WWE SmackdownVsRaw is back, and besides some small but nice improvements its the same but fun thing all over again
Graphics:
SMVR07 was a pretty game , it had the new "sweat system" , some new blood stuff , and improved cut-scenes(some ppl can say that the cut-scenes itself were bad..) any way,this years the games graphics looks even more good in HD , the intros looks awesome (fireworks etc), my personal taste is that the models are a bit to much "ripped" , especially guys like carlito , orton , undertaker but overall its just a way to give the fans more "precision" to it.... i dont take this as a big problem.
Sound:
This aspect is probably the worst aspect in SMVR08 , some of the cool sounds like the chops , finishers and stuff like that , kinnda downgraded alot , and since smvr06 , u have like 3 wrestlers type of "getting hurt" , one sounds just like hhh , one like a generic one and the 3rd like someone with a bad voice , anyway i would wanna hear some more personal sounds for hits , moves , taunts (flair woo , hunter's dx suc* it or something , orton's cockiness when doing any stomping\knee drop moves , MVP's Ballin etc..), and still some of the stuff that are still from smvr06 like chairs ,tables , ladders sound just right. the one thing that is just aweful is all the commentaries in the game, now that JBL (well was in that time) SD! commentator, i thought they will give him some new lines (more than TAZZ's one , but besides personalised wrestler lines like orton , hhh ,evolution , undertaker ,shawn hbk-has been kid and more it sounds the same lines that Tazz had last year).
Gameplay:
Well , SMVR08 gaved us "Styles" for new things up , but besides some cool hardcore moves (and thank god 2-3 more animations) , most of the styles just ruined the gameplay with some bad downgrading movelists ,finishers, and having only 2 slots for moves (even though in the wwe most of the wrestlers dont use more than 5 moves but still , it was a nice feature in smvr07) and 2 ucms moves (ultimate control moves that were brought from 2007 when it debuted).
overall the gameplay is somewhere not what it supposed to be , SMVR08 could have been alot better if THQ and WWE didnt cut alot of wrestlers from the years roster , downgraded the movelist , some bad calls in the "styles" and overall very linear and short STORY MODE , even though it was aweosme for the first time (with caw) , the secodn and the third time is getting repetetive and boring after a while , even the GM mode from last year is here, but overall it seems like its the same old thing with some small improvements and some decent fun.
HOF MODE-this mode gives some decent time spending playing the game , u will need to unlock more events and areas trhough some challenges like defeating DX (HHH ,HBK) in a tag team match , winning MITB match , finishing GM MODE in 100% (getting GM of the year) and some direct challenges , even though its fun and giving some replay value , its not the same as the SMVR07 big and hard list of challenges.
Conclusion:
SMVR08 is a very good game for wrestling fans and party game (4 players),it has a new match (ECW extreme rules which have awesome new weapons) and some reanimated finishers (2 new RKO'S (standing and from the rope) , Tombstone piledrivers , Kane chokeslam, Batista Spinebuster, HBK Sweetchinmusic got nopin SCM and new Pin finisher with the new laying ending which is nice and overall some good reanimated stuff , too bad they downgraded the ammount of moves.