WWE Smackdown vs. RAW 2009 (PSP) Review

Posted by John De Large on 12.24.2008

How does this handheld wrestling game hold up under review from a wrestling snob? Updated with PSP screens.



Title: WWE Smackdown vs. RAW 2009
Publisher: THQ
Developer: Yukes
Type: Wrestling
Players: 1-4
Rated T for Teen

This March will be my 6th year as a pro wrestling spectator and as a former yarder and someone who did pro training, I feel very attached to pro wrestling. I love ROH, Chikara Pro, NOAH and all of the good wrestling alternatives. My favorite federation though has to be YouTube's 2KW. I even like to watch some WWE once in a while (tonight's episode of RAW was awesome and new Trish gets an auto 10).

(This is where the pic of de-plastic-surgeried Trish would go if one existed)

I've sort of put wrestling on the backburner to work on my own game and to focus on school and other things. This game arrived in the nick of time to remind me: "Hey, you like wrestling. Why not play this game?"

Why not?



Graphics
The menu screens are beautiful with bright colors and DVD quality movies playing in the background. The in game graphics aren't bad, but definitely not the best. The wrestlers look blocky and some of the smaller details (Stars on Punks trunks, letters on Jericho's tights) on their outfits look fuzzy, in a style somewhat reminiscent to Smackdown 4.

On the other hand, that's not really a complaint from me. I loved Smackdown 4, it's when characters started to get spherical in Smackdown 5 that I thought they looked all wonky. Sometimes the older stuff (Or older looking stuff in this case) isn't so bad.

The only complaint I have about graphics is lobbed toward the Create A Wrestler feature. I could have a plaid shirt, an undershirt, jean shorts, boots and a goatee, but not elbow pads and fist tape. Having that many details resulted in a message that told me I have too many layers! WTF? Every wrestler wears stuff on their arms! Still, my outfit looks crisp and not painted on. Best of all, thanks to the wide selection of clothing in the Create A Wrestler mode, my character actually looks like he's wearing something I'd wear to wrestle in, if I were a wrestler.



Sound
The soundtrack isn't my first choice when it comes to music, but there's a good library of songs, including every wrestlers entrance music, including Randy Orton's awesome "Voices," entrance music.

I don't know why you can't use your own songs like on the X-Box 360 version, the PSP can hold songs like the 360, so why not have characters use songs from the user play list? Then you can have infinite customization!

Music while wrestling needs to be turned off, though. While playing, the soundtrack will pick a song to play at random, usually something unfitting for a fight. For example, I was at the end of an Extreme Rules match, my opponent wearing the proverbial crimson mask (.07 on the Muta scale). Right as I'm about to finish him off with a spiked bat, Maria's entrance music by Simple Plan hits. Way to kill the mood, THQ.

Oh. Oh dear.

My friend Charlie has informed me that it isn't Simple Plan, it's the once awesome Zebrahead. That sucks.

There's more reasons that you shouldn't have the music running. In one match I was getting my ass whooped by John Morrison when all of a sudden, John Cena's music hits. I didn't know he had beef with Morrison or is an ally of CM Punk (who I was controlling), so imagine my surprise that he'd be coming to help me.

Morrison is still stomping away. Where the hell is Cena?

Morrison is hitting his finisher. Help?

I kick out at 2. WTF? What happened to my rescue? Well, it appears that the game just likes to play other people's entrance music, like The Undertaker's or John Cena's. This results in confusion, at least it did for me, prompting me to turn the music off for good. On the other hand, if you're a New Jack fan, leave the music on and play as someone who's theme is part of the soundtrack.

Gameplay
I like the way this Smackdown game handles, I really do. Grapples are easy and the ultimate control powerbomb is sick. There's also ultimate control interaction with different parts of the ring and arena. For example, you can lift an opponent up for a back suplex, only to crotch him on the top rope and bounce him up and down like a horsey ride gone wrong. Yeah, I know this development isn't new, but it is to me, so I'm going to gush about it.

Irish whipping a guy is odd, it requires an unusual method. You have to hold down R, press X, then aim the guy where you want to go. It's strange and takes getting used to, but it isn't bad.

