Gameplay
The demo currently available on the marketplace allows you to play as Kane or Triple H in a no DQ match. One of the first things you’ll notice is that the controls are very different from previous Smackdown games. Grapples are now controlled with the right analog stick. Up, down, left, and right each correspond to a different grapple and once you get into a grapple you push another direction to perform a move. This takes a lot of getting used to and I’m not really convinced that it is better, just different. Hopefully there will be an option to go back to the old style of controls, but if there isn’t we’ll learn to love this one. Strikes, running, and searching around the ring for weapons are handled just like before.
Graphics
Of course, the biggest change you’ll find this year, on the 360 version at least, is that the graphics are absolutely gorgeous. The character models are insanely detailed and look great. The arenas and crowd also look better than ever. A nice touch is that the wrestlers sweat as the match goes on and it looks very realistic. This isn’t the nasty thick looking sweat like in the Xbox RAW games, this is entirely realistic.
Features
The final version of SvsR2007 will feature dozens of current superstars and WWE legends. The match types will include all of the regulars – TLC, Hell in a Cell, Royal Rumble, and more – along with new stuff like the WrestleMania Money in the Bank match. You’ll be able to enter exhibition matches, a career mode, and the GM mode where you are in charge of one of the shows. It will also, of course, include the full suite of customization modes and options that the Smackdown series is known for. One huge omission in the Xbox 360 version is that you will not be able to use custom your own custom music for character entrances. This is a major oversight and THQ should be ashamed for not including it.
Bottom Line
Overall, WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2007 is looking and playing pretty good. The demo does a good job of introducing the new controls and letting you take a look at the new graphics, and if you area WWE fan I highly recommend giving it a download. This is literally the first good wrestling game to grace an Xbox system, and for that reason alone it would be worth checking out. Luckily for all of us, it should actually play pretty good too and we won’t have to suffer through another WrestleMania 21 incident.
