As I’ve made mention in my other reviews of continuing videogame series, especially those of athletic nature, it is amazing how far these games have come from their humble beginnings.  I remember the very first WWF title (it was WWF not WWE back then) on the NES, Wrestlemania.  I don’t remember it so much because it was a particularly memorable game, but because my parents had purchased it for me while I was laid up in the hospital after having blown my knee out in a varsity football game as a freshman.  I buggered the knee up pretty good and knee surgery back then isn’t the “drive-thru” procedure it is today, “Ah yes, I’ll take combo number 4, and while you’re at it, I’ll go ahead and get the left knee scope.”  Luckily, I was a bit of a celebrity at the hospital thanks to my football prowess, so they permanently parked the communal NES in my room for the duration of my stay.  Needless to say, I got to know the game real intimately.  For the time period, it was a pretty exceptional game, as long as you didn’t think too long about the various power-ups that would dance across the ring from time to time.  Looking back at the beginning, it’s almost mind-boggling what it has become after all these years with SvR.

As with most titles released on a yearly basis, the changes from one year to the next often appear minimal.  Dressed up graphics, updated rosters, and possibly a new gameplay wrinkle thrown in here and there to keep things fresh.  At first glance, SvR would fall squarely into that category, but within minutes of beginning play, you’ll quickly learn that THQ and Yukes haven’t been sitting on their hands this whole time and they’ve actually refined the gameplay taking it to a whole new level.  The most amazing thing about this is the fact that the most hyped changes/additions, the additions of wrestler voiceovers and online play, aren’t even its most impressive, but I’m getting a bit ahead of myself.  Since those two additions are the ones they have chosen to tout as the reasons why fans should care about this title, let’s look at those first.

Say it with me, “Voiceover”, feels good doesn’t it?  Fans of the series have been screaming for time immoral, or at least since THQ was awarded the WWF/E license, for wrestler voiceovers.  Something was lost in reading line after line of cheesy, machismo dialogue.  We wrestling fans are a discerning bunch and we don’t want to have to read, we want to listen to line after line of cheesy, machismo dialogue.  Isn’t that part of the fun of wrestling?  Wrestlers cutting promos?  My dad, who on the surface seems like one of the most reserved people you’d ever want to meet, and myself used to terrorize family gatherings with our renditions of the Macho Man and Hulk Hogan, and it was a blast.  Picture a family of stuffy, uptight professionals caught in the midst of a throw down between the Hulkster and his arch nemesis, while my poor mother ran red-faced for cover.  Classic stuff.  The promos are what make wrestling so doggone funny and interesting.  Sure the athleticism these behemoths display is impressive, but it is testosterone dripping soap opera that keeps fans coming back and it has been sorely missing from the Smackdown series.  So the question I’m sure most of you are asking is, “Is it the be all, end all it should be?”  Unfortunately, the answer is a resounding no.  The voice work delivered by the wrestlers is flat, emotionless, and sounds like bad porn, err, so I’ve heard.  There’s a lot of dialogue crammed into the game, which is appreciated, but when masters of the verbal beat down like Kurt Angle, Vince McMahon, and John Cena deliver their lines in the most basic, monotone fashion imaginable, it’s terribly disappointing and unsettling.  These guys are the masters of overacting and they sound as if they have been sedated and asked to recite Shakespeare.

The other hyped new addition to SvR is the addition of online play, which fares better than the voice work, but just barely.  Fans of the series have been screaming for…well you get the idea and we finally got it, but the problem is, the online offered here, seems somehow old, like maybe what the original Smackdown would have offered if it were online enabled.  Only two players are supported and your choice of match types are limited to tag or singles matches?  What?!?!?  That’s it!?!?  Yup.  What’s worse, my experience with it on several occasions was crippled by severe lag.  While it is appreciated that they included online support, we need to look at it as what it might mean for the next Smackdown game.  The bottom line is, this feature while decent when it works, is not worth the price of admission.  You’ll have much more fun with a multitap and friends.

So judging from my reaction thus far, you’d be forgiven for believing that I didn’t like the game, but you’d also be very wrong.  Despite the shaky “new” additions, SvR offers the most fully realized wrestling engine EVER.  No nuance has been overlooked.  For several iterations now, Yukes has been refining the grapple, strike, and reversal mechanics to near perfection creating a game engine that closely mimics the action seen on television, but they’ve taken it to the next level with the inclusion of various meters.  Now you’ve got a meter for submission moves, giving them far more weight in the game.  Now as soon as you slap a submission move on an opponent, you are given a meter where you pound buttons to really cinch the move in, holding it for the maximum time and damage.  The flip side of this is of course your ability to mash buttons to swing the meter in favor of your escape from an opponent’s submission attempt, which is made easier if you’re close to the ropes.  Beyond that, you are also presented with a meter for chop battles or butt spanking in a bra and panties match.  The meter for these things is very reminiscent of Madden’s kicking meter both in look and practice.  These additions add so much to the gameplay, further blurring the line between game and television show.

