PlayStation 3

WWE Smackdown! vs Raw 2009

WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 is the best wrestling game to come out in years and easily the best wrestling game available on console at the moment. The enhanced controls are finally spot on, making for a streamlined and extremely enjoyable experience, the range of match types and modes has never been wider or better conceived, and the game has never looked or sounded better. After a string of arguably disappointing releases, THQ has finally hit upon the magic formula and created the definitive wrestling experience; my hope is restored, I'm back off the mat and fighting once more, and I await the next instalment with great anticipation, with the full expectation that I'll still be playing this one when it arrives.

To all the SmackDown haters out there: If you're going to jump back in the ring, this is the year to do it. Both of these exciting new additions, along with the aforementioned improvements -- and the upcoming downloadable content -- make SVR09 this year's grapple-game champ.

As a complete package, SVR 09 never fails to impress. The loading times are far less, Road to Wrestlemania is a welcome addition to single player, and the new Create-A-Finisher and Highlight Reel features will add hours of creative ingenuity for fans. With extended online play that can support up to four players and more than thirty wrestlers to choose from, WWE Smackdown! Vs. Raw 2009 is, without a doubt, the undisputed champion of the year for all wrestling fans.

SvR’s great right stick grapple system hasn’t changed much in the last few years, so it’s hard to say the series has evolved much on the mat. I’d still love to see a tutorial system to help newcomers ease into play. But I have a feeling this game appeals primarily to the male soap opera crowd, and SvR still has plenty of high class drama and sweaty mat action to please them.

Overall, SmackDown! Vs. Raw 2009 is a perfect title for wrestling fans. It has tons of different match types, plenty of customization options, and provides some new and interesting ways to interact with other fans. This is definitely the most complete-feeling WWE title to come down in a long time, and it is great that the series has wrestled itself back into the spotlight. If you are into wrestling at all, this title is a must-buy, and even if you have shunned away from the WWE games in recent years, this title is definitely worth coming back to the franchise for. Just make sure to bring your sweat bands, 'cause you may be in it for the long haul!

Smackdown vs Raw 2009 ne révolutionnera pas la série avec son gameplay hérité des épisodes précédents mais il propose cette fois-ci largement assez de nouveautés pour se rendre indispensable auprès de tout fan de catch qui se respecte. Les modes de jeu, comme les combattants, se comptent par dizaines et les outils d'éditions pour personnaliser le soft à volonté sont plus complets que jamais. La concurrence peut aller se rhabiller, Smackdown vs Raw règne cette année en maître sur le catch vidéoludique.

Smackdown VS Raw 2009 mejora las anteriores entregas añadiendo más modos de juego y potenciando esa fidelización, ya alta de por sí, con el espectáculo que podemos ver por televisión. Necesita pulir ciertos aspectos como una mejor física entre los luchadores y algo más de profundidad en el sistema de combate para conseguir un nivel sobresaliente. Es el mejor juego de este particular deporte y una compra indiscutible para los seguidores de la WWE.

Nevertheless, as an overall package, WWE SvR 2009 offers some worthwhile improvements from 2008, most notably its entertaining ‘Road to WrestleMania’ game mode. Whilst the deep control scheme can feel awkward at times, especially if you’re coming into the franchise for the first time, if you have the time or the inclination the rewards are there for the taking. With a impressive list of game modes, match types and editing tools, WWE SvR 2009 is as good as it gets for grapple fans, and with plenty more downloadable content planned there should be more than enough to keep you going until 2009's upgrade.

So, we return to the challenge Kurt Angle and TNA Impact! posed at the top of the review. SDvR09 is better than last year's effort, no question, and it's a better game than TNA Impact! on account of it being yet another iteration of a tried and trusted game engine and packed full to bursting with features old and new. So yes, on the whole it has met the challenge. In a way, however, the true test is yet to come. Next year Midway's TNA Impact! follow-up will have had a solid debut under its belt, and, hopefully, will pile even more pressure onto THQ. Fingers crossed Yuke's not only copes with it, but revels in it.

And if you’re one of those folks who waits for the price drop on last year’s title when the new game drops, do yourself a favor and spend the extra cash – while it’s not yet perfect, Smackdown vs. Raw 2009 is easily the best wrestling game we’ve seen this generation, hands down.

