Customer Reviews

WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2010

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have been a wrestling fan nearly all my life. I've played every game from WWF Raw on the SNES to No Mercy on the N64 to Day of Reckoning on the Gamecube to every single SvR title, and I have to say this one rates up there with the best. I was skeptical in buying this, however, as I have become a TNA fan in the past couple years since WWE TV has been CRAP...but that's another story. Needless to say though, I was pleasantly surprised by this release.

Not much has changed since last year's SvR release. The only changes are now you can have more customizable abilities with the real-life superstars, create entrance videos, create storylines, and create flying finishers. There isn't anything much more to mention besides those things, and everything else is pretty much the same as 2009. Now what makes this game better than the other titles is that, as you would expect, everything from the graphics to the sound to the flow of things has been slightly improved. No surprise there.

There are, however, some very annoying things about this game that I must mention. For one, when you download superstars that other people made, you cannot edit their entrance nor their moveset. I could give a damn about their entrance, but people who are lazy and just give the people they make no thought at all besides appearance is quite disappointing. And the worst part is you can't even tell what their finishers are until you download them and attempt to play them in the game. Plus when it comes to created superstars, you cannot copy a superstar who is level 99 and make a bunch of them. Kind of lame when you have to level up every single wrestler you decide to make. Also, the flying finisher maker is absolute crap. Basically no matter what move you make it's going to be a really retarded-looking splash. This looks more like designing a dive into a pool for someone in the Olympics than a wrestling move.

My last couple gripes have to do with the in-match action. The targeting system on this game is HORRIBLE. Remember back on 2007 where you could target someone else just by running at them if nothing else? Well on here you can't even do that. It's complete BS. Secondly, they made it so it's almost impossible to do a top rope move onto an opponent who's lying on the mat. For some reason your opponents on this game get up far more quick than they ever did in past games. I cannot tell you how many times I've climbed the turnbuckle only to reach the top as the other guy gets up to one knee.

On the whole, however, this is far from a bad game. With the exception of the CAW options, a couple in-game mechanics, and the damn flying finisher maker...this game is probably the best so far. The superstars look better than ever, and you can change them in accordance to how things progress in real life. I applaud WWE and THQ for making a good wrestling game, but they need to go back to basics and make the CAWs much better.

I happen to own a bunch of the Smackdowns already and had no plans of picking this one up...UNTIL I found out about the story editor mode. Then I decided to buy it and give the newest smackdown a chance.

Let me say, that while the story editor leaves a lot to be desired, it could be great. Emphasis on COULD be. Unfortunately there's a bizzare limitation they added that makes no sense at all. For some reason, you can only use your created characters up to 10 times in the full year story you have. Matches and scenarios count the same, and so if you have half of your story be scenarios, that means you can have a maximum of 5 matches with 5 scenes....for the whole year. Or worst yet, if you include 2 guys you created, that counts as 2 scenarios or matches per scenario.

This is a bizarre limitation since it wouldn't hurt the game performance to allow you to use whoever you want. I have no clue why the developers of this game would want to add such a severe limitation to a great idea. Since I got this game to develop my own characters through stories, I am frustrated and disappointed with this limitation that takes an otherwise cool idea and limits it to pointlessness.

The story editor already has its setbacks, but this is the killer. So I think I'm going to go ahead and take this game back, since the gameplay isn't improved enough from last year to be worth the high price if I'm not going to use the story editor. I'm hoping that maybe they'll make a patch to fix this problem or increase the limit on a future DLC package. If they did that, I would buy this game again. Until then, I might as well just play Smackdown 2008's GM mode, which doesn't make such an insane limit on how you use your created wrestlers.

Stamina. It's a term that is incredibly relevant to everything related to the wonderful world of WWE. It's the difference between mid-card and main event, the change from jobber to superstar, and the proof that longevity breeds a successful career. Take a look at Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker, and even Triple H just to name a few. After being in the industry for years upon years, they still pull out all the stops, put their bodies on the line and keep on doing it for the fans. The WWE Smackdown franchise is the video game equivalent, and with sequels now in the double figures spanning three generations of consoles, we're very pleased to say that the 2010 edition of WWE Smackdown vs. Raw is indeed one of the best wrestling games not only of the series, but of all time.

Why, do you ask?

