The devil, as they say, is in the details and it's this area that the latest instalment in the Smackdown! franchise focuses its efforts. For the first time we have the actual wrestlers adding their voices, grunts and growls to the storyline theatrics, which is welcome, and the return of match commentators provides some amusing (if repetitive) banter to liven up the bouts. Altered playing styles for Heels and Faces and a somewhat limited online mode are similarly pleasing but there's little else to distinguish Smackdown vs Raw from last year's Here Comes The Pain.
Taken on its own this is a worthy addition to anyone's collection, but if you already have the previous entry then there's nothing groundbreaking enough to warrant an additional purchase