It's got you in a submission.. Do you go for the ropes or just tap out? I'll let you decide...
There's not much story to the game... It's Wrestling you know that, so its essentially greased up guys in their tights beating each other up. But i'm sure you want to know what's new? We'll there's a nice addition of the ECW Extreme Rules match which is really just a no DQ match. Chris Benoit? Virtually any traces of him have been destroyed. And no, there's still no Punjabi Prison.
But there are positives, the 24/7 Mode is different, new, more voiceovers etc and different storylines, longer ones too. But a downside is that you can't play GM Mode & Story mode seperately anymore. They have also brought in a new system which shows each superstars type of ability eg. Dirty, High Flyer, Showman etc. And it brings something fresh to the game.
Graphically the game is nice. Few complaints can be made at least, and the CAWs look alot more lifelike too. The quality of the Default Wrestlers is the graphics at their best, obviously their entrances gives you a chance to admire this. Sound-wise there are some nice Entrance Music options to choose from and the Soundtrack is lacking, certainly not as good as 2007's but does have some gems such as Puddle of Mudd's 'Famous'.
Difficulty? It's a real pushover, if you'r expecting a Challenge then prepare for an inevitable shootdown because i completed this game within two weeks on Legend difficulty. That's doing GM Mode, Story mode, Hall of Fame (challenges mode) etc. The lifespan is minescule, but if you can vary what Modes you play then it might be more fun, and possibly last longer. Multiplayer is the way to go, if you want to make the most of this game it's worth playing it with a friend or little brother in matches like Money in the Bank, otherwise your value for money might not ever be visible. But certainly it's fun Offline with a few friends, pizza, drinks, and someone willing to go a dirty fighter and make the most of a Low Blow :)
Online is a disappointment once again, and I found it tough knowing that there was no longer a Lobby to go to, so organising matches was harder now. Lag was inevitable and no less than noticable too.
So, getting value for money... Is it possible? Sure if your a big enough fan to not mind too much about a lack of new options and game modes, but if you are easily disappointed with WWE games and did not like Smackdown vs RAW 2007 beware.
Overall rating = 7.5/10