Wwe Smackdown Vs Raw 08 - Ps3 for PlayStation 3

==The Game==

WWE SmackDown! Vs. RAW 2008 is the newest game from the WWE SmackDown! series and it was released on the 9th of November. It is a wrestling game based on the WWE programming, made by Yukes and published by THQ. The game has been released on the PS2, PS3, PSP, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS, the later two of these have entirely different builds to the game and have few similarities to the review on this, the Playstation 3 version of the game.

I bought this because I allows played the games in the series, as it was originally on the Playstation 1, so it was the easiest way to follow the WWF and play as my favourite characters. Now I don't really watch wrestling at all but just because the games are so good, I feel that I should continue to play the games.

===ECW===

In the latest installment of the series, 'WWE SmackDown! Vs. RAW 2008' has finally included the ECW brand of WWE into the game. The original sub-title for the game is 'ECW Invasion' and I feel that this matches very well, because of the way those particular wrestlers behave, their presence is more of an invasion than a simple addition to the company. Now the game "Features ECW" obviously this doesn't have the same impact on the audience. I preferred what they went with the first time around.

In order to add this Extreme brand of World Wrestling Entertainment, they had to include something which embraced what ECW stands for, being extreme. This is the reason why the game now has an ECW Extreme Rules Match. They also only follow fundamental ECW rules on how to contest a bout, no count outs, disqualifications and the pins and submissions can only be awarded in the ring. They are no weapons laid-out randomly in the arena as a regular Hardcore match, they are under the ring. A key object which finally appeared in this match is the flaming table. This variation to the table match allows you to set this piece of furniture on fire before slamming your opponent on top of it. To set it, or anything else, on fire you must press triangle after gaining enough momentum for a finisher.

One reason why fire wasn't included early was due to the fact its rating in the States is 'T, for Teen'. It would be a risk to add something like this to the game, because it may force its rating to be increased to 'M, for Mature'. This would drastically decrease the sales of the game, because the main audience would be able to purchase a Teen game alone, but a Mature game would be difficult, and fewer parents would be willing to buy a game with some much violence, from an entertainment company that's "not real". It seems that they have got away with adding this, in the hope no kids attempt to re-create this in their living room, or else it will definitely be upped to Mature.

There have been other alterations to the game from the influence of ECW as well, notably the hardcore matches. There is a lot that the user is able to control this time around, one being the weapons found in and around the ring. Before each match, you get the option to choose all of the weapons around the ring, and whilst in-game as you go to look under the ring for a weapon, you will be greeted by a wheel of eight different weapons, of which you must choose one to attack the opponent with. There are many new animations added to all the weapons, you will be able to grapple and strike with all of them this year, adding to the variety possible in the game. The other object it is possible to light on fire is the barbed-wire 2X4, adding a greater amount of damage on impact.

That little area that was included last year to act as a little hardcore area in the area has been brought back without any upgrades. It didn't change the game too much and I'd like them to bring back the backstage areas. When they said that you could fight in the crowd last year, everyone was excited until they found out how pointless it is, that has been brought back, with a little more added. Now you don't just toss the other wrestler over the guard rail, you do this, and then get an object from a fan, as WWE SmackDown! Vs. RAW 2007, and then use this to punish your opponent whilst they are helpless to defend. You are able to take cups, sticks and crutches from them and hit them with it whilst they dangle over the rail.

You are able to interact with the crowd a little more than the previous game as well. Last year, you were able to get the signs off them and react in whatever manner your superstar does. Now you can jump up on the guard rail, in a cut screen and wave your hands up, if you are a face wrestler. For heels, they will take a cup from a crowd member and spit the liquid at them, to a jeered response.


===Gameplay===

##Fighting Styles##

A thing which made a comeback to the game is individual fighting styles for each of the wrestlers. Each of them will have a primary and secondary approach to completing the match, there are eight in total: Showman, Powerhouse, Technical, Dirty, Brawler, High-Flyer, Hardcore and Submission artist. What all of these consist of is obvious and they don't all work to the advantage of the wrestler all of the time, this depends on the match type and opponent. In order to build up the bar to be able to perform a finisher, you must do moves which are suited to these fighting variations.

These actions come into play once you have filled-up your momentum meter, from here you can either use it as a finisher by using it before it has lost it's momentum, or store it, but now storing it means that you will use it for one of these specialized attacks. If you have picked for a superstar to have, for example Submission as primary and brawler as secondary, you can use all of the special submission attacks but only the secondary brawler ones. This is a great new creation and is sure to change the way you play the game, I can't wait to see how they will build on this in the future, because this is a great addition to the Ultimate Control Grapples of last year, which stems from playing different fighting styles.

**Hardcore**

You will already know what these superstars are about, punishing their opponents with the most viscous attack using weapons. They will work best when they are in a weapon-rich environment, but will also be useful in regular matches which see blood shed.

Primary Ability:

Hardcore Resurrection - slam chair into own head repetitively to build momentum

Secondary Abilities:

Hardcore Rejuvenation - Increase momentum after being cut open

Armed and Dangerous - Place chair around neck, leg, or arm of opponent, for countless attacks

Examples:

Tommy Dreamer, Mick Foley, Sandman

**Technical**

The technicians tend to have a great deal of experience behind them, knowledgeable in what is expected of the opponent before they even come at you with an attack. They will know how to reverse these and put you in a tough situation.

