Uncomfortable visual associations aside, Smackdown vs. Raw 2011 is not the prettiest flower in the garden. The only real high point is the faces of the wrestlers themselves. The Undertaker looks like The Undertaker, and Rey Mysterio looks like... um... what does he look like? The fighters animate realistically enough, as long as the game is in full control. For example, taunts also lend a bit of authenticity to the game; John Cena waves his hand in front of his face just like he does on television. It gets a bit rough when you're the one calling the shots. Sometimes you'll inexplicably be denied a grapple. This results in a jarring reset animation, which will in turn cause a bit of temporary confusion -- and more importantly, a potential disadvantage. That aside, this game looks like what you'd see on T.V. Entrances get old after the first few times you see them, but they do justice to the contestants.
I'm afraid that it's not possible to approach Smackdown vs. Raw 2011's sound design objectively. This franchise is love-it-or-hate-it at its core, a quality that arguably begins with the sound. The sound effects are canned and lack punch, so to speak. You'll have theme songs hammered into your head whether you like them or not, especially if you take the Road to Wrestlemania. The voice acting is painfully stupid, but like everything else in the WWE, it's beyond-obviously scripted. Wrestlers beat their chests, howl at one another, and feign outrage so conspicuously that it's almost like they're trying to wink at you through the television. If you like that kind of stuff, Smackdown vs. Raw 2011 will have you laughing your ass off. If you take it seriously, you're doing it wrong.
