OVERALL RATING		3.5
Presentation		4.0
Control		3.5
Gameplay		3.5
Fun factor		3.0
User Rating		4.5

SmackDown vs. RAW 2009 marks the annual return of the WWE to mobile and this time around it brings with it the hardcore brand of ECW.   This means you’ll get to dive into action with many of your favorite wrestling superstars from across the board including Randy Orton, Triple H, John Cena, Batista and seven others for a total of eleven.

The game offers Exhibition and Career modes with the obvious one-off match between your choice of wrestlers or the quest for championship gold respectively.  You can also create a custom wrestler in the Customize mode that can be used in either of the two fighting modes if you feel that none of the include wrestlers are to your liking.  Building your wrestler entails selecting his look and fighting style, such as brawler, high-flyer and showman, plus adjusting certain attributes for fighting opponents.  These include typical items like strength, speed, stamina and charisma.  There’s quite a bit of depth implemented to the custom fighter, including selecting a finishing move.

It’s a bit of a bummer though that the other wrestlers cannot be used in Career mode, but that’s understandable since it makes no sense to work your way from the bottom of the pile to the top of the league with someone already established.  I mean, where’s the challenge in that?

Eight different match types are selectable with four difficulties that include Hardcore, Iron Man, Hell in a Cell and Last Man Standing.  These all follow the necessary rules like winning by submission or fighting in a sealed cage, and with the addition of ECW, no disqualifications and use of weapons are allowed.  You can even select a venue such as RAW, Smackdown, Wrestlemania and more.
 
As with most WWE games, the type of wrestling inherent in this version follows the path of wearing down an opponent with your arsenal of moves until enough momentum is built to pull off an effective finishing move.  While the game doesn’t implement one-thumb controls, the scheme it uses allows for easy manipulation of the action.  Different moves can be pulled off with the same buttons but they are determined by what previous action is in play such as a grab or a throw to the ropes.  It’s a smart scheme.

I will say that, like most WWE games, SmackDown Vs. RAW 2009 does suffer from a lack of fluidity… meaning that it feels like you’re slogging through the fights.  The movement just isn’t sharp and fast, so if you’ve played any WWE title before, you’ll know what I’m talking about.  The game still looks very sharp, presented in 3D with plenty of flash and pop, including wrestler introductions and clean likenesses.  Overall, I’d say it’s the best WWE title to make it to mobile so far, but it still could be better.