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.

Who needs Tag Team when you've got super-immersive controls?

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 $50 for the Nintendo Wii version? Or should you just play last year's version?

Listen to me! The Wii version is as good as the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions.

This year's console model is a fairly remarkable offering, and the Wii version is the best of the bunch. Who'd have thunk it -- the low-graphics Wii game as the best of the breed? The undefeated, six-time champion Undertaker looks partially otherworldly, 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.

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. If in the Wii version they're somewhat blocky, they still 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.

Entrances look crisp (not crispy) on Nintendo's console.

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 moving the knob back and forth on the Nunchuk 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 wiggling that Nunchuk and trying to see how you quickly you can get up off the concrete.

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.

Yo! Like my newly shaved armpit?

The game-makers made such a gigantic deal about cooperation in competition this year, you'd think they were politicians. THQ is gloating about its new Tag Team Explosion feature, which doesn't appear in the Wii version (but does in the PlayStation 2, Xbox 360 and PlayStation Portable disks). It adds variety and some unexpectedly thrilling moments, but it ain't here.

But it's made up for with generally easy-to-work controls that can perform so well, you'll feel like you're actually fighting a big guy like Kane. That doesn't mean they're perfect, as some of the moves are hard to pull off. But the reversals work quite well, as do the grappling and the punching.

Kudos to THQ and developer Jukes for adding a hearty online mode. Sure, it's primarily one-on-one, but there are a variety of matches from which to choose, very little latency and just the occasional graphics glitch (in which, say, the hand or body moves through the rope as if it were invisible). The online mode can be a ton of pain for your opponent if you've learned your moves. But what would make this game even more of a "Buy It" would be the addition of downloadable content. Supposedly, the content for the 360 and PS3 will be more than simply new costumes -- it will follow the storyline that's on television. Will they add downloadables for the Wii, too? There's no reason not to, even with the 17-percent cuts in jobs at THQ.

Even if you've played the game in the last couple of years, you'll definitely want to think seriously about purchasing WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009. Yes, because these are tough economic times, you'd be right in wanting more ingenious ideas in the game -- including the Tag Team features that appear in the PS3 and the Xbox 360. But the fighting mechanics can work so well with the Wii remote and the Nunchuk that the lack of Tag Team often doesn't matter.

Still, I keep thinking about 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.