Wrestling as television watching may have passed me by. I stopped watching in June of this year after the Chris Benoit murder-suicide incident and I can't really even express why. All I know is that, though I know that the show must go on no matter what, it just didn't feel right this time. I haven't missed it a whole lot since.
However, I own the last three installments of the Smackdown vs. Raw series and enjoyed all of them. Despite the fact I haven't kept up with the latest storylines doesn't mean I still can't enjoy the video game, right?
I could've just went the easy route and rented it for the PS2 and all would have been well, I'm sure. But I bought a Nintendo Wii and I wanted to see what it would be like on a console that wasn't made with the hardcore gamer in mind. About 10 minutes later, I was severely disappointed.
Having read a professional review, I knew that it was not only going to be completely different (duh), but that it was obviously a game taking its first baby steps on a new and innovative gaming system. This, I found out after two matches, was the understatement of the year.
My first complaint is that there was no tutorial mode in the game. For most consoles, this is not a problem. Either you've been playing the game for such a long time that you know most of the controls like the back of your own hand or you can pick them up easily by reading the manual. This is not the case with the Wii. Reading is not the same as doing it on the screen. Every other game I've played so far has some kind of directions on screen so that you can get a feel for what you're doing. Oh no, not on Smackdown vs. Raw 2008. That would only make sense.
(Full disclosure: When I first put the game in, I didn't see that Blockbuster had so graciously included a manual. Feel free to call me a dumbass now.)
So without any preparation, I ended up flailing around like a dumbass trying in vain to execute something other then a punch or kick. I was ready to not play the game anymore. But I am a stubborn bastard, so I played on after reading the manual for some tips. This did not improve things.
The review I read said that the game lacks depth, and it definitely does. There are only five types of matches, and all but one (hardcore) are your standard fare. In this day and age, that is inexcuseable... though I won't hold it too hard against the developers because it is the first time out on a new console.
So, what about the actual gameplay? That's not all that great either. The game lacks fluidity, and that has as much to do with the lame motion control as anything else. Essentially it's a button-masher without the buttons. Instead of body damage, there is a single health bar. Once that bar runs down, you can either pin the opponent or try to make him submit. Most of the time it's a win for you. This may be fine for little kids, but for older fans of the game it's fucking lame and goes against everything you've ever known about wrestling.
To add to that shortcoming, finishers don't work the same here either. Instead of having to execute enough moves to have the ability to hit a finisher, you instead simply need to beat your opponent enough. That may sound like the same thing, but it's really not. It seemed like at any point in the match the "Hit A+B for finsiher" sign came on, and then the match was all but over.
The graphics are passable, but nothing to write home about. (Nothing more to add, just thought I should note it.)
Finally, there's the "season" mode, known as "Main Event" on the Wii. It's not like the season mode on other consoles, in that there's no storylines to speak of and you pretty much do everything on your own. This lack of structure is both good and bad. On the one hand, what the hell good is wrestling without the storylines? Not much, obviously. But there is some good to be had in this mode. You can make your own matches, ask for title shots, and train to increase attributes.
You work your way up through the ranks by winning matches. This can be satisfying and repetitive, because at first you can only have matches with a few wrestlers. I may fucking hate Gene Snitsky, but I can only beat him so many times before I get sick of him. I've admittedly only played for a couple of days, but I can safely say that this mode shows promise if it can be combined with the season mode available on other platforms.
Overall, I can kind of agree with the review's assessment that this game was a good first step. It definitely shows promise, but a lot of areas are in dire need of improvement. The controls suck. The lack of matches is completely lame. The gameplay in the ring lacks depth. In short, I sure as hell wouldn't buy this game, at least not for the Wii.
****
So, does my opinion of Smackdown vs. Raw 2008 mean that the Wii is a failure of a console? Maybe to Xbox and PlayStation fanboys it does, and they have valid reasons for trashing the Wii. However, I think each console serves its own purpose. In the case of the Wii, that purpose is fun, simple games that anyone and their grandmother can play.
The problem with SD vs Raw 2008 (and Madden, and NBA Live) is that motion controls, for the most part, aren't at all intuitive. Sure, throwing a pass or attempting a powerbomb seems like it should work. Sometimes it does. Most of the time, however, it fails miserably.
I understand that the Wii is a hot commodity right now, and every game developer under the sun wants a piece of the action. That's fine. What's not fine is that they think that they should incorporate motion controls into every facet of the game, even when it doesn't work. A good motto is "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." I believe in that in the case of the Wii. It's all right if not every action on the screen is determined by my waving of the remote. Please, for the love of God, STOP IT!
Barring the actual improvement of controls (and I have my doubts) perhaps they should just quit it with the unintuitive sports games. Bowling, golf, and baseball work fine on the Wii, but those aren't exactly action-packed. That may seem like it doesn't leave a whole lot in the way of good games on the Wii, but I beg to differ.
Wii has never been about graphical prowess -- if you want that, go for PS3 or XBox 360 -- but about games that you can pick up and play, especially with a group of people. Anyone who knows my gaming habits knows that I prefer to play alone. But the Wii is a different animal. I'm always up for a game of Wii Sports Bowling or The Bigs, and even though most of the mini-game fests that are en vogue right now are lame, I'll usually try my hand at those as well. Fun can be had for the casual gamer like myself on Wii, and that's where the console shines.
Wii certainly has its faults -- it's infancy as a console has as much to do with it as the dumbass programmers who think everything needs to be motion controlled -- but it also has its merits. Because of that, I'm not ready to give up on my $250 investment just yet.
