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WWE SMACKDOWN VS. RAW 2008 XBOX 360 REVIEW |
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THQ brings
its highly anticipated WWE Smackdown vs. RAW
2008 to the Xbox 360 with improved control
schematics, sleeker visual presentation, and a
slew of the latest gameplay features that would
sure please the wrestling fans. This year’s
installment introduces a new struggle submission
system, ECW-oriented matches, and a Hall of Fame
mode just to name a few. Besides these new
additions, WWE Smackdown vs. RAW 2008 still
maintains a high level of excitement as last
year, and that’s the good news. The bad news is
that a number of technical issues that have
plagued the series over the years remain
unresolved.
Fortunately, the redesigned graphics along with
the strong audio components outweigh many of the
flaws associated with the gameplay. Thus, you
are still getting a solid wrestling title here.
Fans of the Smackdown series should have no
problem adapting to the old grappling system,
which is handled by the right stick. For those
who are just starting out, the controls can be
somewhat intimidating. Don’t think for a second
you can just button-smash your way to the top of
the WWE rankings. This is not the same wrestling
game that your grandmother used to know. WWE
Smackdown vs. RAW 2008 has been tilting towards
simulation style of gameplay, where actions are
performed with timing and precision.
What amazes our editorial staff is that more
than half of the game’s content has been
redefined to reflect the true dynamics of the
World Wrestling Entertainment. These dynamics
are brought to life through the illustrious
career mode called WWE 24/7. This is basically
the core of the game’s single-player experience,
and it’s quite impressive. First, you are given
two choices: Select a celebrity that is already
available from a pool of freakishly fit
superstars or create one from scratch. If you
choose to create a wrestler, you’ll be treated
to a network of customization options, from
funky hairstyles and outrageous outfits to
insane physical definitions and killer set of
powerful slams. We definitely enjoyed creating
our monstrous beast that almost resembles Andre
the Giant, coded in dark silver gloss. In WWE
24/7, your main goal is to reach legendary
status. You can accomplish that by competing in
matches that are scheduled in the calendar.
There are a variety of exciting matches to look
forward to, which open up different dialogues to
your career. In your trip to becoming the number
one wrestler, you are given access to key items:
A cell phone and a laptop. The cell phone allows
you to retrieve important messages that remind
you about your wellness situations, alert you
about significant events, listen to your rivals
ranting about the upcoming matches with them,
accept (or refuse) a bunch of negotiation
offers, and putting up with the general
manager's pressures among other things.
Meanwhile, the laptop lets you monitor your
health, look at skill areas you want to work on,
check your current progress, and visit the WWE
shop.
What’s nice about the 24/7 is that your outlook
of future matches can change depending on your
personal choices and whether you win or lose a
scheduled bout. For example, one week you could
choose to ignore certain managerial advice; the
next week you’re all ganged up in the ring as a
result of your decision. Popularity plays an
important role in WWE Smackdown vs. RAW 2008 as
it screams challenge from other wrestlers in the
higher up. The more popular you are, the more
you are in demand, and the more you get paid.
It’s also quite pleasing to know that you can be
part of the yearly WWE pay-per-views such as
Summer Slam and Wrestlemania; but the matches
you’ll be in are determined by choices you have
taken previously. It’s good to see that the game
has included some backstage drama, such as a
brief interview, locker room disruption, or
confrontation with other wrestlers prior to the
start of your match.
But we noticed that the game tend to recycle
several backstage cutscenes – the only
difference is the faces of the people involve at
that time. Subsequently, the behind-the-scene
drama becomes uninteresting over time. Aside
from pressing A, we wish there was another way
to skip these cutscenes completely and just head
straight out to the match. Fortunately, the
match itself is far from being repetitious. The
action in the ring is lively and the crowd is
full of spirit and enthusiasm. Using the right
stick, you can punish your opponent in many
different ways. If you’re a Powerhouse wrestler,
your corner attacks are hellish, and your body
slams are performed with devastating impact! If
you are a high-flyer, not only are you speedy
but you have got some sweet arsenals of mid-air
athleticism and acrobatic pins at your disposal. |
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PRODUCT
OVERALL RATING: 8.0 OUT OF 10 |
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We like the
fact that the game provides players with two
fighting styles. You can choose to combine two
of the following abilities to fit your persona:
Powerhouse, Technical, High-Flyer, Brawler,
Submission, Dirty, Showman, and Hardcore.
Speaking of Hardcore, the game has included ECW
into the mix. The extreme rules match is
presented in all its glory. There is a small
weapon wheel that shows up on the screen,
allowing players to pick among various tools for
hurting an opponent, such as tables, chairs, and
spiky 2x4’s to name a few. One of the best
aspects of using weapons is that you can set
them on fire! Now this is wrestling to the
extreme! Back to WWE 24/7, when you’re not
competing in main events, you can use your free
days to focus on other “daily” activities such
as training exercises, skill training, and other
public events.
