In the annals of Videogame history, every sports game has a signature ‘“year”; Madden NFL ’92, NHL , Hockey ’93, ESPN NFL 2K5 to name a few. In the wrestling game community, names such as WWF: No Mercy, WWE: Wrestlemania 2000, WCW vs. NWO: World Tour and Fire Pro Wrestling have long been the gold standard.

This year’s WWE Smackdown Vs. Raw 2010 is THQ’s most ambitious title to date; the sheer amount of changes and improvements over last year’s ‘title are astonishing. The developers took many of the fans concerns to heart; new play modes, more unlockable content, and seamless online integration make this the most complete Smackdown game ever. At the beginning of the game, players are now treated to an interactive “training ground”. The backdrop is eerily similar to the WWE Training Facility in Tampa, Florida. (FCW, or Florida Championship Wrestling is the official developmental territory for the WWE.) Here, players can practice any variety of moves against the computer controlled A.I. Want to practice finishing moves, top rope manoeuvres, or one of the all-new “apron” moves? No problem; on-screen cues will help beginners as well as grizzled veterans re-familiarize themselves with the games controls. A revamped Menu is available by pressing the “Start” button; getting into quick matches, Road to Wrestlemania, any of the “Creation” modes, or the new “Training Facility” is quick and seamless.

Gameplay:

There are a plethora of game modes this year; while many of them may be familiar to fans of the series, THQ has also packed in a ton of new goodies as well, including:

*Revamped Road To Wrestlemania mode: 7 Individual storylines, including the first ever “Diva” (Featuring Mickie James) and Create-A-Superstar Storylines. During our first play through, we chose Sean Michaels path and were pleasantly surprised with how entertaining the storyline was. Sean and JBL are embroiled in a feud, with JBL trying to force The Heartbreak Kid into early retirement. There were a few laugh out loud moments when both wrestlers are bickering with each other, as well as solemn moments when HBK reflects on his career, and what it means to be in the WWE. Interaction is not only limited to in-the-ring action; there are “live” interviews, backstage encounters, and impromptu matches at every turn. Each storyline is 3-5 hours in length, dependent upon the difficulty selected.

*Championship Scramble: New to WWE programming, the championship scramble is simple: Players complete in a timed match, where the last person to score a pinfall or submission before the bell rings is crowned champion. Matches can be extremely manic with 6 wrestlers in the ring simultaneously battling for the title.

*WWE Story Designer: The star of the show; this mode allows the user to create their own custom WWE Programming, lasting up to ten years. The concept is something that fans have been clamoring for for a long time; players can select from over 500 various “moments” to complete each show. These can be various animations, match types, interviews, or cutscenes. Want to see a referee get gunned down by a limousine in the parking lot, after calling the Championship match? No problem! The only limit is each player’s creativity; coupled with the ability to upload and download created shows the possibilities are endless. There will be some people that will spend the majority of their time simply creating content for others to enjoy, and another group that looks for new content to download and enjoy. Regardless, this mode is extremely easy to get into, and enjoy. During this review, we found this to be one of the most compelling and rewarding changes to the Smackdown Vs. Raw series; well designed with tons of options and replay value.

* Redesigned Create-A-Superstar Mode: A staple of the series has always been the ability to create new Superstars, or recreate existing ones not found in the game. In previous iterations, the creation process was lengthy and required long “formulas” to accurately recreate wrestlers. Thankfully, THQ has once again listened to the fans and made this mode extremely accessible. Improved Player Models, and true “3-D” clothing and accessories help to make the CAS look and feel like they belong in the WWE Universe. The new “paint tool” lets you create your own logos, add scars, cuts, and tattoos to your CAS, making them look incredibly life-like. Keeping with the “community” theme, the Create-A-Superstars can also be uploaded and downloaded to share with the world.