Also new to the gameplay is the inclusion of a clean/dirty meter.  You now have a direct effect on how your wrestler is perceived based upon your actions.  Choose the more violent choice in the midst of a little piece of story mode and suddenly you’re a bad guy.  Use weapons in your match?  Bad.  Argue slow counts with the ref?  Bad.  Hang onto a submission move even after your opponent has reached the ropes?  True bad guy stuff one and all.  The flip side of the equation will result in your wrestler being a “face”.  All of these factors when combined with Yukes signature blazing fast wrestling action create the most realistic and fun wrestling title yet.  This game excels in gameplay and it has it in spades.

As in most wrestling titles, the Season mode is the heart and soul of the game, and this aspect has seen some welcome additions, as well as a negative subtraction.  First for the good, there is no more wandering around the premises in first person mode.  Being someone who must take Dramamine for FPS, this is especially welcomed.  Beyond that, this mechanic was clunky and confusing at best.  Sometimes you’d have trouble finding your way back into the arena, other times you’d wander aimlessly for some trouble to cause to no avail.  Now, you’ll go everywhere you need to go from icons strewn about your locker.  From there you can choose to compete on the card, purchase collectibles, distribute attribute points, and so on.  Another plus, which would have been astronomically huge if the wrestlers had put the same effort into the voice work of the game as they do on television, is the playing out of the storylines.  While the voice work does detract from things, it does make the feuds more realistic and compelling.  Speaking of feuds and storylines, all of the double and triple crosses, the super-secret contract clauses, as well as secret beat downs that the WWE is known for, are all here in their tired glory.

Now, for my gripe, and it’s a big one.  The season begins immediately after Wrestlemania and ends at the next!  No more seasons that go on and on, no more dominating title runs the likes of which haven’t been seen for a good many years, your season ends at Wrestlemania.  While you can begin a new season with the same wrestler, keeping the attributes you’ve built up, as well as the belts you’ve gained, you are going to be playing through the SAME stories and cutscenes!  That is unforgivable.  Working my way up from midcard status with Chris Jericho to undisputed champion of all the world after destroying the Undertaker at Wrestlemania in a winner take all match, only to be thrown back to midcard status against the likes of Christian and Shelton Benjamin is aggravating to say the least.  Sure I’m still the champ, although the belt of the competing show does not transfer, what fun is it to stomp on the same wrestlers you left far behind at the beginning of your reign?  UGGH!

In addition to the aforementioned season mode and online mode, all of the other requisite modes are included.  You can wrestle exhibition matches in any given match type your little heart desires.  Tag matches, tornado matches, Hell in the Cell, Elimination Chamber (which is an absolute blast I must add), bra and panties, and so on, they’re all here and faithfully recreated.  The inclusion of multitap support for up to six players in the exhibition mode is great.  If you want frenetic, all out mayhem, grab five partners and engage in a Hell in the Cell match or an Elimination Chamber match.  This is what multiplayer is all about.  There are so many match types and modifiers that it is unlikely you’ll get bored any time soon.  There is also a Challenge Mode, which throws you into a string of progressively harder challenges, which rewards you with points you can use to upgrade you wrestler, as well as Challenge specific unlockables.  This challenge mode is a very welcome, fun addition that helps to take the sting out of the season mode’s shortcomings.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the create-a-character feature, because what would a WWE game be without solid create-a-character tools?  The ability to recreate any wrestler, friend, enemy, or person past, present, or future is included.  As has become the norm for the Yukes WWE games, the create-a-character mode is incredibly deep and simple to use, rivaling even the standard-bearer of the industry, the Tiger Woods games.  I often say in reference to the Tiger Woods game that if you cannot create an accurate representation of a person, that person just doesn’t exist, but SvR takes it to another level with the ability to create over the top, if not otherworldly characters.  It’s amazing how something so simple, that has so little to do with the actual gameplay, can be so fun and addictive, but there is no denying it.

Finally, the last addition to the formula is the inclusion of a roster of legends available for unlocking.  It’s not a huge, all-inclusive roster, but those that are there are absolutely great and I applaud the WWE for including them.  From oldies like Andre the Giant and Jimmy Snuka to more recent legends such as The Rock and Mankind, and the biggest surprise of all, the prodigal son, Brett “The Hitman” Hart, everyone is sure to find someone that they’ll be glad to see.  With these things said, allow me to go a little off topic for a moment.  The inclusion of legends in such an outstanding wrestling engine, begs the question, “Why in the devil aren’t THQ, Yukes, and the WWE creating their own Legends game?”  With the WWE owning the entities as well as the entire catalogues of the WWE, WCW, and ECW, this is a no brainer and it would utterly destroy that other game featuring legends.  I mean we’re talking a whuppin’ of biblical proportions.  Can you imagine having superstars past and present from those three organizations battling in the very capable hands of Yukes?  I shudder to imagine the possibilities and could almost guarantee the run away success of such a title.

