Overstaying one's welcome ...

A new year, a new "SmackDown vs. Raw"! Delighted also in the (now past) 2007 (?) Us with another edition of the popular and successful WWE wrestling video game series, especially with SmackDown vs. Raw 2008. Like many other fans of the series and I hope now THQ for a long time on THE decisive revolutionary title that would lead the series after a few ever weaker spending back to old qualities (about one Here Comes The Pain). And Well - also with SvsR2008 not succeed in this - quite the contrary.

Thus one finds in Smackdown vs Raw 2008 is the worst part of the series for a very very long time; on the one hand the roster is again noticeably smaller than the year before - some quite important and seen on TV often characters are not there - and the fact that there has already been in the meantime, massive personnel changes in the WWE are also many existing in the Roster people not even in the WWE (best and probably the most important example - Bobby Lashley). Perhaps one should really think when it comes to roster by THQ times via downloadable content, and so provide updated / additional wrestlers per download. But the roster is still really the smallest problem, ailing at the SvsR08.

Where (on the next generation consoles VA) still at least was able to score through slightly revamped graphics of the 2007-member, so lacking even this bonus in the 2008-part; so it shows hardly any differences graphically for immediate predecessor, although there are a few new animations (such as Shawn Michaels' Sweet Chin Music) and of course also new moves (by Come into play characters like CM Punk Cryme Tyme or). But it was saved on the Legend page: Due to his failure with Vince McMahon in 2007 no Hulk Hogan case (not even his moves), but Sabu ECW as a legend, and otherwise well as the obligatory rock, Steve Austin and Mick Foley yet Bret Hart, Ravishing Rick Rude and Roddy Piper, which are worth a mention. Well - in these matters one can indeed hope for the announced 2009 "Legends of Wrestlemania" from THQ.

The much angpriesene ECW was not even as its own, (theoretically) fully-fledged fire into play feeder, instead you get just a few characters like Tommy Dreamer as ECW associated presents. Especially in the centerpiece of the game, the 24/7 (Story-) mode you can play not in ECW, but only on SmackDown or Raw. Generally this also 24/7 mode, you can play either as a wrestler or as a general manager, quite a grip has become the toilet - though it is time unlimited in duration, only the existing storylines course rarely truly original; often repeated themes (Diva discord, ECW Invasion) - Added to this is an uninspired presentation - to the "storyline" weiterzutreiben one sees really only the same three backstage animations of his chosen wrestler (wrestlers going in the corridor and greets other Wrestler (or not), wrestlers training with hand weights, Wrestler "lost" during the commentators portray in the ladies locker) the storyline course - there are hardly any independent, matched to the respective Stories cutscenes, but always the same old postal match scenarios beyond mostly not even match the respective match output (so leaves the selected wrestler even after a victory is often the ring in pain, while just defeated enemy rejoices in the ring - without one would have seen that this up again and would have attacked our wrestlers). And so this story mode draws then, one can not even leave them out, you want to unlock all wrestlers in WWE Shop & Move Sets (who incidentally sometimes even offer far more features). Another minus point is the (theoretically yes definitely not bad) "Business communication" (mainly the selbstkreirten) Superstars - so you also have your own wrestler by "training sessions" in various categories such as strength, speed, endurance between the actual shows in Story Mode etc ... improve - but again this attracts unnecessary in the length, and becomes extremely repetitive, until you finally got the attributes of his hero to the maximum values. Although one can attribute points in the WWE Shop buy, but even that fill the attributes only to a certain degree - the rest must still be acquired "manually".

Continue with the "negative list" in actually playing - it can but please do not be true that, in a game that in the meantime about 10 year in a row more or less the same game engine, the same game mechanics and the same animations used more unsightly clipping errors (feet Wrestler disappear in the ring floor, the unspeakable back superplex off the top rope at the opponent about a meter away from actually performing wrestlers to "fly" seems much more.) happen in previous Augaben when actually the exact opposite is the case ?! In addition, then the control was still verschlimmbessert (so there are now two (!) Complete move-sets less per wrestler, because they have put the two "Ultimate Control" moves on each one of the "normal Grapples" previously used), and soon can lie about weapons in the ring you anyway no longer move, and until you finally maneuvered around a chair or hammer, the opponent is already back. From the Royal Rumble Match the "emergency brake" has been removed, by which one could win an elimination fight immediately (when stored finishing move); it has been removed, so you can brawl in the parking lot only, and not in a bar or other location another backstage area - and just this negative trend in the backstage areas is me personally completely incomprehensible, especially since it just those Smackdown were -parts extensive backstage areas Outbid! (Here Comes The Pain, SD 2 - Know Your Role), which were particularly popular and successful and playful the best parts of the series. The only new match type is obtained instead the ECW Extreme Rules Match, that actually represents a normal hardcore match, with the difference that you can choose more weapons. Actually unnecessary; I would have rather ordinary backstage areas. And the absolute no-go, which then kills the game for good, is probably the stupidest "Verschlimmbesserung" since the beginning of the series - so you can namely no longer push of a button by an opponent on the other hand to this (eg in a tag team or Triple Threat Match) to target and attack; be matches with multiple opponents almost unplayable because it almost eternally long does it take until the CPU directs the "attention" of the controlled Wrestlers time to another - and so a smooth gaming and fast attacks against two or more opponents is simply impossible; usually you have to have this attack with a running attack to "switch"; But not even that always works! I really have no idea what to THQ have been thinking - here's really fattest deductions on the playability.

The vexing issue commentators was also mentioned; not only that this is still the same barren spells Drain as since 3 or 4 years; Smackdown vs Raw 2008 has now been fudged so that the commentators in the middle of sentences already begun simply break off and drain a new spell, if you as a wrestler just a particularly violent Move shows - taking the comments of any claim to realism. In addition, it is annoying when the commentators before the loading screen appears even after a pin already achieved, and, anyway weiterplappern as if the match does not end there. Terrible sloppiness in programming, one can only say.

As only real plus point SvsR2008 can be credited, that now (in the case of the Xbox 360 version, anyway) can have their own, stored on the hard disk MP3s as catchment music - and it is only this fact that can give a second star me SvsR2008. The newly integrated different styles like Powerhouse, showman or Highflyer are not uninteresting, because they still miss the individual characters more individuality - that now but at one time a Rey Mysterio can back up lift an Undertaker or Great Khali, however, is more than strange, especially since in previous titles here nichmal an Irish whip could be executed. So here also THQ has sloppy again.

All in all, therefore Smackdown vs Raw 2008 has become a more than disappointment and certainly the most far the worst part of the series, since a lot of good game elements removed, or at least "verschlimmbessert" were. In addition, the small roster, many graphical glitches and annoying story mode, and only one (relatively dispensable) new match - dear people of THQ, that's really not enough. Those WWE fans for this game is the first of the series will probably have enough fun with it - for all of those who is in any case already have every issue since Smackdown 1 this version more than dispensable, and passes to me while playing more than once the fun if the variety of deterioration that had to accept since absolutely brilliant Here Comes The Pain. It is really time that the programmer a little tear on the belt and finally again deliver a great playable killer title - because with TNA Impact is now the immediate WWE competition also virtually raring; and it would not surprise me if the TNA product would make in the near future the THQ parts rank dispute. If they can deliver that is nothing better than Smackdown vs Raw 2008, which is really bitter.

So please - the next time finally ordinary, freely accessible and above all a lot of backstage areas; finally new animations ALL Moves, a large, current roster and any other downloadable, and a decent story mode - Smackdown vs Raw 2008 failed because unfortunately in all respects and is therefore difficult to recommend.