4 Ways SmackDown! 09 destroys competitors

3) Brand new Tag Team mode

Much has already been written about SmackDown’s revamped tag team mode. Rather than simply playing like one-on-one matches with more opponents, much has been done to make the tag team matches actually worth a damn.

For one, teammates share one momentum meter, rather than every single wrestler having one. This enables each team to wrestle as a cohesive unit by having to rely on one another. Right away, we can tell this will make a huge difference in online play.

Secondly, the illegal man (teammate on the outside), is just as dangerous as his teammate inside the ring. Illegal men can attack, pull down the ropes and even grapple opponents. Speaking of new moves, SmackDown 09 features dozens of new double team maneuvers, including over 30 tag team finishers.

One of the coolest new featuresin tag team mode is the “Hot Tag”, which enables the new man to tag in fully energized, ready to clear housewith every opponent and shift the entire match inhis favor. In SmackDown, this new mechanic is incredibly effective, as it’s a high-risk move. Once the new man is tagged in, a quick-time event plays out where button indicators pop up on screen. If you hit all of them successfully, you knock down each opponent and are rewarded with full momentum. If you’re unsuccessful, well, you can guess what happens.