Out of all the SmackDown vs Raw, WWE and 2K wrestling games I’ve played over the years, this instalment is undoubtedly my favourite, yet in popular opinion it isn’t the best game in any particular category. So lets review it! Firstly, lets consider the roster. This game was the first to include ECW as a brand, with it came many wrestlers such as Tommy Dreamer, Terry Funk, Sabu and Sandman. It also has an extensive legends roster, including favourites such as Bret Hart, Steve Austin and the Rock. It is notable for its absence of many 80’s stars however, such as Hulk Hogan, Ricky Steamboat and Jimmy Snuka. Furthermore, even with the 30 wrestlers that can be created, the overall figure works out to 76 wrestlers, lower than a range of its counterparts. The one area that this game excels in for me is in its variety of match types.
Pound for pound it has a bigger variety than any other game. It has a range of unique and innovative match types, such as Buried Alive and Hardcore matches, which admittedly overlaps slightly with ECW Extreme Rules. The only notable omissions are Inferno matches, Fall Count Anywhere and the Championship Scramble, its backstage matches are more limited but the one it does have- Parking Lot, is more developed and enjoyable than any other game has produced. SVR 2008 is seen as a poor game by many as its graphics hold it back, the matches are restricted, in that Royal Rumbles and Table Matches only have one set way to finish and how certain moves are unrealistic, namely Jeff Hardy flying off a turnbuckle into metal steps with no apparent injury! It should be noted though, that this game did bring out the new fight-style system and wrestler types, a huge improvement on the 2007 version. Whilst some may review this game with the snobbery of a 2K15 player, it should be remembered that in 2008 this game was about as graphically good as it gets! To conclude, this game does not have the biggest roster, the best graphics or every available match type.
Its 24/7 career mode was universally deemed a failure and its Create modes receiving mixed reception. I state it as the best game of the series however because the overall package in my opinion is unrivalled. It has a nostalgic yet modern feel to it that no others have. It has the simplest and most effective layout of all games. Its roster small but diverse allowing for enjoyable game play. Its challenge mode to unlock Hall of Famers is without doubt a great feature and whilst a weak Create and Entrance mode exists, the Create a Wrestler is quite possibly the best in the series. As a test I created Sting on each game, my most accurate coming from SVR 2008. A good feature is the ability to put up championships in exhibition mode, a fact crudely disposed of by SVR 2011. I have not thoroughly reviewed every aspect in this review, as it would take an age to read had that been the case. Ultimately I rank SVR 2008 as the best because it’s the most enjoyable to play, if not the most realistic. The 12 year-old me set up my own Wrestling Company using SVR as a base, it was easiest to do using SVR 2008. In fact SVR 2009 nearly put me off the series, thankfully the 2010 rendition was better!
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