Primary Ability:

Technically Sound - Counter all attacks automatically

Secondary Abilities:

Technical Immunity - Reverse all grapples

Out of Ring Dive Attacks - Dive out of ring to opponent outside

PIT Maneuver - Duck under opponent, who expecting to clothesline you, end up behind them, ready to attack

Fake Irish Whip - Act as if you are going to Irish whip, but pull back opponent for a big throw or strike

Examples:

William Regal, MVP, Chavo Guerrero

**High-Flyer**

These wrestlers are not afraid to take risks; they will come at you will aerial attacks and various running grapples, making them so special in the game. It depends on what type of wrestling you prefer, but I think that using High-Flyers makes for the most fun type of match.

Primary Ability:

Possum Pin - Pretend to have an injury before coming with a surprise pin attempt

Secondary Abilities:

Out of Ring Dive Attacks - Dive out of ring onto other wrestler

Evasive Roll - Roll away from a potential attack whilst on the canvas

Turnbuckle Leapfrog - Jump onto turnbuckle after being Irish whipped their; ready to dive back at them

Examples:

Rey Mysterio, Jeff Hardy, Carlito

**Brawler**

Brawlers tend to be the wrestlers who just go for an all-out attack, they aren't too concerned about making their moves look nice, they are out there to win the match.

Primary Ability:

Wreck Shop - Reverse all attacks, your attacks are unblockable

Secondary Abilities:

Ground and Pound - Mount grounded wrestler, hit with strikes from fists and head

Fists of Fury -Three unstoppable strikes knock down your opponent

Examples:

John Cena, Mark Henry, Shad

**Powerhouse**

These are the wrestlers who just come to hurt their opponent. They come out with the intention of just beating the opponent down with everything they have, which is usually a lot of strength and big strikes.

Primary Ability:

Rampage - Send your wrestler crazy; he can't feel pain, and he is able to use anything without it being possible to reverse

Secondary Abilities:

Irresistible Force - Throw opponent off you if they attempt a pin too early in the match

Strong Irish Whip - Perform more powerful Irish whip; sends other wrestler over the top rope

Examples:

Bobby Lashley, Snitsky, Kane

**Submission**

The submission wrestlers know all the tricks to make you tap, they will use this knowledge to their advantage, going at each joint to see how far they can bend it before you admit defeat.

Primary Ability:

Ultimate Submission - Change any regular submission into Ultimate control one, for more damage

Secondary Abilities:

The Lock Pin - Power-out of a submission attempt if it's early on in the match

Recovery Hold - Recover from injuries sustained during match by performing a hold, which will allow you to get your energy back

Examples:

CM Punk, Bret Hart, Chris Masters

**Showman**

A showman is interested in giving the fans a good time, so they will constantly taunt the other wrestler and use moves which are just for show.

Primary Ability:

Steal Finishing Move - Use opponent's special move

Secondary Abilities:

Mass Appeal - Gain momentum by performing numerous taunts; getting the crowd on your side

Gimmick Infringement - Steal opponent's taunt

Mass Exposure -Perform taunt on top rope; where everyone can see you

Examples:

Matt Hardy, Kelly Kelly, King Booker

**Dirty**

These can be the most fun to play as, because they are able to stretch all of the rules within the game without being punished for it, it's the easy way out of wrestling the game, but that's how they get the job done.

Primary Ability:

Super Dirty Move - Big low blow

Secondary Abilities:

Referee Shield - Hide behind ref after grabbing them and putting them between you and opponent

Argue with Referee - After unsuccessful pin, argue with ref about 2-count

Ignore Rope break -Ignore ref when he tells you to let go of submission after five seconds on the rope

Strip Turnbuckle - Expose steel of turnbuckle for maximum corner damage

Examples:

Randy Orton, Edge, Ric Flair

##Submissions##

A new system which has altered the way you are able to play the game as far as submission go is the 'Struggle Submission System' (SSS). The SSS allows you to have full control of the application of these holds, how much pressure is given and when to release. This is a great new feature, because it makes the game a lot more interactive and you no longer feel as though you are forced to watch you character do things, you feel that you are making them do it. It's very simple to alter this too as you simply slide the analogue stick around, but you don't just keep it on the highest level of pressure as this is likely to wear-down your stamina.

When you are on the other side of this hold, the analogue is also of use to try and get yourself out of the hold. The victim of the submission hold has to escape in a new way which I recognize from the 'Splinter Cell' gaming series, where you would pick locks; it translates perfectly onto this game, as you have to search with the analogue stick for a key point where you can break the hold. I feel that they have really simplified the game and it makes it a lot easier to play.

===Head-Up Display===

A nice change has been made to the HUD bar, it now only includes the finisher build-up bar and the superstar's name, and this gives more space for the action on the screen. The body damage man is still there, but it only flashes up on impacts between the wrestlers, in my opinion this is the only time we need to see it so this was a good idea. The damage display is much better this time around as well, because when we see which part of the body is hurt the skeletal view of it is shown to the player.

===Loading===

I feel that the problem with loading has been masked this year, but with time, many will find that they notice it more. Some times in the game, you will feel that it isn't right to have a loading screen in your face when you are just waiting for something like a winning celebration. Many won't want to watch these after one look anyway, so to make us wait makes you more impatient as you are waiting to press 'X' to stop this cut-scene.

The way that they have covered up all of these loading periods, they have added little character profiles whilst you wait. These give you the basic information about the wrestlers, career highlights, as well as some facts about them. Now you may understand why you would grow tired of this, because many will get bored of seeing them after going through them all a fair few times.

===Commentary===

We now have three commentary teams with the inclusion of ECW, meaning that the following are found on the various shows:

SmackDown!: Michael Cole and John Bradshaw Layfield

RAW: Jim Ross and Jerry "The King" Lawler

ECW: Tazz and Joey Styles

I must say that I am very disappointed with the commentary in general, it isn't as repetitive as earlier games, but they haven't updated many of the lines. The only new things that they say come from the ECW announce team; obviously because they are have just been included. Additional new things also come when they have to talk about new superstars in the game. Some of the things they say are highly irrelevant and sometimes out-of-date but next year we must have completely new commentary.

