Yuke’s Smackdown vs. RAW franchise has long been one of the best wrestling franchises around, offering gamers myriad features and tons of real wrestlers, making the series the one to pick up if you’re a fan of pro-wrestling. Now, the franchise is nearly a decade old and launching its latest entry, WWE Smackdown vs. RAW 2009. The 2009 edition of SvR features the same ring controls and a largely tantamount move and animation set, but adds some pretty compelling new features to keep things fresh for fans of the series.

SvR 2009 offers some new modes to its already stacked mode offering. Some of the new matches include the Inferno match, which is a pretty goofy one where you have to fight your opponent in a burning ring as the temperature slowly increases, and a Backstage Brawl game mode that has you duking it out with another wrestler in a locker room or backroom area, hitting them with any object within reach.

The biggest new addition in WWE Smackdown vs. RAW 2009 is the Road to Wrestlemania feature. Essentially a story mode, Road to Wrestlemania follows one of seven different WWE Superstars (John Cena, Triple H, Chris Jericho, CM Punk, and a Rey Mysterio/Batistia tag-team storyline) as they work their way up the ladder to Wrestlemania. The stories are each very unique and pretty compelling, and as you go through them, you’ll unlock new features, including ring entrances and tweaks and special moves for your Create A Superstar character.

In order to keep these modes in the game, there were some that had to be cut from last year’s entry. The Parking Lot Brawl has been dropped, as well as the 24/7 mode, the GM Mode, the Buried Alive Match, Create A Championship, and a few more, in order to trim away the parts that weren’t so solid last time. Luckily, the deep career mode and Create A Superstar feature should keep you busy for a while. Also, there have been some changes to tag-team matches, as your teammate outside of the ring will be able to attack your opponent, holding them back, and causing trouble from the ropes, adding a great new element.

In the ring, the game features the same controls as Smackdown vs. RAW 2008. You still use the right thumbstick to perform and tweak grapples, and you can perform reversals using the shoulder buttons. The signature moves are back as well, which allow you to store up points for unique moves that will deliver the hurt on your enemies. Nothing in the core game mechanics is new from last year’s game, but the whole experience still feels very solid.

Graphically, the game great, with improved facial mapping, and more details like improved sweat. While the animations are practically the same as the ones used last year, they are still very well done and unfold pretty fluidly. The ring entrances are also very good this time around as well.

The sound is also pretty nicely done. The music is the same brand of hard rock anthems and rap tracks that you’d expect from the franchise. The voice work is well done, especially in the Road to Wrestlemania mode, as the actual WWE superstars lend their own voice talents for their respective characters. The commentary is also done very well.

WWE Smackdown vs. RAW 2009 is a solid entry to the SvR franchise, offering some nice new features like the Road to Wrestlemania feature. While the core wrestling element feels mostly the same as last year, there are still some great reasons for fans of the series to check this entry out.

Gameplay: 8.5
While the core gameplay is largely unchanged from last year, the new modes, especially the Road to Wrestlemania mode, are great additions.

Graphics: 8.5
The animations are the same from last year, but there have been some subtle improvements made to the character models.

Sound: 8.5
The soundtrack is the same brand of metal and rap as previous WWE games, and the voice work and commentary are very well done.

Difficulty: Medium

Concept: 8.0
Road to Wrestlemania is a nice new addition to the series which should have legs for upcoming entries to the SvR franchise, but the gameplay feels almost exactly the same as SvR 2008.

Multiplayer: 8.0
Basically the same set as last year.

Overall: 8.5
WWE Smackdown vs. RAW 2009 is a nice addition to the franchise, with some solid new game modes. While the core game hasn’t changed, there are still enough new features to keep fans interested.