Review of SmackDown vs. RAW 2009

For a few weeks, I have been playing SmackDown vs. RAW 2009 on PS2, the Nintendo Wii, and the Nintendo DS. In the spirit of the site, I have decided to do this review in the form of a triple threat match. The scenario of this triple threat match reminds me of the WWE Championship match at Survivor Series 2008. However, the quality of this game is far superior to anything that happened in that match.

For those that don't remember the Survivor Series, the triple threat match was originally Triple H defending the WWE Championship against Jeff Hardy and Vladimir Kozlov. Jeff was knocked out earlier in the day and never made it to the ring. After Triple H and Vladimir battled for a while and it appeared that Triple H was going to win the match, Edge came out and won the match.

Nintendo DS = Jeff Hardy
The best thing I can say about this game is that it kept me busy while I was in situations that I would have been tremendously bored in otherwise. It was a nice diversion while I was commuting. As far as a game goes, it wasn't really that good. There wasn't really that much differentiation between the moves of the wrestlers. The other two versions I am comparing this to have so many more features to them that this game didn't even make it to the arena for this match.

Just as the Survivor Series match started off with Triple H vs. Vladimir Kozlov, this battle was really between the PS2 and the Wii.

Wii = Vladimir Kozlov
Just as Vladimir was new to the PPV scene for this match, this is only the second WWE game for the Wii system. While this game is much better than the DS version, it really can't compare to the PS 2 version of the game. I have found in my experiences with the Wii that games made exclusively for that system are better than games that are made for multiple gaming systems. That theory holds true for this game also.

PS2 = Triple H
This version of the game featured more options than the other two including an inferno match. I found the game play much better on this system than the other two.

However, this version of the game, as well as all the other two versions, has an issue of a less than optimal playing roster. All these games deal with the present WWE roster. Since the game was made, nine of the characters in the game have been released from the company. It is this flaw in the game that has allowed another competitor to sneak into this match.

Just as I was about to declare the PS2 the winner, I came across an ad at the back of my cheat guide. This spring, Legends of WrestleMania will be released. That game will only be available on the XBox 360 and the PS 3. One of the features of the game is that it will allow you to import the characters from SmackDown vs. RAW 2009 into that game. If you want to see how a current WWE Superstar would fare against 1987 Andre the Giant, none of the three versions of the game I reviewed will allow you to do that.

XBox 360 & PS 3 = Edge
Just as Edge sneaked in at the last moment to claim the championship, the same thing has happened here. If I had every video game console on the market, I would recommend buying the game on either the PS3 or XBox 360.