Smackdown! vs RAW 2007
by: Average Joe 1 year, 9 months, 5 days, 15 hours, 58 minutes ago
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59.99
THQ/WWE
As a long time fan of the Smackdown! game series I have seen it all. I have literally watched this series evolve all the way from the original release on the PSone, and to be honest with you. Smackdown! vs RAW 2007 is the pinnacle of wrestling games. It really doesn’t get any better than this.
Over the past decade or so wrestling games have come a long way. For the most part they have been pretty enjoyable, but then again you do get your occasional games like those horrid ECW games that pop up and spoil the fun for everyone. WWE games have been hit or miss over the past couple of years, and it really wasn’t until the introduction of the Smackdown! series of games that we finally saw wrestling games consistently improve with each new release.
Before the original Smackdown! game on the PSone was released wrestling fans were glued to their N64 (yeah, remember those?) playing games like Wrestlemania 2000, No Mercy, and WCW/NWO Revenge. Now while those games may seem a bit outdated by today’s standards I’ll be honest with you...I love those games, and every once in awhile I’ll plug one of them in and take a trip down memory lane by bashing someone in the head polygon rendering (the type of rendering engine they used on those games) style.
Since the release of the first Smackdown! game back in the late 90’s wrestling fans have really watched the genre of games evolve into something pretty spectacular. Personally, I own every single Smackdown! game ever published save for this latest one (hoping Santa will bring it to me) and if you really want to see how far these games have come then all you need to do is take a few hours and play thru a few min of each game....it really is impressive.
THQ and the WWE have teamed up once again to bring us the 8th installment in the popular Smackdown! series entitled Smackdown! vs RAW 2007. What’s interesting about this release is that generally the Smackdown! series has always been a PS exclusive title. However with the next gen war in full effect THQ has decided to release this newest edition on the XBOX 360, and the PS2...apparently they decided to boycott the PS3, and didn’t publish a compatible version.
The game is set up pretty much just like the last one, with only a few minor changes to the main menus. Players can assume the likes of your face (which means good guys) characters like John Cena, Batista, Undertaker, Rey Mysterio, and of course their favorite heels (which means bad guys) like Randy Orton, Edge, JBL, Booker T, etc. Just about every wrestler currently on the active roster...and even some that aren’t are included. Right off the bat it’s obvious that the graphics in this game are insanely detailed. With the power of the 360 behind it, these models have never looked more realistic. Whether it’s the fiber in their clothing, the pores in their skin, or the way the characters gradually start to sweat, it’s safe to say that this is just about as close as most of us will get to actually stepping into the squared circle. Honestly, at times I’d swear this was actual video of WWE matches and not just in game models....it’s that good.
Aside from the hyper detailed character models, another aspect that I really enjoyed about this game was the amount of detail the developers put into each characters entrance. I mean let’s face it right, a wrestler’s entrance is a big part of their gimmick (that means persona to you non-wrestling fans) and if their entrance is lame, well then chances are they’re really not going to generate the type of response that the WWE wants for that particular character. From John Cena’s trademark “thug walk,” to The Undertaker’s classic old school entrance, complete with smoke and lightening FX, these entrances are DEAD ON. One special mention I’d like to note is the entrance of one Mr. Ken Kennedy. Now for those of you who are familiar with Mr. Kennedy and his ring entrance, you’ll know that he normally walks out to the ring, tells the announcer to get out and basically announces himself via a microphone that’s lowered from the rafters. This is a pretty detailed entrace, especially for a game to incorporate. Initially I thought they’d skip over most of it and just imply that he was going to announce himself. Oh no, he does the full deal. He even tells the announcer to get lost. Ok, I was somewhat impressed, but I told The Ryan "there’s no way he’s going to do the actual announcing of himself with a voice"...oh how wrong I was. The developers are to be commended in the amount of detail that went into this entrance specifically. Not only did they get the mannerisms right, but they even do the whole voice intro...it’s remarkable, and really shows how accurate the game is to the real life show.
While the controls take a while to get used to on the XBOX controller, you’ll find that all of the basic movements are pretty much intact. You’ve got the different grapples, punches, taunts, and of course each characters patented finishing move that has a nice little effect added to it when it’s used during a match.
The story mode for the game is as in depth as ever, and even provides some interesting twists and turns along the way depending on the decisions you make throughout the course of your career. Each character has their real life counterpart to do all of the voice over work, and I found that this time it’s done with a lot better “acting” than some of the previous attempts I’ve seen before.
Overall, Smackdown! vs RAW 2007 is THE wrestling game to beat. It has just about everything fans could ask for, and really makes you feel like you’re a part of the action. Oh, and it does also prove that the XBOX can have a decent wrestling game for once. Does anyone remember those horrid RAW games that came out a few years ago? Yeah, well this one will make you forget all about them.