REVIEWS OF WWE SMACKDOWN VS. RAW 2009 INCLUDING HOW TO UNLOCK RIC FLAIR FOR THE GAME
By Buck Woodward on 2008-11-10 14:21:42
Thanks to Ken McAndrew for the following. ... I picked up SD/Raw 2009 yesterday and got some play on it. Some initial
thoughts:
The graphics remain as good as ever, and I didn't notice as much clipping
(like a body going through ropes or a bad image of a belt on a person). The
gameplay is pretty much the same as before, but it doesn't feel as stilted to
do things, like holding a button to run and then hit a move. Storing a full
bar now locks in a "signature move" that seems like a sub-finish or
a setup. For example, Triple H has the spinebuster as one of his, where
Undertaker has the chokeslam and old school ropewalk as his two. Still two
finishers, and if you're looking for the gogoplata/Devil's Triangle, it's the
Triangle Clutch (and it's Taker's second finish with the tombstone). There's
also in-game tutorials the first time you do things, which you can turn off,
but it'll tell you how to win specialty matches, etc. I was also able to grab
a weapon from under the ring, which has always been a pain in the past.
The create-a-finish is definitely fun to play with. You get up to 10 moves to
string together, which change based on what you picked before, and the count
includes things like positioning for moves, taunts, etch. For example, I put
together a finisher that starts in a powerbomb clutch, does the DX crotch
chop, hooks the arms pedigree-style, then does three double-underhook suplexes,
then lifts the guy straight up and does a facebuster (to cause blood of
course). The only problem is with a created wrestler, I think you lose some
impact to it, as I couldn't even put a guy like Kendrick away with it (but one
rebound DDT later I pinned him). But it's fun to get creative. The other
create modes are all still there as well except for create a belt, though they
got rid of the "backstage" appearance for create-a-wrestler and
changed how you edit the entrance and ring models. The best part is no more
cheap portrait, when you view your character in a select menu they give you a
full render.
The commentary is so much better in this version. I don't know who calls ECW
yet, but to show you how old that part is, they have JR and King on Raw, and
Cole and Coachman(!) on Smackdown. Seems to imply Adamle and Tazz on ECW, if
they even had the ECW guys lay track. (Yet the rosters were set post-draft, as
you start with Punk, Kingston, and Rhodes/Holly [no Dibiase in the game] as
the Raw champs, and Triple H/Shelton/Mizorrison on SD; Mark Henry is the ECW
champ but the graphic is the old belt.) The guys actually will call moves and
note the impact of them, but they don't seem to randomly toss stuff in the
middle of the match like they used to. One nice addition to complement the
create-a-finish is that if you use a preset name (you're given a few...the
Flatliner and Burning Hammer are in there) the announcers will call your
finisher by name. They are behind a bit though, as Shelton uses a
"jumping complete shot" and it doesn't appear to be called Paydirt.
Roster-wise, as you'd expect, the game is pretty out of date. Kendrick is
still in his Hooliganz tag gear and music, guys like Cade, Murdoch, Big Daddy
V, and London are still in there, Coach was still in there of course. I'm
hoping they'll offer add-ons to update the rosters and movesets, they do seem
to anticipate downloaded items.
The "flowing" storyline mode seems to have been given to the Road to
Wrestlemania section. You pick an established guy (Triple H, Undertaker,
Jericho, Batista/Rey [so it can be co-op or run twice], Punk, and I can't
recall who else) and you run a specific storyline that goes from about
December to WM. I don't know if the story changes if you pick the same guy
twice, but as an example: I used Undertaker, and ended up fighting the "Nu
School" team of Finaly and Santino. Kane got involved, and the urn made
its return. I won't spoil who the big WM opponent is...but it was
disappointing. (They also need to think about characters...Undertaker
submitting to a figure four? Riiiight...I don't think he's ever tapped.) Along
the way you get a couple of optional objectives, which if you finish them you
get bonus unlocks (like Hornswoggle as a manager availability). I will say
Santino steals the day again...think "zombie".
The general story mode seems more geared to getting titles. If you remember
the old create a belt thing, where you got stars for prestige, etc, they use a
similar system. For example, you go for the US title first. You get a set of
opponents you can fight, and based on how the match was, you get points and
stars. When you get a certain number of stars, you get a title show. The
concept of earning money or points toward backstage stuff (like interview
skills) appears gone, and stat increases seem to be done based on what you did
in the match, so if you don't use/escape a submission your submission stat
won't increase. Makes logical sense really.
