TWD’s WWE Smackdown vs. RAW 2010 Review (Part II): Create-A-Superstar, Story Designer, Other Customization and More

When writing a review for this spectacular video game I had to split it into two parts because it’s just that big. It’s honestly amazing that the guys at THQ were able to fit so much onto one small disc. Part one of this review covered the Road To Wrestlemania mode, the full roster including unlockable superstars, the new and improved match types and more. If you missed it you can read it here.

Part two of the review, which you are reading right now, will cover all of the features of the game that let you customize which contribute to the game’s tag line “it’s your world now.”

In each of the following features that I discuss, I will follow it up with “Scott’s rating” which will take into account the usefulness and functionality in my opinion.

Story Designer Mode

Arguably the most popular feature in the new installment of the series, the story designer lets the player control each brand’s shows for up to 10 years. The roster that you select from isn’t limited to just the WWE wrestlers though because you can place your created wrestler in a storyline with John Cena for example.

When creating an episode of RAW, you have two options straight off the bat. You can either create a match or you can make up a scene that could be anything from a superstar cutting a promo to three wrestlers being involved in a beat down on a fourth, or even having a wrestler run down by a car in the parking lot.

Once you have created a series of matches and scenes, and have adding dialogue to said scenes, then you can rearrange them in any order you like, or you can play that one episode, or you can keep going and start the next episode of RAW, ECW, Smackdown, or a PPV.

You don’t have to have a show for each brand every week either. If you wanted you could just have PPVs every night, or if you’re a fan of the old PPV schedule you could simply not have a No Mercy PPV for example or just use the big four. It’s completely up to you and you have total freedom to do what you want.

You can add sound for each scene including cheers from the crowd, a wrestler’s theme music as they walk into the room, or even a “we want tables” chant. You can also cut scene lengths if you want it to be shorter, and you can also add the WWE copyright logo at the end of each episode for that professional look.

If you think that there’s something missing from this mode, I’m sure you can make do by getting creative. Like THQ says, “it’s your world now.”

Scott’s rating: 8.5/10. It vastly improves the longevity of the game and was one of the biggest things missing from last year’s game. It will no doubt be improved in future installments by adding more scenes or maybe even audio of the superstars talking.

Create-A-Modes

One of the best parts of the game each year is the ability to create and customize your own wrestling characters and have them go up against the biggest superstars of the WWE. In the 2010 version of the game, the feature has returned once again and it’s better than ever.

Source: IGN

Superstar

The ever popular create-a-superstar mode has returned and it finally includes 3D clothing! Knee pads are now visibly padded, sunglasses actually fit on a nose instead of hovering just above it, and hats almost look normal when they are worn.

Some of the new clothing options include a chicken head as well as pieces of former wrestler’s ring attire for the likes of The British Bulldog, Dusty Rhodes, Bam Bam Bigelow, and much more. I think I even saw Sheik Abdul Bashir’s vest from TNA.

One of the biggest differences this year is the points system for clothing. Most basic things such as plain shirts, tights, pads etc are free of cost, but accessories like jackets and necklaces can set you back a fair amount.

There is now more control over resizing of tattoos and the like because now instead of having four preset sizes to choose from, you can actually make something longer by the tiniest fraction or make it bigger than the wrestler’s nose.

Unfortunately, however, I think the developers have taken one important step backwards. The list of predetermined ring announced names has been drastically cut down so that now all that is left is nicknames such as “The Superstar” or “Dynamite.”

Scott’s rating: 9/10. It can’t really get much better except for adding more options in key areas. Overall I like the continued evolution of the create-a-superstar mode. The trade-off of 3D clothing and accessories for a points system is definitely worth it when you see the finished product.

Source: Video Gamer

Finisher

This year sees another create-a-finisher added on because now you can create your own custom

It really makes you wonder what will come next. It opens up an entirely new avenue for THQ to go down. They could release new created finishers from a different position every year and it would keep the majority of fans happy.

A lot of people are suggesting a create-a-submission mode for next year’s game, but I don’t see how that’s possible in the foreseeable future. There are way too many positions that submissions can be started from. I think that they’d be better off making moves from every position and then add submission moves to what they already have established.

I could see created finishers from behind your opponent being made available for next year’s game, like maybe a backstabber/monkey flip type move for something crazy or the famous triple german suplex made popular by the late Chris Benoit, or they could go with ground type moves or possible even moves in the corner.

Scott’s rating: 8.5/10. What THQ and everyone else involved has given us is a great addition to the modes introduction last year, but they have barely scratched the surface with the multitude of possibilities in the future.

Moveset

Once again the guys at THQ have outdone themselves with another updated moveset. I would say that there’s at least 25% more moves to choose from with one of my new favourites being the “cloverleaf pain.” It’s pretty much a cross between a normal cloverleaf and a figure four leglock. It looks brutal and I wouldn’t be surprised if somebody in one of the big North American promotions adopted it into his or her own moveset in real life.