===Grunts===

This is a new addition to the genre; it seems that Yukes have listened to the fans here. I feel this way, because I know that they have been asking for this since the WWE games were made by Yukes. Prior to this in WWF Attitude, all the wrestlers provided voice-overs for about four original grunts which were suited to each individual wrestler. This hasn't been done to such a thorough extent in this game, but there is certainly a large range of grunts for both the male and female superstars whilst lifting, striking or getting hit in the ring.

===Exclusive Features===

I will quickly bypass the XBOX 360 exclusive of being able to add your own music to the wrestler's entrances. In the version that I have, the PS3 version, it is possible to get a first person view of the entrance. This is possible by pressing R2 whilst watching it, this makes it more interactive, because you can use the Sixaxis to look around in the ring-walk to see all the fans applaud for you, you can read all the signs if you want. Obviously, by pressing this again, you can escape this mode, if you would prefer to watch the entrance just as you like to see it, as it is on-screen then you can.

===WWE 24/7 Mode===

As you may have heard already, the season/story mode, as well as the GM Mode, was all removed from the game. As a blunt statement, this disappointed the fans heavily, expecting that they would now only be capable of playing in exhibition bouts. However there is an alternative mode this year, WWE 24/7 Mode. It takes the best of season mode and GM Mode, making it into a new, more interactive story mode for "WWE SmackDown! Vs. RAW 2008".

This mode enables you to take on the role of either the General Manger (GM) of one of the brands or compete as a superstar (as last years Season Mode). Firstly, I will take you through the GM side of the mode, then finally take you through the roles you can participate in as a regular wrestler for the game. I will not spoil the story of what you go through playing in this mode, but I will explain the various features found within it.

General Manager:

To start off this part of WWE 24/7 Mode, you have to choose a brand, SmackDown!, RAW or ECW, for which you will take on the character of Theodore Long, Jonathan Coachman or Tommy Dreamer respectively. I feel that as Regal was only recently assigned the GM of RAW, it's alright to have The Coach in his place. For ECW, the position of General Manager is a different story; Dreamer has never taken on such a role on-camera, so it shouldn't be portrayed in such a way in the game. I would have liked it better if they had someone like Vince McMahon take up this role, even though we don't see him here. You will begin the season just as last year, with the draft, which can be ignored to keep as the current roster is.

This mode is very similar to last year's game, only little additions have been made to make it that extra bit better. More storylines have been included and there are now some cut-scenes, not of the action, but the GM interaction with the chairman of the WWE, Vince McMahon. I feel that this isn't a bad inclusion, and the superstar mode lends itself more to the cut-scenes with actual action.

Here, as in "WWE SmackDown! Vs. RAW 2007" you can control the relationships of the wrestlers with others, what the feuds are able and who is involved with them. All of this is kept to a budget, which you will have to mange well, making the most original matches and action on your brand, beating the other competition for ratings. I feel that the amount of improvements to this mode are fair, and they have been made to make the game as realistic as possible, I can't think of too any extra things that could be added to this to make it much better.

Superstar:

To start off this mode as a superstar, you will be given the option of whether to wrestle as either a existing superstar of any WWE brand, or play as a created one. The advantage of playing as a regular member of the roster is that you are given the choice of whether to use you current attributes or start with minimal ones, as a create wrestler, the latter is automatically given to you. I feel that this is quite annoying if your created superstar is someone like Hulk Hogan, who if already present in the game, wouldn't need to start from scratch to establish himself as a legend, which is the aim for which ever character you choose.

One of the major flaws with the selection of playable characters in this mode is that the ECW extremists aren't allowed to be chosen, this includes some who were in the 2007 draft, including Bobby Lashley, who were on ECW initially. This is very annoying, mainly because he was my first choice to play as, and i would have liked to have played as new characters in the game, most of which are on the ECW brand.

Just as in games before this, everything you do can be navigated using the locker room. The locker room hasn't changed much, compared to last year, but there are a lot more features to it. As I stated earlier, the main aim of this mode is to become a legend in the world of wrestling. This can be tracked by looking in the locker room; it is clearly placed on the screen. There is a mobile phone, from which you are able to receive mail, finding out how your relationships with superstars and characters of authority are shaping out. You have a laptop as well; this allows you to follow the Power 25, you health and buy things from the WWE Shop. The is a calendar, showing your schedule, not too exciting, but allows you to work out time until pay-per-views and other special events. The final item is the WWE Magazine, from which you can read about your current storylines.

As I mentioned before, you now have a health maintenance. You are able to view all your history of injuries throughout your career, seeing where damage to a certain area will cause you to risk further injury. These injuries can be ignored, each time you get a new injury, the doctors will advise you not to compete in a match for a certain amount of time, but if you do fight, then the damage will be apparent in the match, starting the bout with existing damage to the area around where the problem is. A good thing that the A.I. (Artificial Intelligence) has picked up, are these injuries, by taking advantage of a an damaged arm, for example, by performing many maneuvers that will cause damage to it in this case.

Your week consists of the three regular shows, RAW on Monday, ECW on Tuesday and SmackDown! on Friday (and on pay-per-view weekends, one dy will be taken up by this event). You are given one compulsory show, the one that you are featured on, but the others can be visited too, as often as you wish. Many will go to the other shows to interrupt the broadcasting, by invading another brand. By doing this, you have the opportunity of increasing your popularity, which may diminish as you go through the week with only a single match. There is some risk involved on the other hand, you will increase your fatigue and the chance of getting injured is quite high, so it's only worth doing so once per month.

