Comic-Con 07: Hands on with THQ's turn-based WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 DS

From the excitement of the crowds to the never-ending ringside drama – not to mention all those barely-covered sweaty butt cheeks – there's nothing quite like professional wrestling.

The same could be said of WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008, which will mark the first time the top-selling series makes it onto DS.

Expect a full slate of wrestlers from John Cena to Jeff Hardy and Sandman to be present and playable through the story-driven career and various other quick-play modes.

In the particular case of our hands on during Comic-Con 2007, we got the opportunity to break out an exhibition match, for which we tapped John Cena and Triple H for a head-to-head bout.

On first impressions, what's surprising is the level of accuracy and detail in the character models. They look pretty good given the limited power of DS, and while not exactly photo-realistic, you'll definitely be able to make out your favourite star. The same can't be said of the venues, but maybe we shouldn't expect to have our deep south picnic feast of fried chicken, creamed corn and watermelon, and eat it, too.

The matches themselves play out in a similar manner across all modes of play. The top screen displays critical information on each participating wrestler such as current move and body status. On the touchscreen, you view the action, as well as input commands with your stylus.

In fact, everything in SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 is done via the touchscreen and stylus. Movement around the ring is automatically handled by the computer, leaving you open to execute attacks against your opponent.

This means that instead of occurring in real-time, the action plays out in a version of turn-based wrestling. Before each move, there's a short pause that enables you to select from three choices, which you execute by drawing the corresponding symbol on the touchscreen. For example, selecting a basic grapple results from a quick diagonal swipe.

Naturally, more advance moves require increasingly complex stylus work. Moves come in three grades of difficulty. Level 1 manoeuvres usually involve a quick slash or circle, but aren't very strong. In contrast, we attempted an ambitious level 3 corner attack that demanded lightning fast reflexes to draw a series of circles and lines.

Then, depending on the moves you've selected, you'll open up different actions in proceeding turns. Choosing a level 2 strike, for instance, opens up better options on the next turn than the standard level 1 grapple. Also, mixing things up are wrestler-specific actions that can offer a strategic edge against rivals.

In terms of wireless multiplayer, local head-to-head matches are being promised for the game, although we didn't get to try them out ourselves. The pseudo-turn-based wrestling would also make the game ideal for the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, but currently that seems unlikely to happen.

WWE SmackDown vs. RAW 2008 is due to be rolling around on the canvas sometime in early winter.