Another year, another wrestling game based on the WWE property. Smackdown Vs. Raw 2009 (SVR09) continues following the route to yearly updates popularized by soccer sensation FIFA and American football powerhouse Madden NFL. It can be argued that, unlike EA’s leading sports franchises, SVR09 has the most troublesome challenge of trying to appease both newbies and oldbies alike without seeming too stale in comparison to other similarly minded brawlers that don’t necessarily follow any televised “wrestling” brouhaha. Imagine having to make a new Tekken every year!

SVR09 unquestionably falls short when trying to wow newcomers of today, sure. But it’s got two things that easily stand out in this year’s iteration: a new story focused single-player mode called Road to Wrestlemania, and a bountiful load of customization options that will appease any diehard WWE fan.

Road to Wrestlemania replaces last year’s 24/7 Mode, and for good reason. Rather than having the player choose any WWE Superstar he wants and have him run through a gauntlet of matches slapped with look-alike cutscenes that don’t differ from character to character, Road to Wrestlemania features the story-lines of seven wrestlers: Triple H, CM Punk, John Cena, The Undertaker, Chris Jericho and the tag-team of Batista and Rey Mysterio (my personal favorite). Everything presented is here is focused tightly on just these Superstars, and it does a lot better job in giving the impression on why these muscular gentlemen of various shapes and sizes are so adorably cheesy both in and out of the ring, as opposed to 24/7’s method of “let every one be the main character” of folk telling. I’m just anxiously awaiting the day both YUKE’s and THQ realize that they might as well throw in some fire-breathing zombie dinosaurs into the mix if they think using the plot structure of a WWE soap opera is going to sustain them for another sequel. Time will tell.

Then there’s the wealth of new customization options. In addition to all the Create-a-Modes series fans have grown accustomed to, SVR09 introduces the Create-a-Finisher and Highlight Reel into the mix. Create-a-Finisher, as it sounds, lets you lay out and string your own devastating finisher attack. Want to kick an opponent 6 times in the groin and then follow-up with a Stunner? By all means! Highlight Reel, on the hand, lets you record about 30 seconds of any match you’re already playing in, save them in whatever camera angle you fancy, lets you edit several clips together with an array of visual and audio effects, and then upload them online for friends to see. It can be pretty hilarious trying to create your own WWE drama, but unfortunately, you can’t attach your own voice clips or music. Also, it should be noted that the feature is only present for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.

Otherwise, core gameplay has fundamentally remained the same. No surprise, when you consider the series trademark of easy to pick-up and play mechanics and up to 6 player support. The newly added tag-team partner moves, while a nice thought, won’t really change the way you play, but be prepared for some Quick-Time Event goodness. Graphic fidelity over the years haven’t drastically changed all too much, but its ultimately gotten to the point where it feels like YUKE’s using the same damn animations from the N64/PS1 era. You’re especially reminded of this after watching an included live match between Undertaker and Edge, recorded in glorious high-definition. The day SVR finally blurs the line of the virtual and the real (as real as the WWE can be on TV, that is), is the day I’m sure you’ll see plenty of WWE fanatics dancing in the rain.

If you’ve been lingering in the idea of opting out of the PS2 versions for something that’s only cosmetically different, SVR09 will pleasantly surprise. The sheer number of additional features will help ease in your transitioning, but long-time followers who already made the jump in last year’s edition will have a more difficult time convincing themselves to pay for what they essentially already have. SVR09 continues to dominate the wrestling entertainment market in terms of sales figures and critical acclaim, but with competitors TNA Impact! now looming over the horizon, THQ and YUKE’s will have to set themselves an even higher benchmark for next year’s outing.

7 / 10

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