I tried out the Inferno match, since besides the tag team stuff that was the
big add-on. Basically as you or your opponent does moves, the temperature goes
up (starts around 150 or so), and when it reaches 300 you can grapple-drag
your opponent toward the ropes. Expect escapes the first couple of times if
you go for it immediately, but eventually you toss the opponent over the ropes
and into the flames. Computer guys go up a lot more than the usual! It's a
little like the buried alive match except you can't use a finisher to
auto-win.
As a note, if you get the game from Gamestop, it comes with a cheat code
to unlock Ric Flair immediately. That code is "FlairWoooooooooo"
(for the Os just keep entering them until you can't enter any more
characters).
Thanks to Steve Wright for this following. ... WWE Smackdown vs, Raw 2009 is a HUGE improvement from last years game.
The major thing is the Tag Team feature. In the past the tag team match
was the worst thing to play, now the tag team mode is VERY FUN. The Road
to Wrestlemania is fun to play as I'm taking John Cena and it feels like
the part was written for him and it has voiceovers from MVP and others.
The
Single player mode is also better, say if I play with Batista in the game
he moves just like him, slow and powerful. This game is very, very good and
is way better than TNA IMPACT. I give it a 9 out of 10.
Other things in the game that are good is the new Inferno match and the WWE
Highlight Reel in which you can make your own WWE videos and share them.
Also if you buy the PS3 Collector Edition you will get a WWE's 2nd Blu Ray
Disc ever, this Blu ray is is 1080i and is over 2 hours long with:
Raw 3/10/08 - Finlay vs. Mr. Kennedy.
SmackDown 4/14/08 - 4 on 2 steel cage match: Ric Flair & Shawn Michaels
vs. Edge, The Edgeheads & Chavo Guerrero.
SmackDown 3/28/03 - Chris Jericho vs. MVP.
WrestleMania 24 - Batista vs. Umaga.
Raw 3/31/08 - Matt Hardy vs. Randy Orton.
Backlash 4/27/08 - Shawn Michaels vs. Batista.
Raw 5/19/08 - Chris Jericho vs. Batista.
The making of WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009.
Mike Regan has a review of the game online over at http://gamingring.com/news/?p=3363
Thanks to Bill John for the following. ... I haven't played more than an hour of it, so I can tell you only all
I've
played.
The roster is pretty up to date, but like you said (I believe on No Name), it's
funny to see guys like Big Daddy V, Chuck Palumbo, Paul London, and Cade and
Murdoch on the roster since they're not with the company anymore. It's also
apparent that there is the option to download new "entertainers" through XBOX
Live (for the XBOX system at least). Noticeable guys that are missing are Ted
DiBiase Jr., Manu, Hawkins and Ryder, Evan Bourne, and Primo Colon (to name a
few).
The Cruiserweight title is still in the game, while the Divas Championship is
not.
They still have the old style of the ECW championship.
The new Create-A-Finisher is fun but still new and does need improvement (for
example, you can't create submission finishers).
The Inferno match is entertaining. You have to perform moves to raise the
temperature of the fire, lock up, and drag your opponent into the fire.
Height is measured in cm and degrees in Celsius
The new Titantron is in the game.
The new "Road to Wrestlemania" option is, to me, geared towards kids, with the
only option of picking Triple H, CM Punk, John Cena, Undertaker, Jericho, or the
tag team of Batista and Rey Mysterio. This is the only interaction I've found
with
the "entertainers" speaking parts. This is not to be confused with Career Mode,
which is entirely different. Every superstar is available and depending on who
you choose, you work your way to WWE/World Champion.
Announcers for each brand are:
Raw: JR and King
ECW: Tazz and Joey Styles (Yes, Joey's still in the game)
SD: Michael Cole and Coach (seriously)
Default champions are listed below:
World Title - CM Punk
IC - Kofi Kingston
World Tag - Cody Rhodes and Hardcore Holly
Womens - Mickie James
ECW - Mark Henry
WWE - Triple H
US - Shelton Benjamin
WWE Tag - Miz and Morrison
Cruiserweight - Chavo Guerrero T
hat's about it! Everything else is pretty minor, at least what I caught.
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