A new feature is available on Wednesdays, allowing you to earn extra money to spend on items at the WWE Shop or attributes. You can star in films, something that occurs a lot now in the wrestling business. The benefits are clear, but as before, you will get fatigued.

You can improve on your attributes by taking part in "Training Exercises", these are short bouts which are designed in order for you to complete a certain objective, like the Challenge Mode in last years game. Another thing you can do to improve on your attributes is to take part in the "Skill Improvement", this is much a more structured part of the game, where you can improve on practical elements of being a WWE Superstar, which consists not only of wrestling, but talking on the mic(rophone) and building tension. You can also take part in "Events & Activities", these are things that add to popularity, signing autographs and doing things along these lines. There isn't much point in not doing these, as the benefits far out-weigh the little fatigue added.

To become a legend, you have to complete a certain task list. You have to complete a number of achievements in order to qualify as a legend; this is tracked thoroughly by a percentage rating. These will include doing things like getting into the top 5 of the 'Power 25', winning 15 consecutive matches or singing a $1 Million dollar contract, to establish a legendary status.

There have been many additions to this mode and I feel that it is for the better, the last couple seemed to just build on the last, but this year appears to be a completely new invention.

===Hall Of Fame===

This is a new mode to the game, it works in a similar way to Challenge Mode as it tells you to go and complete certain tasks. The challenges given to you are based on many historic things which occurred in WWF/WWE history, including things like the HBK/Bret Hart Ironman Match, or Mankind and 'Taker's Hell in a Cell, but can also be things like trying to gain a reputation for a new title belt, as John Cena did when he customized the WWE Championship.

This mode allows you to work for status as a hall of famer, you work to this from a jobber and the rating is increased for every time you complete a task. I must say that most of these are fairly simple, and don't take much effort, but as last year, there's always one that keeps you going for a while, and it will make you play the game more.

===Tournament===

The 'Tournament' mode allows you to create your own multi-round wrestling competition. You are given a choice of how many you wish to take part in it, going up to 16. It's got more of a purpose than just structuring an exhibition tournament; it enables you to form customized stories, with actual climaxes. There is also a choice of tournament which are taken from the WWE, including Money in the Bank (which has 12 begin fighting on-on-one, followed by the big Ladder Match, then the WWE Title Match at the end). King of the Ring, which is just like the event which made Booker T. change into being a king.

I feel that this is a nice little addition to the game, it makes the exhibition bouts have more of a purpose to them and it makes the game more fun to play. You can also take part in a "Beat the Clock Sprint", which has you attempt to defeat opponents in the fastest time possible, and the quickest will advance. This is ne of the best parts of the mode, because it makes you a better player, you have to form strategies fast and know how to beat people with certain characters.

===Create-A-Superstar===

Just about everything is the same with this mode for "WWE SmackDown Vs. RAW 2008", the only changes are additions to the things we can give to our wrestlers. I feel that this is still the best character creation in any type of game by far, so the small changes aren't a problem.

You can now give your custom wrestlers two more signs (four all together) for the crowd to hold. Unfortunately the call names haven't been updated, so all of the plain names from the last game remain, I don't really think that this is a problem for the game, but if this continues for much longer, then it will look quite out-dated opposed to what other games do, having the ability to write the names, and the computer pronounces it.

===Matches===

Hell in a Cell:

In the Hell in a Cell (HiaC) match, alterations have been made to improve it, but there are still some flaws that still haven't been rectified, despite being raised by the SmackDown community for years. For WWE SmackDown! 2006, weapons were added, as a sledgehammer and a single steel chair were placed next two the announcers table. Due to how unrealistic this was, it was taken out of the game the following year. In this addition, they have not returned, and when you go under the ring, there still aren't any weapons there. This was a huge disappointment, because it basically makes it a Cage match.

This years HiaC doesn't have you falling from the top of the cell as often as in the games before. This is because the annoying thing where you stand up from a slam and you find yourself at the edge of the cell, will no longer force you to drop to the ground below. The only way to fall this year is to be thrown down, using the grapples that have been in place for a while. The two from before are still there, a generic toss and a chokeslam, but there are now others. Using the grapple which enable you to walk around with the opponent you can take them to the edge and do something like a fireman's carry onto the announcers table.

The panels which are interactive are just as before, where you must do to slams before it collapses, are back. I feel that it is good for the game to have this again, because it makes it fun, and not too challenging. The animation of falling through the top of the cell is still the same one which first came about in the second SmackDown! game, "WWF SmackDown! 2 : Know Your Role", seven years ago, you would have thought that by now, they could have made a few new drops could be added, because we have seen that same one since the end of 2000.

Ironman Match:

The Ironman match has seen a little change this year; it's now more of a challenge from in previous installments of the game. Before you could work your opponent down to a weak state, then finish them off and pin them, then do this again with little resistance as the other wrestler would be very weak. This year the wrestler who gets pinned re-gains his health after a pin, and the person who scored the point will be stuck with there health prior to the pin. It makes them fresh and it's more difficult to win like before. I feel that this doesn't make it as realistic, but its more fun and challenging in my personal opinion.

The time periods available in this game are 10, 15 and 20. This is all I need, because it gets very repetitive if you do a one hour fight. I feel that this adds to the challenge of the game, because it takes me approximately five minutes to complete a match, I will have to fight a minimum of two matches, and win, with a disadvantage on health for the second bout.

