core game is better and the roster is improved over last year, but a lot of the modes and match types are exactly the same as the last couple of games it is a tough call as to whether the game is worth another $60. If you already have 07 or 08, rent it and see if the improved gameplay is worth a purchase, but if WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 09 is your first Xbox 360 grappler, buy it.