Something went wrong. Try again later
    Follow

    WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2009

    Game » consists of 16 releases. Released Nov 09, 2008

    WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2009 continues with its annual edition of the popular wrestling game with its tenth game. The 2009 edition puts additional focus on tag team wrestling, including a co-operative story mode.

    mikeinsc's WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2009 (Xbox 360) review

    Avatar image for mikeinsc

    Better than the Alternatives

     

    This is a difficult game to review as, well, when compared to the other wrestling game out, it can't possibly be worse. But I don't want to over-rate it, either.

    I have not messed much with the career mode for a created wrestler, but I have dealt with the original Road to WrestleMania mode, where you take seven different people/teams all the way to WM. You get Roads for Jericho, HHH, Cena, Batista & Misterio, Undertaker, and CM Punk (that was a bit of a surprise).

    Now, the stories aren't bad and you do have some leeway with it. Especially in the Batista & Rey story, you can actually do fairly different things depending on being Batista or Rey. As Hunter, you can work with either Evolution or DX. I do like the slight differences. You tend to face only a small number of guys in each storyline, but they're also short enough to not be offensive. I actually rather liked Punk's storyline, thinking it to be the best written.

    The storylines are fine...except for Undertaker. His is, to be gentle, fucking moronic. Let the words "Zombie Marella" sink in for a moment.

    The gameplay is decent, but I'm still not huge on the control system. I don't like the shoulder button + right stick to do most moves. It feels a little restricted. I don't feel like there are enough moves. But the game works fine and the enemies don't manage to reverse you ad infinitum and your attacks don't do dramatically less damage. CAW mode is quite good and the create-a-finisher is a cool addition. The roster is obscenely deep (I thought Boogeyman was cut many months ago) and while some spots are repeated amongst certain workers, you don't have mass overlap.

    This is, easily, the best wrestling game on the market. I do like the multiple options for the single player game. I think it's a wonderful option and something a lot of fun. The unlocking of moves and characters is also done in-game with some challenges that are not remotely easy (OK, only the "Beat a guy in 2:30" challenges are brutal. The rest are immensely doable).

    I just am not super sold on the control system. I wish I were.

    0 Comments

    Other reviews for WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2009 (Xbox 360)

      THQ's latest 'rassling' sequel narrowly misses out on the 3-count 0

      WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2009(Xbox 360) by retrogimp on January 17, 2009

      WWE Smackdown Vs Raw 2009 is hit and miss with a lot of its new features, and on the whole, will probably fail to impress those who already own last year’s game. The main problem with the WWE’s latest installment in the Smackdown series its lack of significant changes since its predecessor, so even wrestling fans might feel a little short changed with this one. Graphically this game is identical to last year's installment. The main theme of the game is tag team wrestling, which is kind of stran...

      2 out of 2 found this review helpful.

      Smackdown improves over 2008 in many ways and is very enjoyable 0

      WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2009(Xbox 360) by mko619 on June 17, 2009

      Smackdown vs Raw 2008 was a somewhat mediocore game that i had high hopes for and it kinda dissapointed me. SD vs Raw 2009 is a great improvement over last years attempt and it refines some of the faults last year and it adds in many great improvements.The games single player is quite versatile. Like in any Smackdown game you can play exhibition matches in which you choose a match and choose wrestlers to fight in that match, This is the quickest way to get into action. New this year is the Road ...

      0 out of 0 found this review helpful.
    ×

    Pick a List

    Close

    This edit will also create new pages on Giant Bomb for:

    Beware, you are proposing to add brand new pages to the wiki along with your edits. Make sure this is what you intended. This will likely increase the time it takes for your changes to go live.

    Comment and Save

    Until you earn 1000 points all your submissions need to be vetted by other Giant Bomb users. This process takes no more than a few hours and we'll send you an email once approved.