Creativity. Creative freedom oozes out of WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2010 in a way never seen before; sure, you've always been able to create your own superstars and recently even create your own finishers, modify the roster and so on. Hardcore wrestling fans have always been wanting just that little bit more, and that little bit more ladies and gentlemen is the ability to create your own story lines. How many times have you sat down with your mates and discussed what you think should happen with superstar interactions and the week-to-week narrative, discussing who deserves a push and contemplating possibilities for serious character development? We've done it endlessly over the many years we've been watching WWE, and the ability to put it all there on the screen in front of us and watch our work play out in front of our very eyes is, quite frankly, all kinds of awesome.
From the incredibly detailed Create-a-Superstar mode (which loads a bit faster this year, by the way) to the Create-a-Finisher mode which is also far more detailed than usual with the ability to add diving finishers too, you can tailor make everything just how you want it to be. Entrances have always been a highlight in showing off the presentation of the WWE games, and here you can create your entrance right down to the specific lighting cues and music that plays; for a film-makers touch, you can even edit together snippets from your matches to make a custom entrance movie that plays on the titan tron. If anyone says there isn't enough options in this game, we'll slap them down and spit on them, because we're almost wondering how they crammed so many options onto a disc.

The greatest thing about all of this content that you can create is that you are able to share it online with the rest of the world. The fact that you can upload your own storylines and download other ones to play through means that the content is potentially infinite if it's embraced by the community; and to be honest, the system is so easy and fun to use that we can't see why it wouldn't be embraced wholeheartedly. Being able to download each others created superstars also will extend the longevity of the game as there is the ability to constantly keep your roster fresh with new characters and therefore, more strategies. While we're sure there will be some unique creations, it's going to be handy to download superstars that have been created based on real-life counterparts from those created players who want to play as their favourite new superstar or legend from the past.
Road to Wrestlemania mode, a story mode designed specifically with a handful of particular characters in mind. These are a lot of fun to play, and range from playing as Mickie James all the way to the other end of the spectrum, playing as a desperate Shawn Michaels who refuses to give up and retire. More importantly, you can now take your created superstars through this special mode, starting out as a fan that gets insulted by Santino while sitting in the front row and playing through the narrative from there. There are moments in this mode where you have to make decisions that alter the path in the story, and there are also special match conditions you can meet such as winning in a certain way or using a certain move which goes towards unlocking more goodies for yourself later.

The presentation in WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2010 is top notch this time around as well. While it's always been said that the games try to be as close to the real thing as possible, it's 2010 that more than ever proves that it's certainly not far from the truth. Replacing some loading screens are the logos of company and show copyright pops up at the end of matches as your superstar celebrates in the ring. There are even more subtle touches to the presentation, including actual reactions from superstars outside the ring after they've been eliminated from the Royal Rumble, and the HUD has been replaced with a simple circle around your superstars feet which lets you know how much momentum you have, so that you can time your trademark moves and finishers.


Gameplay has also been refined for the better, moving to just the one reversal button rather than using both the shoulder buttons. The timing of each counter really needs to be more precise, and it just feels more natural when counters do occur rather than just picking a side and mashing it in the hope that you are predicting whether your foe is using a striking or a grappling move. There are also a few new moves in there for good measure, and the mechanic for kicking out has moved into a mini-game of timing rather than being merely about bashing the control pad. The Royal Rumble has copped some serious upgrading in terms of how to eliminate people also, with timing-based mini games replacing the old formula which essentially was frustrating and cheap if you were ganged up on by the AI at any point. And finally, the Championship Scramble has been added as a match mode, where (for those who don't know) the title can change hands as many times as necessary over a period of either 5, 10 or 20 minutes, with the winner being the last person holding the belt at the end.

The bottom line here is of course that WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2010 isn't a perfect game, but there isn't a serious need to go over the flaws when it's such a big step forward for the franchise overall. There are so many improvements that it stands out as one of the most successful wrestling games of all time, and easily the best of this generation. The creativity that it allows you is unmatched, and the fact that you can share your stories and creations with the world means that the game could effectively last you forever, and the entire game has been given an edge in presentation that genuinely makes you feel like you're watching the programming, which is not an easy thing to deliver. Improved in almost every way, this is one chunk of gaming goodness that's impossible for any true wrestling fan to ignore.

Smackdown Vs Raw 2010 is THE absolute best game in the series, hands down!! It has a pretty good (and large) roster of superstars, and venues. This year, instead of that boring old GM Mode, that was present in previous games, they've put in a Storyline Editor Mode, which as the name states, lets you create your own storylines, angles, and events on whatever show you choose, you can add text, and other stuff like that. You can do anything from cars exploding in guys faces, to abushes after a match, it's all here. The Create A Superstar feature has gotten a major boost too! No longer does the outfits on a CAS look "Painted on", they are all 3D, so for instance, last year, I created Super Man, and his cape stuck to the back of his legs whenever he walked or moved, now, his cape sways in the wind, and moves very realisticly. Also, instead of just one outfit for your CAS, you can have a total of four different outfits, and even change the outfits and entrances of other WWE superstars, a feature I haven't seen in any wrestling game seince WWF Wrestlemania 2000 on the N64. The graphics this year is a huge improvment over last years. If a superstar is busted open, the blood on thier face will only increase if you keep hitting them in that area, plus if a superstar takes too many chops, their chest will turn blistering red, or if say you hit them in the back with a chair, their back will be bruised, etc. Road To Wrestlemania is also new this year, with a new diva RTWM featuring Mickie James. The others are the usual, John Cena, Triple H, Edge, etc. The Royal Rumble match has been completely redone too, allowing you to perform special finishers to eliminate opponents (John Cena can Attitude Adjustment someone over the top rope, etc), along with new botton commands also used to eliminate opponents, whether its from the turnbuckle or the rope appron.This year, to increase the stats of your CAS, you can use them in any match in anymodes to increase their stats after a match, (I kinda like it that way). Championship Scramble has been added to the match types as well. Overall, Smackdown Vs Raw 2010 doesn't dissappoint, giving the you the total freedom to do ANYTHING you want, hence the tag line on the back of the case, It's Your World Now, which is why I gave it a 5/5.

