To give you an idea of the last time I sat down and watched professional wrestling, Stone Cold Steve Austin was the champ of the WWF. Apparently, gone is the Rattlesnake, as is the “Federation,” which has been replaced by the word “Entertainment.” All of this is nothing new, I realize. However, this paints the picture of how long it’s been since I watched the male soap opera. And speaking of painting a picture, THQ does just that with WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW.

Each character is detailed down to their facial hair or tattoos, and the 3D models fill out perfectly. All of the signature moves are represented in the best way possible as well, along with the other standard wrestling moves (like the good old fashioned arm bar). Probably the best part about the graphics is the crowd, which has 3D members in the audience. Don’t get me wrong, there are still some sections of paper-thin 2D fans, but they’re fewer and further between. I also noticed some collision-detection issues, like player models going through walls and such.

New for the audio this year in the SmackDown! series are the actual voices for the wrestlers. This has been lacking over the past few years, and while I must say it’s a welcomed addition, it could have been better. First off, the acting is sub-par. I know, I know. It’s wrestling!!! The acting sucks in real life. But still, I was hoping for a little more emotion in some parts of the script.

The second problem is the fact that whatever wrestler you are in the Season mode, all of your dialogue is in text, and not spoken. Yep, we’re back to square one with the conversations-through-print. You have the option for subtitles for everyone else, so I’m not sure why THQ didn’t think we’d be able to understand our own wrestlers. Oh well, maybe next time.

The third and final problem with the spoken dialogue is that it doesn’t match up at all with the graphics. It’s hard to get past the old Kung Fu-style conversations where the mouths are moving, but no words come out, and vice versa. Perhaps THQ just was so excited to have Vince McMahon and company in full audio that they forgot about lining up the dialogue with the graphics. Again, maybe next time.

WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW has a deep list of wrestlers from both shows, along with some superstars of the past. With them, you can basically play any type of match imaginable: Hell in a Cell, Elimination Chamber, Bra-and-Panty... they’re all there, and are all very addictive. If that’s not enough, there’s a Create Mode. Here, you can create a wrestler, a Pay-Per-View event, or even a Championship belt. There’s plenty of stuff to unlock like old superstars, events, diva clothing... all of which can be obtained by earning cash. This can be done either in the Challenge Mode, or by going through a Season. For the Challenge Mode, you’ll earn cash by completing different challenges. For instance, you may have to win a Bra-and-Panties match, or win a match without using your finisher. Things like that.

SmackDown! vs. RAW features a pretty deep Season Mode, although I think there’s still much to be desired. Depending on the wrestler you select, you’ll either go through the rigors of “SmackDown!” or “RAW.” Either one you pick will offer similar storylines. The first time I played through a season, I absolutely loved it. I couldn’t put the controller down. I literally went through an entire WWE year in a day. But after WrestleMania (the last match of the season), it’s done. You then have to start a new season, although you have the option of keeping the current belt holders (if you use the same wrestler). The second season was ok, but I started seeing some of the same things from the first year. After year two, there really isn’t any point in using the same wrestler for a third season. That’s the part I didn’t like.

Today’s sports games depend severely on Franchise/Dynasty modes, because gamers want to see what will happen over the course of time. THQ can’t give the excuse that the PPV events are timely, because they come every year. No one would care if the background said WrestleMania XX and it was five years later. They want to have new challenges to defend their belt, new divas to manage them, and new stables to join... which brings me to my other problem.

No doubt you’re offered choices of your actions in WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW. But those choices, in my opinion, aren’t offered enough. I want to be able to talk to a wrestler about becoming a tag team, or a diva about managing my wrestler, on MY terms. In SmackDown! vs. RAW, you have to wait until that option presents itself to you. So while choices are offered for how you want to handle a situation, they’re just not offered enough.

There are four levels of difficulty to WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW: Easy, Normal, Hard, and Legend. I started out on Normal, and didn’t really have too many problems. When you go through a season, you’ll earn experience points for your wrestler, which you can then put towards your attributes. Another factor when you’re in a match depends on who is wrestling. A diva is going to have a big problem matching up against someone like Kane or Big Show.

The loading time for SmackDown! vs. RAW is pretty good, as is the amount needed on your memory card to save stuff. The menus are pretty self explanatory. However, it would have been nice to go from the Challenge Mode menu straight to the ring. Instead, you’re forced to try and remember the challenge, then go pick a wrestler, and then pick the type of match. As mentioned earlier, you can create a belt. What I didn’t tell you is that you can defend that belt against a friend, where they’ll have the ability to steal it away from you. To do this, you’ll need two memory cards. As for the Online Mode, you can only have two people play online, although there’s no belt stealing.

The most important thing I want to say is for parents to heed the Teen warning for this game. I’m sure there are thousands of children staying up and watching “RAW” and “SmackDown!” every week, but I must say, this probably isn’t the best game for younger gamers. Mainly it’s because of the divas in the game. During several of my seasons, I had a diva either elude to taking a shower with my wrestler, or giving me a lap dance. Now, obviously you don’t see any actual “bad stuff” (or “good stuff” either), but please take this as a warning. THQ definitely pushed the envelope with SmackDown! vs. RAW.