History of WWF/E Games Part 44-2
WWE Smackdown vs RAW 2008
Release
2007
Format
Nintendo Wii
Time to look at the first WWE game on a Nintendo console in two years.
Background
Smackdown vs RAW 2008 for the Nintendo Wii was a very special game. Not only was it the first game in two years on a Nintendo console and the first on the Wii, but it also was the first WWE game to make use of motion controls.
The Wii version of Smackdown vs RAW 2008 was greeted with negative reviews with a couple of average ones at best. It is one of those games where I feel like it was really treated unfairly, and it was like only I could see its charm. I hope this review will let you guys see some of the good points that it has.
Presentation
It looks just like the Playstation 2 version which is quite disappointing. The Day of Reckoning games on the Nintendo Game Cube I have always felt looked better than this. That is not to say this is a bad looking game, but when you see just how much better the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3 version looks, this made many people as soon as they saw screen shots of it hate the Wii version.
Sadly one thing that the game does have the same as the other “next gen” versions was the commentary; which is just terrible. I have no idea how Yukes are so bad at recording commentary, and you would think that after so long by luck they would have gotten it right.
Game Play
This is why this game is great, and let me get this out of the way right off the bat; this is not supposed to be a “simulation” style wrestling game like the other versions. It is an arcade wrestling game. I think the fact that so many people were expecting it to have all the features of the other versions is why so many hated it.
Anyway, you would need to use the motion controls to do certain moves. For example to power bomb someone you would lift the Wii Remote up then slam it down to execute the move. The taunts were also done using motion control, and you have not lived until you have done a DX crotch chop with your Wii remote. While the control scheme is a ton of fun, there are a serious lack of moves, but as the matches only last a few minutes, I never really found it to be an issue. In multi-player mode this game is an absolute riot, and your arms will certainly be tired after you have had a few matches.
One huge down fall is the amount of match types; there is hardly any. The match selection include…Single, Tag, Hardcore, Triple Threat and KO Match. It is a very small selection, but maybe this is because of the short development time. This is one of the main criticisms of the game, and why I really cannot defend the game in this regard.
The real reason that I prefer this game over the Xbox 360 and other versions is because of its main single player mode. The terrible 24/7 mode from the other console versions is not here, but instead we have a much more simple mode called “Main Event Mode”. I loved this mode. You would pick your wrestler then have to work your way up to becoming a legend. In truth it was just a series of single player matches, but I loved it, and felt that it was a nice throw back to the older style of wrestling games.
Final Thoughts
I fully understand why many people do not like this game as they feel it is just missing so much content, but I think if you look at this as just an arcade wrestling game then you will have some real fun with it. It is missing match types and moves, but what it lacks here it more than makes up for in pure fun. I would take playing the Main Event mode here over the 24/7 mode any day. This is the only unique wrestling game on the Wii, as it was so badly received the next year, that Yukes just released the Playstation 2 version on the Wii. Which is a shame because with a bit more development time I am sure this could have been a very special and unique series on the Wii.
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