I used to love wrestling games. I played almost every Smackdown game on the Playstation, and me and my friends were huge fans. But then I came to Bolivia, and no one was into that. So, gradually I got out of the fad and moved on to other things. However, I was sent a review copy of this game, so, at least for a while I got back into wrestling. Read on to find out how much I enjoyed going back to my wrestling love.

Graphically (yes, I know I start out every review with that word), WWE 2008 is great. Sometimes you’ll forget you’re on the DS, and not on a stronger platform. This is mostly due to the gameplay style, however (more on this later). Whether you’re in the ring or out, the graphics maintain the very high quality that you would expect from a Platform game. The audio is also nice, but the DS’ limitations remove any chance at full voice acting, something that always is sorely missed, especially in games like this. The soundtrack is nice, but I don’t really enjoy the rocky, metal music that the game (and most wrestling shows) employ. I played most of the game with no sound.

Unlike other wrestling games, WWE 2008 features no free-control movement. The matched play like a mini-game, and are completely controlled by the stylus. Yes, you don’t directly control your character. Instead, you are presented with three moves at a time: a light, medium, and heavy attack. Light beats heavy, heavy beats medium, and medium light. After using one of these attacks, you are moved to a new position in which you have another three attacks at your disposition. If you were on the receiving of an attack, then your three attacks are instead defensive moves to get you out of the position.

The system may sound simple, but it’s really not. There are a ton of moves, and many are triggered by your position. This, however, brings up the first problem with the game: there is no move list whatsoever. And many matches present you with challenges that require you to pull of moves that you might have never seen. Outside of the match, you are allowed to walk (I guess walk is an overstatement; you basically look, there is no movement involved) around the complex to find matches, weapons, allies and training tokens to increase your stats. The training sets are basically little minigames that are really fun to play.

The game lasted around 10 hours for me, and that’s only one season mode. There is a different season for each of the three wrestling franchises involved (Smackdown, Raw, and ECW). Add in to that some exhibition matches, and you’ve got yourself a lot of gameplay time. Replay value is good also, but once you beat the three seasons and more, your wrist is going to be really tired.

All in all, WWE 2008 is a good game for wrestling fans. If you’re on the far edge of wrestling, then you might want to look into a more tradition game, like the platform versions. I liked the game, and only really had a few buffs with it. First, there is no use for the buttons: only stylus; and second, the fact that there is no move list. Besides this and a really scratched DS screen protector, the game was worth my time.