WWE SmackDown vs. RAW 2007 (PS2) Review
Posted by Sean Garmer on 12.14.2006
Is SM vs. RAW 07 for the PS2 as good as its XBOX 360 counterpart?
SmackDown has slowly become like an EA Sports game, it comes out every year, and it’s either a big hit, or a small update to the franchise. The series is now at 2007 and could very well be the final WWE game for the PS2. THQ introduced a few things in the last game that made it stand out to the masses. However, this year’s game while doing something new, also suffers from being complacent with what it has. Does it do enough to entice fans? Will you be happy with the game if you love WWE? Read this to find out.
Graphics
We’ve had two reviews for the XBOX 360 version of the game and we had one person that liked the game and another that had many condescending things to say about it. For the PS2 version, the graphics are damn good. The character models move more fluidly than the XBOX 360 version mainly because it was intended for the PS2. There are still a number of collision detection problems with wrestlers going through each other and some other clipping problems. Yuke’s really has done a great job through the years of making the wrestlers appear more lifelike and this year’s version takes that to the max. You will instantly recognize the wrestlers and their animations are closer than ever to how they act. All the arenas look great too. Aside from the issues I explained earlier, the graphics are terrific for this game.
Gameplay
The new thing this year is the change in the grappling system to using analog controls. Now all your grappling is done with the right analog stick or by holding R1 and then pressing the analog stick in different directions. For the most part the new controls work rather well, there is small learning curve for everybody, but even then, you can still change the controls back to the old format if you don’t like the new way. They’ve also introduced hotspots on the outside of the ring that allow you to inflict even more pain on your opponent. Hotspots give people new ways to fight in the crowd and make the game a little more fun. There are also Ultimate Control moves that make their debut in this game. By grappling and clicking the right analog stick, you can use a move that has different variations, such as a Suplex or a DDT. Then using up your stamina, you decide whether to do a stalling Suplex or an impact DDT. It’s a nice innovation that helps add creativity to matches. Other than the addition of the Money in the Bank Ladder Match, everything that you found in SmackDown vs. RAW 2006 is also in this game.
Season Mode is somewhat new in that there are 40 different storylines that offer some branching off points depending on whether you win or lose certain matches. Mainly the branching happens depending if you win or lose the final match in the feud, which makes it better than last year’s season. However, they should probably improve upon this aspect by making even more branching points in the story. Once you reach Wrestlemania, you are shipped off to the other show and season mode starts again. Even though, season mode doesn’t particularly end, the storylines themselves will repeat. The mode itself is fun and the stories vary in a wide range, so there is enough to keep you coming back.
It is not perfect, but it is an improvement over last year’s Season mode.
GM Mode is still the text heavy fan simulation affair that it was in the last game. The main new thing being that now you can hire writers to make your rivalries and matches more interesting, also the game presents you with a plethora of options before you start playing. This allows you to play with or without cost, rivalry length, and other things if a person chooses. You can even have the A.I. run the show for you. The mode also allows you to play or simulate any match you want, however, it doesn’t really seem to help the match ratings any. They’ve also added Heat and Velocity to help boost popularity points of any created wrestlers. There is a better sense of realism between regular shows and PPV’s. They have limited some matches such as Battle Royals or Special Ref matches to PPV only, making you have to strategize even more. The rivalries themselves due to the storylines are now tied to a predetermined amount of weeks leading to a PPV payoff, but it’s still up to you as the booker to make the feud work for that many weeks. Finally, is the addition of the Power 25 rankings that actually present a degree of difficulty to the mode, because only certain wrestlers can go for a certain title at a time, depending on where they are ranked. This can really screw up your feuds if wrestlers start claiming for title-shots or losing too much. The problem is that it is difficult to maintain more than four rivalries at a time and promos still serve little to no purpose because you still can’t see them. Now with the move to next-generation, they should gradually start making GM Mode less text happy, and more video based. This would help give the mode more of a broad appeal. Obviously, the mode is made for all those armchair bookers, but it’s still a good idea to keep your casual audience in mind too. Just thought I’d throw this in as a last comment, in order for you to get unlimited EXP for your created characters you must win the GM trophy.
The only real problems I noted with the game are that tag partners are still clueless. Even using the control system the game provides to bring them into the ring, doesn’t necessarily mean they are going to respond to it. Many times, I called in my partner and he just stood there and waited for my opponent’s partner to break up the pin before attacking him. This has been a recurrent problem in the series that desperately needs to be fixed because it makes tag team matches more of a chore than they should be. It makes no sense that my opponents partner comes in on every damn pin or submission attempt, and mine doesn’t. Also in a lot of the special matches there seems to be no psychology at all. They’ve done a good job in extending the Ladder and Table matches. However, they don’t seem to have changed, it is still mainly a race for the weapon and then seeing who can win the match first. Finally, I think everyone has mentioned this, but I might as well do the same, this is the most outdated roster that I think they’ve ever put into one of these games. Most of these wrestlers aren’t even in the company anymore, and then others are not a prominent part of the show either. Kurt Angle looks really bad, especially because he’s the highest rated wrestler in the game. I hope that with the next generation systems we won’t ever have this problem again. Yukes ought to do the same thing that EA does and periodically release downloadable roster updates to keep the game fresh. Other than these three gripes the game is still good and worthy of purchase for anyone that’s a fan.
Sound
The sound effects have been basically recycled from the last couple of games and they still work well in this one. The commentary also is recycled and still as horrid as ever. Seriously, either they should find a way to lessen how much they speak or completely remove the commentary because some of the comments they make are plain dumb. It’s hard to do commentary for wrestling because many of the same situations happen in every match, but still, they can try to do better than this. They did however improve on the music this year. I love that they actually licensed the “Money in the Bank” track from Lil Scrappy, I actually enjoyed the song enough to make it my entrance theme. There are also artists such as, Three Days Grace, Ghostface Killah, and Non-Point. The music is a lot more tolerable this year and I didn’t find myself hitting the mute button on my television as much, as I did with last year’s game. The problem is they play the songs at every moment possible, so if you aren’t a fan of the music, you will get tired of it.
Lasting Appeal
There is plenty to do in this game with Season, GM, multi-player exhibition mode, and more. The online mode is still as good as last year’s with the addition of voice chat that means you can finally insult your tag partner or opponent as much as you want. The Create-A-Wrestler is still great and it provides you with one the most robust creation modes of any game period. The new analog controls give some added playing time to the game that rewards fans for their patience. You can even do some customizing with your very own lockeroom, the unlockables may be a step down from recent years, but the Legends roster is definitely worth going through season mode to unlock.
Fun Factor
If you love WWE or wrestling games, WWE SmackDown vs. RAW 07 still offers the best bang for your buck. It has a ton of game modes and provides hours of multi-player fun, along with a complex online mode to boot. Seriously, I had fun with the game for hours just building up my created wrestler in season mode. If you are an avid fan, you will enjoy the challenge of GM mode too.
The 411: If you are a WWE fan there is nothing that I can say that’s probably going to deter you from buying this game, and probably the majority of fans already have the game as we speak. The game is a very good update to last year and still provides everyone with a satisfying wrestling experience with a ton of modes to play. I don’t think you can go wrong with that.
Graphics
8.5
The wrestlers and arenas look great but, there are still big clipping and collision detection problems.
Gameplay
9.0
New controls are an improvement but everything else is the same.
Sound
7.5
Commentary is horrible, but at least the music is better this year.
Lasting Appeal
9.5
There's a lot to do just between Exhibition, Season, and GM Mode, oh yeah there's an online mode in there too.
Fun Factor
10.0
Really, the game's fun with friends is still unbeatable.
