WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008

With the most familiar controls of any version released this year, the Xbox 360 version edges out the PS3 version this season, by a hair.

A massive step forward for SmackDown's fighting system. Now the rest needs tidying. [Dec 2007, p.42]

Still, controlling every moment of every fight is just ridiculously fun, and you'll be quite content while you wait for what should hopefully be the ultimate WWE game next year. [Dec 2007, p.74]

The eight new fighting styles for each wrestler in the game are a nice addition that provide some great diversity in the characters, but they destroy the game’s balance.

The good news is that once you do hop inside the ring, you tend to forget about who is missing as you try to figure out how you can slam your head into a steel cage or get hit in the back with barbed wire and not get hurt (you can't).

Feels far more like the world of WWE than it did in 2007, and the new animations and added pace are a blast. [Issue 26, p.84]

SVR 2008 is definitely a step ahead for the series from a gameplay standpoint. The new controls, fighting styles, and ECW content really take the series to the next level in terms of in ring action. However, the disappointing 24/7 mode and the return of some nagging problems keeps this title from being the truly great experience it could be.

A disappointing 24/7 mode and huge repetition betray superb new mechanics. [Christmas 2007, p.70]

The controls are great and make the act of wrestling shine. However, I can't score this game as high as last year's title or pervious installments of the franchise. Single-player 24/7 Mode is a step backward for the series, the Create-A-Superstar and GM 24/7 are basically rehashes of last year's product, and the same complaints we've had for years -- awful AI, lame commentary, poor collision detection -- are still rampant.

Ultimately, Smackdown VS RAW 2008 is a lot of fun to play.

An updated roster, gameplay enhancements and in some cases drawbacks don’t help the latest offering of the SmackDown series by any means. The removal of the weight detection, balancing issues between the new fighting styles, and ultimately the very poor 24/7 mode really do hinder this WWE experience.

Although there’s some new stuff, it sticks with last year’s formula. Which probably wouldn’t be that bad if the same old problems didn’t remain intact, from the limited AI to the graphical bugs, not forgetting those annoying loading screens. [Dec 2007]

Vince McMahaon may not be dead, but the Smackdown vs. Raw series is just barely avoiding life support.

WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2008 pushes the series marginally forward with a focus on creating a more personal touch with the unique fighting styles and updated visuals. This doesn’t mean Yuke's is out of the clear, the really buggered up the merger of the 24/7 and GM modes in this edition which causes the season mode to feel out of synch and unfocused.

The inclusion of superstar fighting styles and the struggle submission system is a step in the right direction, but it’s still difficult to recommend Smackdown vs Raw 2008 for a purchase to anyone but the most ardent fan.

It seems that the Smackdown vs. Raw series has really taken a step sideways with this year’s title. Instead of improving what they had, they tried to add a new feature that throws off the balance of the game.

Smackdown vs. Raw 2008 fixes a few of the problems from the 2007 game, but there are still a number of serious issues yet to be addressed. It's still a lot of fun, though.

The combination of Season and General Manager Modes into a single 24/7 Mode isn't entirely for the best. However, the gameplay executes well and the graphics, aside from the glitches, respectfully recreate the WWE experience. It's no champ, but this piece of wrestling mania still ekes out a win.

For now, we’ll live with the great graphics, the moderate entertainment value and the few decent changes over last year, but the hope was that WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 would be the “Wrestlemania” of WWE games.

WWE SmackDown vs. RAW 2008 does a few things right, but doesn’t really bring the game to a whole new level like it should.

This is the second iteration of the Smackdown vs. Raw series to make it to next-generation platforms, and its blemishes are becoming more apparent. [Dec 2007, p.85]

A very poor second effort from THQ. There are three key features that provide the WWE’s appeal; the wrestling action, the story lines and the visual display. While the wrestling action is passable, the story lines via 24/7 mode, and the visual appeal do not deliver the goods or meet the minimum standards for a quality Xbox 360 game.

Smackdown vs Raw 2008 is an unpolished game. It's an odd thing to say because it's basically an annual update on a game that's always been pretty good.

It may sound like I am being extremely hard on this game, and in some ways I am because this is a franchise that has somewhat of a monopoly on the genre, and so if wrestling fans want to get their fix each year it has to be from this franchise, and I just feel the game didn't live up to its standards in this year's game.

A modest update to an annual franchise but needs to be sent down to OVW for more work.

I'm stoked to continue to see improvement in this series, but it's a shame small problems (like lengthy load times) still pin SVR down. [Dec 2007, p.106]

Smackdown vs. Raw 2008 is good - but it's not great.

The game, for new comers at least, will turn into a button mashing fight when playing a much more experienced friend, who by the way is going to be kicking your ass like there is no tomorrow.

WWE Smackdown vs. Raw could have been a great game and a step into making the best wrestling game to date. With so much potential that could have been used, the game just feels a bit too unbalanced at times.

With little notable improvement to the formula and steps backward in several key areas, SmackDown! vs. RAW 2008 is a big disappointment.

When played with real humans, and mainly in singles matches, Smackdown! Vs RAW 2008 is the closest a Western wrestling game has come to greatness since the Asmik AKI efforts on Nintendo 64. [Dec 2007, p.112]

Yuke's has had a captive audience for so long that the incentive to improve seems to have withered away.

There are dozens of different match types to explore, functioning online multiplayer, and many different ways to customize your experience. The downside is that if you're looking for that next great leap off the turnbuckle and into your living room, you may instead have to settle for a pretty satisfying leg drop to hold you over until next year.

In the end, WWE Smackdown! Vs RAW 2008 will sell regardless of its quality, but it's not going to get many newcomers if the series continues to stagnate in what can only be described as last-gen gameplay in new-gen clothes.

Please, THQ, we know you can do decent wrestling games, so stop insulting us with these annual updates to a flawed and bug-riddled game engine.

A very disappointing release and to only marginally improve on a title that was already a huge disappointment is almost criminal.

Smackdown vs. Raw 2008 is not a horrible game. It can actually be really fun most of the time, but the title is haunted by slow matches, boring fighting styles and overall frustration.

Though it's improving each year, SmackDown vs. Raw could really use some friendly (or TNA's case, not-so-friendly) competition.

And as for those critical issues that dogged the last game and made it almost unplayable? Yep, they're still here too, joined now by an ability to perform the same move over and over to defeat your opponent simply because they can't react to it.