Em jeito de conclusão, WWE: SmackDown vs. Raw continua a dominar o mercado dos jogos de wrestling. Ora, para alguns, isto até pode não significar muito, pois não existem assim tantas séries que se concentrem neste género. Mesmo assim - e esquecendo este facto -, a edição de 2009 da franchise vale por ela própria, destacando-se como um título competente, que apesar de não ser radicalmente distinto dos anteriores, consegue oferecer uma experiência refinada que os fãs do desporto de entretenimento não deverão querer perder.

In what seems to be a pretty reliable occurrence, THQ has put together another solid wrestling title. I really dug the depth of the career mode and as always, the creation system rivals most titles in the industry. Getting in the ring, the slow but sure improvements throughout the series becomes apparent in things like animation, crowds, and learning curve. The hilariously stale commentary and prehistoric UI are purely cosmetic gripes that won’t detract from the fun to be had by wrestling fans.

In the end, WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 is a good game but one that falls short of its potential. The Roster Editor is a welcome addition, Create-A-Finisher could be deeper but is a great first effort, the Inferno Match is over-the-top but fun, and Road to WrestleMania is one of the best story modes I've seen in a wrestling game in years. However, I can't shake the feeling that I'm playing last year's game when we get down to the nitty gritty match mechanics. Entrances, match list presentation, animations, and even a couple crowd members are recycled from SVR 08; pixilated audience members in the upper deck and six-man matches causing framerate drops haven't even been addressed; and the ECW Extreme Rules match has been gimped. These issues shouldn't be deal breakers for fans of squared-circle action nor do they detract from the fact that this is better than last year's game, but the problems do leave me without ever feeling "wowed" while playing SVR 09.

WWE Smackdown Vs Raw 2009 is a solid title in the series. It's still not perfect - none of the games have been - but wrestling fans will enjoy this despite some flaws.

WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 benefits greatly by restraining its scope. You can still edit rosters in Career mode, but other than that the menu-heavy GM mode has been fully dropped. The result is a game completely focused on action, and on letting you customize and record that action. While some elements still need improvement, SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 is ultimately successful because it embraces the dramatic fights and outrageous showmanship that are the heart and soul of the WWE.

Although WWE Smackdown! vs. RAW 2009 caters more to the fan than the casual player of fighting games, it marks a turning point in the franchise. Based off the changes made here, I can see future installments carry more character-specific storylines in the Road to Wrestlemania mode as well as a revamped Career mode that allows for more co-op and better CAW development. The fighting mechanics have been enhanced and edited to the point that any room for improvement is nearly all in the extras (and if TNA iMPACT! has anything to say, in the animations and the clipping). WWE Smackdown! vs. RAW 2009 is the strongest next-gen title in the franchise, no questions asked.

Malgré une sensation évidente et légitime de déjà-vu comme de déjà-joué, WWE Smackdown Vs. Raw 2009 reste néanmoins l'étalon du genre avec une horde de modes de jeux (même si certains ont disparu), plus de 50 catcheurs, et toute l'ambiance de la discipline parfaitement retranscrite. Les coups illégaux, la possibilité de contester les décisions arbitrales, l'éditeur de roster ou de highlights, le jeu en ligne... Rien ou presque ne manque, et si les possesseurs de l'édition 2008 pourront réfléchir avant d'acheter, les curieux qui voudraient prendre le train en marche y trouveront une fois de plus la nouvelle référence du genre.

Still, it’s a decent enough effort, and one that’ll amuse wrestling fans and people who just enjoy a bit of slightly over-the-top fighting action. Whilst it’s not particularly a giant step in the right direction, Smackdown vs. Raw 2009 sees the series keeping its head above water and packing in just enough thrills and spills to keep you playing as the months tick on. With all that said and done, I am now off to create Jay and slam him through a table for forgetting his copy of Gears of War 2 for the second day running. Fun times!

All of these problems make SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 unworthy of the championship. Fans will likely call us out for nitpicking, but for those of us that bought last year's edition, we need a great reason to drop another 60 bones and we can't find one. Road to WrestleMania and Create-A-Finisher (two modes that will get better in future games) are neat ideas, but the actual wrestling failed to inspire us. Of course, if you eat, sleep and breathe WWE, you'll find a decent game loaded with options, wrestlers and weapons to hit them with.

SvR as a series is the MVP of videogames. It’s upper-midcard rather than Main Event status, but is destined for greatness if only it can be nurtured and refined in a few areas.