THE GOOD:'¢ The Graphics are pretty good and the wrestlers look fairly realistic.
'¢ The new grappling system allows more moves to be used.
'¢ The Environmental hot spots make the game a bit more realistic.
'¢ GM Mode is pretty fun and has good replay value.
'¢ There are some good match types like Hell in a Cell and Elimination Chamber.
'¢ Multi-player with a friend is fun.
THE BAD:
'¢ Loading is very slow.
'¢ Season Mode is a repetitive and if you use different super stars then you will likely have to go through some of the same storylines.
'¢ The commentary has many faults.
'¢ There are many glitches as usual.
'¢ Not the best roster.
SUMMARY:
WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2007 is another game in the Smackdown v Raw series which has been popular for years. This year there were quite a few changes, some good and some bad.
Gameplay:
The gameplay is similar to that of all the previous games, but with a few extras. You play as a WWE Superstar and verse up to 5 other superstars at once, with a minimum of 1 opponent at once. You control every move, punches, grapples, counters and your finishing maneuver. You can go top rope or Irish Whip your opponent, basically you can do all the normal stuff you see in the WWE whilst watching tv at home. Every wrestler has a variety of grapples, strikes, top rope moves etc. There is a new grappling system which allows more grapples then ever. You can play in many match types from a one on one singles match or a tag team match, to a Hell in a Cell Match or Buried Alive match. You need to store up momentum to earn your finishing move, which can be the match winner. In some matches there are a variety of weapons including a steel chair, sledge hammer and tables and ladders, all which can be used to hurt your opponent. GM Mode is fun, you can make your own storylines up and get your own roster as you plan your show each week, and it is actually fairly challenging. There is also Season Mode and Challenge Mode, Season mode doesn't have much replay value, and Challenge mode has a few challenging challenges. Overall the game play is nothing less then you would expect from a wrestling game, but there is still much more that could be added for someone who wants perfection.
Graphics:
The graphics in this game are great, the best so far out of the series. All the wrestlers look very realistic, and the animations of entrances etc are good. You can make wrestlers in Create a Wrestler and make them look similar to your friends even.. just more muscular. The cut scenes are okay, not great though, and could be improved. If you are looking for a wrestling game with good graphics this is definitely a good one to consider.
Comentary/Audio:
The music for this game is okay, it just depends on your opinion really. The crowd sound good, as do the sound effects whilst wrestling and the entrance music. The wrestler voices are not all that great though. The main problem though is the commentary. It is incredibly glitchy, and you may notice Jim Ross going "Stone Cold Stunner!!" when Stone Cold is not even in the match. There is not a big enough variety of commentary and it is very repetitive, but if you just ignore this you can still enjoy yourself while playing the game.
Controls:
The controls are a bit different from last year, but I say they are the best controls so far, and they are easy to get the hang of. It makes grappling a lot better, and everything in general is either the same as last year or better.
Online/Multi-player:
Once you are bored of versing all the wrestlers, and are finding it to easy to win and have beat all the challenges, then there is always multi-player or online mode. They are both fun, the only problem would be if your online was slow. It makes it a lot more challenging and you get the opportunity to win custom championship belts and defeat your friends' created wrestlers, or you can team up together. Multi-player/Online is a feature that adds a lot of lasting value to the game.
Summary:
I found the game very enjoyable, and it will surely last me for years to come. There is plenty to improve on, but I recommend it to any wrestling fan who would be interested in playing a wrestling game, and is not to worried about all the small glitches.
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