Video Game Vintage Title: WWE SmackDown Vs. Raw 2009

WWE SmackDown Vs. Raw 2009

WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by THQ for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS, Wii, and Xbox 360 video game consoles. It is the tenth video game in the WWE SmackDown vs. Raw series, and is the sequel to its 2007's predecessor, WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 and is succeeded by 2009's WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010. TOSE oversaw development for the Nintendo DS version. The game was released on November 9, 2008 in North America.

The video game is based on the professional wrestling promotion, World Wrestling Entertainment , and is named after the promotion's two brands, Raw and SmackDown. The game introduced a few key new features including the Inferno match, a revamped tag team match, and four new game modes: Create-a-Finisher, Road to WrestleMania, Career and multiplayer season.

Reception
The game has received generally mixed to positive reviews from gaming critics. Critics generally praised the Road to WrestleMania. IGN were however more critical of the game, calling the gameplay "noticeably stale" from previous games and citing the Highlight Reel and Create-A-Finisher modes as limited.

GameSpot gave the console versions a 7.5 out of 10, lauding the game's graphics and the large number of moves, match types, single player modes and improved AI. Some aspects of the game's presentation were criticized, particularly movement animations, clipping issues and weak sound effects.

While the reception for the Nintendo DS version was varied between critics, both IGN and GamesMaster criticized its touch-screen control scheme, suggesting that button-based control would have been more ideal.