Training exercises are made to pump up your
attributes, including strength, speed, stamina,
technical, durability, submission, hardcore, and
charisma. You are given a time-limit to perform
each training exercise. You will earn a full
point this way if you it manually instead of
simulation. Skill training teaches you about
microphone skill, pain management, endurance,
popularity boosts, and improving your on-camera
presence. Taking one of these skill training can
increase your paycheck percentage and the amount
of fatigue you recover on various activities.
Some of the events that you may like to
participate include autograph signing, charity
event, website interview, PPV commercial, etc.
All these activities consume energy one way or
another. If you don’t take rest, there is a
higher chance that your character will get
injured in his next fight. If you do get
injured, you can still wrestle but you’ll start
out 80% healthy.
Beyond the WWE 24/7 confine, there are also
tournament modes and hall of fame. Tournament
modes include king of the ring and beat the
clock sprint. It’s a good experience but the
hall of fame mode is the better of the two as it
puts you into classic matches such as a TLC
match against the Hardy Boyz, or a showdown
between Bret “The Hitman” Hart against pretty
boy Shawn Michaels in iron man match. There are
the usual exhibition matches that are broken
down into one-on-one, two-on-two, triple threat,
fatal-4-way, 6-man, handicap, and royal rumble.
The one-on-one exhibition match has everything
you need to challenge yourself in different
scenarios. It includes buried alive, first
blood, hell in a cell, steel cage, parking lot
brawl, and many more! These exhibition matches
are fun but they are best played with friends.
As exciting it is to play these exhibition
matches, there are some shortcomings you can't
ignore. Some of the disappointments stem from
not having the ability to switch targets,
difficulty to perform standard tag team
maneuvers, and not having a cancel button if you
accidentally simulate a match in 24/7. You’ll
soon find out the game is overrun by too many
loading screens between matches. If those could
be cut down, you'd be able to hold in the
adrenaline charge until the start of the match.
In addition, The AI intelligence needs a bit
more tweaking in terms of trying to assist you
in tag team matches. Lastly, the collision
system is a bit out of place as you sometimes
miss attacking your target. In terms of roster,
WWE Smackdown vs. RAW 2008 has made a few
addition to this year's superstars lineup as
well as a few cuts.
If you want to know who is in the roster this
year, here they are: Ashley, Batista, Bobby
Lashley, Bret Hart, Candice Michelle, Carlito,
Chavo Guerrero, Chris Masters,CM Punk, Edge,
Elijah Burke, Finlay, The Great Khali, Gregory
Helms, JBL, Jeff Hardy, John Cena, Johnny Nitro,
JTG, Kane, Kelly Kelly, Kenny Dykstra, King
Booker, Marcus Cor Van, Mark Henry, Matt Hardy,
Melina, Michelle McCool, Mick Foley, Mickie
James, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. McMahon, MVP, Randy
Orton, Rey Mysterio, Ric Flair, Rick Rude, The
Rock, Roddy Piper, Sabu, Sandman, Shad, Shane
McMahon, Shawn Michaels, Snitsky, Steve Austin,
Terry Funk, Tommy Dreamer, Torrie Wilson, Triple
H, Umaga, Undertaker, and William Regal. It’s
nice to see some of the famous WWE superstars
are still in there but it would've been better
if they added several other icons like “Macho
Man” Randy Savage, Jake “The Snake” Roberts, and
Jimmy “Super Fly” Snuka!
Despite a number of lingering technical issues,
WWE Smackdown vs. RAW 2008 stays exciting
throughout and surprisingly fun multiplayer.
Yukes, the developer did an excellent job
creating an environment that captivates a
realistic WWE atmosphere. Crowds react full of
life and character animation look very smooth.
The lighting effects are excellent, delivering a
convincing pay-per-view experience. Some of the
best times you’ll have are in the WWE 24/7 and
exhibition matches. Thanks to the game’s
incredible sound effects, the impact of your
slams really hit home! The customization feature
for creating a player is still very deep with
lots of options to design entrances, stables,
and move-sets. You can even use your own
soundtrack for your introduction! Now that ECW
is in the mix, you can take wrestling to the
extreme!
Overall, WWE Smackdown vs. RAW 2008 is a solid
wrestling game that only hardcore fans will
appreciate. The weapons here have been
overhauled and the cool part is that you can set
these on fire! Though the game has a good lineup
of superstars, we would love to see more legends
in the next year's roster. Both the AI and
collision system still need some tweaking. If
the number of loading screens could be cut down,
this game would have been a more highly charged
wrestling mania. The backstage cutscenes are a
nice addition but we need a way to permanently
skip them to speed up the launch of the match.
The grappling system is still good and having
two fighting styles give players more flashy
techniques to perform. With respect to online
component, it is the same as last year. The only
setback are some minor lag times. |
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