WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2007

Nov 21, 2006

Suffice it to say, the WWE franchise has effectively given THQ a license to print money. With Vince McMahon's face on it. One could theorize that in this generation, the hardware discrepancies between PlayStation, GameCube, and Xbox have completely cemented the dominant franchise for wrestling games. Xbox, especially suffered, between Anchor's mediocre Raw series and Studio Gigante's deplorable Wrestlemania 21, Microsoft's system was not the system for wrestling game fans. Nintendo's showings, while not as disappointing as Microsoft's, paled in comparison to the quality wrestling titles developed by AKI for the Nintendo 64. That left Sony, and the SmackDown games, which were left to constantly evolve from the Toukon Retsuden engine, rather than be wildly experimented upon like WWE games on other systems. While the games were somewhat good, it took six games to finally get a title on par with the gameplay quality seen in the previous generation of consoles.

And now, with the seventh (and possibly final) game in the SmackDown series on PlayStation 2, Yukes' has made some fantastic updates, as well as delivering a promising debut on Xbox 360. While it's undeniable that the age of the engine is showing (the flaws of the counter-reversal system in comparison to other wrestling titles really shows itself during online multiplayer), it's still a solid game to play.

What we've discovered since our Out of the Box feature is that while the overall differences between the single player experience aren't that distinct between PS2 and Xbox 360, we retract what we said about PS3 owners taking advantage of the system's backwards compatibility to play online. Unless you have a standard definition TV, SvR 07 looks awful on the PS3, since the hardware upscales backwards compatible games to 480p, and the current-gen game is not optimized for 480p on its native platform. Every jaggy is heightened dramatically when it's played on a PS3 with an HD setup. On the other hand, for PS2 owners with traditional TVs or for HD owners running component 480i who haven't upgraded to PS3 yet, it looks perfectly fine; if anything, it looks exactly like SvR 06 did last year.

On the Xbox 360, the game looks absolutely stellar, with solid lighting and textures. Since first seeing the game some seven months ago on Wrestlemania weekend, the game has undergone visual improvements by leaps and bounds. One of our biggest complaints was the concern that certain superstars would appear too shiny and action figure-like in the final product, especially based on the tech demos featuring John Cena and Kurt Angle.

We've extensively gone over the gameplay mechanics in our previews, but here's a refresher. The button mapping has undergone an overhaul since last year's excellent SvR 06. Instead of having moves relegated to the D-pad with a grapple button, grapples are mapped to the right analog stick. They're modified with the R1/Right Bumper for strong moves. In a strong grapple, players can drag an opponent over to an environmental hotspot. In these areas, players can set off an interactive animation, such as smashing an opponent's arm against the ringpost or strangling an opponent with the monitor cord off the Spanish announce table. It's all quite fun, and is a new twist on something that's been an annoyance for years: camera cuts to totally canned cinematics for a wrestling move. With the environmental hotspots, the action always stays with the player, even when the camera shifts away from the traditional ring.

Yet and still, the engine for this game is rather old, and the system of countering and reversing has the same flaws that it's had since the PlayStation. SvR 07's reversal system can be frustrating at times, just like the other games, and it becomes extremely evident when players go online. Anyone who's an AKI purist likely detests the Toukon Retsuden engine that drives this series. Much like the "plastic hair that collision detection forgot," it's an issue that plagues the games, but people either give up on them, or they grin and bear it. Yet and still, the games still feel like they're moving more toward a sim-based experience than the arcade-y button mashers that they were some four or five years ago. Take that as you will.

The roster is impressive as usual, with even more legends in the game, including each of Mick Foley's personalities, the late Eddie Guerrero, and the option for a Hart Foundation reunion. Of course, thanks to the cutoff dates for rosters, released superstars, such as Psichosis and Kurt Angle are in the game. Weirdly, no one online wanted to play as Angle, although he's traditionally been one of the best-stacked superstars in the series. Perhaps a dedication to maintaining authenticity and realism in a staged sport? Still, everyone is captured in great detail.

As for modes, the story mode is rich and multibranching. Storyline arcs begin based on the player's TV show of choice and popularity rating. There's the clichéd jockeying for the Heavyweight Championship, based on who a player picks, or there's an interesting plot involving a pack of underdogs singlehandedly trying to take down the big guys. It's all about who players choose and the choices they make. GM Mode is back, and it still has the same Madden-like feel that last year's had. WWE probably wouldn't be nuts about it, but it would be awesome to book a match and decide the outcome before running it for the fans to gauge crowd response. Maybe Yukes' can find a sly and sneaky way to affect match bookings next year, such as by orchestrating a run-in from a rival superstar to affect match outcome. Still, it's as solid as it was before, and doesn't disappoint.

The online multiplayer is greatly improved since past games in certain regards, and there are others that still keep it in the stone age. Players can trade created superstars online, which is a great move forward for the series. For players just looking to keep a roster current, however, they'll have to possibly beg for a Jeff Hardy if they're empty handed. A marketplace for players to post a created character might've been a better alternative, although the ability to trade is a step in the right direction, if not one that's been sorely needed for years. It's got some fairly robust modes, as well, with plenty of multiplayer options, although it seemed easiest to find people doing Tornado Tag TLC matches than anything else. The game has certainly come a long way from two years ago, when it was only one-on-one and bra and panties matches. Also, the matchmaking options are quite good. For years, it's been a major frustration for anyone getting online to face an overly stacked created wrestler who then clobbers them thanks to damn near invincible stats. Having the ability to turn off created superstars and ring entrances means that players can just get down to business.

On the negative side, however, the game is still plagued with lag. For a series that's still so dependent on twitchy gameplay, it's still really damn frustrating to play online. It's not as bad over Xbox Live, although we encountered some terrible stuttering during a game against some British players, but on PS2, it's got worse issues. Granted, it's not as bad as the last two Smackdown vs. Raw games, in which games just plain dropped, but the series as a whole still pales behind other genres of sports games in its online play. Laggy online service can make the difference between parrying a finisher and getting pinned on the three count. If the Smackdown games ever evolve to the point at which they can live up to their claim of evolving into the definitive wrestling series, it's going to take an overhaul of the online service. Hopefully, as the game evolves into next-gen, these sorts of issues won't be a problem anymore.

So, in conclusion, WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2007 is a solid update to the franchise. It doesn't rise leaps and bounds above its PS2 predecessor, but it adds enough in the way of new controls to keep the gameplay fun. Even if it's not as arcade-centric as the older versions, it's user friendly enough for people who hate wrestling games to want to pick up and play. I'd recommend it even more emphatically were the online multiplayer better, although the 360 version fares better than the PS2 game. Still, for what is essentially a next-gen game, it definitely has the stumbles of a first time endeavor for Yukes'. In a genre that can finally maximize the potential of digital distribution of video, music, and character files, it would be nice to see SvR have some downloadable content over Xbox Live Marketplace. The PS2 version, for what it is --a port of a next-gen title, instead of the vice versa that we saw at 360 launch-- is phenomenal, in regard to gameplay and graphics, unless you're playing it on a PS3, where the 480p upscaling does not make it look so hot on an HDTV. All things considered, Smackdown vs. Raw 2007 is a great title, even if it's a stepping stone to what will hopefully be a phenomenal update in the future on next-gen consoles.