This is the best SvR game I've ever played so far. This game can be so much better if: there's less glitches in game, A lot of limitations on the online community and in game, half-decent manual control target, features taken out again, limited editing options for CAS from online and in-game superstars, lack of support from developers (updates so far), etc. Even with all these faults, the gameplay is better, they added a lot of the little things that made the gameplay more better. RTWM is fun and entertaining, Create-A-Storyline is tons of fun, and tons of others. I'd like to give it a 3.5, but cannot give it 4 stars. Still is a great game IMO. Worth $60 for wrestling fans like me, but not worth it for other gamers.

The game could be longer but it's awesome none the less. I especially like the fact that you could create your own characters. It just needs more matches and weapons.

I like this game alot. The graphics are updated, They added the wcw classic title. I was just going to buy this game for my son, But I started playing this game and couldnt stop playing it. The arena are unlocked so U can play in the Wrestlemania arena if you choose. I havent played the road to wrestlemania mode yet, But I heard it is very entertaining. Worth your money if you do not wanna spend alot of money on a wrestling game.

It's a great game, there are several interesting battles, shows the majority of fighters. i will not recomended for children under 10 years, There are very violent and bloody fights.

***MENU***
At the Menu screen, in the background there is a training ring and there are two wrestlers inside waiting for you to take control. One is player 1 and the other is just CPU. i think it can be controlled by another person. You can press start and all the rest of the exhibition and other menu options will clear away and you can train in training mode all you want. I think it will also tell you that you can access training mode during anytime of game play. i could be wrong. Tips will appear at the bottom right corner of the screen, testing your abilities. If you do a move right, it will check it for you and move you onto the next move. and if there is something you don't understand, just visit the ability option screen and you can do customary settings to better understand how to move your wrestlers. it will also take record of the moves you know how to do and not to do. Now the cool thing is, you can actually set what kind of wrestlers you want to remain waiting in the training mode, no matter how many times you turn on the console and replay the game. like for example i set it to have Maryse and Eve at the menu.

The menu is dramatically different from the previous SVR, it can be confusing becuase there's alot there that's new. Like for example, Lets say Create your own video, like for your titantron. It's actually connected to youtube somehow, but sadly i don't have internet hooked to my Ps3 at the moment.

The Song options playing during game play is neat. You can change or go through songs with the left analog stick. There is an option of managing songs but i don't know how to do that yet.

***Create Mode***

For WWE Wrestlers, you are given this very neat option to color their attire and they can have THREE spaces available for different attires, such as for Mickie James, her attire may be yellow, another blue, and then the last pink. So, its really fun.

As for created superstars, you don't really have alot to choose from, especially for a female superstar. they don't really have alot of hair or outfit choices. The dumbest thing about create mode is the fact that they give you only a small amount of space to put on a superstar. there is this bar at the bottom of the create screen while you're making your wrestler and this bar will say something like 1/43, meaning you have 42 points remaining to finish up your superstar. so lets say in the jacket section, jackets are worth 20 points. thats a HUGE lump of space used. I find that Costumes, Hats and Jackets are usually the ones that take up the most space, which makes other items unavailable to put on your superstar. i thought this option was just the dumbest thing ever and i don't know WHYYYYYYY they added this.

***SEASON MODE***
You don't have alot of freedom becuase the season stories are already set for you, such as Mickie James, John Cena, Edge, Shawn Michaels etc. You can play as a created male superstar only. You can unlock stuff from these stories.

***CREATED STORY***
AH, this was my FAVORITE mode and i am so glad that they put this in here for us to fool around and play with. i LOVE it. Basically you get to make your own show. It will take you to this calender screen, showing RAW, ECW and SMACKDDOWN and you can make a match and or put some cut-scenes in them. Pick the movie option and it will give you a long list of movie clips such as "Car" Or "Interviews" or "Post-Match" For example, in the Car option, you are given about 5 choices, You can either have someone arrive in a limo, you can either have some leave in a limo, you can either have someone almost get run over by a car, you can either have someone get hit by a car, or you have someone approach a car and it'll explode. It's really really fun, you can add any wrestler or created wrestler to these clips.