Last Man Standing Match:

The Last Man Standing Match was a fairly simple match to win in all of the installments from years before. All that you had to do was beat down the opponent, probably end the match with a finisher and then wait for the referee to count to ten to win the match. This will be more difficult this time around, because you must use a finisher to initiate the count. I feel that this makes it more of a challenge, but it still won't make it too difficult to win.

Parking Lot Brawl:

Unfortunately, the PLB (Parking Lot Brawl) has exactly the same layout as last year. All of the vehicles found there were there in "WWE SmackDown! Vs. RAW 2007", which is a shame to see. Most of the animations are just as last year, I think only a couple of extras have been added to it. The only real difference is that various weapons have been scattered about, it's not very realistic, but it makes for a more fun game to play.

The PLB Match looks like it won't get too many plays from me, because of the lack of changes to it. I expect that this will be the case for others who have the game, once I played this a couple of times through, I got bored of it last year, the same occurred with this one.

Elimination Chamber:

I can't see any noticeable changes to this match type at all and this is a huge disappointment, they haven't changed it at all since they brought it to the SmackDown! Series, they have just left it like this for three years. Again the A.I. is really stupid and will randomly climb up everything constantly, the just jump to the fall and get laid-out for a while. This really needs to be changed, another thing connected to the Artificial Intelligence is that it will choose to break-up pin attempts, which it has no reason to do. By the next game, they will have to change it.

===Arenas===

Just as usual, Yukes have given us all of the arenas that we will have seen since the last game came out so that we can recreate all of our favourite memories from the last year's worth of WWE action.

One thing that the mentioned was that they chose not to make some stages bigger than others, because the Wrestlemanias one often have bigger ramps and things. They said that they couldn't make things bigger in this, otherwise they would have to make everyone's entrance again, tweeking it to suit just a single arena, which isn't likely to be seen too often.

This year we have:

RAW
SmackDown!
ECW
Heat
SummerSlam 2006
Unforgiven 2006
No Mercy 2006
Saturday Night Main Event
Cyber Sunday 2006
Survivor Series 2006
December to Dismember 2006
Armageddon 2006
New Year's Revolution 2007
Royal Rumble 2007
No Way Out
WrestleMania 23
Backlash 2007
Judgment Day 2007
One Night Stand 2007
Vengeance 2007
The Great American Bash 2007

===Roster===

The game features, as usual the most complete roster as possible, taking into account the superstars likely to be released in the up-coming months (such as Booker T, who left at the end of October and debuted in TNA after the game was released). Obviously recent additions to the WWE roster won't be available due to all the work that would have to be done to include them, making the models and voice-overs for season mode.

I cannot comment on any new additions who aren't included who should be as I haven't watched the programming in over 6 months, however I was happy to see the likes of Cryme Tyme who I hear have been released by the company in recent weeks as they were my favorites when I started on to watch it. The Boogeyman was someone I was unhappy to see excluded from the game as I enjoyed his prescience in the last game, providing availability for a unique style.

The long-awaited debut of the team of Paul London and Brian Kendrick has been delayed by another year after they lost their tag titles and got drafted to RAW, otherwise they would definitely have found their spots on the game now, because the last two years should have had them both on it.

^^^SmackDown!^^^

**Ashley**

From: New York, New York

Height: 5'5"

Weight: 112 lbs

Strength: 40

Submission: 45

Durability: 50

Technique: 55

Speed: 70

Charisma: 70

Hardcore: 45

Stamina: 70

Overall: 61

Finishers:

Starstruck, Diving Cross Body Pin 1

Ashley hasn't done much recently as she supported Paul London and Brian Kendrick as their manager for a while, since they were drafted, she was suspended by the chairman, Vince McMahon for spilling coffee on him. The real reason for this was because she was going to take time off to participate on a show called "Survivor".

Her overall fits her character very well, she doesn't wrestle much and most of her time is spent as a manger for other wrestlers in the WWE.

Her entrance has her come in with a lot of fan support, running to the ring, interacting with the audience by clapping their hands as she makes her way to the ring. Her 'Starstruck' finisher is a nice new elbow drop made just for her, its good to see that Yukes didn't just give her a generic existing one, and instead has her start her aerial special in the turnbuckle. The crossbody, on the other hand, is just the one found in past games.

Likeness: 9/10

I must say that I am not a fan of the facial model here, it doesn't quite fit the face of the Ashley we see regularly on SmackDown!, but it isn't a bad attempt, it's an improvement on last year's. The attire of a black top and camo(flage) skirt (with various accessories) is great and matches her usual wrestling gear.

**Batista**

From: Washington, D.C.

Height: 6'6"

Weight: 290 lbs

Strength: 95

Submission: 80

Durability: 95

Technique: 85

Speed: 70

Charisma: 90

Hardcore: 85

Stamina: 85

Overall: 94

Finishers:

Batista Bomb, Spinebuster 3

Batista is a big part of SmackDown!, and has been ever since he entered the WWE. As he is the size that he is, that isn't a surprise. Currently, he storyline revolves around attempting to capture the World Heavyweight Championship, which he did do after defeating The Great Khali.

When you use this superstar, you aim to grapple with your opponent, because there aren't many you can compete in a strength battle against Batista. He uses his power to the advantage and uses ground-and-pound to finish of the other wrestler in this game.

The entrance for Batista is nearly the same as last years, the main difference is that there are a few subtle movements added to it in order to make it more realistic, this includes warming himself up by shaking him arms as he comes down the ramp and various things such as this. The Spinebuster for Batista has been re-done and it seems to have a bigger impact on the opponent. The Batista Bomb on the other hand hasn't, and this is a big let-down because we have been asking for it for a couple of years.

