Last week, we made it official.  Smackdown vs. Raw 2008 is a suck-fest.  Apologies to all those who disagree, but this year’s WWE game/sim fell well short of my expectations.  While it was a pretty game, it was glaringly apparent, that whomever THQ placed in charge of its fun department took a paid leave of absence during this game’s development.

I’ll be completely honest, after a couple hours of SvR2008, I dug the old N64 out of storage and had a good old fashioned “slobber-knocker” with my old friend and foe, WWF No Mercy.  (And yes, I’ve heard the rumors that this game is being brought back to the Wii with updated rosters.  Perhaps I can slip the good folks at THQ a few Washingtons to put it onto Xbox Live Marketplace as well, or I will take to crying myself to sleep every night.)  As it’s been said before, No Mercy was perhaps, the perfect wrestling game.  Its great mix of adequate realism and simple, arcade-like fun have kept the digital grappler in our respective repertoires for years.  Until THQ (or another developer) returns to this basic formula, we will not have another WWE title that keeps us coming back for more five or six years later.

Now, contrary to the standard wish-list M.O., I would like to keep my wishes grounded in a feasible reality.  While I would prefer that THQ take leaps and bounds in next year’s offering, a more grounded approach would be closer to realistic expectations.   

Without further adieu…..

 
Fix Season Mode:  

This year’s WWE 24/7 mode was an abomination.  In fact, it may be the least-fun season mode I’ve ever experienced in a WWE game.  Here are some suggestions I have about fixing the Season/Career mode for WWE SvR09.

1.) Bring Back Extensive Cut-Scenes  - WWE Storylines are told not only through the in-ring action, but also through  on-air interviews and “skits.”   This needs to be reflected adequately in ANY kind of WWE season mode.  Gamecube’s Day of Reckoning took the first serious step toward implementing this M.O. within a video game, and even SvR07 seemed to be headed in the right direction. 

SvR09 should definitely do away with the reliance upon “emails” and “voicemails” from other wrestlers to advance a story line.  We all know that wrestling storylines are works of fiction, and the email/voicemail thing tries to create an additional alternate reality.  And to be blunt, it’s stupid.  When we watch Raw or Smackdown, we don’t see our favorite superstars sitting at their laptops booting up Outlook, or dialing up their cell phones to check their voicemail.  We seem the bantering at each other on camera.  A video game simulation should be no different.

2.) Make it a true Career Mode: -  Although SvR08 makes an attempt to let us rise through the ranks of the WWE, it is a rather pitiful attempt.  

SvR09 should draw from the the blueprint of WWE DoR, or even the old WWF Attitude.   Thus, the Career Mode should begin with pitting your wrestler against meager opponents at a developmental, or “House Show” level.   The bulk of the training exercises (to increase attributes) and unlockables should take place at this level, when your wrestler is learning the ropes of the sport/business.  After successfully completing the minor circuit, you should then be free to choose the Raw, Smackdown, or ECW brands (even though technically, ECW is a developmental league of sorts), and move forward from there.  This is more true-to-life, and will also allow your wrestler to be competitive once he reaches the big show(s). 

3.) Let us Choose Evil… Okay, be honest.  You’re tired of playing the baby-face.  Even though recent games have tried to make the Career Mode less linear, it seems that ultimately, you are forced to play the fan-favorite.  Deep down, we all want to be the heel.  And if I were at the controls for SvR09, I would do just that. 

I would take a pure, “Choose-Your-Own-Adventure” approach to Career Mode.  You should be able to decide whether your wrestler gets the huge fan pops whenever he appears, or if he’s the guy who draws the “A-hole” chants whenever he gets on the mic.  This would require some extensive effort by the WWE/THQ writers, but let’s face it, after SvR08, they should be well-rested.

 
Fix the Engine, or Scrap it:   

It’s the next-gen era, people.  It’s time we had a next-gen feeling wrestling game.  Poor hit-detection makes striking attacks, most notably running strikes, less than mediocre.  It’s time that a running clothesline looked like a running clothesline, and counter looked like a counter.  An increase in branching animations could really help.

