For about as long as I can remember I have been both a gamer and a fan of professional wrestling. I can tell you that I have many memories of when these two passions of mine of clashed. And I can say from personal experience that it has either been a match made in heaven with superb titles like Temco World Wrestling, WWF Rage in the Cage, WWF Attitude, WCW Thunder, WWF No Mercy, WCW/NWO Revenge, WCW Mayhem, and the early editions to the Smackdown series. Of course you also have those which fall into the "Match Made in Hell" category with titles like WCW Starrcade, WWF Wrestlemania (NES), WCW Backstage Assault, WWE Wrestlemania 21, and the god awful Legends of Wrestling series.
So this clashing of two of my favorite pastimes has been for lack of a better term, "a mixed bag." The Smackdown vs. Raw series has always been an interesting case. The games are solid enough gameplay wise but don’t really offer much innovation between installments with the exception of one new gimmick each year. And of course an updated roster.
With newest installment currently on the shelves, SVR 09 has found itself in the bargain bin. Tonight I take a look to see if the Xbox 360 version is worthy of another shot at main event status or if it should stay down for a permanent three count.
Story: Well I can’t really say that wrestling games have the strongest story elements but the game’s "Road to Wrestlemania" Mode provides a decent representation of the WWE’s brand of story arcs. Road to Wrestlemania is basically 12 months worth of storylines compressed into a few hours of gameplay. The player can choose between six possible storylines. Triple H, John Cena, CM Punk, Chris Jericho, and The Undertaker each have their own individual storylines and a tag team storyline involving Batista and Rey Mysterio is also available. Basically these storylines work as standard pro-wrestling feuds. Your character cuts a promo, or has an altercation with someone during a cut scene, you have a match (sometimes with special stipulations or objectives) and that’s pretty much it. However, the storylines in this game can get a lot crazier then anything you see on WWE TV. Like MVP creating his country or The Boogeyman turning people into zombies. There is some pretty wacky and out there stuff but hey it’s no less crazy than a 70 year old woman giving birth to hand now is it? God I wish that memory would just fade away. It Burns!
Graphics and Design: What can I say other than it looks like every other game in the SVR series. The wrestlers look like their real life counter parts. Especially during the entrances, which always look spectacular. The wrestlers, referees, and announcers are animated very well but the fans look pretty poor in comparison and some of the backgrounds could be updated a little bit. This is part of the problem that the series has with making a new game every year.
Sound: The entrance themes of each wrestler sound as perfect as they do on TV every week and the commentary is as clear and entertaining as always. And I mean that quite literally. The commentary tracks are almost identical as they were in previous installments and they loop constantly, which is another problem with making a new game every year. Although Taz and Joey Styles are quite entertaining to listen to during ECW matches.
Gameplay: For the most part the game follows the same gameplay format as it did in SVR 08 with the objective being to weaken specific body parts of your opponent and to strike as soon they are red. Weaken them as much as you can, hit your finisher and go for the win. If you’re already familiar with the franchise then it won’t take you very long to master the control scheme but it can get pretty confusing if you are a noob. But don’t worry. The game features on screen instructions, so you can get the hang of it after a while. The only real difference in 09’s gameplay is the focus on tag teams (the game’s selling point). SVR 09 has some new elements added into tag team matches, such as hot tags, blind tags, interference and tag team finishers.
Extra Features: Well as always the game features a variety of different match types as well as the standard "create a wrestler mode." And you get the standard secret characters but some of them suck. Why would you want useless characters like Masked Man or Zombie Santino or Tony the Marine? However, the game does have some pretty nifty features like the "create a finisher mode" which allows the player to create his/her own finisher to the custom characters they have created. You can also download certain wrestlers who didn’t make it into the main game, like Evan Bourne or Ted DiBiase Jr. Even Vader, Doink the Clown and The Bushwhackers can be downloaded into the game. If you happen to have a copy of Legends of Wrestlemania handy, you can also download characters from SVR 09 into that game as well.
Replay Value: If you are a wrestling fan (who doesn’t plan on buying 2010), you could find yourself playing it from time to time with friends or even by yourself to have your titles change hands and what not. Although playing the game with a friend is always the best way to play. There is nothing like laying on some smack talk as you layeth the smacketh down on someone’s candy ass.
Over All Value: Current Price- $30 (new)
What it’s worth- $30
It is hard to say whether or not I recommend buying this game or not. If you are a wrestling fan who wants an upgraded experience from that of SVR 08 but doesn’t want to pay the full the price for 2010, then I would say that the game is worth checking out. But it doesn’t really set itself apart that much from previous installments of the franchise. For gamers who aren’t fans, than I would say that you likely wouldn’t enjoy it that much. Unless you are a fan of fighters and sports games.
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