Likeness: 9/10

Batista, with only single attire, is somewhat limited to how much he is like the character on-screen. He wears the black trunks with a silver 'B' on the back for the game, its new so it is better than having to stay with one attire that's been around for two years, but another would be preferred. His model also seems to be a little less built than his real-life body, which is known to be one of the biggest in the company. His facial model is spot-on though.

**Chavo Guerrero**

From: El Paso, Texas

Height: 5'9"

Weight: 210 lbs

Strength: 70

Submission: 80

Durability: 75

Technique: 85

Speed: 80

Charisma: 70

Hardcore: 75

Stamina: 80

Overall: 85

Finishers:

Frog Splash Pin 2, Gory Bomb 1

Chavo has been included in the programming lately after taking a break, due to Chris Benoit's passing. His storylines have been centered on the cruiserweight title, which he lost to Hornswoggle, and lately Rey Mysterio.

Fighting with Chavo is very fun as he isn't your typical cruiserweight; he has a greater amount of strength than traditional superstars of this weight class. As he is on the upper end of the division, at 210 lbs (10 lbs lighter than the Cruiserweight Championship qualifications), he is able to use this to his advantage. He does have high-flying abilities too, able to use moves he learnt whilst wrestling with Eddie Guerrero in his youth.

Chavo's newest entrance has him point repetitively around the arena as he makes his way to the ring. It was very much like his real-life ring-walk, but I didn't really enjoy it. The Gory Bomb, nor the frog splash, which was used by his uncle Eddie before, were re-made. I found this combination to be annoying, especially for the frog splash, because the game really needs a new one.

Likeness: 9/10

I feel that the face for this model is slightly off; the facial hair has little depth to it. The red attire that we were given was the one found in WWE SmackDown! Vs. RAW 2007. I would have preferred that they gave Chavo a new pear of tights for the new game, because he changes what he wears weekly, it doesn't have this impression when he were identical clothes two years in a row.

**Chris Masters**

From: Los Angeles, California

Height: 6'4"

Weight: 275 lbs

Strength: 90

Submission: 80

Durability: 80

Technique: 80

Speed: 70

Charisma: 80

Hardcore: 80

Stamina: 75

Overall: 87

Finishers:

Masterlock, Full Nelson Slam 1

Masters has been in a feud with a returning superstar, Chuck Palumbo, recently after he was drafted to SmackDown! from RAW, where he fought against talent such as Carlito, and others on this level, it shows that he isn't considered to have the ability to wrestle for titles at this time.

The overall rating for this superstar is fairly high considering his competition as of late. One of the things that I noticed was that his submission rating is quite low for someone who uses a submission for their finisher, (just because Lashley broke out of the Masterlock once doesn't mean his rating for that category should be altered this much).

Masters' entrance is extremely similar to last year's it is very slow and has him perform a multitude of poses along the ramp, as well as the "Masterlock Pose" on the middle rope. The Masterlock finisher is a new creation, it isn't too spectacular in terms of presentation, but what submission is, and the other finisher is the generic full nelson slam in other games.

Likeness: 10/10

I cannot speak more highly of the face given for Chris Masters, it looks very realistic as a face primarily, and as his own, it's exactly how it should be; flawless. He wears the same attire as last year, his own blue trunks with the personal black and white design on the front and back.

**Edge**

From: Toronto, Ontario

Height: 6'5"

Weight: 240 lbs

Strength: 70

Submission: 90

Durability: 80

Technique: 90

Speed: 90

Charisma: 90

Hardcore: 90

Stamina: 95

Overall: 94

Finishers:

Spear 5, Edgucution

Edge was drafted to SmackDown! after a long run on RAW, where he managed to win the WWE championship twice. Since those days, he wrestled on the other brand and was able to win the title parallel in value to this, the World Heavyweight Championship. Unfortunately, shortly after winning this, he was forced to give it away after tearing his pectoral.

Edge's rating is very high, and should be, considering how successful he has become after winning the Money in the Bank match in 2005. He is fun to use in the game because he is similar to Randy Orton, in that he is good at pulling dirty tricks in the game, in order to have a advantage over the opponent.

Edge has himself a new entrance; he comes with a lot of energy, speeding his way towards the ring, jumping up of the turnbuckle and taunting towards the crowd all the way through. It works very well. Edge' spear is just as in "WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007", where he goes into the corner and 'measures' the opponent, waiting for them to get to their feet, before he runs shoulder-first into their stomach. The Edgucution is a new one though, which is good to see. He starts with a big kick to the stomach (for the set-up), followed by a picking up the opponent to dive their head between his legs.

Likeness: 10/10

I am very impressed with the model for Edge, his face has been captured perfectly and the clothes e wears fit in well with what we see him wear regularly. We have him in his black "Rated R" tights with red designs. This year has him with his new star tattoos as well, with the big black one followed by a multitude of smaller ones on his upper arm

**Finlay**

From: Belfast, Ireland

Height: 6'2"

Weight: 235 lbs

Strength: 75

Submission: 85

Durability: 80

Technique: 90

Speed: 70

Charisma: 75

Hardcore: 80

Stamina: 85

Overall: 88

Finishers:

Celtic Cross, Air Raid Siren

Finlay has made quite an impact since he decided to start wrestling for the WWE in 2005. His gimmick of being a stereotypical Irishman is working, saying that he just loves to fight, this has translated into his style of wrestling, just beat down the opponent, nothing fancy, just everything to get the job done. Recently, he has been turning his attention to Kane.

I feel that all of the individual ratings given to Finlay are fair. I think that the highest one, found under technique, is correct to have a rating above 90 because he is so experienced and is able to reverse many grapples and strikes.

