WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007

The ultimate wrestling videogame to date?
Version
 X360, PS3, PS2, PSP		Developer
Yuke's		Publisher
THQ		Genre
Wrestling



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Onto the wrestling mechanics, and whilst perhaps not on the same level as a Virtua Fighter or a Tekken in their prime, they generally work well and are significantly different from your run-of-the-mill beat-em-ups. As with all the best games, they are simple enough to pick up and get to grips with with yet difficult to master.

"The finishing move can only be performed in certain situations, but the reward is usually winning the match."

The left analogue controls basic movement with the right analogue stick being used to select various grapples specific to each fighter. The face buttons are used for actions such as running, hitting, climbing and using environmental objects. Should you find yourself on the receiving end of a grapple, then by pressing the right-hand trigger button at the right time it is possible to perform a counter move. Unfortunately the time you have to press is in the fractions of a second, and despite a reminder handily flashing up on screen to help you with the timing, it often feels a lot like luck should you manage to counter grapple. The same counter move also applies to being hit, with the left trigger instead.

Players will also want to consider stamina and momentum. Like their real world counterparts, the fighters are all generally big and beefy, and it's with perhaps a little bit of tongue-in-cheek that their stamina levels wear down rather rapidly and thus must be allowed to recharge fairly regularly. Performing too many strenuous actions such as continually running, or an ultimate control move (which are new for 2007) will cause you to run out of stamina and thus stagger around until you recover. This neatly mimics real-world wrestling bouts, with fighters being caught unawares whilst there are regaining their strength. Standing still will recover your stamina and pressing the circle button will recover your stamina at a faster rate, although both methods will leave you open to attack.

Momentum builds as you would expect it to, with whichever fighter is in the ascendency gaining more momentum whilst the other loses theirs. Once the momentum bar is filled you can perform a finishing move or store it for later. The finishing move is different for each fighter and can only be performed in certain situations, however the reward is that this will usually win the match. Using the d-pad to taunt your opponent will build your momentum quicker but yet again this will leave you open to attack and thus a delicate balance between attacking to build momentum and retreating in order to regain stamina.

Despite this being a highly competent wrestling game, there are some downsides. The amount of loading has already been mentioned and the sometimes suspect collision detection also needs to be taken note of. In addition the grapples performed between fighters sometimes doesn't match up, with one fighter seemingly holding thin air instead of the opponent's head. This is perhaps understandable though, given the wide variety and sizes of character models.

All in all, WWE SmackDown vs Raw 2007 is a feature-rich and enjoyable title, with not much missing. Now, if only Big Daddy and Giant Haystack could make it into the next version we'd finally be able to relive some of wrestling's oldest rivalries.







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Graphics Sound Gameplay Depth Presentation OVERALL
8.5 8.0 8.0 8.5 9.0 8.0


THE VERDICT: Although this is wrestling don't be put off by the franchise - you don't have to be a WWE fan to enjoy this brawler although undoubtedly it helps. No doubt there are more technical fighting games out there but as light entertainment and for those looking for something a little different, SmackDown vs. Raw is hard to beat.