WWE Smackdown vs. RAW 2009 (PS2) Review

Posted by Rick Tym on 01.05.2009

The PS2 version of the yearly grappling title from WWE and THQ delivers in its 2009 edition.



Title: WWE Smackdown vs. RAW 2009
Publisher: THQ
Developer: Yukes
Type: Wrestling
Players: 1-6
Rated T for Teen

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not a hardcore gamer—hell, I’m not even an official member of the Games Zone here at 411mania.com. However, as some readers and writers for the site may tell you, I found this place when it was 411wrestling.com—you know, before Ashish successfully transformed the site from a wrestling-oriented page to full-blown pop culture phenomenon. As such, I’ve always been a fan of the grapple, and even though I don’t watch as much as I used to I still catch it when I can, getting my daily rasslin’ dirt right here, at 41—nah, forget the cheap plug. I also like video games, but have not yet pushed myself into the current-gen platform world, settling for what I can get in terms of new releases and bargain bins for the old but faithful PlayStation2. Luckily I have been afforded the opportunity to speak to those in similar situations when it comes to digitized entertainment, mixing my part-time love of wrestling and gaming to review WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2009 for the PS2.

History has shown that the door swings both ways when it comes to wrestling games—certain older titles are still spoken of in hushed, reverent tones as the best there is, was or will ever be. Others released as recently as the year soon to expire are abhorred by wrestling fans and gamers alike (TNA Impact from Midway, all platforms, I’m looking in your general direction). Even the yearly WWE release garners fans on both sides of the fence. Some years it’s treated as the best thing under the sun, and some releases are returned for store credit to the nearest GameStop in less time than it takes for an Undertaker entrance. Luckily, the 2009 edition of WWE Smackdown vs. Raw is a good product, even for the PS2, and should satisfy hardcore and casual fans alike.

Graphics

The graphics in the PS2 version of WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2009 are surprisingly realistic—well, as realistic as they could be for an aging console’s capabilities. I remember back in the day playing the first release of WWE Smackdown! for the PS1 and being amused by the contrast of real-life DVD footage and poorly-modeled wrestler characters in the entrance movies. Here, the trend of fully-rendered entrances continues to mostly good effect. Everyone looks like they’re supposed to minus a few instances of just plain facial goofiness as they make their way from the curtain to the ring, with minimal load times accompanying each character’s arrival. Please allow me one more Undertaker joke; yes, his entrance is true to life, not only due to the inclusion of those neat-looking torch-bearing druids he used to bring along to the arena, but also because you can go make some coffee and still be back at your controller in time for the opening bell.

Speaking of arenas (rather than further exposition on druids), the crowds and sets look relatively nice. Just playing one-on-one mode will give the gamer a chance to compete in some singles matches for practice or stat tweaking, and the settings are usually dictated by the WWE’s monthly pay-per-views. It’s a nice touch instead of just showing a generic Raw or Smackdown! stage every time around. (But don’t fret, those sets look good too.) Audiences are decent, although you will catch the inevitable repeat attendees here and there when you’re not concentrating on the in-ring action.


Cena looks good in his PS2 rendering…


..and so does Big Dave, so you should enjoy it—not only the game, but Batista, seeing as he’ll be off Raw for awhile.

The wrestling itself looks darned good, though. Performing pedigrees with HHH or the Go2Sleep with CM Punk are impressive in their depiction on the pixelated small screen, and some nice little effects are thrown in to give the execution of a character’s finisher a little added gravitas. There are some small slow down issues apparent with larger match settings such as the Royal Rumble, but everything moves along pretty smoothly otherwise. Some clipping in the ropes and the character models themselves can be seen every now and again, but to be honest what wrestling game hasn’t had similar issues, usually on a much grander scale? Although come to think of it, it was a little disconcerting to see the backstage floor move under Jericho's feet as he chased a masked assailant...for no real reason whatsoever. Also, Randy Orton's eyes are just a little too creepy in character model closeups.

Wrestlers, stages, pyro and even a spinner belt that you can set into motion using the R2 button are all rendered rather nicely on what is sure to be the last WWE Smackdown vs. Raw release on the PS2. And that’s the bottom line, cause Rick Tym sa—oh wait, I said I didn’t want any cheap plugs, so let’s just stop right there and follow that example for face pops and heel heat. Suffice to say the PlayStation2 version brings the goods in the graphics department.

Sound

First things first, let’s talk about the music used throughout the game. It’s a pretty solid sampling of actual wrestler themes, some of which are performed by honest-to-goodness real life bands. When I first booted up the game I found this to be a nice little added bonus, as I do not get the chance to watch WWE programming every week and therefore do not get sick of the music used on their shows. If you do, beware—the music is the same, and you may need to turn it off during competition should it become an annoyance.

Moves and their accompanying grunts all sound realistic—no complaints at all for what you hear in or outside the ring during competition.