What I find to be difficult is the running, you know that really easy thing we do by putting one foot in front of the other? Somehow, THQ has managed to complicate a basic physical function. To run, you hold L and the direction you want to run. Sounds easy, right? It even sounds easier than whipping a guy into the ropes!

Well, every time I charge at my opponent and try to forearm them down or hit a lariat(oooooo), I miss horribly. Running off the ropes is easy enough, but it requires you to stalk your opponent until he's almost to his feet, then charge him, that way by the time he's to his feet, he's ready for you to clothesline him.



Okay, so it's not easy, but it's at least somewhat realistic.

Another thing I like the inclusion of more moves. Yeah, moves! The things that excite the audience during matches! For a while, THQ cut out a bulk of the moves created wrestlers could have. For a while wrestlers could have only the most basic of moves (suplex, side slam, punch combo), but now, we've got curb stomps and backbreakers and all sorts of suplexes and drops! There's even moves from other independent wrestlers and there's also customizable finishers.

Yeah, customizable finishers on a PSP game! How awesome is that? As someone who fancies wrestlers with a more complicated moveset, I love this feature. There's only 30 create-a-move slots and I've already filled 22 of them in the short time I've had the game.

Another great aspect of this Smackdown game? Two season modes! Fan-dabby-babulous!

Career Mode
Career mode is simple. You pick which belt you want to fight for, then you go out and fight all the other wrestlers who want to vie for it. Your match is rated with a number of stars, once you've gained a certain number of stars, you'll have a gimmick number one contenders match, then get your title shot. You start by chasing the IC Title (well, I did), then moving on to fighting for the ECW Title or US Title.

It's a little unimaginative and very bare bones, but somehow I like it. I never really cared for the voice overs, but having some text boxes would help. Thankfully, there's also...

The Road to Wrestlemania
For voice overs, text, story lines and breaking the fourth wall, we have The Road To Wrestlemania Mode. You can choose to guide CM Punk, Chris Jericho, John Cena, Triple H, The undertaker or the long dead team of Batista and Rey Mysterio. I chose to play as CM Punk and went through a pretty awesome storyline. In just my second match, I got fight Jeff Hardy in a match with flaming tables!



The only real problem I had with this match was skinny little Jeff Hardy's endurance. He managed to stand up to 2 Go 2 Sleeps, two flaming bat shots and I had to put him through a flaming table by way of high jump bulldog before I could pin him.

The other odd match was one that saw me act as a manager to Tommy Dreamer. The goal was to make sure he didn't lose. Before I can act though, there's a run in and the match is thrown out as a DQ. I try to pull John Morrison and the recently fired Elijah Burke off of him, but nothing happens. I fight on, the bell rings, but there's no change. Finally, I looked it up and it turns out I'm supposed to wait until the game just goes to cut scene. Lovely.

Still, despite the un-announced cut scenes and Road To Wrestlemania's awesome, just be prepared for cut scenes a-plenty.

Fun factor and lasting appeal
This is the most fun I've had with a Smackdown game since I first picked up a wrestling game many years ago. This is a pretty good port of the 360 version, the only differences between the two being graphics and the Highlight Reel mode (but who cares about that?)

As for playability, there's lots to do: Wrestlemania story lines, career mode, creating wrestlers (indy feds and your own backyard fed for some of you), creating finishers. Hell, I'm going to continue playing it after this gets posted and that was unexpected, even for me.

Despite how good this game is, I can't help but think it will likely go un-purchased. Hardcore gamers will get a version for the 7th generation consoles and the bubble-gummers will pick it up for the next gen graphics. For those of you who like wrestling games but don't own a 7th generation console, give this a whirl, you won't be sorry.

Graphics	7.0	C+. Good, not great. People look like people, clothes aren't drawn on and the collision detection is good.
Gameplay	9.0	Good controls and plenty of easily accessible, easily imitated violence. Yup, it's a wrestling game.
Sound	9.0	There's a diverse soundtrack, lots of theme music AND Randy Orton's new entrance music.
Lasting Appeal	8.0	You'll probably play it until next year's edition comes out! The Create A Player and Create A Finisher modes will keep you playing and creating.
Fun Factor	8.0	It takes a little bit to get the controls down, but pretty soon you'll be powerbombing that Will Smith create a player. Well, that's what I do.
Overall	8.2   [ Very Good ]