Genre: Fighting
Publisher: THQ
Developer: Yuke's Media Creations
Release Date: November 11, 2008

When Midway announced that it was planning on bringing the TNA wrestling franchise to consoles with the recently released Impact, I was pumped for two reasons. First off, it was an opportunity to get into the ring with a new federation that sported new rules and a new roster, but I also secretly hoped that competition would be the onus needed for THQ to finally fix some of the nagging issues plaguing the Smackdown vs. Raw franchise. I don't know if Impact was the secret catalyst that finally brought about the creation of a much-improved WWE game, but I do know that this year's SvR may very well be the best yet, and wrestling fans should most definitely jump on board with this grappler.

While last year's entry in the series may not have been perfect, it did a lot of things right, and all the franchise's previous successes are on display once again. WWE: Smackdown vs. Raw '09 brings back the highly intuitive grapple system, allowing players to lock up opponents and dish out pain with the simple flick of the right analog stick. Also back is limb-specific damage, meaning that it's once again possible to target specific areas of your foe's body in order to soften him up for an easy pin or wear down his limbs before you go for a crippling submission hold. These staples of the game worked splendidly last year, and thankfully they didn't end up left on the cutting room floor this time around.

Also back is the momentum meter, which fills every time you land an attack on your opponent. As expected, once the meter is full, you can unleash a finisher, but this year, there's a new wrinkle for those wanting to dish out even more pain. As most wrestling fans know, their favorite superstars often have two or three moves that they don't use as "finishers" per se, but rather as go-to attacks during the course of the match. Attacks like John Cena's Five Knuckle Shuffle or Undertaker's Old School can now be accessed as Signature Moves, which are earned by tapping a couple of buttons when the momentum meter is full and can then be deployed anytime the proper conditions are met later in the match. It's a great touch for players who earn an attack early and can't quite put away their foe with one blow, as well as those who just like to go through the full repertoire during a match.

The thing is, the basic matches have never been a real weakness for SvR, but the game's shortcomings were on display when it came to the somewhat lackluster game modes. THQ has always seemed to face a constant struggle when it comes to crafting a worthwhile career mode, and previous experiences have often led to ridiculous story lines where wrestlers are arbitrarily assigned rivals for no good reason and the entire experience is just the same thing over and over regardless of who's lacing up the boots. That's all been fixed this year, though, as THQ has crafted the excellent Road to Wrestlemania mode. While the game may sacrifice a bit of creativity in the name of a coherent story line, it's all worth it once you dig in and start playing.

Road to Wrestlemania puts you in the shoes of one of seven WWE Superstars, each with his own unique plot and rivals. Choosing Triple H, for instance, puts you on a path where you eventually choose to reunite either Evolution or Degeneration-X, depending on who you side with over the span of a few months. The other grapplers get just as loving a treatment, with Chris Jericho trying to track down a masked assailant, the Undertaker once again being plagued by his power-sapping urn, and John Cena dealing with MVP's lack of patriotism when he secedes from the U.S. to create "Better-Than-U-Topia." A lot of work went into creating the Road to Wrestlemania, with each event featuring dramatic intros and conclusions, and ringside announcers who are up to date on all the latest drama in your character's particular personal struggle. It may not be the "pick a wrestler, take on the world" model we're used to, but in many ways, it's so much better.

Those looking for a more traditional experience will find it in Career mode, where you can either take a current superstar and put him through the paces or create one of your own. The game features a dynamic stat system where your performance in the ring determines which attributes go up every match, leaving you with a character truly crafted to your play style. In addition, there are a number of special attributes that will be unlocked as you meet certain criteria while playing. For instance, kicking out of a pin attempt when you have several body parts in the orange (danger) status will net you the resilience attribute, making it harder for foes to keep you down for a three count.

Each wrestler can obtain up to six of these special perks, allowing you to round out your character even more fully. Sadly, though, beyond developing your superstar, there's not much to Career mode, as the rest of it simply consists of picking an opponent, duking it out and then being awarded stars at the end based on your performance. Once you attain enough stars, you can challenge for a #1 contender slot with a special match stipulation, and if you're victorious, you get your title shot. The mode then ultimately comes down to the somewhat-boring belt collection and doesn't really have a whole lot to offer. THQ smartly decided to emphasize the Road to Wrestlemania this year, which is great because if Career mode were the showcase, we'd be left with yet another hollow shell of a game.

Finally, there's a special emphasis on tag- team matches this year, and once again this game delivers where others have fallen short. AI behavior has been significantly tweaked so your CPU partner is now much smarter about running in to break up pins, grabbing opponents who wander too close to your corner and generally behaving like a real partner rather than a worthless bot.

Teamwork also takes on newfound emphasis with team finishers and "hot tags" showing up to make the whole affair feel more realistic. The hot tags are especially fun, as they recreate the big swings of momentum that are paramount to these types of matches. By simply holding down a directional button, the teammate outside the ring can start juicing up the crowd and calling for his partner to make the big tag. Once he does, the now-legal man comes flying into the ring and, through a series of timed button presses, lays out both members of the opposing team and lands a big finishing maneuver. Just like the real thing, it's a great way to turn the tide when victory seems to be slipping away.

SvR '09 has included the new Create-a-Finisher and WWE Highlight Reel to further enhance the title. Create-a-Finisher is exactly what it sounds like, allowing you to string together a series of moves in order to craft your own attack of ultimate destruction. Sadly, due to animation restrictions, not all moves are completely compatible with one another, so you can't fully let your imagination run wild, but the editor is still pretty robust, and you shouldn't have too much trouble replicating the sweet moves you pull on your roommate when you've been drinking and feel a little rowdy.

The Highlight Reel serves as a vehicle for those who like to show off, allowing you to take a match and then edit it together into a compilation of great moments complete with transitions, effects and other editorial touch-ups. Now whenever you want to relive the time you dominated your buddies in a Triple Threat match or go back to the moment when you dragged an online opponent through the flames in the new Inferno match, you can. You can also edit the whole thing so it shows off only your amazing moves and not the times you nearly lost due to excessive taunting or walking right into a finisher you should have seen coming.

SvR has always done a terrific job when it comes to capturing the animations and likenesses of real WWE talent, and this year is no different. The character models are spot-on, and the grappling and striking are more polished than ever. There are a few hiccups, though, as clipping will always be present in games like these and certain animations, particularly those involving the championship belts, still don't look quite right. It's nitpicky, but it's one of those areas where the game just falls a bit short.

Whether it was the desire to stay one step ahead of TNA Impact or just the realization that things were getting stale, THQ and Yuke's really stepped up this year and delivered a terrific wrestling game in WWE: Smackdown vs. Raw '09. The new Road to Wrestlemania mode finally builds a viable vehicle to tell the types of stories that one only finds in professional wrestling, with a smart eye toward rivalries and character dispositions rather than the slapped-together garbage that seems to plague every other game dealing with similar subject matter. Also, the improved tag-team mechanics are much appreciated, as are the nifty new Create-a-Finisher and Highlight Reel, which allow you scratch the creativity itch. If this is the future of the franchise, then we're in store for a lot more great action down the road. Let's just hope this is the sign of multiple title reigns and not just a one-night affair.

Score: 9.0/10