Thankfully, gameplay has remained faithful to the series. Grapples are still performed with the right analog stick, and Signature Moves/Finishers are performed by pressing the Y Button. The big change however, is in regards to Reversals. Previously, Reversals were assigned to the Trigger Buttons; Left Trigger for Strike Reversals, and Right Trigger for Grapple Reversals. In an effort to “streamline” this process, they Reversals are now both assigned to the Right Trigger. The feel is very natural, and contributes to the realistic pace of matches. The game has such a fluid quality; the pace of the game is such that we never found ourselves repeatedly doing moves over and over. Gone is the “arcadish” feel of button mashing, and instead replaced by a risk-reward style of play. Veteran players will appreciate this nod to a more realistic approach; movement has never looked or felt better in Smackdown Vs Raw.

The HUD display has also been replaced by a single rotating icon beneath each wrestler. As each player performs more moves, the icon will fill up and indicate that the wrestler can perform their “Signature” Move, and then Finisher. When players take damage, it is reflected in their faces, bodies, and limbs. Hard chops to the torso will leave red marks that get progressively worse, with each hit. Attacking arms and legs will result in wrestlers dragging or holding the injured limbs. Very cool stuff, indeed.

*Highlight Reel The Highlight Reel was one of SvR 2009’s new features; even though it was generally well received, it was not as widely used as the developers had hoped. To remedy this, improvements have been made to these features, which have truly made it special. After each match, the Highlight Reel features the most exciting moments from the match: Finishing Moves, Match Changing Moment, Signature Moves; they’re all there. These events can be saved to the Hard Drive, uploaded, even used as Entrance Animation. This is yet another example of how Svr 2010 is committed to uniting fans by encouraging creativity and community.

*Enhanced Royal Rumble: The Royal Rumble used to be one of the most boring and uninteresting Game Modes, because it was too “vanilla”. Strategy was limited to basically hiding out by the turnbuckle, and watching the Computer A.I. beat the crap out of one another. Throw out your misconception of the Royal Rumble, because it has evolved into a match type that people will want to play FIRST. Now, there are multiple ways to eliminate an opponent; the all-new Royal Rumble Finisher(s), (instant elimination from the ring) the middle-rope, and over-the-top rope methods of elimination. Watching an eliminated opponent leave the ring, shake their heads in disgust and walk back to the locker room is absolutely priceless.

Graphics:

The game looks extremely sharp; now being powered by the “Havok” Engine, there is an insane amount of detail just about everywhere you look. Full animated 3-D Crowds, Player faces and mouths showing anguish; realistic rope and ring physics are truly awe-inspiring. Presentation from top to bottom is top-notch: WWE Logos at the beginning and end of matches, Championship Belt Presentation before Championship Bouts, Television style camera angles; if it’s in the show, it’s in the game. To truly appreciate how amazing the visuals are, take a look at Randy Orton and the fine details in his body art…..awesome. There is almost no “clipping” between characters on screen; as well, referees actually get out of the way if they are in the path of the wrestlers. Our favorite graphical touch was watching blood pour from an opponent’s head, continue to beat them, and watch the blood transfer to our characters’ hands and chest. Not only was this moment completely visceral, but it was just….right.

Sound:

The announcing teams are improved over Svr 09; there is definitely more humor, as well as wrestler-specific comments. There are also more references to previous matches in WWE history, a welcome addition. Kicks, punches, and weapons all sound great; there is a distinct realism to the thud when a steel chair hits an opponent’s skull. Nothing too ground-breaking here, but still an improvement over last year.

Longevity:

Each of the 500 “moments” is roughly an hour of gameplay; coupled with the near limitless amount of content from other users, (and the Road To Wrestlemania Mode) and gamers could conceivably play this game for the next TWO years. With the addition of DLC this title truly has no limits.

Overall:

All we can say is WOW; how ever did Yuke’s and THQ manage to squeeze so much into a title with just under a year of development time? Other developers should definitely take notice; just because there isn’t another top notch game in the same genre, doesn’t mean that you can’t push the envelope. THQ must live, breathe, and sleep wrestling; this game represents the single greatest one-year improvement of any sports title in recent history. Their labor of love should be appreciated by all wrestling fans, both casual and hardcore. This game is FUN; the commitment to community and the fans is second to none, and our hats are off to them. WWE Smackdown Vs. Raw 2010 is the BEST Smackdown ever, and deserves the recognition as a first-rate title. Highly Recommended, and the most enjoyable wrestling game we’ve played in years.