Wrestling wasn't always SmackDown vs. Raw. In fact, it's been a sport since the 9th century B.C., since the mid-Iron Age, when the massive, 74,000-verse "Mahabharata" was written in India. As one gruesome tale from that ancient tome goes, the strong, wrathful Bhima was more powerful than 10,000 elephants. He was pitted against angry king Jarasandha in a throw-down so ugly, so nasty, it certainly didn't last a mere 10 minutes like some of the WrestleMania bouts. The epic fight lasted nearly a month and ended Mortal Kombat-style, with Bhima ripping Jarasandha into two pieces. Talk about being rent asunder.

On the debut of WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009, I was thinking that the history of wrestling is steeped in so many stories that suck you in and don't let go. If you love soap opera-like narrative, you can move through a co-op story mode in SVR 2009 that's full of twists and turns. But in the latest SmackDown commercial, the graphics showed realistic wrestling in the ring with human-like bodies and faces scrunching up in pain. There were no fireworks-filled entrances or puffery in the ad, just a voiceover touting cooperative play.

The latest game in THQ's SmackDown series is in fact rife with brand-new features, the most notable of which may be the ability to play online. Plus, there are new tweaks to the artificial intelligence, along with the you-make-it-raw Create-A-Finisher option.

But like Madden, Mortal Kombat and any other franchise that releases a new iteration each and every year, shouldn't there be something mo' better and utterly ooh-ahh in SmackDown vs. Raw? We're in the most foul, soul-sucking economic meltdown that most gamers have ever seen, and this is the 11th year in which THQ has foisted a wrestling game upon us -- this time, in seven formats (if you include the mobile phone version) -- so shouldn't there be more meat? Is it worth $60 for the console versions of SVR 2009? Or should you just play last year's version?

The undefeated, six-time champion Undertaker looks otherworldly this year, full of extraordinarily detailed tattoos and the gaze straight out of Hades, in which his eyes roll up in his head. However, some of the lesser known Superstars don't have the great facial detail that the well-known folks do. For instance, Ashley looks very good, but not as human as she should. The graphics you see in the PlayStation 2 version are muddier and less detailed than in the newer consoles, especially the creases and expressions on the faces of the lesser Superstars.

Undertaker is godly powerful and the older Finlay with lesser stats is not going to easily pin him, but Fin or any fighter can grab a sledgehammer or ladder from under the ring to use as a weapon (so much visceral fun!). You just dial up the options -- including a torch that you can light on fire. They will bleed. The shillelagh-wielding Finlay, my old-school fave, bled like a slaughtered pig all over the mat during one match. For the sadist in you, the fighters won't get their skin burned to a blackened crisp, however.

THQ's wrestling game is the first I've seen to really care about the minutia of the crowd, which has always been a peeve of mine in sports games. The crowd members look almost as real as the fighters at times, and they aren't replicated like clones as in even more expensively-produced games like Madden.

The AI here is very fine, though not perfect. Hit or kick a player three or four times without performing a hold, and he'll find a way to summon the energy to fight back. Occasionally, the wrestler will punch the air instead of you, and you know that wouldn't happen in real life. Mostly, though, the AI isn't easily foiled. Even when you think a top wrestler is ready to be pinned, he may surprise you with a move that knocks the wind out of you.

You'll find minor camera issues when you're outside of the ring. Get knocked down in a corner or in an area where a fan is holding up a sign, and you won't be able to see how your Superstar is faring. You can be pressing "X" like a madman to get him up off the ground, but you won't be able to see his progress until he's up on his feet. Also, when your opponent goes for a weapon like a table that's hidden under the ring, the camera switches to him in close-up as he pulls it out. Better would be a split screen that allows you to see your own character, especially if you're pressing the triangle button and trying to see how you quickly you heal from a recent pummeling.

In the Road to WrestleMania story mode, I also noticed a glitch. Say you're fighting against Kane and you bloody his forehead with a huge gaping gash. At the end of the match, you won't see that bloody gash in the cut scene. It's a minor inconsistency, but one that's very noticeable. And there should be more to do in the locker room (no, I don't mean that). Basically, in the 2-D room, you'll get voice or text messages via your cell phone that move the story forward. You really can't do anything in the room. No one shows up. You can't move around. It's just a static screen with some clickable icons.

The Creation modes in SVR 2009 can be monstrously intense. With Create-A-Finisher, you can string together and save a combination of four knock-his-block-off moves, chosen from a library of dozens. When you're more powerful, you can chain more than 10 moves together. The flamboyant personality within you may want to fool with the Entrance creation tool, which lets you add fireworks and camera angles to your fighter's entrance. I did see actual high-definition fighter video in the entrances, but it doesn't appear that you can edit the video portion. It would be cool if you had a few dozen clips to choose from. Overall, while you'll feel you really put your stamp on the Finisher tool, the Entrance tool -- while cool -- needs some variety.

Of the many gameplay modes, the one that seemed most compelling to me was the Inferno mode. Unlike that torch under the ring that doesn't burn your opponent, the purpose of the Inferno match is to set that hated wrestler on fire on the burning ring ropes. It's sadistic. But who doesn't want to have fun with the elements? And as someone off-screen sprays a fire extinguisher on your embarrassed opponent's burning derrier, the amazed announcer wonders, "How can we begin to describe what we've just witnessed?"

The game-makers made such a gigantic deal about cooperation in competition this year, you'd think they were politicians. I almost expect the wacky announcers to say, "We've reached across the aisle to get both Ashley and Rey Mysterio to work together for change that will result in bloodifying all those who deign to halt this spirit of cooperation." THQ is gloating about its new Tag Team Explosion feature, which appears in the PS2 version (as well as the Xbox 360, PS3 and PSP disks). It does add variety and some unexpectedly thrilling moments: When you're two-versus-two in the ring, you just might hit the ref or your teammate with a ladder. I have a loner personality, so I'm not that into co-op. But I can see that co-op does spice things up -- and let you cheat a little, too (one tag option lets you tag yourself so you can save your partner who may be down for the count).

In the PS2 version, there's a longer wait during loading times than in the PlayStation 3 version. Nonetheless, the gameplay is just as fast, although there is some slowing of frame rate during the tag team matches.
Even if you've played the game in the last couple of years, you'll definitely want to try SmackDown vs. Raw 2009. Unlike the 360 version, you can't add your own music to the game. And you still can't take the wrestler you created last year into this year's game. If these were different economic times, I?d say buy it. If these were different economic times, I'd say buy it. But because these are tough days, I want more ingenious things in the game -- which brings me back to the "Mahabharata." There's just so much myth and history to wrestling, -- I'm sure it wouldn't sully the brand or insult the owners of WWE to bring some of this history into the game. Who knows? They may even get some ideas from history that they can bring into the weekly wrestling matches on TV. Yeah, Kane is one massive, 324-pound dude. But wouldn't you like to play as a wrestler who is as powerful as 10,000 elephants, too?


This review is based on a retail copy of the game provided by the publisher.