When I first saw the tagline for SmackDown - 'How will you play?' - in reference to the new fighting styles, I knew it would come back and bite THQ in the ass. Having had problems with my PS3, I bought the Wii version of WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008, seduced by all the promises like innovative game control, impressive graphics, an extensive story mode and online play. That's what they promised! They said that you could play online and then this game arrived - and I must say it makes me die a little inside.

I'm a huge WWE fan - in fact, upon purchasing my Wii I purchased not only the Gamecube's two Day of Reckoning games, but also the appalling Wrestlemania ones just so I could play WWE. My heart and my head played these thinking, "Well, the new Wii game will be much better than this!" Sadly, I was wrong - I've only spent a week playing WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 and I've already stopped and gone back to Day of Reckoning 2.

So why is this? Well, the complete absence of online play is bad enough, but the inclusion of only five match modes (Single, Hardcore, Tag Team, Triple Threat and K.O. Match) is beyond belief. Are you kidding me?! Okay, I can forgive the omission of the Elimination Chamber, but of the sixty or more match types available for the other versions, the Wii release one gets FIVE!! I mean, how difficult would it be to create a ladder match or a cage match or an Iron Man match? I was literally stunned by the fact that not even the Royal Rumble was included - I just can't believe that THQ thought this would be enough. For those of you who are curious, Hardcore matches don't involve flaming tables or guitars; they're essentially just a single match but you can use a chair and there are no count-outs. Yes, you read that right - they took every weapon you can imagine and decided, "Nah, we'll just let them use chairs!" Yes, we get fifty-three playable characters who all look and play beautifully, but there's nothing to do with them. There's no Challenge mode and only three sections of gameplay beyond Quick Match; two Tournament modes, King of The Ring and an interesting Beat the Clock Sprint Mode to see who gets the quickest pinfall - but really, unless you are playing with friends or playing as the final entry how will you know if the computer isn't cheating? This could have been a nice idea, but with no belts on the line and no way to create them these are two pointless sections and just more negatives to add to the ever-increasing pile.

Main Event is where you'll be spending most of your time. Actually, I lie - it's where you might spend a few hours before you get sick of the game and trade it in for something decent. Taking any character (the only plus point with the Wii version is you can use any Superstar or created wrestler) you work your way through certain matches from Jobber status to Legend. Someone at THQ must have been playing the Legends of Wrestling game, as this feels awfully familiar and is is less complicated than the other versions. The biggest problem is that only a certain amount of opponents are available when you begin and so you could spend your first ten matches fighting guys like JTG and Snitsky when you know there's no way in the world you'd actually want to wrestle either of them. It's not until you reach mid-card status that a few notable players become available, but by that time you might have given up on the mode altogether. Within this mode Legends and other features are unlocked, but there seems to be no rhyme or reason as to why you are gaining them. This isn't like any other game that would give you a specific task (win a belt, achieve a set amount of wins) or allow you to purchase them in the Shopzone - it seems you may have to play the mode several times and still never unlock them. Once unlocked there really isn't anything special about them either; unlike the other SmackDowns that include Hall of Fame challenges to use these characters with, nothing is given and you could quite easily create them yourself with less hassle!

The controls are innovative and I'm impressed in terms of how they have been designed, yet they are very hit and miss and while the look good you'll probably break an arm before you master them. Speaking of breaking an arm, to get up or kick out of a pin you must shake the Wiimote as fast as you can (rather than bash a button as fast as you can) and I must say that after playing for two days I don't think I will ever be able to lift my right arm again! Blocking is mapped using the Z button, but is about as reliable as an election promise. Striking attacks are achieved by waving the wand and by pressing either A or B you can then perform a grapple. Those excited about taunts need not bother, as the excitement of doing the Cena "You can't see me!" or DX 'Crotch Chop' wears thin after a few matches and the lower down the roster you get, the less impressive these moves become. A small point, but the navigation of the menus is also a little haphazard, as you start on the first menu using the Wiimote to point and click an option and then on the next screen you need to use the stick to select another option. This inconsistency can become a little annoying. The fact that throughout the Main Event mode the selections you can press are so small means that you'll need pinpoint accuracy or you could find yourself rejecting a title shot when you really should have accepted it.

The multiplayer should be a lot of fun - but it isn't, because the game is so unplayable and there are so few options that you'll find yourself screaming at your friends to stop performing the same move over and over, only for them to scream back "But that's all I can do!" As with all Wii games you'll need a big lounge to fully appreciate the sheer physicality of the game, however because of this it means you can only play a few matches before you're tired and (if truth be told) bored to boot.

As with all the versions, the wrestlers look perfect (except for the hideous divas) and even the recreation of the announce team is impressive. I always wondered why when so much effort went into their creation they aren't playable characters - not that I would really want to play as Jim Ross, but the thought of being able to slap around Michael Cole or The Coach has its plus points! What does bug me is the fact that someone has completely ignored the whole weight-recognition that the past few games have had; because of this I've witnessd Torrie Wilson tombstoning Randy Orton, as well as the sheer ludicrousness of Rey Mysterio powerbombing The Great Khali! It just makes the game look almost amateurish! Sadly, someone has decided to keep the horrendous commentary in place and, as with every version to feature it, this is awful with miscue after miscue - for some reason JBL has been given a lot of Tazz's old phrases too, which makes no sense whatsoever. Of the three teams, ECW's Joey Styles and Tazz is the best one, but that's really not saying much.

I finished playing WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 feeling cold and dirty, like I'd been doing something I shouldn't have been. I'm shocked at how badly THQ have dropped the ball with this one - in fact, they've climbed all the way to the top of Mount Everest to drop said ball! Having such high hopes for this game, I feel like a child who's just been told that Santa doesn't exist, unable to understand what just happened and feeling thoroughly disillusioned. Nothing in this game (beyond its look) says next generation to me - in fact, replaying Day of Reckoning 2, SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 feels like a huge step backwards in terms of quality. So, in answer to THQ's very clever marketing question - "How will you play?" - my answer is very simple... I won't!

Reviewed by David Simpson for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).