While WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2008 on the PSP tries to mirror the experience on the home console versions (PS2, PS3, Xbox 360), it does so with limited success due to a wacky control system and load times at the most inopportune moments. If you can adapt to the mixed up control system and deal with loading screens at every turn then you might get some enjoyment from this portable version of the game.
First things first, the PSP version of the game for this year looks pretty darn spiffy with only a slightly less crisp visual appearance then on the PS2. The game looks as good as it can if you consider what it is running on. This extra effort from Yuke's comes with a price - loading screens before, during and after the action. You expect loading times when you are in between matches but it is quite disconcerting when it happens during a critical moment in the game play. Most of the time it doesn't affect what's going on but it can be a serious distraction.
The PSP version features many of the same game modes and characters found in other versions along with a few extra folks like good old SGT. Slaughter. The action proves to be fast-paced and fun, offering all the fighting styles, ECW stuff, interactive grapples, struggle submissions, legend challenges and the create modes. One thing it does lack is an intuitive control scheme. That's mainly because movement is now mapped to the d-pad instead of the thumbstick. The thumbstick is now used for taunts - unless you are doing something interactive, which can be confusing at times. For instance, if you do an interactive grapple move, you still use the thumbstick to lift up, left, right or throw down. Why Yuke's didn't map these moves to the d-pad is anyone's guess but the extra step can prove to be frustrating. Players will eventually get it through their heads to use the thumbstick when the time is right but getting to that point can be a series of lessons in frustration.
The ECW extreme rules match also suffers from this problem. When you reach under the ring and get the weapon wheel, you won't be using the d-pad to select weapons as you would expect. You'll have to use the thumbstick there as well. Again, players will get the hang of this but it is a shame that Yuke's just didn't do a very good job of streamlining the controls a bit better.
The PSP version has its share of problems but it also offers plenty of content - for better or worse - that you would expect to only be available on the home console systems. Unlike the DS game, the PSP version offers Hall of Fame, Tournaments, create modes and all the match types fans want like Hell in a Cell, TLC, first blood, hardcore and more. Furthermore the game offers the full 24/7 mode found on the other systems, though that isn't necessarily a good thing. The 24/7 mode lets you take a superstar through a season utilizing the RAW and SmackDown brands. The same complaints that I have waged against the home console versions stand for the PSP version as well. 24/7 mode lets you play as a superstar or as the GM of a brand, going through a calendar of events and activities like show dates, PPV's and extracurricular activities that earn you money or gain you some much needed skills in various areas both in and out of the ring. The problem with 24/7 mode is that it is very tedious. You'll spend most of your time doing extracurriculars and not fighting in the ring. Sure you can skip these things altogether but your growth won't be as well rounded if you do.
At the end of the day, SmackDown! VS. RAW 2007 for the PSP can be fun if you can look past its shortcomings. Some of these are system specific – like the odd control scheme and load times – while others are due to a bad design blueprints that have an affect across several versions of the game this year.
