I have been a wrestling mark for most of my life. Don't ask me why. In my area, wrestling is about as popular as sulfuric acid baths. "It's fake, it's fake" everyone screams. Duh. I know it's fake, oh well. I am pretty much an outcast due mainly to this. No one really talks to me, or dates me. I'm pretty lonely...you guys know anyone? What? Review? Oh, yeah, sorry. So, big wrestling fan, not too big into WWE though. Kind of stale. So, it was weird that I was so pumped for the new Smackdown game considering I pretty much swore off the product over six months ago. But, I have owned all previous iterations on both the PS2 and PS1, I know the series pretty well, and thought to myself that, really, there isn't anything else out there.
So, it was with much gusto that I plopped the game into my 360, fired it up, and started my journey to becoming the greatest wrestler ever alive. Of course, for the purposes of this review, I did one thing I have never done before: I played as members of the already existing roster! I know, that's what most people do. Me however, I get my kicks from the Create-A-Wrestler side and playing the role of me. But, I knew I needed to see all sides of the game, so I decided I would give it a shot first.
First and foremost, let me just say that the graphics are pretty great. The wrestler (sorry, "superstar") models all look fantastic, though some of them are not very close to their true-life counterparts. But, they still look good, though some just a little too muscular, especially in the ab region. I mean, c'mon, Ric Flair with abs? Ric Flair hasn't seen abs since the late 20's. Anyway, that is neither here nor there. The crowd is much better looking from a distance than previous incarnations of the game, but up close, they are nothing more than square-heads with square hands and pointy bodies. The arena itself is very well done, with wrinkles in the ring apron giving a great feel versus the static apron from, well, every other version of the game. Little nuances like this make the overall experience much better.
Another thing to mention, as far as graphics are concerned, are the clothes. This is a HUGE improvement over last years game (of course, the jump to next gen didn't hurt either...) Instead of looking like a bitmap painted onto a wrestlers body, these clothes actually have life to them. They may not actually move around or sway in the wind, but they have texture and detail to them. Wrinkles in a t-shirt, lines of fabric on a pair of jeans, seams on a pair of wrestling trunks. That is a much welcomed change to the wrestlers.
So, I take a few superstars through the paces in different match types (more on that later) and decide to dive into, what is for most people the meat and potatoes of the Smackdown vs Raw series, Season Mode! It's, well, it's....the same stuff it always is. Non-sensical stories with bad plots, and characters who come out of now where. For instance, I am playing as Triple H, and my tag team partner is RVD, and we are suddenly going for the tag titles without ever having tagged together in a match. What? Since when did throwing two guys together to form a make shift tag team ever happen? Oh yeah, this is the WWE we are talking about here. In all seriousness though, the Season Mode is there for people who enjoy the soap opera themes that are prevalent on every Monday, Tuesday, and Friday night. For some of us, it is there just to build a character up. And that is it. If you have ever played a Smackdown game before, do not expect much change.
However, the presentation of the Season Mode is much better this time around. It is much more polished and refined. The menu set ups, the locker room, everything just seems better. Not to mention the great work done in the in-ring and backstage segments. Some of the stories could have been fleshed out a little more, but much like the WWE, it is all shown in an ADD state. Nothing is constant. In a good example, I had to face Kurt Angle with a created superstar at Wrestlemania in an Ultimate Submission match, which I won. Two months later in story mode, I have to face him for the title. He claims I am not good enough to hold the belt, and that I would never be able to beat him...what? More consistency in the stories would be a great thing.
