WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2008

[vinitwins]

WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2008

 

Published by: THQ

Developed by: Yuke's Media Creations

Genre: Wrestling / Fighting

Release Date: Nov 2007

Available On: X360, Wii, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, PSP, PlayStation 2

[Kazekage Gaara]

Available On: X360, Wii, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, PSP, PlayStation 2

 

Nintendo DS ....lol now thats something I gotta see given DS can barely do 3D and even if it can, it turns out to be pathetic

 

Edit And that is something that I seriously love about my DS. Am a 2D games fan

[Man In The Box]

This game won't be very different from SVR 2007. Just a new career mode and slight changes in the gameplay (like you can push the referee and hide behind him, etc ). Don't think i'll buy it.

[SchizoidFreud]

wait for the demo

[vinitwins]

http://www.gamesradar.com/us/xbox360/game/...100112433248089

Demo available with pre-order now, hits Xbox Live on Oct 15

 

Starting October 1, you can obtain a demo of WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2008 at select retail chains by pre-ordering the game. It’s kind of a sparse demo with only three arenas, one-on-one mode (two-player included!) and only four wrestlers - Rey Mysterio, Bobby Lashley, Undertaker and the Legend Killer himself, Randy Orton - at your disposal.

 

Oh and if you’re still not sure these rumbling wrasslers are worth your hard-earned cash, then you can always wait till October 15 when the demo will appear on Xbox Live Marketplace.

 

 

V

[Amay]

I stopped playing smackdown games after smackdown 3 on the ps...whadda game.

[jackhammer06]

Not much of a wrestling fan......I won't buy it.....

[Hahaman]

when its coming out

[Amay]

November 9

[arjun]

demo out

[Man In The Box]

I finally downloaded and played the demo today. Good game and there has been various innovations. I like the way we can now use the referee as a shield and push him to the opponent!

 

I am not very sure if I will get it as I am not a huge WWE fan anymore(although I do watch it once in a while) but it is a must buy for a wrestling fan and I have not written off this game totally. I may even get it!

[KnackChap]

source neoseeker forums

http://www.neoseeker.com/forums/35542/t102...clusive-review/

 

Games Master UK: First Exclusive Review!

 

Hello everyone. You probably remember me from past Smackdown forums, I usually type Smackdown previews and reviews every now and then. Today we have a fresh review and probably the very first review for SVR 2008. This review consists of all the Smacdown games, that's including the Wii, PS3, Xbox 360, PSP and DS. The games vary in scores but read on and you'll find out why.

 

 

Smackdown VS Raw 2008 Review!

 

PS3 & 360 Review

 

Wresting's not real. You knew that, right? But that makes it tough to make a wrestling game look like the real thing, because in the video game version wrestling is actually is real - and the wrestlers are competing instead of cooperating. Confused? Imagine how Yuke's feel. They've been trying to get round this problem for ages, but this year's Smackdown is probably the best effort yet.

 

It works like this. Each has wrestler has two styles, from a selection of eight. Each style includes several skills, which are a mixture of ones seen in previous games (ripping the padding off turnbuckles, arguing with the ref, springboard attacks) and new ones invented for this game (stuff like Rampages, Super Dirty Moves and Hardcore Rejuvenations, which we'll explain in a sec). Obviously the means that most wrestlers actually have fewer abilities than in previous games, but that doesn't really matter because most wrestlers don't use these moves anyway. You wouldn't see The Undertaker poking someone in the eyes, but you would see him doing a move like the new Brawler's Rampage, which lets him spend twenty seconds throwing haymakers without fear of being countered. It's possible to combine abilities in helpful pairs - Edge, for instance, can use his Dirty skills to throw the ref into his opponent, then use his Hardcore moves to do extra damage with weapons while the official is down.

 

The downside to this is that it seems to be the only thing that's really changed this year. Yuke's are starting to treat Smackdown updates the same way as the Madden and FIFA games. - making minor tweaks. But this doesn't work because the same small frustrations crop up year after year. Ladder matches take ages, Buried Alive matches suffer from dreadful clipping and the commentary is still awful. Smackdown puts up a mean fight, but it needs to work on its weaknesses to become the champ.

