Official Website
Official WWE Website

Platform: PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, PSP, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, Xbox 360

Genre: Sports Entertainment

Number of Players: 1 - 6 (up to 18 online)

Support: HD 720p, PS Network Compatible

Peripherals: Ethernet Broadband

One of the things that I was really looking forward to last year was the release of WWE on the PlayStation 3, but that was cancelled. I may not have been watching any of the WWE program for the past few years, at least not as religiously as I once did, but even so, that’s not something to keep me from enjoying the games. The 2008 edition of the popular SmackDown! vs. RAW franchise finally has come to the PS3 at long last.

The general idea behind the storyline version of the game remains quite similar to what has been seen over the years and players will simply be working towards the ultimate goal of a shot at the WWE championship title. This can be done either by playing one of over 50 different WWE Superstars. Wrestlers like Triple H, The Undertaker, Edge, and John Cena are found within the ranks once again as well as newcomers like CM Punk, MVP and The Sandman make their way onto the list of playable characters. You’ll find the RAW, SmackDown! and ECW brands represented as well as some of the fairer sex with playable female wrestlers and some unlockable legends. If playing as one of your favorite superstars isn’t your thing, you can also bring in your own created wrestler to play through the storyline.

For the most part, the general control schemes in sports games, or sports entertainment in this case, really doesn’t change too terribly much between the releases. Yuke’s has managed to create a really great and easy to play game since they’ve taken over the role of developer back in 2000 when they first created WWF SmackDown, but there are new enhancements to be found in the 2008 edition of the game as well as some long standing methods of gameplay. The grappling system has undergone changes in the past and started using the right analog stick to perform these moves. These have gone to include the ability to do a quick grapple, just the analog stick itself, or strong grapples with R1, but the one issue that I know many fans have had is that once you’re in a grapple, you can’t find a way to break free. That was the case, but not anymore. By pressing square you have the ability to actually escape from holds and reverse them in some instances and the ultimate grapple mode lets to have full control over when you will pull off your move to impress the fans, or make them hate you even more. Escaping grapple however will depend on the amount of limb damage you’ve sustained, and even this has changed.

The damage aspect of the WWE games has been a little limited and just focused on sets of limbs, body, and head, but it has been taken a little further. If you’ve been doing some bodily harm to your opponent’s right arm, you can stay focused on that limb. The upper HUD will show you where hurting your opponent and like with the other games, enough facial damage can eventually cut your foe open and the blood will flow free. During matches you will still be able to build momentum and once the meter is maxed, you can save your special move and use it at the appropriate time. The 2008 edition still brings stamina into the matches, so going all out in a match might be the right thing to get the crowd behind you, but it can wear you down and leave you vulnerable for a possible comeback. You also still have the option to fight in the crowd or ever perform environmental grapples, so in the squared circle, there are still plenty of options.

Speaking of options, SmackDown! vs. RAW 2008 still offers players plenty of different match types. Your standard, one-on-one singles competition is great and everything, but what would the WWE be without variations. Hell in the Cell, TLC matches, Triple Threats, ECW rules, and the ultimate, the Royal Rumble are just some of the many matches that you can find and with all the variations possible, there are well over 100 different types of matches you can be a part of, but there is also some new ways to gain the upper hand. Each wrestler has not one, but two different fighting styles and before the match, you can select which will be your dominant style will be. Brawler, hardcore, dirty fighting, high flying, powerhouse or even showman are just some of the different in-ring techniques that you will have available. This gives the wrestlers different move sets and can make matches completely different. Of particular note is the new submission moves and the players caught in a hold now have the ability to try and struggle free while their opponent can apply the hold even more and force them to submit. Each of the specialty fighting styles also have their own unique special moves, though you will need to earn an fighting icon during the match to execute it. This gives the new SmackDown! vs. RAW yet another new level of realism that makes it quite close to the WWE that you probably watch each and every week.

The “story mode’ has now been dubbed 24/7, the very same name that WWE uses for it’s On Demand programming and aside from the regular story mode, there are some new enhancements. As a WWE superstar, there are different elements that you can participate in to win over the fans besides being a part of the matches. Signing autographs, doing interviews, make appearances and other activities are all a part of the options, though with these, there are a few times when you will see cutscenes, but often you are just given the results. It might help with your popularity, but it will also result in fatigue, so taking some time off to recover is always important. You can even invade the different shows either by just making an appearance or by interfering in matches, though the game still doesn’t allow you the option to attack your opponents when they are on their way to the ring. If you don’t want to play through the mode as a wrestler, you can opt to play general manager and see if you have the right stuff and brilliant ideas to make the brand a success. The new Tournament Mode features even mode WWE events that fans know. You can be a part of King of the Ring or even Money in the Bank and if you happen to hold a title, you can put it on the line or keep it right where it belongs; around your waist.

Players still have the create-a-character mode (or create-a-belt, stable, entrance, and all of the other bells and whistles) and much of this is unchanged. This has always been one of the best additions to the franchise and there are some many different options to choose from. You can either use the default looks for the characters and attire or you can adjust them to your liking. This can be incredibly in-depth, so creating a character or anything else that you’d like can either take just a few minutes or thirty minutes, perhaps even more depending on how intricate you’d like to get. The only problem is that there is still no option to import and use your own music for your entrance, something that the 360 version of the game does allow, but hopefully this will change in time. Aside from using the character that you’ve created in the regular game modes, you can also take them online and compete against other WWE fans, though I’ve never been one who is really swooned by online gameplay and as a reviewer who always has a full plate, I just don’t have time for it.

The WWE games have always looks great, but this latest version is by far the best the Jukes has done. It isn’t just that they have perfected the entrance animation for you favorite wrestlers, but the look of each of them is even better than it has been before. Development of the games has usually involved some scanning, but what is showcased here is probably the best that has been seen. While the characters might be a little “shinny,” but I don’t think that really matter. It’s quickly forgotten in the action of the game, and the wrestlers look the best they ever have. Even the audience members don’t have the same, cardboard actions where they all move the same but instead you’ll see many of the fans in the stands moving separately, not following along like sheep as seen in the past titles. The only bad thing with the game comes with the commentary which is still very repetitive and brings in dialog heard in the previous games.

Jukes comes up with more interesting ideas and gameplay concepts with each game, and while this is probably the best game they have done so far in the series, I’m sure whatever they come up with next will outdo this game. WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 has been one of those games that PlayStation 3 owners have been drooling to finally have, and while it may have taken a year, it’s been well worth the wait to lay the smack down on friends, family, and other fans across the globe.

-mike-