WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 (PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Xbox 360, Wii)

WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008
Developer: Yuke's Publisher: THQ Platforms: PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Xbox 360, Wii Released in JP: February 14, 2008 Released in US: November 13, 2007 Released in EU: November 9, 2007 Released in AU: November 15, 2007, November 22, 2007 (PS3/PSP) This game has unused playable characters. This game has unused abilities. This game has unused sounds. This game has a prerelease article

To do: More cheat device experimentation to see what can be found. Unused menu character select renders.

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WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 adds in ECW for the first time complete with an all-new WWE 24/7 mode to go along with it.

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Prerelease Info

Unused Content

Chris Benoit Leftovers

Professional wrestler Chris Benoit was originally slated to be a playable character. However, due to the tragic double-murder and suicide of Benoit and his family over the summer of that year, he was removed from the game. His model and entrance animation have not been found and no screenshots are known to exist of them. Benoit's "Crippler Crossface" finisher remains in the game's data and can be accessed with a cheat device. His slot is also still present although disabled and has 0 as a name, it features his attributes & complete moveset, when enabled via a cheat device or modifying in-game files, his slot is alphebetically positioned (After Chavo Guerrero).

New Entrances for Cut Wrestlers

The game featured four preset entrances that were either new or reanimated, belonging to Rob Van Dam (Superstar 10), Shelton Benjamin (Superstar 11), Paul London (Superstar 14), and Brian Kendrick (Superstar 15). This suggests that these wrestlers may have been considered for the game's roster.

Other Cut Moves

Chris Jericho's finishing moves The Liontamer and the Walls of Jericho were cut, but still remain on the disc. This is particularly strange because Jericho hadn't been in the games for two years by this point, though he'd return to the company on November 17, 2007. Just like Jericho, all of Hulk Hogan's moves & taunts were cut, but still remain on the disc and can be assigned to wrestlers using a cheat device. Animations for Fighting Stances from SmackDown vs. Raw 2007 & 2006 are still left over in the game files and can be assigned to wrestlers via a cheat device, however the Fighting Stance only appears in the Create A Move menu and not in normal matches, the game also contains quite a big number of taunts & moves from previous PS2 WWE games all made unselectable but their move data still remains on disc.

Hidden Call Names

Call names are present in the "ringa_r/ringa_s/ringa_e" files located in the "sound" folder in the game,the last letter referring to the show & its respective announcers (eg: ringa_e is ECW/Justin Roberts). Unused call names exist for the game's NPC(Non-Playable Characters) that are exclusive to 24/7's cutscenes and otherwise unplayable in game. Most intrestingly alongside these hidden call names, is that there exists one for The Miz, a wrestler that isn't present in SmackDown VS RAW 2008 and wouldn't appear until the next installment (SmackDown VS RAW 2009). Call names also exist for the PSP exclusive legends (Eddie Guerrero, Sgt.Slaughter & Jim Neidhart) in other platforms.

Console Differences

Exclusive Features

The Xbox 360 and PS3 versions both have unique features. The PS3 version offers a first-person mode during wrestling entrances, a feature that did not return for subsequent games. The 360 version instead offers the option to import custom music into the game to use in entrances, which would remain a standard for the Xbox 360 entries going forward.

Create A Wrestler

To do: Add info about the layer limits for the Wii version.

The number of layers available for the Create-A-Wrestler feature varies across different platforms, with the PSP version having only 16 layers, while the the Xbox 360 and PS2 versions have 64 and 32 layers respectively.

PSP Differences

Audio

Due to console limitations, the PSP version lacks in-game commentary from the commentators, instead playing songs from the game's licensed soundtrack. Additionally, many of the sound effects are higher-pitched than in the other versions of the game. The PSP version also lacks the grunting noises by the wrestlers during attacks

Exclusive Characters

To do: Better documentation on what exists of the PSP-exclusive characters in the console versions Screenshots from IGN need to be replaced with in-game screenshots.

The PSP version features three exclusive characters: Eddie Guerrero, Jim Neidhart, and Sgt. Slaughter. These characters are not available in any other version of the game.

Eddie Guerrero	Jim Neidhart	Sgt. Slaughter

Data still exists for these characters that can be accessed with cheat devices in the PS2 version. The models are replaced with John Cena, but slots for the characters, their movesets and call name audio files still exist.

Wii Version

To do: Find out how the unlockables work on the Wii. Main Event mode is the way you unlock stuff in the game, but there is no information on what you have to do to unlock specific things such as additional characters and arenas. Screenshots of the changed menus for the Wii version. Screenshots of Main Event mode. The Wii version also allowed you to show your Mii avatar in-game on the games HUD lifebar.

The Wii version, despite sharing graphics with the PS2 version, is completely different in almost every way (and has almost zero documentation).

Gameplay Differences

The controls are completely different. Rather than control the game using button presses as later games on the Wii would do, the Wii version is only able to be controlled using motion controls and has a much more limited moveset than the other variations of the game. Furthermore, the game lacks any of the Fighting Styles which were one of the main selling points of the other console versions.

Missing Modes

The WWE Shop, 24/7 and Hall of Fame modes do not exist. Additionally, most of the create modes other than create-a-wrestler are completely absent. The game also lacks any online functionality.

Missing Match Types

The Wii version features less match types than other versions. The only match types on offer are Single Match, Tag Match, Triple Threat Match, Hardcore Match, and KO match. The KO match is unique to this version of the game, never appearing before or after it.

Main Event mode

The game replaces 24/7 Mode with Main Event mode. Main Event mode has the player pick a wrestler and go through a series of endless matches which culminates in them eventually winning a championship. Doing so will award the player with an unlockable. This game mode retains the backgrounds and phone from the 24/7 mode but uses them entirely differently.