Smackdown vs. RAW is back yet again for the 2008 incarnation featuring a bunch of new icing on an otherwise bland cake; for a wrestling simulator, SvR 2008 takes all of the flashy drive and determination of WWE but never feels authentic just like its TV counterpart.

Many of the previous years’ modes have returned, with the addition of the 24/7 mode. This year also adds some ECW personalities to the roster as well as two notable updates to the control scheme; the first is the addition of Superstar Fighting Styles, where each fighter has two different fighting styles to choose from depending upon their particular fighting stances. Whether you choose Grappler, Brawler, Showman, High-flyer, the power-up finishing moves are different and help switch up the gameplay to keep things fresh as you can try to master the hardcore finishing style. Where this breaks down though is that each style is not balanced against the others; a good example of this would be the brawler who gets immunity to body shots once his power up has been activated, which seems extremely unfair in multiplayer matches.

The second control enhancement is the Struggle Submission System, where grappling moves take on a completely different form as you have to balance the amount of pressure that you apply to your opponent; give too much and your grip weakens, give too little and they can break free. This proves to be a very nice addition as you constantly have to pay attention to what you are doing, and can’t just take submission holds for granted. But beyond that, the controls remain hit-or-miss as getting the awe-inspiring moves to work is just as difficult as setting your opponent up for the actual move. Overall the animations for the moves took precedence over the fluid control of movement making for a very slow action game. True when you can pull off a nice rope dive it is beautiful, but getting to that position is just as frustratingly tedious.

In addition to the regular matches and tournament fights you have the option to play legendary battles from wrestling’s past. These are actually quite entertaining as you are given the role of the underdog attempting take down the superstar, often given a certain criteria to meet. Completing such matches unlock additional players in the WWE shop. And if that isn’t up your alley then the next is sure not to be: 24/7. Possibly a good concept that just completely fails in the end, this mode cripples you for being prudent. As you set your player up for the year, you have several options designed to enhance your popularity and physical condition, but while doing one, you are getting punished for not doing the others. If your player gets hurt in a match then you are forced to take days off, therefore not getting paid, or suffer another round where you might be hurt beyond finishing the season and therefore not being able to meet your goals for the year.

On the PS2 the graphics are pretty good although, as in the other versions of the game, there are some clipping issues with body parts as they melded into other players and into the canvas. Sound with the intros really gets you hyped for the matches with each superstar’s defined songs, but after entering the ring the crowd and announcers become monotonous, with the blow-by-blow analysis frankly not being pertinent to anything occurring in the ring. Load times are bearable but seem unnecessary as you have to wait for three load screens just to enter a match, namely each of the player’s intro scenes and the load for the match itself.

Overall SvR 2008 will fill that burning need you have to play a wrestling game although it doesn’t bring the full power and intensity to the game that it should have.

Smackdown vs. RAW is back yet again for the 2008 incarnation featuring a bunch of new icing on an otherwise bland cake; for a wrestling simulator, SvR 2008 takes all of the flashy drive and determination of WWE but never feels authentic just like its TV counterpart.

Many of the previous years’ modes have returned, with the addition of the 24/7 mode. This year also adds some ECW personalities to the roster as well as two notable updates to the control scheme; the first is the addition of Superstar Fighting Styles, where each fighter has two different fighting styles to choose from depending upon their particular fighting stances. Whether you choose Grappler, Brawler, Showman, High-flyer, the power-up finishing moves are different and help switch up the gameplay to keep things fresh as you can try to master the hardcore finishing style. Where this breaks down though is that each style is not balanced against the others; a good example of this would be the brawler who gets immunity to body shots once his power up has been activated, which seems extremely unfair in multiplayer matches.

The second control enhancement is the Struggle Submission System, where grappling moves take on a completely different form as you have to balance the amount of pressure that you apply to your opponent; give too much and your grip weakens, give too little and they can break free. This proves to be a very nice addition as you constantly have to pay attention to what you are doing, and can’t just take submission holds for granted. But beyond that, the controls remain hit-or-miss as getting the awe-inspiring moves to work is just as difficult as setting your opponent up for the actual move. Overall the animations for the moves took precedence over the fluid control of movement making for a very slow action game. True when you can pull off a nice rope dive it is beautiful, but getting to that position is just as frustratingly tedious.

In addition to the regular matches and tournament fights you have the option to play legendary battles from wrestling’s past. These are actually quite entertaining as you are given the role of the underdog attempting take down the superstar, often given a certain criteria to meet. Completing such matches unlock additional players in the WWE shop. And if that isn’t up your alley then the next is sure not to be: 24/7. Possibly a good concept that just completely fails in the end, this mode cripples you for being prudent. As you set your player up for the year, you have several options designed to enhance your popularity and physical condition, but while doing one, you are getting punished for not doing the others. If your player gets hurt in a match then you are forced to take days off, therefore not getting paid, or suffer another round where you might be hurt beyond finishing the season and therefore not being able to meet your goals for the year.

On the Playstation 3 you can tell that the game is a multiplatform release as the graphics just don’t reach the system standard. In addition to that they suffer from some serious clipping issues as the superstar’s hair always looks funky and half the time body parts were melding between players and into the canvas. Sound with the intros really gets you hyped for the matches with each superstar’s defined songs, but after entering the ring the crowd and announcers become monotonous, with the blow-by-blow analysis frankly not being pertinent to anything occurring in the ring. Load times border on ridiculous considering for a single match you have three loads, one for each player’s entrance and finally for the match.

Overall SvR 2008 will fill that burning need you have to play a wrestling game although it doesn’t bring the full power and intensity to the game that it should have.