You can change camera positions, you can add text, you can add the ending copyright logo to your clip, you can make them change facial expressions. If there are too many characters present like 4 and you only want two, you can choose the "Vacant" option. it's a really awesome mode that you can fool around with. You can also change their destinations, like for example, you have Randy Orton on the mic in the ring, you can have him at Wrestlemania, Summerslam, raw, whatever you like. There are also backstage settings such as backstage hall, interview area, dirt sheet area, locker rooms, parking lots, etc. The only bad thing about it, is that the loading time is absolutely LONG, it's horrible.

***Some Exceptions & Weird Stuff ***
The problem with picking wrestlers is that NOW, you can't cross gender them, meaning for example, Kelly Kelly can't compete against the Undertaker or Natalya against Rey Mysterio. the game simply will not let you have that freedom anymore. If you're in a mix tag match, you HAVE to tag the appropriate gender or i think you get DQ, i'm not sure. So there are some restrictions.

The camera does tend to rotate around the ring. the next thing you know you might be in front of the large titantron, you might be to the right of it, left of it, or in front of the commentary table, which i think is neat.

During their Entrance, if you choose to turn the commentary off (Lillian introducing the wrestlers to the ring) Sometimes it may not work. i would go back just to make sure i turned it down and it will be down, but yet i play the game and she's still calling them out. It's weird. Maybe it's a glitch.

My game does tend to shut off by itself. I have no idea why. I do find that when i'm fooling around in the Created Story mode, it does shut off and i have to start all over. It can't be my console because this is the only game that i have a problem with that does this. i could just have a bad copy, but i'm not sure.

Also another thing about Created Story Mode, you cannot cross gender there, either. like the car example, females can be in all those scenarios except for one. females wrestlers cannot be run over by a car, only male wrestlers can. it will tell you that some wrestlers are not qualified for MALE roles. ugh, so sick of this. i'm a 23 year old woman, its not like i'm gonna make myself crazy or became mentally damaged if a woman gets hit by a car. seriously its just a video game, but i guess it's in favor and consideration for these little kids that are playing the game.

Backstage BRAWL is nothing serious in my opinion, it's just blah. the camera stays in one area, it doesn't move around which makes it boring. In my experience, i actually wanted a tornado tag backstage but they only allow two wrestlers.

I think overall this game does make up for the SVR09 which disappointed alot of people. it is very much worth buying. You will have a blast!

Let me first say I have owned alot of WWE games, before it was called Smackdown Vs Raw, with titles of the glory days of "WWE Shut Your Mouth" which was my first game i owned on forward, especially liking 2007 and the first time WWE came out with SD VS Raw with Vince on the cover. Now let me review Smackdown Vs Raw 2010

Presentation/Graphics- Let me say i was absolutely wowed by the games stunning graphics, and Voice overs with superstars, and FINALLY some new things to mention with the commentators(which was usually a flaw in past games) it is a TRUE upgrade over past games, when it always had wrestlers who sounded like they were talking far away from an abandoned warehouse. Although there is room for improvement on a bit of glitches that made it into the game, and graphics that could be a little bit better on crowd animations i think THQ has done an excellent job overall.

9.5

Gameplay- I really have to admit, i have been away from Smackdown games over the past few years(2008,2009)i was feeling rusty and especially when i tried playing Smackdown Vs Raw with it's new tweaking of controls on the 2009 demo i had to admit THQ was bad, but in this years title 2010, you finally have a training thing with two wrestlers in the main menu, and it auctully tells you how to do certain moves which i finally have to admit, THQ exceeded expectations on controls and has finally done what they always wanted to do. Which is create a real experience for the user. Also the gameplay is excellent once you know the controls, it is very simple and not to complex after 20 minutes of knowing the basics, and the fun is just off the charts compared to the past games.

10/10.

Conclusion

I know some people give this a bad name because THQ can sometimes make mistakes on superstars or controls, but to be honest, i think THQ is on track again putting Smackdown Vs Raw right where it needed to be, Fun and Realistic just like 2006 and 2007 Smackdown Vs Raw. I truly do believe if THQ can build on their storyline editor, maybe add in a photo effect to put your face on a superstar, more Road To Wrestlemania storylines down the road, then i believe THQ can really create the greatest wrestling title in a long time. I say if you are a long time fan of Smackdown Vs Raw, even those of Here Comes The Pain, Smackdown Vs Raw 2010 does not dissapoint, it is the best game to date in the last 3 years.

5/5.