WWE SmackDown vs Raw 2009 featuring ECW

WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 featuring ECW Nintendo DS brings THQ's WWE wrestling series to Nintendo's dual-screen handheld in a version developed by TOSE. Released in North America in November 2008, it is the fifth game to carry the SmackDown vs. Raw name and follows WWE's Raw, SmackDown, and ECW brands of the period. Rather than simply reproducing the larger console releases, this portable entry is built around the Nintendo DS hardware, combining ring action with touch-screen inputs and a Season Mode shaped as a more exploratory, role-playing-style campaign.

Matches are presented as one-on-one or tag-team wrestling contests in which players work to wear down an opponent, build momentum, and set up signature offense and finishing moves. The Control Pad handles movement around the ring, giving wrestlers room to circle and position themselves, while the stylus is used for grapples, strikes, and submission interactions. A stamina system feeds into the finisher process, and the left shoulder button is assigned to finishing moves. That division of duties makes the Nintendo DS controls central to how WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 featuring ECW is played, instead of treating the touch screen as a menu-only addition.

The game draws its playable lineup from WWE's three active brands, placing names associated with Raw, SmackDown, and ECW into exhibition bouts and the single-player mode. Traditional wrestling rules sit alongside handheld additions and returning stipulations; the Nintendo DS release advertises Steel Cage matches among its new match options. Players can also take the competition head-to-head with another person through simultaneous two-player multiplayer, keeping the focus on quick portable matches as well as longer solo play.

Season Mode is the most distinctive part of the DS edition. It gives the player an arena to move around rather than presenting a simple sequence of bouts. Interacting with WWE Superstars can begin feuds, while the training room and WWE Shop support character improvement. Missions provide objectives on the route toward championship success, tying conversations, upgrades, and matches together. That structure makes advancement about more than winning a single exhibition: a chosen wrestler, including an eligible created character, is developed through a continuing campaign built around rivalries and goals.

Create-A-Superstar also appears on Nintendo DS for the first time in a limited form, allowing players to add a custom wrestler to the roster and use that creation in the career-focused Season experience. This is important context for the handheld release: some headline features associated with other 2009 versions, such as their elaborate Create-A-Finisher tools and console-specific presentation options, are not the basis of the DS game. TOSE's 2008 adaptation instead emphasizes its own combination of stylus wrestling, Control Pad movement, customizable wrestlers, brand-based WWE action, and an RPG-flavored season journey for fans seeking WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 featuring ECW on Nintendo DS.