Graphically, this game is in a word, stellar.  The rendering of the wrestlers is second to none and downright creepy in their realism.  The wrestlers are of such quality as to be nearing photo-realistic.  Their facial expressions, to their skin tones, to their tattoos, and body shapes, they are spot on.  The skin of the wrestlers looks real for crying out loud.  These factors wouldn’t mean a whole lot if the animation wasn’t on equal footing and I’m happy to report that it is equally stunning.  Every nuance of each wrestler’s movements has been seemingly captured to perfection here.  Whatever Yukes and THQ are doing, they are doing very well.  The rings, and all of the variations from cage matches to the elimination chamber, are also very well done.  The ropes move and animate realistically, which hasn’t always been the case.  The crowds for the most part look great, except when the camera pulls up really close.  The game also features some really great lighting and particle effects, the crown jewel of which is Triple H’s entrance.  Seeing Triple H at the top of the ramp with the lights shooting up through the grating of the floor is worth seeing.  Very impressive stuff.

We’ve already discussed in part the game’s sound.  There is an impressive amount of speech from an impressive number of wrestlers crammed onto this disc, but their delivery leaves a lot to be desired.  However, while a tad more muted than usual, the commentary of Jerry Lawler and good ol’ J.R. is outstanding.  As you take part in matches, you really get the sense, save for a couple of hiccups here and there, that they are actually calling your match.  They are the best in the business at what they do and it shows here.  Aside from the wrestlers’ voice work, the rest of the sound featured here is solid.  The crowds are raucous, breaking into wrestler specific chants, either cheering or jeering.  Every wrestler’s entrance music is also included which sounds crisp and vibrant.  The explosions of the always-present pyrotechnics are suitably loud and jarring, especially if you have a good subwoofer.  And last, but not least, the grunts, groans, and slams of the wrestlers are spot on and representative of the action on the screen.

In closing, SvR is the best wrestling game to date.  The gameplay is fast, frantic, and most importantly fun.  It’s simple to pick and play, but with enough depth to keep you challenged and coming back for more.  The most ballyhooed new additions aren’t what they could have been and most certainly will be in the future, but Yukes has tweaked everything else to the point of flirting with gameplay perfection.  Never before has there been a more accurate portrayal of WWE’s over the top action.  The voice work, the online capabilities, and the short season mode will hold the score back, but this game excels where it is most important and that is in the gameplay.  If Yukes can iron out the problems, then look out, they will have a certified gaming masterpiece on their hands that will transcend the license.

Gameplay: 9.0
From the days of Yukes stellar WCW games for the N64, the gameplay has been their overwhelming strength.  The gameplay is equal parts fast and exciting; perfectly representing the action featured on the television shows.  The wrestlers control like a dream whether throwing a simple punch or pulling off your wrestler’s signature finisher.  The control of the game is simple, but there is a surprising amount of depth available to the gamer.

Graphics: 9.0 
From the wrestlers, to the rings, to the crowd, to the animation, this game has got it going on.  The developer has perfectly captured the look and feel of not only the license and its environs, but it has captured the individual looks and movements of the players in this soap opera.  The entire visual package is incredible.

Sound: 7.0
The inclusion of the wrestlers’ actual voices versus reading text is a welcomed and long overdue addition, but unfortunately they fall far short of the over the top performances they deliver at and on the shows.  Given their experience at delivering promos you would have thought this would have been something simple for them to excel at, which adds to the disappointment, because we wrestling fans know what they’re capable of.  The rest of the sound is solid and befitting of the rest of the package.

Difficulty: Medium
With various difficulty settings everyone should be able to find their comfort zone.  The easiest difficulty is especially simple, while the hardest difficulty is suitably challenging, but not impossible.

Concept: 8.0
While there’s nothing new about wrestling games, Yukes and THQ do deserve accolades by continuing to refine the gameplay and experience by finding new and fitting ways to cover aspects that had been previously ignored.  I think that the inclusion of meters for things such as stare downs, submission moves, spankings, and so on, is brilliant since these factors are often an integral part of the action on television.

Multiplayer: 8.5

Online play is pretty under whelming, but this is easily forgiven with a multitap and the addition of up to five friends.  There are so many match types conducive to playing with friends that the multiplayer mode becomes an outstanding party game.  The multiplayer action is some of the most frantic, fast, and fun available.

Overall: 8.7
While the WWE has seen its popularity steadily decline in the years since the Monday Night Wars, Yukes and THQ’s WWE games continue to improve.  Simply stated, this is the best game yet in the Smackdown series, and the best WWE game on any system.  It has its share of problems, but when taken as a whole, this game is almost impossible not to enjoy.  Whether you’re a fan of professional wrestling, a fan of fighting games, or none of the above, most gamers will have an absolute blast with this game.  This is an incredibly solid game, with high production values that deserves gamer’s attention.