First off, let me say at face value this game looks great and is pretty fun. By no means am I saying don't play it. However, if you have played other games in the Smackdown franchise you are in for some frustration. You definitely want to rent it first.
There are so many mistakes which are just plain sloppy. There are some of the same glitches that were in SVR 2006, including the biggest bonehead move of the music stopping before the entrance is over. Every time that happens I turn red with anger because it's such an easy mistake to catch in the debugging process the first time, but to put out a whole new game with the same problem? Wow...just wow. Which means that THQ didn't rebuild the features or the gameplay for the 360 version...they used the old game engine and didn't even bother to fix the OBVIOUS mistakes.
They have truly lost their way in taking pride in their work. Half of the create a superstar parts cannot have the color changed or can have it changed very little. Some of the old parts are missing and the new ones aren't anything special. Certain layers can't go on top of others anymore, such as wristbands or elbow pads on top of shirts, even if they are skin tight. So characters you have created for several games in a row will not look right.
The new game play is a joke to most long time fans. It benefits those that have never played the game before and slaps those of us that have for 9 years in the face. You have to do moves WITH THE ANALOG which feels completely unnatural and is INCREDIBLY easy to counter. The countering system itself has been totally changed, and there are certain players online that have it figured out to a science. I am really damn good at this game and there are some online players who can manipulate the new timing to where I'll be lucky to hit them once.
Probably the most frustrating thing for me is they didn't bother to take advantage of the capability of the 360. You can't load your own entrance music, which everyone thought was a given. Again, most of the mistakes are just plain lazy and that is what makes them so bad. For years everyone I know that plays this game would like to be able to do moves on a chair or stairs. How easy would it be to have a second result for moves if they are done over an object? The 360 is far beyond capable...they just didn't want to do the work. And rest assured, the load times are just as shockingly long for the 360 as they are for PS2. Basically the 360 version is the same game with a sharper picture. Don't think for a second you are getting a next gen wrestling game.
For what I'm used to in a Smackdown game, 4 out of 10 is being generous. The first WWE for a next gen system and they took no pride in their work. Not fixing glitches from the old games, making totally new mistakes, and the ridiculous amounts of limitations is sure to let down anyone who has come to respect the THQ over the years.
I think they are focusing more on their bottom line than the quality of their games. It's a very sad thing to see such impressive pioneers fall like this. Here's hoping they remember what's important and actually try next year.
