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It is that time of the year again as the WWE Universe enters the video game universe, as WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2010 has been released on all video game consoles. This years edition of the game takes major leaps forward as it is easily the best edition of the video game series to be released in a long time.
GRAPHICS/VISUALS
The look of this game is truly impressive, from the wrestlers in the ring, all the way to the rowdy fans cheering on the action. The game itself is using the Havok game engine for the first time this year and the visual improvements can easily be noticed, along with the collision detection, which has been an issues with past games for some time now. Another impressive feature is the blood, which now spreads out along the body of the wrestlers as opponents continually attack the bloodied area. All of the special arenas (designed for each WWE pay-per-view and television show), as well as backstage areas look impressive as always.
GAME MODES/MATCH TYPES
This years edition of WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2010 includes all of the previous years match types, such as singles matches, tag team matches , triple threat matches, fatal four way matches, six way elimination matches, battle royals, extreme rules matches, falls count anywhere matches, ladder match, TLC matches, first blood matches, last man standing matches, tables matches, backstage brawls, inferno matches, hell in a cell matches, steel cage matches, iron man matches, submission matches and a host of other great match types.
The two notable standouts of the match types are the improved royal rumble match and the new edition to the video game series, the scramble match. The major change to the royal rumble match this year is that instead of mashing buttons to eliminate an opponent, you must complete a series of button combinations before your opponent does to cause an elimination. The scramble match is the newest mode in the video game series and it is an easy to pick up game mode with little learning curve needed to play the game.
The Road To Wrestlemania game mode returns this year, featuring new storylines involving Edge, Randy Orton, Triple H/John Cena (co-op), Shawn Michaels, Mickie James and a created wrestler. The improvement made on this years Road To Wrestlemania is the decision making, because the decisions you make throughout the game can change the storyline direction later in your characters game.
The career mode returns this year, but nothing much has changed since it was implemented in last years game, WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2009.
SOUND
The sound in this years edition of WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2010 is a crisp as it has been in previous years, from the thwack of the Singapore cane to the smashing of a table when a wrestler goes through it. The color commentary in this years game has been improved as well, featuring the broadcasting greats like Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole and Tazz.
ROSTER
This years edition of WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2010 features a roster of WWE wrestlers like Batista, Beth Phoenix, Big Show, The Brian Kendrick, Brie Bella, Carlito, Chavo Guerrero, Chris Jericho, Christian, CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, Dolph Ziggler, Edge, Evan Bourne, Festus, Finlay, Gail Kim, Goldust, The Great Khali, Jack Swagger, John “Bradshaw†Layfield, Jeff Hardy, Jesse, John Cena, John Morrison, JTG, Kane, Kelly Kelly, Kofi Kingston, Maria, Mark Henry, Maryse, Matt Hardy, Melina, Michelle McCool, Mickie James, Mike Knox, The Miz, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. McMahon, MVP, Natalya, Nikki Bella, Primo, Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio, The Rock, R-Truth, Santino, Shad, Shawn Michaels, Shelton Benjamin, Ted Dibiase, Tommy Dreamer, Triple H, Umaga, The Undertaker, Vladimir Koslov and William Regal. The game features many unlockable wrestlers as well, which you can unlock after completing select tasks. Also, if you pre-ordered the game from select Gamestop outlets, you can get a free download for the “Stone Cold†Steve Austin character.
CONTROLS
As per usual with the WWE Smackdown vs. Raw series, the controls are stellar, but this years game has a few odd quirks that bugged me a little. The first quirk I had involves the ladder match, as it seemed that the majority of the time a wrestler dove off the top of the ladder, he would dive away from his intended target and miss it completely. The other quirk has to do with switching the wrestler you are trying to attack, this years game has it done automatically, which can lead to issues when you are trying to attack a certain wrestler.
CREATION MODES
The pinnacle of the WWE Smackdown vs. Raw video game series has always been its create a wrestler mode, which returns this year. However, the new pinnacle of the video game series is the create a storyline mode, which marks its debut on WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2010. First off, the create a wrestler mode remains as sharp as ever, with the ability to create your own superstar being as fun as it ever was.
The create a storyline mode could very well be the crown jewel of the WWE Smackdown vs. Raw video game series, and with good reason. In this mode, you have the opportunity to create your own WWE storyline involving both real life WWE talent and created wrestlers, with the storyline lasting up to a decade (in the video game landscape). You can type what the wrestlers say, who is good/evil, who loves who and just about anything else you can think of. This game mode will easily make even the most skeptical person of the wrestling video game genre more excited than they have been in past years.
ONLINE
The online game play returns this year as well, where you and your friends can play each other or anyone else out in the online world in a variety of matches. The biggest change to the online mode this year is that it better incorporates your create a wrestlers and the new create a storyline modes into your online experience. As this years game will allow you to upload your own created wrestlers and created storylines to the games online database, so others can play with your created wrestlers or play through your created storylines. In the short time I’ve owned the game, I’ve already downloaded wrestlers like Robert Roode, Dragon Kid, Goldberg, Hulk Hogan and other wrestlers created by fans for all to enjoy. Also, like WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2009, the WWE will be putting new wrestlers for online download in the future, for a small fee.
OVERALL
When it is all said and done, WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2010 is easily the best version of the WWE video game series to come around in a long time. The new features like create a storyline, WWE Championship Scramble, uploading/downloading of created wrestlers/storylines and the improvements to the royal rumble match make this game well worth the purchase.
You can get WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2010 at the PWInsider Store for $53.99 (PS3), $55.23 (X-Box 360), $36.99 (PS2 & PSP), $44.99 (Nintendo Wii) and $27.99 (Nintendo DS)!
You can contact David Tees at bigtees360@yahoo.com
