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A Different Look at the Line of WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2008 Video Games

This article contains 2 parts, looking at the game in relations to the Chris Benoit tragedy and the WWE's wellness policy.

Part 1. SmackDown! vs. Raw 2008, Following The Chris Benoit Tragedy.

This year's version of the game has seen some changes from last year's version of the game in light of the Chris Benoit tragedy, however shoddy quality control that plagues the rest of the game appears in the sensitive Chris Benoit editing, as well. WWE had Benoit immediately pulled from the game following what happened, and then worked very hard to make sure that a Chris Benoit "clone" character cannot be created. However, the game left in some of the most tasteless references in light of what happened and angles that it seems Vince Russo were designing the game.

To prevent a Benoit clone from being created in the Create-A-Superstar (CAS) mode several of his signature moves were removed from the game. The diving headbutt and crippler crossface have been completely removed from the game. The tope has to be purchased as an unlockable feature using the game's in game currency. Even though Punk uses the tope, to prevent easy access to the move, it has been removed from his base package of moves. The triple German suplexes remains in the game, but not because of Benoit. It is there in the form Kurt Angle does the move, and is tricky to find in CAS.

The big addition to the game for SmackDown! vs. Raw 2007 was a more interactive environment. Part of that environment was the ability to choke your opponent with electrical cables. That feature was removed from this year's version of the game.

One of the major achievements in SmackDown! vs. Raw 2007 involved winning an intergender match. The final challenge of a 15 part challenge series had the player defeat The Great Khali as Mickie James. After winning that match, a screen would come up saying the player had earned the developers respect. Designed challenge matches involving men vs. women have been removed from this game. However, men can still face women in matches, and in certain match types it is a strategic advantage to book yourself into a match with women. The game is designed with that in mind.

All of the signs about crippling have been removed from the game. The only signs left that reference killing or suicide is an almost unavoidable one describing Sabu as suicidal, homicidal, and genocidal. Also, a Taz sign that says, "Survive if I Let You." (Taz is not playable in any version of the game, but his crowd signs are available.) The buried alive match that was added a few years ago remains in the game, and is the culmination of one feud.

That is the end of the somewhat good changes made to the came in light of the circumstances. However, the game has some disgracefully glaring omitted revisions in the name of sensitivity at every point in the game.

The most obvious and clearly insensitive example was in CAS. When creating a wrestler a player picks 4 fan signs for the crowd to hold up during the wrestler's matches. The first default sign it lists is "Put 'em in a Body Bag". In addition, in the XBOX 360 version that is the title of one of the achievements. If a player deals enough damage to turn all of his opponents limbs red, they earn the 20 point achievement "Put 'em in a Body Bag". The thoughtlessness it took to include that in the final version of the game is incomprehensible.

The most troublesome angle in the game is that as part of a feud, your rival wrestler kidnaps your girlfriend and she disappears for several days and no one hears from her. (The version I played had my character paired with Torrie Wilson against Carlito, but there are different versions of the scenario featuring the player paired with different women mixed and matched against different opponents in the same feud where all the participants read relatively the same lines.) The game makes sure to let the player know after a few days that your girlfriend is not dead. However, there are strong implications of rape in the angle, and she is not seen at the arena for the rest of the storyline, nor does she rejoin you after the blow off match at the PPV. It was disturbing to think that a person who is real (even though they are being portrayed in a video game, there is a real person who exists behind the pixelized image, not a make believe one, like in most other games), was abducted and assaulted for an indefinite period of time. The whole kidnapping disappearance part is troubling without the rape part thrown in to the mix. This is mind boggling how this is permitted in this game.

Finally, the throat slash which has been largely banned on WWE television except for top heels at their worst moments, and Undertaker is a big part of this game. Numerous superstars use the gesture. There are several varieties of the throat slash to choose from as taunts in CAS.

This year's game made the easy changes when it came to trying to erase Benoit from history. However, when the game is looked at closely it is an embarrassment. The insensitivity of the product to the changing perception of wrestling in light of the Benoit tragedy is disgraceful. At points the game is offensive to the point of being uncomfortable to play.

Part 2. SmackDown vs. Raw 2008, and the WWE Wellness Policy

Despite WWE's recent change in rhetoric on steroid use among its athletes, their latest video game continues to disproportionately reward steroid users. Steroid use plays a major role in which second tier wrestlers are selected to be in the game and which wrestlers are playable in career mode. Steroid use effects the likelihood a wrestler will be playable in career mode, and how strong a character will be.

For WWE wrestlers to be included in the game is a financial boon. It means an increased share of the licensing money for every copy of the game sold that includes them. Once again being bigger means more money. Many of the smaller wrestlers have their moves in the game as part of CAS. However, that does not mean an increased share of the licensing money. If it did WWE would owe several guys in TNA, like AJ Styles a lot of money, because they stole at least 4 of his signature moves for the game. (Jeff Jarrett's signature strut is even in the Create-A-Superstar mode.) There are more moves taken from Styles in CAS than anyone on the WWE roster. However, do not buy the game to use the Styles Clash, almost all of the moves taken from TNA wrestlers do not work quite right.

In addition, WWE is using the larger members of its rosters to market the game featuring supermen towards children, making the game a form of "gateway drug" to create new WWE fans. According to the most recent studies the average gamer in the United States is a 33-year-old male. The television ratings show that the majority of WWE's audience is over 18-years-old, making a game targeted at that audience ideal. However, even with the bragging by WWE and THQ of the added "extreme" elements to this year's version of the game, which include flaming tables, the product is actually quite tame in relation to the actual WWE product.

The Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) rates new games sold at retail in the United States the content of WWE SmackDown vs. Raw has been toned down to avoid receiving an M for Mature rating which is the equivalent of an "R" rating for a movie and would prevent the title's sale to people under 18. (Australia and the United Kingdom have similar ratings boards, but their's are government run while America uses a private video game industry agency.) The blood in the game is kept to a bare minimum and foul language in the game is sparse. Raw garners a rating of TV-14, however a Ric Flair blade job and Steve Austin promo that would be fine on USA, would keep the game out of kids' hands.

All versions of the game have been released rife with embarrassing bugs and glitches that would keep a lot of developers from shipping their top of the line titles until they were fixed. However, it was critical for THQ to maximize the child audience to ship this game for the holiday season. The average gamer at 33-years-old has a job and a steady supply of income year round, therefore is not dependent on gifts from their family at the holidays to get their gaming fix.

For sales among early teen and pre-teen boys SmackDown vs. Raw is competing most fiercely with games from the number 1 show for boys ages 9-14, Naruto, as well as the top selling Pokemon games. To do this WWE have moved away from the cartoon anime style to the cartoonish supermen style. The games roster appears to have been finalized, save for the removal of a few characters, like Big Show, Rob Van Dam, and Chris Benoit (more on that later) between October and December 2006. At that time Paul London and Brian Kendrick had been the tag team champions on SmackDown! for at least 5 months or longer, and London is a former Cruiserweight Champion.  However, when choosing second tier stars to appeal to children their inclusion in the game was bypassed in favor of larger superstars who fit the image WWE wants to associate in the minds of its young fans with their product. For example, wrestlers who have not been involved in anything significant in years like Snitsky is playable in every version of the game. Marcus Cor Von is available in 5 versions of the game. Chris Masters is available in 5 versions of the game. Bobby Lashley, Punk, Hardcore Holly, and Snitsky are the intended ECW contingent in the Nintendo DS version of the game. In that version there is no one who wrestled in the original ECW, and has been related to the new ECW available playable. However, there are three "dirty" wrestlers.

In targeting children, the SmackDown! vs. Raw brand of video games is as much a marketing tool to create new WWE fans as it is to sell games. John Madden is as famous, if not more so then any player in the NFL, because of his video game becoming a brand. It has become a must own title every year, and the kids who play that game watch football. Research has shown that the game has bred a more savvy football fan, that watches and understands the game despite never playing organized football. This is cited as one of the key reasons the popularity of the NFL continues to grow, while ratings for all other television continue to slide.

The best selling titles of all time have all been targeted at a more mature audience. The most recent example being Halo 3's first day sales of $170 million in the United States on September 25, 2007, months away from Christmas that WWE is counting on to drive their game. Even the best selling fighting games of all time, Mortal Kombat, received the M for Mature rating, and was targeted at a more seasoned audience. The poor quality of SmackDown! vs. Raw 2008 would drive the average older gamer insane, and to go buy another game in about a day. For a younger gamer the games' flaws are more generously forgiven, largely because they do not know better. Game developers take advantage of children by giving them substandard products, knowing there is not much out for them to get. These children are going to be getting 1 or 2 games at the holidays, and that will be all they have until their birthday or Easter. WWE is counting on that, and wants the game to shape in the kids' minds that a WWE wrestler should be a larger then life figure.

This has lead to a generation of wrestlers brought up on WWE video games with the idea bigger is better. The influence of video games can be seen on today's younger generation of wrestlers from Jimmy Jacob's finisher the "Contra Code" in reference to a cheat code for a game on the original Nintendo. Chris Sabin taking the name Sabin from his favorite character in the Final Fantasy series. Finally, to the morale problems that resulted in WWE when video games were banned in the locker room. The SmackDown! vs. Raw series is creating an image in the current and next generation of WWE wrestlers that bigger is better. While WWE may talk big with the wellness policy, their video games show it is still advantageous to be big.

In a year that has seen so many great games come out people can do much better. Virtua Fighter 5 has added a luchador to its roster and is a far superior game. If anyone needs game selection help email me, but do not buy this. If you have bought this for your children for Christmas and not given it to them yet, return it.

News and Notes:  Yuke's is the studio that develops the game on behalf of THQ for the XBOX 360, Wii, PS3, PS2, and the PSP versions of the game, also owns New Japan Pro Wrestling.

Expect the TNA iMPACT! game to earn an M rating or bare no resemblance to its "wholesome product". Putting the image of a wrestler being stabbed with glass then having the glass licked would likely earn the game an outright ban in most western countries for sadistic elements. Expect a similar article on the TNA video game in a few months, because "WWE light" will probably produce a WWE light video game.

Since this is my final article of the year I need to send out some special thanks to people. Thank you to my sister Candice for letting me borrow her PSP for aid in this article. Also, thanks to Bryan Alvarez who will now be syndicating my boxing recaps at f4wonline.com. A big thanks to Mike Sempervive who has been my biggest supporter since I started doing this. Mike has proved an invaluable resource and is the key reason my recaps will now be syndicated. Kyle Warneck, who has helped me on many recaps, and is largely responsible for the improvement in the quality of these articles since I started. Finally, to Dave who has given me the opportunity to contribute to this website. This is the greatest job I have ever had, and in this holiday time I am happy to celebrate what a great year it has been for me.

The next scheduled article will be on January 6, recapping the previous night's monthly Showtime event.

Happy Holidays,

Jereme Warneck
Syndicated Boxing Correspondent for wrestlingobserver.com
Hidden Valley Lake, CA

I can be reached for feedback and comments at ZurRoadie@aol.com or as JeremeW on XBOX Live. I read everything.