March 31, 2009 - THQ’s second kick at wrestling on the DS is unquestionably an improvement over their first title. Thanks to graphics that could easily be mistaken for something you’d find on the Wii (and perhaps at the appropriate angle, the PS2), a bevy of different mechanics that show off some of the DS’s more unique capabilities, and a fine selection of both wrestlers and matches to choose from, WWE: Smackdown vs Raw 2009 is a title that looks and feels like it belongs alongside its console contemporaries. That is, unless you take into account the unnecessary, overly-complex control scheme that you are subject to on the DS. Outside of this rather noticeable hiccup and some other gameplay faux pas, SvR 2009 on the DS does provide a fine alternative to gamers whose portable gaming allegiance lies with Nintendo over Sony.

While the PSP version of SvR 2009 has twice as many wrestlers (and the inclusion of divas), twice as many match types, double the career modes, unlockable content and a generic create-a-finisher option to its credit, what you get on the DS is still pretty substantial. But it's the original quirks that really distinguish this title as far more than a doppelganger to its next-gen equivalents.

The quirks in question centre on the control scheme that is the bread and butter of the gameplay for SvR 2009. Matches are slow-paced, somewhat methodical and could loosely be considered homage to the wrestling titles that were prominent on the N64 nearly a decade ago. Trust in your stylus is imperative if you want to experience any success in this game. What THQ offers as a control scheme both works and fails for different reasons. Since this is a title that puts an enormous emphasis on stylus control, it might be better to address where this control scheme fails before singling out its praises. (suggestion: “before” already implies you’ll do it first.)

Regardless of the match type you choose, the actual wrestling varies little. The most basic of attacks are done by tapping the touch screen along with any directional button. Often enough your computerized grappler will respond with each tap, but range is important. Tapping wildly not only makes you look foolish, but makes it that much easier for the computer to telegraph your movements and counter in kind. Grappling is done by drawing concentric circles either once for a weak grapple, or twice for a strong grapple. Throw in a direction and you have a few moves at your disposal to mix things up. While striking proves to be effective most of the time, grappling, however, is not. Once again, being within range matters, but unlike with strikes, there seems to be a considerable amount of imbalance between your grapples and the AI’s. For starters, regardless of whether you successfully initiate a grapple or not, the computer seems capable of adjusting on the fly. From there, the computer will either grapple you first (and for the AI, the grapple movement is so fluid that you cannot counterattack regardless), or they will stop you in your tracks with a well placed strike or running strike (the latter movement not seeming to require any build-up on the CPUs part). Meanwhile, your running attacks can be spotted a mile away, allowing the computer to minimize the damage and respond accordingly.

Since strikes and grapples make up the majority of the gameplay, these little deficiencies are really just the beginning of what makes the control scheme so impractical. The computer is also quite adept at performing an Irish Whip--which, based on the otherwise well-done tutorial, seems easy to execute, but is quite the opposite in an actual match. Performing grapples from behind results in yet more of the telegraphed movements that do not handicap the computer. If the computer picks you up off the mat, you can either rub the stylus like crazy to snap out of your virtual paralysis, or accept being at their mercy. Either way, if it wasn’t for some inconsistent AI, it would seem woefully unfair that the computer can string together attacks more consistently and fluidly than you can.

Wrestling with the stylus does feel restrictive when taking into consideration that the DS has 6 buttons it could utilize, but there are a few innovative turns that show off the finer features of the hardware. (suggestion: anything but saying “features” twice would make the sentence less redundant.) Using the stylus for submission holds and pinning are prime examples. The former has you either moving a silhouette around the screen or having you tap certain parts of that figure depending on whether you are initiating the attack or are the recipient. Kicking out of a pin is achieved by tapping the numbers on the screen before the 3-count.