WWE RAW 2007

Videogames based on the world of professional wrestling, like the event itself, have always had their share of big pops and blown spots. For every No Mercy or Here Comes the Pain, there's a Rumble Roses or Legends of Wrestling waiting backstage. Luckily for THQ, its annual WWE SmackDown series has typically been on the upside of things -- adding enough yearly improvements to keep fans happy with what Vince and company bring to the table.


But like most great wrestlers who stick with the same gimmick for far too long, WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007 is starting to feel a little too familiar for its own good. Now don't misunderstand, SmackDown 2007 is still an impressive combination of wrestling, storytelling, and customization. Like every year before it, it offers a number of new gameplay and feature additions and continues its reign as one of the better looking combat games around. The issue here is that after eight straight years of Yuke's modus operandi, the presentational formula hasn't evolved enough to feel as fresh as it used to. But we'll have more on that a little later. First, let's talk about what SmackDown does right -- and that includes a lot.