WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 Preview

THQ’s Smackdown vs. RAW series has been the definitive pro-wrestling franchise on consoles for a few years now, with annual installations of the franchise becoming commonplace on a wide range of systems. Now, the 2009 edition of the popular wrestling series is gearing up for release, with some pretty great features added to the mix. GameZone recently received a preview build of the game that showcased the improved character creation features as well as the exhibition mode. The results were pretty impressive, and the game should be a worthy purchase for wrestling fans.

The exhibition mode in WWE: Smackdown vs. RAW is what you’d expect from the series, featuring a ton of different modes for each basic type, including Inferno, Ladder, Table matches, and many others. The preview build also featured a decent chunk of the game’s roster, including wrestlers like The Undertaker, Rey Mysterio, Triple H, Shaun Michaels, and so on.

The gameplay isn’t largely different from last year’s game, but still plays great. The controls have been streamlined and feel more comfortable than most wrestling games on the market, and the action is very smooth and fluid. You have some new moves in your general repertoire, like the ability to guard from the ground, helping you prevent your opponent from knocking you around while you’re down on the mat, but the gameplay is mostly the same as it was last year.

The character creation mode is extremely deep and complex, but pretty easy to pull off with impressive results. There are tons of ways for you to customize your character, from dozens of different haircuts to body size and facial features. You can even create Signature Moves and fighting styles for your character, making for some of the deepest customization features in a wrestling game yet.

Graphically, the game looks great, with accurate looking player models and great ring entrances. The animations were improved a ton last year, and this year they look even more fluid.

The musical effects are also pretty good, with a hard rock soundtrack and nice crowd noise. The commentary could use some work at this stage of the game, as it was often inaccurate and grew repetitious very quickly.

While the preview build didn’t offer a look at some of the game’s deeper features, like the upcoming Road to Wrestlemania mode, WWE: Smackdown vs. RAW 2009’s core gameplay mechanics are great, and the character customization mode is very deep. Wrestling fans should keep their eye out for WWE: SvR 2009 this November.