Scott’s rating: 9.5/10. I really can’t fault the game anywhere with this mode. I like the new moves being added to each game, but the only thing I have a problem with is the new controls for grapples while your opponent is on the ground.

There’s now a separate button for struggle submissions and one button is used to replace a possible three different attacks from the upper body, face up position for example. I prefer the controls from last year’s game, but maybe that’s just me.

Entrance and Entrance Video

For the first time in the franchise’s history, players can now not only make highlight reels of their created wrestlers in action, but they can also make them the created wrestler’s entrance video on the titantron.

The preset entrances have also changed from years gone by. Instead of having roughly 20 legends and 20 former WWE superstars to copy from, there’s now only 8 legend entrances and a whopping 38 from former WWE wrestlers. The list includes the usual names like Mick Foley, Kurt Angle, and Rob Van Dam, but there are also a few new superstars including Jimmy Wang Yang, Zack Ryder, Curt Hawkins, and even Floyd Mayweather.

Scott’s rating: 8/10. While this is fun to do and if done right it can look very professional, I don’t like the fact that you can only create a video from one match at a time, and I also don’t like the way that you can’t save an entire match for editing. The game automatically picks out what it thinks is the most exciting parts of each match, but on several occasions I haven’t been able to save my created finisher being performed.

Paint Tool/Superstar Threads

Source: Video Gamer

Paint Tool

To add that special touch to your created wrestler, you can now design their own logos or even tattoos to be placed somewhere on their body or clothing. If you’ve got that creative flair, then this is definitely for you!

The only downfall, and it’s a pretty big one, is that if you’re drawing freehand, which you’ll probably find yourself doing most of the time, you need to be very good using the thumbstick on your controller.

I find it incredibly difficult to even write my own name freehand, but if you layer colour filled shapes like you see on the left then I think you could easily create a very effective logo or picture of some kind.

Scott’s rating: 7/10. It’s a good start to a new feature in the game, but I’m really hoping that the developers improve on it for the next game if they decide to use it again.

One of many possibilities (Source: IGN)

Superstar Threads

Ever wondered what some of your favourite superstars would look like in a different coloured outfit? Now’s your chance to create up to three alternate attires for each and every wrestler on the roster, even your created characters!

A very popular choice so far seems to be making the Undertaker or John Cena wear all pink to the ring, which is funny the first few times you see it, but after that I don’t really see the need for this feature in the game.

It comes in handy for only a select few wrestlers such as Rey Mysterio or Jeff Hardy who are constantly changing the colour of their masks and arm bands respectively, but past a small group of superstars it is hardly used at all.

I’d like to see the player being able to alter the outfits of the superstars somewhat in the next game. I hate not being able to remove Jeff Hardy’s face paint as an example, and I would love to be able to make Mark Henry wear only briefs in a match!

Scott’s rating: 7/10. Handy in some cases, but not very often. It’s great if you want to create a stable and have them all wear the same colours, but this mode isn’t to my liking.

WWE Rivals

It’s plain and simple. With this mode you can create your own rivalries and make them as intense as you want. Each superstar can have up to 5 allies and another 5 enemies, which is plenty.

Scott’s rating: 10/10. It’s a necessity and it doesn’t even need to be touched if they use it in the next game.

Minor Issues

Here’s a quick rundown of the things that I found annoying in the game, but in the larger picture they don’t really take anything away from the game.

• No Buried Alive match. This was one of my favourite match types in the past, so it’s a shame that it doesn’t feature in this year’s game. Maybe next year.
• For some reason the AI always tries to kick out a ladder from under you instead of just climbing up and trying to throw you off. It just means that you have a few more seconds to retrieve the briefcase or belt that you’re wrestling for.
• Once you’ve played the game for a few hours, you’ll quickly notice that the commentary can get very repetitive, but that shouldn’t come as a surprise if you’ve played a WWE wrestling game in the past few years. Striker does, however, add a lot to the team.
• As has always been the case, whenever a Diva is hit with a low blow, they drop to the floor in the same way that a guy does. It just doesn’t look right.
• For some unknown reason, you are limited to having any created wrestlers appear on a maximum of 10 occasions per created storyline in the storyline designer mode. It doesn’t matter if you use 10 different created characters or the same character 10 times. I find it really annoying, especially because if I wanted to I could book John Cena to appear in 10 matches a night for an entire year.
• The points system for the create-a-superstar mode can hold you back at stages, but as long as your created character isn’t overloaded with unnecessary features then you should be alright.

As a big fan of the Smackdown vs. RAW series, and having played and owned the last four games, I rate this one as the best by far and give it a 9/10 overall. It has it’s little problems here and there like any other video game on the market, but it really is a must for any wrestling fan. It will keep you entertained for years to come.

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