Just about everything is the same for Finlay as in "WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2007", this includes the entrance, which is just as last year, a slow walk with his shillelagh, which his places in the corner. His Celtic Cross is exactly the same animation as last year's, no changes (not that they're needed), but it is nice to see when you have a new game. The Air Raid Siren was in the game before; it's just a toned-down version of the Celtic Cross, no walking around.

Likeness: 9/10

I really do not like the face they gave Finlay this year, it just doesn't look right. Just about everything else in the model fits well though. He has his black overalls on with the green sides and a new shamrock design in the centre of it.

**Gregory Helms**

From: Raleigh, North Carolina

Height: 6'

Weight: 215 lbs

Strength: 75

Submission: 80

Durability: 75

Technique: 80

Speed: 75

Charisma: 70

Hardcore: 70

Stamina: 80

Overall: 86

Finishers:

Shining Wizard 8, Knee Facebuster

Even though Helms is out with two broken vertebrae, I still think its' fair that's he's in this game, his injury occurred in May, I would have thought that they would have taken his out of the game seeing that this is a considerable time before the release of the game, but from all he did before then he certainly had a big enough impact to qualify for a place in the game.

The attributes for this character a fair, even though he is a cruiserweight wrestler, he tends to be quite conservative in using his advantageous lean-ness whilst wrestling. The statistics he was given certainly reflect this, I also this that begin just a single point above Chavo is fair, because they are about the same in terms of wrestling skills.

Helms' entrance is nice, he has his new music, a he comes to the ring just as his cocky persona on-screen does. I liked his interaction with the crowd, making many gestures to them to taunt them and make them jeer him. I have always been satisfied by the variety of 'shining wizards' in this game, but it was still nice to see a new one in this game, he does it when the opponent is out on the floor, he stands beside them as they start to get up, and then, as he realizes their dazed state, he bounces off the rope for a big kick to the head. The knee-to-face buster is a vicious attack, when the opponent is sat in the corner, you can run to the rope o the other side; bounce back with a big knee to the temple. The animation is very clean and looks extremely realistic.

Likeness: 10/10

I like the attire for Gregory Helms very much; we have him sporting black trunks with the red and silver "GH" design on them. He also wears a bandana on his head, its a nice touch that could have been overlooked, but Yukes obviously saw that he wore it very often in late times.

**Kane**

From: Spain

Height: 7'

Weight: 326 lbs

Strength: 80

Submission: 80

Durability: 90

Technique: 80

Speed: 70

Charisma: 80

Hardcore: 80

Stamina: 75

Overall: 87

Finishers:

Chokeslam 1, Tombstone 2

I expected Kane to be in this game because there wasn't any reason to take him out from it: he's been active since the last game and has been involved in a headlining feud with Finlay. Since the last game, the major change with Kane is that he is now wrestling on SmackDown! after being involved in this year's draft and leaving RAW.

To me, it seems as though they have slightly under-rated Kane, there are some who have ratings above Kane who just aren't worthy of it. He should be 90 as a maximum. I feel that this will make it less fun to use him in the game, because you could use him as his gimmick suggests, a monster, but when there is a large proportion of superstars who are able to compete with him easily, this won't be possible.

I'm not sure what happened to this year's entrance for Kane, they did it all again from scratch and it has mad the actual walk look very strange, he does it as if he is puffing out his chest, but this isn't correct, Kane usually does a faint limp. Everything else is in order, something nice to see is that the rope doesn't go through his hand for once, a great advantage to next-generation games. for some reason, they decided to give Kane Undertaker's old Bad A$$ Tombstone, where he does the thumbs down after letting go of the opponent, they should have made him a new one.

Likeness: 10/10

The Kane for this year is basically the same as last year, he wears the same attire, the face hasn't changed, apart from the added detail, so everything is in order for Kane in "WWE SmackDown! Vs. RAW 2008".

**Kenny Dykstra**

From: Worcester, Massachusetts

Height: 6'4"

Weight: 250 lbs

Strength: 75

Submission: 80

Durability: 80

Technique: 80

Speed: 80

Charisma: 70

Hardcore: 70

Stamina: 80

Overall: 85

Finishers:

Diving Leg Drop 2, Neckbreaker 14

Kenny Dykstra is a new addition to the 'WWE SmackDown! series', despite the fact that he could have been in the game last year as either a member of the cheerleading crew, called the Spirit Squad, or as a singles competitor, because he had split from the group by then. That's all in the past now and he did manage to get into the game, so there are no problems. Lately he got drafted to RAW and has been teaming with Victoria.

Dykstra has fairly regular stats, nothing is too special. This is a clear representation of what the real character is like, not too good at anything in particular, but is a decent wrestler. From this you can tell that they have tried to make him as good as possible and as close to the true thing as you can get.

Dykstra enters the ring in an arrogant way, which could be likened to Randy Orton; I feel that it is a good enough to have as his entrance, because I haven't actually seen him make his way to the ring before. he comes with both arms up in the air, indicating that he is a top competitor, but from his overall, we can tell that he definitely is not. We have a new neckbreaker for this character, it contains a struggle, for realism, before twisting into a snap drop, we already had a move like this in the game before, but this one is slightly more realistic than the old one. I was very pleased to see a specialized leg drop for Dykstra, because his is so different, it has him grab his leg in mid-air before he slams it onto the chest of the opponent.

Likeness: 10/10

Dykstra has his black and blue 'KD' trunks on and this is what I expected to see him in. Yukes seem to have tried very hard to create Dykstra's face, because it is a bit odd, but the final result is strong representation of him.

