PS3 vs 360 - Smackdown vs Raw 2008 Review

My martial arts background leaves me a little less accepting of the fake sideshow soap opera known as "Professional Wrestling". That said, I must say that collecting the physical form of that sideshow and hurling it into a video game is where it's at. You'd think that the TV show would have been based off a video game...not the other way around with how ridiculous it is.

Anyway, I've got the PS3 and 360 versions in my mitts. I was going to try to try to do a comparison...but the two versions are neigh indistinguishable aside from the onscreen controller instructions. I did notice that the PS3 version had a few more noticeable jaggies, but it wasn't anything horrendous. I attribute this to playing in 720p (PS3 doesn't upscale). The 360 version upscales to 1080p, but the colors take a little hit because of it (but less jaggies). As usual, the 360 version has achievements, so I'd tip in its direction.

Continue reading...

I decided to give SvR the "noob test". I let my button-mashing room mate give it the first go. Since the controls revolve around thumbstick movements more than button presses, his patience wore thin quickly. The controller almost became the next hole-in-the-wall; it was that bad. In short, the game is not noob-friendly, and it does not walk new-comers through on how to play the game very well.

Since I'm more comfortable with the current generation of games, my attitude was quite a bit different. I was slamming and flipping around with Mysterio within minutes. Most of the slams were cringe inducing, more so than expected. It was rather liberating, and it puts a game like Rumble Roses in its place (the forgotten Bargain Bin).

The character models are impressive; the developers captured most of the characters' details. However, uncomfortable polygon collision is a bit common here, along with some disappointing transitional animations. Don't expect much from the crowd either, but we don't' care about the background. The "superstars" are all that matters here.

The 24/7 career mode seems to cover the right bases. There's plenty of modes/match types to keep players going. Beyond that, creating your own wrestler and running the ropes will probably leave for quite a bit of play value. Unfortunately, creating a noob means for some potentially aggravating losses. The dedicated won't have a problem with it, however.

Even though wrestling fans don't have a lot of options for games, SvR 2k8 should fulfil their slamming needs. The character models enhance the experience for those with favorites, and the slams will leave real spectators crowingly entertained. Fans will not be disappointed here in either version of this pummel-fest.

Fan-worthy:
-Excellent detail on character models
-Cringe-inducing moves
-"Legendary superstars" available for play

SLAMS:
-Questionable transitional animations
-Not "noob" friendly; controls could be better
-Polygon collision is too common

Resembles/Feels like: An improved version of SvR 2007 with improved features
Rent or Buy: Buy for wrestling fans
Personal Appraisal: $49.99
MSRP: $59.99

Other Opinions:

7/10 (360 version) TeamXbox
7.5/10.0 (PS3 version) IGN
4.5/5.0 (360 version) GamePro
(no scoring system) (PS3 version) VideogameVagabond.com