Fuck you, Gamespot.

[Subrick]

By far the biggest change to this year's game is the addition of fighting styles. This is a sort of classification of each wrestler type that gives wrestlers under each type specific abilities. For instance, powerhouse types like Batista can effectively "hulk up" when they fill up their energy meter and store a fighting style icon, which renders them impervious to strikes and makes all their grapple moves irreversible. Secondary abilities are also available. For instance, a powerhouse can also pull off stronger Irish whips that send opponents over the ropes. There are several different types of these styles, including technical wrestlers, high-flyers, brawlers, submission specialists, dirty fighters, showmen, and hardcore types.

For the most part, each of the abilities assigned to these different archetypes fit nicely into each wrestler's general moveset, but some have a tendency to appear overmuch over the course of a match, and in some cases, they also feel a little overpowered. The powerhouse's ability to just grapple at will tends to be a lot more effective at ending a match quickly than the high-flyer's ability to do surprise pins. Granted, there's always been that difference in effectiveness between wrestlers of this type, but these fighting styles just make those differences all the more pronounced. Not to suggest that you can't win with smaller, less powerful guys, but if you get caught in a flurry of punches from a brawler or a series of hard slams from a powerhouse, you're down for the count.

Beyond that significant change, the gameplay hasn't seen much alteration from last year's game. The same right analog stick-based grappling system is on offer, though the number of buttons you have to press to pull off a total-control grapple move has been lessened. The submissions system has seen a slight change, where both players use the right analog stick to respectively apply pressure or escape, but this doesn't add much dynamism to that particular component. This year's game does also add ECW into the mix, along with all the various hardcore-isms that go along with that. The ECW extreme rules match is available in all its glory, and weapons have been given a bit of an overhaul, specifically how you go about getting them from under the ring. There's a nifty little weapon wheel that pops up, letting you select among several different weapons, like tables, chairs, 2x4s wrapped in barbed wire--you know, the usual stuff. Also, you can set weapons on fire now, which is undeniably awesome.

Still, apart from this ECW-centric stuff, there's not much else to marvel at with the gameplay this year, especially considering all the holdover problems from previous games that plague this sequel. The artificial intelligence continues its downward spiral into utter boobdom, especially in any kind of gimmick match where weapons are prevalent. They'll constantly stand around, periodically flailing at another wrestler with a weapon and hoping for the best. Any match that has a ladder involved but nothing hanging above the ring to collect still results in a number of wrestlers constantly scaling ladders in the middle of the ring over and over again. Tag partners still sometimes forget that they're supposed to help you when you're in trouble, too. And now, with this new fighting style system, the AI has taken to relying on these various special moves to an almost irritating degree. How many times can one guy use the ref as a shield, or "hulk up" in a match? Apparently the answer is "too many."

Collision detection is still terrible as well. Body parts warp through one another and the ring regularly, and you'll often see wrestlers simply warp from one side of the ring to the other in place of certain transition animations, primarily during weapon-centric matches. All told, the animation engine really looks like it needs an overhaul. Even the general moveset is looking a bit stiff and flat these days. The good news is that the animation and clipping issues are really the only major blight on an otherwise sharp-looking game. The wrestler models are still some of the very best character modeling you'll see in a game, save perhaps for the still-hideous haircuts. You can tell that this game is still running on the engine built for the PS2, especially if you look and see the surprisingly small dip in overall visual quality in the PS2 version versus its current-gen counterparts, but even so, the lighting effects, crowd graphics, and just the overall sheen of the 360 and PS3 games shine through. The 360 version ultimately looks the best, as the PS3 iteration's frame rate isn't quite as steady, and the lighting looks a bit funny in spots. Interestingly, the PS2 version actually runs smoother as a whole than the PS3 version, though obviously the dip in overall visual quality in that version is pretty significant, as well.

Full Review

6.5? Fuck you, Gamesopt.

[CS]

Fuck you subrick.

[Subrick]

Fuck you, Jordan

[The Don]

I have to agree with The Canadian Cuntknuckle. Sadly SvR hasn't changed much, pretty much all they've done is make it prettier, tweek the controls and new fighting styles. Is that worth 60 bucks? No. Will I buy it? Quack quack.

24/7 Mode seems to pretty much be Superstar Mode from Madden with a wrestling twist to it. And don't get me started on GM Mode.

Hopefully THQ/Yukes look at the scores and listen to the fans. If this game sucks as bad as the last few have (2 months play life last year) I don't plan on getting the next one unless it gets outstanding scores.

[jitz]

It got poor reviews everywhere, i don't think it's scored above about a 7 on any of the major sites or magazine. I still bought it so I could lag with you guys in matches though.

Hopefully it's a waske up call that the SmackDown engine is a poorly aged PSOne engine that needs to be thrown out the window in favour of a newer next gen beast that they can use for another 3 console generations.

[CS]

Fuck you, Jordan

Ok, Rick.

WUCHA GUNNA DO NOW??!!

[bigpoppn]

It's Richard to you mister!

[Subrick]

I'm a Dick. Aren't I?

[bigpoppn]

Yes, you're a dick..

[Aero]

the only thing that gamespot overlooked in reviewing this game is the Smacktalks.org online league which obiously bumps it up to 9.5/10 (loosin the .5 for lagging) or 4Gs out of 5 if you will

[bigpoppn]

True.But how could they miss that?They're blind or something?

[The Don]

So after my first hour or so (three or four matches) I can say it's better tan last year, however my biggest issue ATM is that I've only stacked tables once (I haven't been able to get it since) and I wasn't able to put anyone through the flaming stack, one table is no problem but I can't get someone through both of them. I even send Ladyhawk a message asking how and he never replied back, thanks a lot buddy.

So yeah, I'm off to mess around in CAW then do some 24/7 before I pass out.

[Aero]

stacking 2 tables is easy.

to put someone through 2 tables you need to have a finisher built up, do a strong grapple then drag them over to the tables. press Y and there you go.

[FlashYorkHunt]

mine doesn't lag at all on my ps2

[Aero]

online? that may be because there are like only 2 ppl who play the ps2 online,

[bigpoppn]

OR because there isn't any online on the PS2..

[Aero]

that too.