Best of the WWE Smackdown! Vs. Raw Video Game Series

On November 22, 2011, the nail is officially in the coffin for the WWE Smackdown! vs. Raw video game series as WWE revamps itself with the release of WWE ’12. The transition will still leave many of the original elements that made the original series popular.

It was these changes that made wrestling video games what they are today, a realistic simulator featuring life-like matches and the recreation of the best WWE moments. Look back on the history of the franchise and some of the best elements that made wrestling and non-wrestling fans play for hours.

WWE Legends

It’s always fun reenacting current WWE feuds like Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton, but the introduction to Legends in the series added so much more to the games. You could create John Cena vs. Hulk Hogan, The Big Show vs. Andre the Giant and even add in stipulations like a Hell in a Cell match.

WWE ’12 continues the use of legends with wrestlers like Vader, the Legion of Doom and Demolition.

General Manager Mode

The “Create A Pay Per View” and “Create a Title” modes were interesting aspects to the series, but the “General Manager Mode” gave players full control of the WWE. A player would select Smackdown and Raw, draft wrestlers and manage the cards for every week including pay per view events.

Managing wrestler injuries was frustrating, but the mode had so many details and options to choose from. The goal was to defeat the other brand in viewers within two years. Along with making all of the matches, players had the ability to wrestle in them and change the outcome.

Console Expansion

The first two editions of WWE Smackdown! vs. Raw were exclusively PS2 and PSP releases. In 2007, the game expanded to the XBox 360, thankfully replacing the terrible WWE Raw series of games that were on the original XBox.

Soon the PS3 and Wii got their own versions of the game, allowing gamers from any console to enjoy the Smackdown! vs. Raw experience. This led to more online content and better game functions do to a much larger audience input.

Create-A-Wrestler

The original Playstation WWE games featured the Create-A-Wrestler mode, but it grown in leaps and bounds through the Smackdown! vs. Raw series. Literally from head to toe, a wrestler can be created and this has led to huge online communities dedicated just to that aspect of the game.

The CAW mode has caused the creation of classic wrestlers like Macho Man Randy Savage, current variations of stars like Rey Mysterio and pop-culture icons like Ronald McDonald and Superman.

The Online Axxcess allows users to share wrestlers, making it easy to expand the game roster to nearly 100 wrestlers.

In five years from now, WWE fans will look back on this series of games and say “Those were the days” as the Smackdown! vs. Raw games helped define the wrestling genre.


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