Smackdown vs Raw 2010 (Xbox 360) Review

Posted by Lee Price on 11.05.2009

The WWE superstars return with yet another in the annual series of Smackdown vs Raw games. Is there enough new stuff here to warrant a purchase? Find out inside.



Game: Smackdown vs. Raw 2010
Publisher: THQ
Developer: Yuke's Media Creations
Genre: Wrestling
Players: 1-4
Rating: T for Teen

I must admit before I get this review underway that I haven't watched much in the way of WWE programming, or wrestling in general for quite a long while. My enthusiasm for wrestling kind of died out when all of my favorite wrestlers started dying and Chris Benoit went on a murderous rampage in his own house. Having said that I do still have fond memories of watching wrestling, and I try to keep up a little bit with what's going on in the hope of having my interest clawed back. One of the ways I do this is through periodic plays of the Smackdown vs. Raw games so when the opportunity came up to review this game I figured I may as well give it a shot. You never know it may rekindle my passion for the “sport”.



Gameplay

Gameplay itself is better than previous installments, with the stamina system that had over-complicated previous year's games being made optional, thus allowing you to get into the swing of a match without having to worry about you wrestler becoming tired after throwing one too many punches. The counter system has been simplified to correctly timed presses of the Right Bumper too, which again gives the matches a better flow. This isn't Tekken or Virtua Fighter and masses of button presses to score combos aren't the name of the game here so a simplified fighting system is much better than the complex and deep system incorporated by last year's effort.

The momentum system is still in place and is a very good way of controlling the ebb and flow of a match, as well as being a good indicator of how well the match is going for you. As you build momentum through executing moves and taunts, you get closer to unleashing your special and potentially finishing the match altogether. It is a neat system which is massive improvement on the special bars of old and the lack of masses of energy bars and the like help lend the matches a sense of realism, offering extra absorption into the fights.

Having said that, matches do occasionally feel a little sluggish, especially in comparison to the Smackdown games of old, but this can be put down to the increased amount of moves on offer to the player. You still use the right stick to control most of what you do on the grappling side, but the game could perhaps do with being a little snappier in places. It would certainly help with the momentum system if some of your moves were perhaps executed a little more quickly to represent your opponent's tiring status against your new found rush of adrenaline but again this is a minor quibble and certainly doesn't detract away from the game in such a way as to make it feel bad.

GraphicsThere has been a ton of new stuff added to Smackdown vs Raw 2010 so it is perhaps best to get the basics out of the way before exploring the real meat and potatoes of THQ's newest offering into the Smackdown canon of games. Graphically the game is gorgeous. Every wrestler looks exactly how they should and there aren't many jagged edges to spot. The arenas are all spot on and really help give you a feel for whichever event you are meant to be participating in, be it Smackdown or WrestleMania.

Presentation is spot on throughout, with the wrestler entrances still being a thing of beauty and actually well worth sitting through. The animation is generally solid throughout. All the moves look as they should, as do strikes and taunts. There are the occasional clipping issues, especially if you place a smaller wrestler, such as Rey Mysterio, in a match with a behemoth like Kane, but they are rare and quite easily forgivable. Menu screens are a lot snappier too, as well as easier to navigate, and the whole game has a certain feeling of a spit shine to it.

Not only this, but all the small touches are there to make the whole game feel that much slicker and realistic. Loading times are cut down to a bare minimum and the little logos and flashes that WWE incorporate into their programming, such as having the title flash up on screen before a title match and then having the ref show the title to the competitors, all aid in helping you feel like you are actually participating in a WWE event. Even the created superstars have been given a spit shine, with all accessories and clothing being fully 3D. It isn't absolutely perfect, somebody who isn't a wrestling fan would still likely be able to pick out your creations, but it’s a damn sight better than previous versions, and again it all helps to absorb the player into the WWE universe.

Granted the audience members still look like cardboard cutouts, which could normally be easily forgiven except it shows a lack of advancement over the years for the series. With consoles that have the capability of displaying hundred of well detailed NPCs you could have expected Yuke's to have enhanced the floor crowd at the very least to make them appear a little more animated. Hell you only have to look at some of the earlier 360 offerings such as Dead Rising and Hitman: Blood Money to see that the console is plenty capable of displaying some pretty solid generic characters that could amble about in the crowd if need be. It would just help to add a sense of realism in making the arenas feel more alive with a well detailed audience, and its not like the rest of the game is such a graphically masterpiece that a good looking audience is a necessary sacrifice. Having said that it is just a minor quibble but it is something that has always bugged me with this series.



Sound

The sound in the game is stellar, as you would expect. Well at least for the most part. All of the wrestler's theme tunes are faithfully incorporated, as well as some contemporary tunes in the general playlist. On a personal note I was very pleased to see The Parlor Mob get a tune included in the game, but generally the soundtrack is decent enough and it all sounds good.

Audience sounds are solid too, with chants, cheers and boos matching the general feeling of the match in progress. Wrestlers hit the canvas with a satisfying thud and everything sounds pretty much how you would expect it to. Well... nearly everything. The commentary is still pretty god awful. It is stilted and forced and really adds very little the actual match that is happening. There is no emotion or fluidity, just generic phrases and the occasional screaming out of a move that has just been executed. For all the knocks that EA take, they have always been the closest to getting commentary right in their games, and Yuke's would do well to emulate the quicker pace and more natural sounding commentary of the likes of FIFA.



Fun Factor

There is also plenty of stuff returning from last year’s iteration that was well worth keeping. Principal amongst these are the Road to WrestleMania storylines that allow you to take control of a character specific storyline and control what happens on your way to the big PPV match. There are extra stories to follow this year and they are all well detailed and handled. There are quite a bit of interactivity in comparison to last years stories, with various choices having to be made along the way of your 12 week plotline that can effect how the plot pans out.