Contrary to some, I do like the Thumbstick Grapple system.  Ergonomically, it feels more fluid, and the transition from grapple to hold/maneuver is much quicker.  However, it could still be tightened up a bit, to avoid clipping issues. 

As much as you may get sick of hearing about it, I am forced to bring up WWF No Mercy once again.  No Mercy’s engine made animations and moves fit together like a perfectly constructed puzzle, and run like a well-oiled machine..  Everything about the in-ring action was simple, responsive, and at the time, visually spectacular.   It’s time that THQ focus on bringing this kind of  gameplay to the next generation, whether this means tightening up the current engine, or starting over from scratch.

Fighting  Styles – Less Restrictions, More Flexibility 

The new fighting styles are a nice addition to the game, as they are attempting to bring a new degree of realism to the game, they also bring new restrictions.

There are certain activities within wrestling games that help us break the monotony, and add a little bit of unexpected fun.  Two of these activities are stealing opponents’ taunts, and stealing their finishing maneuvers.  With SvR08, the only way that these activities may be achieved is by assigning a wrestler a “Showman” fighting style.   This is unacceptable.  While I would not have a problem with some limitations (i.e. not allowing The Undertaker to perform Rey Mysterio’s 619, or keeping Ray from dishing out a thunderous chokeslam), busting out your opponent’s finisher and/or taunt is the ultimate form of humiliation, especially in multi-player modes.

 Another shortcoming in SvR’s Fighting Style system lies in the Hardcore fighting style. A Hardcore Fighting Style is the only style by which a wrestler can perform grapple attacks with weapons.  This should be an option available to all wrestlers.  If my CAW doesn’t have a hardcore fighting style, but is involved in a hardcore match, his fighting style shouldn’t prevent him from smashing his opponent’s head between two chairs.    As long as I know what buttons to push, this should always be an option, plain and simple.    

Fighting Styles could be improved by assigning different wrestlers specific “abilities,” rather than complete styles.  Not all wrestlers fall into the pre-determined styles, and giving each grappler three or four special “abilities” would be more realistic, and allow for a more dynamic CAW experience. 

 
CAW Ideas 

Create-A-Wrestler is one of the game’s strong suits.  Especially with this year’s addition of importing entrance songs (for Xbox 360).  However, there are a few things that can be improved upon for next year’s game.

1.) Locked Moves  I am sick and tired of not being able to begin my Career Mode without the perfect finisher. Locked moves should be kept to a bare minimum, or at least, be easily unlockable early on with the games’ Career Mode, preferably when your wrestler is still in the developmental stages.  There is nothing worse than being forced to finish your an opponent with your second or third choice of finishing move, when you know that that Top-Rope Powerbomb is in Locked List #4. Unacceptable.

2.) Entrance Editing:  It would be nice if THQ could re-work the entrance editing process to be a bit more precise, and a bit more user friendly.

When speaking of precision, I refer to the specific timing within the entrance sequences.  It would be outstanding if we could time a wrestler’s initial appearance or taunt to coincide with a particular sequence of the entrance music.  This is fairly common in real superstars’ entrances, and would be a nice touch in CAW mode, especially now that we can import our own music.

The interface for switching cameras could also be a bit more user friendly.  I would prefer that selecting camera angles be independent of selecting the pyro or nameplate, as is the current status quo.  Instead, the game should give us a producer’s view, i.e., show the entrance simultaneously on a series of different cameras, allowing us to instantly pick and assign the correct angle. 

This would be much easier than the current system, and would allow us to create that perfect entrance sequence much quicker.  

3.) Fix Entrance/Cut Scene Attire in Career Mode:  A very minor thing, I know.  But it is none-the-less annoying.  If you hadn’t noticed, the assigned “Entrance Attire” and “Cut-Scene Attire” that you have so meticulously selected for your CAW does not appear in WWE 24/7 Mode.  This really made SvR08 feel like a beta, and should be a quick and easy fix for 09.

 
That’s All For Now 

After a week’s time experience with the game, this is my initial wish-list.  Leave me some feedback, let me know your wishes.  Although I’ve tried to stay within the ball-park of reality, let your imaginations run wild.  Who knows?  Maybe THQ is watching…