 

GM LOVES:

 

+ The grappling styles

+ Mr Kennedy's entrance - yes, still

+ Throwing the ref around

 

GM HATES:

 

- Not having any control in Career mode

- Two-player matches where you can't get up because the other person cheats

 

Graphics:

 

Incredible when they work; some of the animation clippings has been eliminated. 90%

 

Gameplay:

 

The wrestling styles work well - the stamina system is now much better. 85%

 

Lifespan:

 

The usual barrage of Create A Wrestler options and career goals will last a while. 87%

 

Overall:

 

86%

 

A massive step forward for Smackdown's fighting system. Now the rest needs tidying.

 

 

Playstation 2 Review

 

Flair is less shiny and Carlit'es afro isn't as fuzzy, but superficial details aside, PS2 Smackdown is exactly the same games as the Xbox 360 version. So instead of moaning about the facial modelling, let's talk about one common feature that we didn't have room to talk about in the 360 bit: the season mode.

 

If you think being a wrestler's as simple as turning up to Raw, you're wrong: that's the message in 2008 version. This year you use your calendar to manage autograph sessions, movie roles, and interviews to increase your popularity, while de-stressing wit massages and dates, training to get tougher and practising to enhance your skills on the mic. Only the grappling improvements actually take any effort - you're typically given a minute to practice whatever you're trying to improve against a sub par opponent - everything else is simply number crunching in pursuit of a popular, healthy wrestler. With all this to worry about, it's sort of bewildering to find that the actual wrestling often takes a back seat - as in last years game, the feuds come and go without really taking any input from you, so the storyline advances whether you win or lose. To be fair, the scriptings funny and the plots are often better than current TV fodder - but after the twentieth time effortlessly bursting Orton open only to see your wrestler staggering away injured in the resulting cutscene, you'll be tempted to skip matches to see what happens next. Bah.

 

 

Graphics:

 

Slightly less stellar than the next gen versions, but still very impressive. 88%

 

Gameplay:

 

Those cage and ladder matches really need fixing. C'mon Yuke's, sort it out... 85%

 

Lifespan:

 

There's no point of going back to make different decisions and replay it. 80%

 

Overall:

 

82%

 

As solid as ever but lacks next gen dazzle and it's inevitably weaker online.

 

 

Wii Review

 

Ambitious? Wii Smackdown makes Randy Orton look like the shy, retiring type. It's got possibly the most varied selection of nunchuck 'n' Wii mote moves around, and playing through season mode might give you wrists like Batista's. But does it actually work? Yeah. Sort of.

 

The good news is Wii Smackdown's tightened, toned and trimmed since we saw the early version. Energy bars have been added to make matches faster, wrestlers move around the ring quicker and everyone spends less time writhing on the floor. Gaps in the control system are patched up with clever context sensitive moves, so a flick that prompts a strike at close range will trigger a running tackle from further away. It's even got hot tagging in it - if you're seriously knackered and make it to your own corner, your partner comes in raging and reversing every move, which is excellent and really ought to be in all the other versions. The pacings closer to a bout of Tekken than a televised grappling match, and that's definitely a good thing. The downside is variety. With a mere handful of match types to choose from - Wii Smackdown lacks the free for all fun that keeps the other versions feeling fresh. Although the roster and Create A Wrestler are impressive you can't help the feeling that this is just waiting to be massively improved next year.

 

 

Graphics:

 

Not as good as the other next gen versions, but still better than the PS2. 83%

 

Gameplay:

 

The Wii-mote stuff works well, although it's a bit limited. 79%

 

Lifespan:

 

Not quite as lengthy as other versions, thanks to a lack of match types. 65%

 

Overall:

 

80%

 

A good start for Wii Smackdown - with a bit of tweaking, this could be a smash hit.

 

 

PSP Review

 

For the grappling fan on the go, PSP Smackdown's the obvious choice. Cramming almost everything from it's bigger cousins onto a a Jaffa Cake sized disc can't be easy, but Yuke's have just about managed it. This version's graphics have improved fractionally this year, and the Yokozuna size loading pauses that plagued earlier editions of the game seem to have been slimmed down a bit.

