theman61890's Full Review: WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007 for PSP
I bought a PSP when it originally came out and I must say that I was very satisfied with it. I had bought three games for it which were NBA Live 08, Ratchet and Clank : Size does Matter, and Smackdown vs Raw 2007, which i bought to compliment my version for the Playstation 2. The PSP is a handheld system, but because of its capabilities it does not play like one. I must say that this wrestling game was a great surprise. Too bad i had to sell this along with the other two games after I bricked my PSP, sucks that insurance does not cover bricked psps, arghhhhhhhh...
Graphics
The graphics in this game are pretty good. If you have the PS2 version of this game, you'll immediately notice that the background animations on the main menu are gone in the PSP version. This is no big deal, but it is really noticeable if you have both versions. Now into a regular wrestling match. the animation of the moves are pretty solid, well most of the time. The only move that i have seen performed badly, animation wise, was a tornado ddt from the corner. The crowd looks good in this game but it is alot smaller than the ps2 version of this game, again no big difference. The character models all look good except for their celebrations in the end when the wrestlers look dumbfounded after winning a match. I also enjoyed the animations and character models of some of wrestlers during cut scenes in the game that stem from the season mode. The wrestlers entrances are also very good and very life like. Overall the handheld capabilities, well graphically anyways, for the PSP were really utilized to its fullest extent.
Sound
The sound, like the graphic is also well done. There is commentating in the PSP version, which can be benefiting or detrimental depending on how you look at it. I thought it was something beneficial since the commentating sucked in 2007. Instead of commentating, it was replaced with the game's soundtrack, which is the same soundtrack from the Playstation 2 version of the game. The music plays lightly in the background as the match is fought, you can always change the volume of the music in the options to fit your liking. The wrestlers theme music also sound crisp and well done. The only song i did not like was Jake the Snakes which sounded to scratchy when compared to his old WWF theme from years ago. I also enjoyed the wrestlers voice overs which were for the most part pretty good as you hear them during the plethora of modes. You cant really complain about the sound, pretty solid stuff.
Gameplay
The controls in this game are pretty good. But since the lacking of a second analog stick the controls were slightly changed when compared to the PS2 version. So if you have played the version for Playstation 2 don't expect the controls for the PSP to be the same, but if you have not played the Playstation 2 version your fine. The learning curves is about 5 or 6 matches, about two hours, to really master full control of the control configuration that has been set in place.
This game, even though it is a handheld has a bazillion modes to choose from. First off the exhibition mode. You have the typical single and tag matches but you can also duke it out in cells, cages, and on top ladders. One downfall to having these matches is that every special mode ( cage, hiac, ladder match) all have glitches such as you cant jump off the top of the hell in the cell when your opponent is on the floor. But environmental hot spots make up for some glitches. These hot spots lets you do things like bang your opponents head into the steps, or break their hand across the steel ring post. This game has most of the modes of its counterpart on the PS2, which is truly a great feat of achievement by Yuke, the company that made the game.
Season Mode
In season mode you duke it out with a superstar of your choosing. You progress though storylines as you try to gain enough credibility to gain a title shot. The cut scenes are fun to watch as they always pertain to your character. The cut scenes are very good in this game since the character models look great and the voice acting in this game sounds better than it does in the Playstation two version, which is a great surprise.
General Manager Mode
This mode lets you be the general manager of one of the brands. This lets you choose the roster you want and the mode lets you create your own matches. This mode was created essentially for you to battle against your rival brand in a duel of ratings to see which brand, Raw or Smackdown can gain the grander fan base. This mode allows for you to sign, draft and release talent in order to take down your rival whether that being Smackdown of Raw.
Create Modes
There are create a wrestler and create a stable modes. the create a wrestler mode lets you create a wrestlers with a bunch of outfits and accessories. One downfall is that this game removes about 100 moves when compared to the PS2 version, this gives you less moves to attribute to your created wrestler. You can also build a stable, which is just putting a group of wrestlers in a single group.
This game feature about 30-40 WWE superstars and a dozen more are unlockables. Among the wrestles you can unlock are legends such as Shane O Mac, Stone Cold, Rock, the Hulkster, mankind and etc. You can also unlock different attires for many of the superstars. Also this game offers you over 15 different arenas to fight in, but you do have to unlock a great percentage of them.
The BAD
Of the things that will get you frustrated is the lag. Once in a while the game freezes for a few seconds and you'll hear the system buffering. Something the game will unfreeze, but sometimes it wont making you restart our PSP. I found that this happened alot when your going for pins, the 1-2-3 count always lasts for much more than 3 seconds which is really frustrating. This might sound bad, but considering that it happens maybe once every 12-15 matches it is not that bad.
Along with the lagging, the glitches in some matches will make you angry. You cannot do specials off the top of a hell in a cell, which is the sole reason i play that type of match. Which brings me to the artificial intelligence. During some matches they are just stupid, like in the aforementioned Hell in a cell, sometimes they climb up the cell and fall off the side on their own accord, which is funny, yet very stupid of them. I also found that ladder matches run very slow when more than one person climbs a ladder, sometimes the game freezes during the ascent for the belt which could really get on your nerves.
There's a PSP exclusive feature in this game as well, which should repent for some of the errors. Since there is no
on-line play, there is ad-hoc. This means that you can play with people whom are located around you but not those who are connected to you by online means. This new mode is called the Road to WrestleMania mode. There are four subsets of this mode who are Money in the Bank, Smackdown vs Raw, King of the Ring and Road to WrestleMania. All of these are tournament modes, so if you like tournaments this mode is for you. Pretty fun mode to play with friends.
Replay Value
This game has a high replay value. You can play an exhibition match or tackle the season mode until you unlock everything. Like most wrestling games this game will have you playing for a very long time, and if your a big wrestling fan you might be playing this one for years since it is probably the best handheld wrestling game besides Fire Pro Wrestling for the gameboy advance.
Overall I recommend this game. A deep roster and a great assortment of matches will keep you playing. There are also other great modes like the season mode that will just enhance your play. This game also uses the full capabilities of the PSP, hence the great graphics and fantastic sounds of the game.
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