WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2008 for the Nintendo DS is a completely different experience from what you'll find on any other platform. To get an idea of what you can expect, think of the different timing-based mini-games from Elite Beat Agents, only drop those into a framework where the player controls the actions of a wrestler in the ring, attempting a variety of moves, holds, and escapes from different positions.

THQ's officially licensed touch-screen wrestler comes across as an intriguing novelty. From a design perspective, the game takes things in an entirely different direction than its console counterparts, and it is undoubtedly impressive from a visual standpoint. Yet the gameplay wears thin after only a few matches, and the minimalist feature set keeps this from being the next big thing.

The best thing about the Nintendo DS version of this year's relentless barrage of wrestling releases is how good the game looks. The wrestler models are big and nicely detailed, and the entrances in particular are really well-done. The voiceover announce work and theme music do a great job of bringing the flash and pageantry of the typical superstar ring entrance to the small screens. When you do get around to actually wrestling a match, the moves animate quite nicely, though this can be attributed to the game being, essentially, a series of scripted cut-scenes strung together by your actions.

Shake-Shake-Shake, Shake Your Stylus

The gameplay is unlike that of any other wrestling game out there, to be sure. Every match begins with both wrestlers standing opposite each other in the center of the ring, and the action starts to flow from there... in a stilted sort of fashion, anyway. You always have three options, a yellow "light" attack, an orange "medium" option, and a red "heavy" attack. These maneuvers each have corresponding stylus controls that need to be made before a strike or grapple can land.

To start a move, you'll click the icon matching the move you want to execute, and follow the guide on-screen. Punches, for instance, are a single swiping movement. A grapple move may have you tap the screen a couple times and then swipe. Submissions require you to spin a dial by drawing circles on the screen, fast and tight, while powerful moves may require quick rubbing motions to pull off. There's a decent amount of variety, and you'll have to think fast to pull off your moves before the CPU counterattacks.

Yellow attacks are fast and out-prioritize medium strikes, while medium attacks are faster than the big hitters and can keep you from getting nailed with a power move. The big red attacks are the most powerful, and are ideal against light attacks, as you can continue your move animation even after being interrupted by a light strike. The result of this system is that you have an interesting flow to the action that resembles what you'd get were you to watch a wrestling match using the commercial-skip button on your DVR. You rub, spin, or swipe a command in, watch a few seconds of animation, then repeat, flowing from one move to the next.