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THQ’s WWE SmackDown! games have been considered the
definitive console wrestling titles for some time now. Despite EA’s
stranglehold on the official rights for most sports titles, all
SmackDown! related games since the PlayStation era have been
published by THQ. Unfortunately, given the frequency of new
SmackDown! games, this years WWE SmackDown! Vs. Raw 2007
being the eight edition in the annual series, there is the risk of
the series’ production becoming stale. Yuke’s promise a whole new
Analogue Grapple System and numerous new additions to gameplay for
WWE SmackDown! Vs. Raw 2007, however, with their
age-old Engine starting to look a little dated, is this enough?
First and foremost, if you like the wild and wacky world of
professional wrestling, WWE SmackDown! Vs. Raw 2007 is the
game for you. The Menu Screens, the storylines, the characters and
the music all bring the madness of sports entertainment straight to
your living room. As in previous editions, the game allows players
to compete in several official Pay-Per-View Matches, in loads of
one-off Exhibition fights and, of course, in an entire season of
SmackDown! or Raw, using their very own character or one of the many
stars of WWE. While this will not shock fans of the series, the
ample generosity of the franchises previous titles means that they
would not expect any less.
Using the same Engine as last year’s iteration, WWE SmackDown!
Vs. Raw 2007 generally plays very similarly. The all new Grapple
System does work very differently however, with players initiating
moves through directional gestures of the Analogue Stick. Initially,
with characters pulling-off moves logically related to the player’s
direction, the new system seems far more immersive than the
traditional Face Button method. However when the move takes a few
seconds, the immersive feeling is lessened and the player is left
wondering if the change was really worth it. Slightly better are the
Mini-Challenges when the player attempts an over-the-head manoeuvre
or a technique in an Environmental Hotspot. The player can damage
opponents by moving the Analogue Sticks in a manner displayed
on-screen. For instance if the player’s character holds an opponent
above their head, rotating the Analogue Sticks allows them to spin
the opponent around before pulling of a move, thus causing more
damage and gaining a Momentum Boost. As another nice touch, WWE
SmackDown! Vs. Raw 2007 also allows players to fight in the
crowd. On the other side of the barriers are various weapons and
Environmental Hotspots, however, unless the Match has the “No
Disqualification” rule active, this is likely to lose you the Match.
Unfortunately, many of problems from WWE SmackDown! Vs Raw 2006
have returned. The is a huge sense of detachment from the
experience when you are caught in a seemingly unending combo by your
opponent, with only the slim chance of pressing the right counter
button at the right time offering any escape. The storylines also
seem to make the game as pre-meditated as the real thing, with early
storyline Matches being very difficult to win, before the storyline
backs your character and the Matches become a lot easier, sometimes
even disregarding the fact that you’ve lost in order to play out the
story. However, there are a lot of different storylines based on the
character you use and the show you participate in. The game is also
very hard to pick-up-and-play for amateurs given its complex Grapple
and Control System. Allied AI characters are also highly
unpredictable and regularly clueless, very rarely coming to your aid
in Tag Matches. However, enemy allied AI seems all too eager to aid
their partner, which is frustrating to say the least. Finally,
WWE SmackDown! Vs. Raw 2007 seems to load for the sake of it at
times. Loading Screens are frequent and lengthy, which does seem
unnecessary given the time developers have had with PlayStation2
hardware.
Repeated instances of rigid animation still mar the visuals of the
series, even after them being one of the larger problems with
WWE
SmackDown! Vs. Raw 2006. Polygon Cross-pollination is also still
an issue, all-in-all making WWE SmackDown! Vs. Raw 2007 seem
a lot more dated than the previous instalment, especially on the eve
of the Next-Generation. However, Character Models are of a high
quality, as are the Arenas. Although the commentary quickly becomes
old, the voice-acting is varied depending on your chosen wrestler
and no more rigid than that of the show. WWE SmackDown! Vs Raw
2007 also features plenty of the music you expect from WWE,
including each wrestlers' official Intro Theme.
Overall, despite its new features, WWE SmackDown! Vs. Raw 2007
really feels like it needs an overhaul and players of last years
iteration will not find it that much different to previous entries.
Although the new gameplay additions are good, they don’t really
address the major problems that plague the series. The games overly
complex moves and the ridiculously small amount of Stamina of the
wrestlers is also likely to put of casual gamers. WWE SmackDown!
Vs. Raw 2007 is still the pinnacle of its genre, but should THQ
wish to hang-on to the franchise, they may have to up their game. |
