WWE SmackDown Vs. Raw 2010 Preview
WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010 Preview
By Gaetano Prestia
The WWE SmackDown Vs. Raw franchise has developed quite a strong following over the past few years, with dedicated fansites and forums packed with diehard fans of the series. There are countless independent sites dedicated to created superstars and attribute ratings, and even though support is strong from the public, THQ never really ventured into the public sharing sphere.
With WWE SmackDown Vs. Raw 2010, that will all change. Not only are THQ catering to fans with 50 Create-A-Superstar slots, but also creating a game with a strong focus on your own creative juices. After seeing this year’s title in action at THQ’s Aussie HQ, it’s obvious that the team at Yuke’s is developing a game with a strong focus on online communities.
You’ll be able to create your own superstar wrestler using an unbelievable amount of customizable options, as well as edit your own entrance video and finishing moves. On top of that, you’ll also be able to create your own outrageous storyline for your wrestler to follow, giving you the opportunity to create your own WWE universe.
What’s really impressive is that with all the new creative features that will be available in this years title, every single thing you create can be uploaded to the public servers, where other gamers can download, rate and use them. The essence of online community definitely looks strong in this game, with plenty of attention given to creative ideas and sharing feedback with other gamers.
An all-new painting tool will allow you to create your own clothing logos and tattoos, with an extensive array of options available to you. It’s a fantastic new addition as it allows you to create your own specific logo for your created wrestler, as well draw up your own tattoo’s if none of the default ones tickle your fancy. Furthermore, anything you draw up can then be uploaded to the servers for public distribution and rating.
Scrolling through the seemingly thousands of different hairstyles and such, the game barely flickered or struggled to load the pieces onto the created character. There’s been an obvious improvement throughout the whole feature, from the way the game loads up each individual piece, right through to the sheer number of different pieces and items you can put onto your created wrestler.
There’s a hilarious pose feature, which will allow you to choose how your character is posing during the verses screen. In the past, your character would just stand in the default position, but now you can choose from a number of different poses, which range from basic to hilarious. While a small part of the creative aspect, it does look pretty cool and seems to give you even more power when it comes to using your own creative ideas.
The Create-A-Superstar feature is just as extensive as ever. Just as we got with both Saints Row titles, SvR 2010 gives you enough options to make pretty much anyone you like. Whether you want to create a deformed version of your mother-in-law or your favourite celebrity, there are enough options to work with to allow you to do that. Every single aspect of the feature is in 3D and the whole creative process seems to work smoothly with minimal loading times.
Creating your own unique finishing move allows you to put the final icing on the cake for your created superstar, with a whole bunch of new moves added to both the diving and grapple positions. You can spend a lot of time perfecting how the move is performed, with a countless number of flips and even a trajectory meter to alter how slow or fast your wrestler jumps off the ropes. Thankfully, you can also create a new finishing move for any current WWE superstar that is in the game.
The option to upload all of these created aspects for distribution and public rating looks set to be an interesting one. Considering how strong the competitive nature is between current SvR communities, the option to upload content through the game itself will almost certainly up-the-ante when it comes to rating another gamer's content. THQ have really focused on the community aspect with this title, and while we didn’t get to see a whole lot of the actual wrestling mechanics in action, the gameplay itself still looks just as solid, enjoyable and accessible as ever.
However, all of the above really have nothing on the most outrageous and interesting of all new features in SvR – the WWE Story Designer. Pretty much everything you’d come to expect from being a WWE writer is included, from writing dialogue, to determining who wins what match and how long specific spats go for. You can decide which wrestler is friends with who and when they will come and help out during a match. Your free to create your own WWE soap opera.
There are also over 100 cutscenes to edit and include in your storylines. They’re the typical cutscenes you see in normal WWE events - bickering in the middle of the ring, limos pulling up and a big name jumping out to the roar of the crowd, cars exploding - so there’s plenty of options available to you to create your own Days of our Lives-esque WWE experience. And once again, just like everything else you create, you can upload it and share it around.
Visually, the game looks great. Character design looks to have been improved with smoother textures and a nice overall presentation. The development team have also done a really great job of trying to make it feel like a live WWE television broadcast.
If you’re a wrestling fan, SmackDown vs. Raw 2010 will be the greatest game you’ve ever played. If you’re a hardcore SvR diehard gamer, then you’ll be pleased to notice small improvements, as well as some major new additions that look set to change the franchise forever. We can’t wait to get our hands on the finished product!
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