Another neat feature is giving match specific objectives, such as diving off the cage and the like. These are a neat little way to get you to unlock the various areas, costumes and characters in the game, much more so than making you win 'x' amount of matches to get another cash to purchase a feature from the WWE Shop. They actually force you to try things that you might otherwise not try in an attempt to get your hands on some goodies, but at the same time the tasks are small enough that they don't become intrusive so it blends into your gaming experience quite nicely.

Of course the main selling point for Smackdown vs. Raw 2010 is the amount of customization on offer to the player. This is evident through both the revamped Create-A-Wrestler (CAW) and the brand new and massively addictive Story Designer mode.

As mentioned the CAW mode has been enhanced, or at the very least altered. Some of the changes are positive, the previously mentioned graphical updates are a breath of fresh air and the ability to create your own logos and designs is long overdue and quite well implemented too. The upgrades to the whole Create-A-Finisher process are also very welcome if you don't feel like using one of the multitude of moves on offer to you so for the most part the system works well.

Where it falls down a little bit is in the new points system that helps govern what you can and can't kit your new character out with. There really is no need for it outside of making allowances for the increased detail in the new creations as far as I can see, but it is annoying that you can't always dress up your new wrestler with the snazzy duds you'd like for them. Perhaps it is an issue relating to the graphical improvements, in fact it pretty much certainly is, so maybe as Yukes develop the system further this will be improved upon in coming years.

There are also new match types and moves. Championship Scramble has been given a run out this year and it is quite fun, and extra moves, such as powerbombs and chokeslams off the canvas offer more variety in your matches. The biggest change though is in the Royal Rumble. Yukes have implemented a set of mini games that help determine if you a person who is on the verge of being eliminated actually is disposed of or not and as a system it works surprisingly well. On top of that each character also has a kind of Royal Rumble Finisher that they can use to eliminate somebody instantly at the expense of one of their finisher slots. The system works very well and is a much needed revamp on the Royal Rumble of old.



Lasting Appeal

Which brings us to the newest and best feature to hit a Smackdown vs Raw game in years, the Story Designer mode. This is a wrestling fan's dream come true in so many respects. Hell it is like an orgasm in computer game form for many an IWC member I think. The system is brilliantly implemented, giving you a huge amount of control to basically create whatever story you can come up with, and making it progress as you see fit. Want to start a feud between Edge and Christian that harks back to their days as tag team champions? Go for it. Want to reunite the Brothers of Destruction to have them go on a tear through the entire WWE? There's nothing stopping you. Want to pervert the whole Kane and Undertaker relationship and have them become supernatural lovers? Then you're a sick, yet funny, freak and you should go for it. Hell when I get round to it I'm going to create a sort of highlight show reliving some of my favorite WWE plots over the years and putting a twist on them at some point or another.

The possibilities are endless and you can be as detailed as you like with your stories. It is entirely possible to lose hours manipulating the WWE roster as you see fit and it is such an improvement on the GM Mode of previous games that it is pretty unfair to compare them as it makes that particular game mode obsolete.

The best part is that you can share your stories with other fans over Live. If you've always had it in for Vince, be it Russo or McMahon, then here's your chance to do what you think would work with the WWE cast and have others decide whether you know best or not. Hell you can even play through other people's plots too, which offers the game an almost infinite amount of replay value. If you get bored of the Career Mode and Road to WrestleMania, just get your hands on a story created by a guy a thousand miles away and you have another reason to play again.

The only major quibble with the mode is that you have very limited scope for using your created superstars. This is something that I very much hope gets sorted in future entries into the series because I'd love to include an entire cast of my favorite wrestlers, both old and new, alongside the guys and girls that are already in game. The storyline possibility would truly be amazing then. However for now you are limited to 10 scenes for all created character throughout you created story arc. It’s not so bad if your story lasts for a month, but it makes the inclusion of CAWs almost pointless if you intend on making anything in the slightest bit long running or complex with them.

It is still a massively impressive achievement though, and it offers so much replay value that outside of a few improvements it is almost inevitable that Smackdown vs. Raw 2011 will be little more than a roster update. That is how big a step Smackdown vs. Raw 2010 has taken. It is exciting as a Smackdown game has been since they moved from the PS1 to the PS2.

The 411

Overall then Smackdown vs. Raw 2010 is the best wrestling game to have been released in years. The gameplay is as solid as ever and with a roster of 67 wrestlers, plus secret characters to be unlocked, you won't get bored of the variety. But the real revelation is the use of user-generated content - this really is a revelation in the wrestling universe and with a few tweaks, namely unlimited CAW use, it could make the likes of E-Feds completely pointless. Buy this game just for this feature alone if you have ever enjoyed wrestling. It is just that good.

Graphics	9.0	The graphics and presentation are gorgeous, but it is all the little touches that help put the game over the edge.
Gameplay	8.5	Matches are generally smooth and hassle free and the controls work like a charm. New moves and match types help spice things up a bit from previous installments.
Sound	8.0	Outside of the commentary the sound is exemplary. Unfortunately the commentary is so irritating and stuttering that it really drags the sound quality down.
Lasting Appeal	10.0	The Create-A-Story mode provides a stack of things to do and the embracing of user generated content means that fans of the series will be kept busy all the way to the next game.
Fun Factor	9.5	Outside of the matches and the like, which are as good as ever, the whole management aspect of Create-A-Story mode offers the game an entirely different level of fun.
Overall	9.0   [  Amazing ]