WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw: a great letdown

Since the turn of the century, THQ's SmackDown! franchise has been churning out titles year after year, courtesy of Yuke's development team. Alright, so five years & six games isn't record breaking, but THQ has been in the wrestling business for a long time now and perhaps reached the pinnacle (at least in this generation) with last year's Here Comes the Pain. That's not to say this year's installment is along the lines of Just Bring It, but it is a bit of a letdown. The two most talked about features, online play & WWE voice acting, are really disappointing. The online component is a shockingly bare bones affair that seems like it belongs in the first generation of broadband console games. As for the voice acting, it ranges from pitiful to believable, but generally remains just tolerable. A few additions have been added to the gameplay, including minigames that mimic stare downs, shoving matches, chop battles, & spanking contests (sorry, ladies only). The character models remain top-notch, and the arena options/match types are overwhelming, but Yuke's still fell short of true innovation. If you're a fan of the series, you'll likely enjoy SmackDown! vs. Raw the same way a Madden-head enjoys each annual installment. It's a great wrestling game, just don't expect it to redefine the genre.