Written by: Liam

 

 

 

It’s been less than a year since the last instalment of the premier wrestling videogame hit our shelves, and publisher THQ have promised yet more changes to make "WWE SmackDown Vs. Raw 2010" the most complete edition yet.

 

With the introduction of TNA Impact, the video game King of the Ring crown has officially been challenged, so can THQ deliver on their promises and pin Impact for the 1-2-3?

 

As a huge wrestling fan, growing increasingly frustrated with a franchise that has recently promised so much, yet delivered so little, I found myself contemplating another year in WWE videogame purgatory; dismissing THQ’s claims of a new WWE experience another case of conjecture and deception. I was amazed to find in this game almost everything that THQ promised, and then some. An entirely entertaining, playable, sociable edition of SVR that has given the franchise depths a Fifa style resurrection.

 

There is a lot in SVR2010 that has been re-used from the 09 edition such as the Road to Wrestlemania game mode and the career as a whole, but overall, the crux of the game has been changed entirely. Gone are the stale game-modes and in its place are a new set of options bursting at the seams with originality and zeal. The tagline for this year’s offering is “It’s Your World Now,” and that’s exactly what it is, offering unprecedented game modes, customisation, and sharing options.   

 

 

The button layout, basic gameplay, menu, and in-game HUD remain unchanged and in terms of actual game modes, on the surface not much has changed either, but look deeper and you’ll find pretty much everything a wrestling fan, or otherwise, could ever want. Exciting match types like the Championship Scramble have been added, adding to the single player experience as well as a Create-A-Wrestler Road to Wrestlemania. The 09 edition of SVR didn’t offer a real storyline for a created superstar and that has been addressed along with another 6 storyline for all the WWE’s biggest names.

 

A 2-player co-op RTW storyline has also been added so now you and a friend can shut the mouths of whomever you please in unison. A sweet training and challenge mode has also been added for first-timers learning the ropes and those who want to improve their game. Unfortunately, the rather disappointing ‘career mode’ rears its ugly head once again in SVR2010. A Mega Drive Super Wrestlemania style series of basic matches with absolutely no storyline leaves you feeling empty and contemplating wondering why they even bothered.   

 

This disappointment however does not take away from the fact that the addition of custom modes galore means that the replay value of SVR2010 is seemingly unlimited. Giving you the option of creating not only your own superstar, but your own entrance music, entrance video, highlight video package, logo design, PPV event, finishers and perhaps most impressively storylines. This addition is simply breathtaking, with the only flaw that you cannot add many of your own created superstars to the story. Nevertheless, the option gives you the opportunity to create your own drama, with your own situations, audio and text, to create the most in depth, sociable and impressive addition to any wrestling game, ever.

 

 

Overall it’s easy to say that next years offering has definite room for improvement, but without a doubt SVR 2010 is a massive step forward in terms of playability, and gives the user the option to create anything they want, how they want, when they want. Smackdown Vs Raw 2010 is the closest thing the perfect a wrestling game has ever been, with THQ taking advice from the fans to create an experience like no other.