 

What doesn't work quite so well is the control system. With lots of new moves and more emphasis on Ultimate Control moves, the lack of a right analogue stick or any trigger buttons undeniably hurts this editions of Smackdown. Countering seems a bit more hit and miss, and it's much trickier to nail all those moves you want to see being used. One advantage that the PSP version does have is that's the perfect game to tinker around with when you're bored, and here Smackdown's famously amazing Create A Wrestler mode shines. In fairness, there aren't that many new parts or moves - but that's only because almost everything you can think of, from the Bionic Elbow to moves you'll only ever see on the Japanese circuit like the Shining Wizard, is already included. Fiddling with settings and move sets is perfect bus-fodder - where else have you got the time to spend getting Hogan's chin just right?

 

Should you get this Smackdown as well as one of the bigger ones? Probably not. Transferring data between editions might have appealed a couple of years ago, but it sort of feels like a luxury now. You probably should get a Smackdown title this year, but only get this one if you don't have a home console.

 

 

Graphics:

 

Some of the nicest rendering on the PSP. Entrances are great, too. 89%

 

Gameplay:

 

Lack of buttons make thins a bit fiddly on occasions. 80%

 

Lifespan:

 

Just as much to do as the other editions, with a bit more loading. 87%

 

Overall:

 

80%

 

A mild improvement for PSP, but you really want to play on a big telly.

 

 

Nintendo DS Review

 

Now this is weird: an all-stylus, all-prodding, twirling and waggling take on the sport of champions. Like letting Hornswaggle win the Cruiserweight championship, DS Smackdown's an interesting idea - but one that loses its appeal pretty quickly.

 

Here's the setup. Whatever your wrestler's situation (face to face, in a grapple, lying on the floor) you've got three options, activated by tapping different bits of the screen. One's quick - usually a strike - and only takes a quick swipe at the stylus to pull off. The other two take longer, and might involve a wobble forward followed by a spin, or a delicate stroke topped with some quirk tapping. Special situations call for some special moves, and you're occasionally given the chance to tap at the top right to pull of a finisher or dash outside for a weapon.

 

And it's fun in a sort of WarioWare way - for about two matches. After that you realise that you're doing exactly the same handful of moves again and again, and that you'll be doing them for as long as you can be bothered to keep playing this much simpler wrestling game.

 

You see the trouble is, unlike Hornswaggle's title reign, buying DS Smackdown's a decision that's going o be stuck with you for a while. We don't recommend it.

 

 

Graphics:

 

About the same as...oh, maybe just bring Just Bring It on the PS2. 85%

 

Gameplay:

 

Great for one match, tolerable for two, but a season's pushing it. 61%

 

Lifespan:

 

Seen all the animations? Then you'll probably never play it again. 30%

 

Overall:

 

55%

 

Like Rey Mysterio taking on Khali, this one's brave but ultimately doomed.

 

Hope you enjoyed reading this review. Just want to remind you, this is not my own review this is the review typed up from the UK magazine Games Master. The review takes 5 pages from the magazine.

[nash]

http://www.tech2.com/india/news/games/svr-...ovember/20771/0

 

For all those interested in buying the game here, SVR 2008 will release in India on the 13th of November and for all those who are too lazy to click on the news article and go through it, here are the details:

 

PS2 – Rs 1,499

PSP – Rs 1,499

Nintendo DS – Rs 1,499

PS3 – Rs 2,499

Nintendo Wii – Rs 1,999

 

An trying to contact MS for details on the Xbox 360 version.

[vinitwins]

it's THQ right, so it will be priced at 1,999.

 

 

 

V

[Jackie]

Has it been confirmed by M$ that they will be releasing SVR 2008 in India on the 13th of this month?Also when do they intend to release virtua fighter 5 here?They still haven't posted any info about their release dates at their official website.

[Hahaman]

got the ps2 version today so lets see if its better than the last one or not

[Amay]

"obtaining" the PSP version.

[vinitwins]

^ doesnt work on 3.4OE, i think it needs 3.7x

 

 

V

[Amay]

Im on _HellDashX_’s 3.72 HX it'll run fine

[Keyofx]

The only wrestling games that matter are made by Spike. You guys really need to try King of Colosseum II. All Star Pro Wrestling III by Squaresoft is pretty damn good too. Of course, it helps if you watch/follow puroresu (japanese pro wrestling) and the games are NTSC-J so you would need to rely on translation faqs. It's worth it though, you'll never go back to the yukes/wwe titles once you've figured out the KoC II system.

 

Puroresu

NOAH - The best wrestling fed in the world.

 

/evangelist mode off.