Wrestlers in the storyline mode all recorded their own audio, which is always a nice touch. Same goes for announcers. My only gripe here is that their audio levels seems a bit low, but onscreen text transcription works as closed-captioning to help you make out words that may lack in the decibel department or the slim occasion when it sounds like the speaker’s mouth is full of marbles. Announcers are the usual take ‘em or leave ‘em bunch—they serve their purpose, but if you’re the type to use a bunch of forearms and kicks, you’re gonna get sick of Tazz and Michael Cole calling the same moves fifty-seven times. Speaking of Cole, it’s funny to hear him exclaim “You can only find this kind of action on Raw!” during a Royal Rumble match featuring all three brands.

Music, voice work and sound effects are all serviceable to good in the PlayStation2 version.

Gameplay

Smackdown vs. Raw 2009 is an easy game to pick up and play. If you’re like me and haven’t played a wrestling game in a little while, you’ll be punching, kicking and stomping your way around at first. This soon gives way to more complex maneuvering thanks not only to a handy little tutorial option in the pause menu, which lays out the button mashes needed to pull off moves in various matches, but the onscreen help right underneath you handy-dandy health meter, which tells you how and when to perform signature moves and finishers.

Included in the 2009 edition is the CAW function which you can use to bring your own weird wrestler creations to pseudo-life. The CAW here is pretty in-depth as far as I can tell, but I’ve never been one to obsessively tweak a unique character—at least, not yet. I’m dying to see how many TNA guys I can emulate so they can be in a good wrestling video game. (Suicide, anyone? The masked character, not what the TNA games makes you want to commit in gaming terms.)

New to the franchise is the create-a-finisher option, where you can go simple or complicated, depending on your mood. It’s always nice to be able to combine a backbreaker with a G2S and maybe mix in the walls of Jericho and a twist of fate. Good times.

Stand-alone matches are fun, and you can participate in straight-up singles wrestling, tag team mayhem and even a Royal Rumble. The gimmick matches are particularly fun. I simply had to try out the inferno match and was not disappointed as my Jeff Hardy character lit the Undertaker on fire for the win. Hell in a cell and TLC matches are also fun and execute well on this platform. One minor match gripe concerns the Royal Rumble—I did not like the almost-constant camera angle. One major match gripe would be the camera angle when you take the action outside the ring—sometimes you are stomping into this air because you can’t see your opponent on the ground. Still, you know you’re stomping him so I guess things could be worse.

Career mode is your standard “pick your belt of choice and go after it” scenario. More enjoyable is the Road to Wrestlemania option—you can choose to play as Triple H, John Cena, CM Punk, the Undertaker, Chris Jericho, or the team of Batista and Rey Mysterio (?) and guide your chosen one(s) to gold on the biggest stage the WWE has to offer at the grand-daddy of them all. I played through with Jericho and found the alternating settings, storylines and action to be quite enjoyable if a bit predictable. Load times and cutscenes are a bit long, but well worth the bit of waiting. My only question about the Road to Wrestlemania mode concerns believability. As I started the journey to championship gold as Jericho, I got a voicemail on my cell phone (yes, in the game—don’t ask) from Matt Hardy, basically telling me that I was in for a hell of a contest that night on Raw. Do wrestlers really call and text each other backstage before the show goes live? Of course not, and I found it to be a dubious aspect to the story, but such occurrences do serve their function and keep the narrative flowing, so take it with a grain of sugar rather than salt.



Good, reliable, easy-to-learn and intuitive-to-perform game play in the PS2 version of WWE SvR 2009 earn a solid recommendation.

Fun Factor and Lasting Appeal

This game, even on the PS2, is a lot of fun to play. The Road to Wrestlemania mode offers a lot of intriguing storylines, and this reviewer will be going back to the well and starting over with some other characters to see what the march to championship gold may bring. Single, tag team and multiplayer matches are all a blast to play. Have some spare time? Battle the Undertaker in a cell or set Kane ablaze in an inferno match. Looking for something more? Take the Road I just mentioned, or try your hand at the career mode and go for that U.S. title, baby! Create-a-wrestler and create-a-finisher add depth to the roster and unlockable wrestlers and outfits add to the mystery of those silhouettes with question marks for faces. But it’s really all about the wrestling, and this is the best-looking, most fun version of the WWE video game mainstay to hit the PS2 ever. There’s tons of enjoyability and replayability to be had even as this console prepares to ride off into the sunset.



If you like wrestling, gaming and still own a PS2, you could do much worse than WWE SvR 2009!

Graphics	8.0	Nice character models, arena settings and depiction of moves-in-motion. Only negatives come from typical clipping issues and sometimes shoddy camera angles.
Gameplay	8.5	Quick to learn, and easy to get better at. The game can be as simple or as complicated as the player wants it to be.
Sound	8.0	Excellent soundtrack, albeit repetitive at times. Loses some points for low vocal audio issues and dumb Michael Cole commentary.
Lasting Appeal	8.5	Plenty of options make this a title to revisit again and again, especially if you’re like me and still own a PS2 with no current console upgrade plans.
Fun Factor	9.0	Loads of fun, alone against a computer opponent or with friends in tag team or other multiplayer action. Simply a good time with the WWE Superstars Entertainers whatever the heck they are called these days.
Overall	8.4   [ Very Good ]