**Mark Henry**

From: Silsbee, Texas

Height: 6'1"

Weight: 380 lbs

Strength: 95

Submission: 80

Durability: 95

Technique: 70

Speed: 50

Charisma: 65

Hardcore: 80

Stamina: 60

Overall: 83

Finishers:

World's Strongest Slam 2, Bearhug

As Henry has been in a high-profile feud with the Undertaker as of late, I feel that it was correct to have him appear in this game. He brings about a unique characteristic to the game, being the build he is. This makes the game much more fun as with the different body types, more potential is brought about.

Henry's style is to over-power the opponent, something not too difficult as he won a silver medal for weightlifting at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. This means that many of his attacks will be grapples designed to weaken the opponent, whilst not wearing him out too much, an efficient method of winning a match.

The entrance is basically the same as last year, very generic as he slowly walks to the ring in an intimidating fashion. The impact finisher for 'The World's Strongest Man' has been re-done, it no longer looks to have no power to it, because this year has him lift the opponent up to head-level before slamming the other wrestler to the mat below.

Likeness: 10/10

Last year the character model for Mark Henry had many flaws to it, the most evident being that he wasn't very proportional to other superstars and his face was nothing like what we saw when we watched WWE Friday Night SmackDown!. In my opinion all of these problems have been cleared up, he's much larger this time around and his facial hair appear to have much more depth. This has nothing to do with the time in between the two games, because his appearance has not altered in this year.

**Matt Hardy**

From: Cameron, North Carolina

Height: 6'2"

Weight: 225 lbs

Strength: 75

Submission: 80

Durability: 80

Technique: 85

Speed: 80

Charisma: 85

Hardcore: 85

Stamina: 85

Overall: 90

Finishers:

Twist of Fate 1, Twist of Fate 2

I feel that Matt Hardy had to be included as he has been a big storyline on SmackDown! as part of the WWE Tag Team Champions with his rival partner, MVP. Later on they lost these titles to The Miz and John Morrison.

I feel that Matt's attributes have been somewhat overrated as the overall is out of 90; I don't feel that he s about 90% of the best all-round superstar. Somewhere around the 86-88 regions would be more appropriate for him.

Matt's entrance is good. It's based on the one from last year, but it's obviously a new design. There are many subtle changes with make this appear to be much more life-like. His finishers fit him, but I was disappointed to find out that the Twist of Fate had not been reanimated.

Likeness: 10/10

I have no problems with this character model. He wears his camo bottoms as usual, so these nothing to complain about where his attire is concerned. his face is spot on too, so it's all good.

**Michelle McCool**

From: Palatka, Florida

Height: 5'10"

Weight: 122 lbs

Strength: 40

Submission: 60

Durability: 60

Technique: 70

Speed: 70

Charisma: 70

Hardcore: 60

Stamina: 70

Overall: 69

Finishers:

Spear 6, Backbreaker 14

This is McCool's debut to the SmackDown! Series, and I feel that it is time she got onto a game, she has been active since 2005, and she has wrestled for a considerable proportion of that time (the rest of the time she managed wrestlers).

McCool's overall is very high in the game, I would say too high, because she is only two below Melina, two-time Women's Champion, yet she is yet to accomplish anything in the company yet. The level of talent she usually competes against also reflects this, usually the divas who would have started by managing, rather than wrestling ones.

I enjoyed watching the entrance, everything about it has been done well, the best thing about it is the fact that she comes down with a prop' a ruler. The object is a reminder of her old job as a teacher; she taunts the crowd with it as she enters the ring, all very nice to see. The backbreaker that she uses is quite a viscous new animation. It has McCool pull the opponent by the hair, with the momentum forcing their back onto her knee.

Likeness: 10/10

I am very impressed with the model, all aspects of it are impressive and there is nothing to complain about from it. She wears her black single-sleeve top with black trousers

**MVP**

From: Miami, Florida

Height: 6'3"

Weight: 253 lbs

Strength: 85

Submission: 80

Durability: 85

Technique: 85

Speed: 75

Charisma: 80

Hardcore: 75

Stamina: 80

Overall: 85

Finishers:

Playmaker, Player's Boot

Montel Vontavious Porter has been a part of a major storyline in the WWE since last year. His debut against Kane was disappointing for Theodore Long who acquired him on a multi-million dollar contract and he failed to perform as the money displayed. Lately we have seen big improvements for him, as was able to capture the United States (U.S.) title, a championship he still holds, as well as a tag team belt. His style is based on his 'player' gimmick, something new and original to wrestling. This makes his overall character a fresh identity in the company, and an asset to the SmackDown! brand of the WWE.

The overall given to this superstar is what I consider to be very fair. Although he is the reigning U.S. champion and part of the WWE Tag Team champions, he doesn't wrestle fairly in order to achieve high ratings. The group who organized the assignment of the attributes did this well for this particular wrestler.

The entrance for MVP has been captured perfectly as he enters through the American Football-esque screen, in M.V.P. (Most Valuable Player) style. His ring-walk from then on has him walk with a cool limp, contrasting with his garish attire of a purple jumpsuit. The 'Playmaker' a re-animated version of the neck breaker Carlito used in previous additions, giving it a more personally feel. The turnbuckle big boot is a new addition also, used as MVP's 'Player's Boot'. It is a great creation as it has subtle details which make it seem very life-like, with a slight stumble as he steps back from it.

Likeness: 9/10

I must say that I was disappointed with the attire that they decided to use for MVP. Most created wrestlers from SmackDown! Vs. Raw 2007 used this attire so I felt that it was used too often, and now it's quite boring. This isn't a fault Yukes made, however they could have paid more attention to this, and chose a different costume for him.

**Rey Mysterio**

From: San Diego, California

Height: 5'6"