Smackdown vs. Raw 2009 seems to be an afterthought already. I am not particularly surprised.

Despite SvR 09 showing some real forward momentum with Road to Wrestlemania, and especially Create-a-Finisher, the response to the THQ grappling franchise has been tepid at best. For those who have played the game, it is easy to see why. SvR 09 really has that recycled/tacked-on feel to it.

Is the series in dire straits? Certainly not. The '09 edition showed promise, but the tipping point is approaching. The game needs to start showing some significant evolution in the near future or it could alienate its niche audience.

Let's take a look at some possible improvements, ranging from some logical next steps to some pipe dreams.

Deeper Create-a-Finisher

The Create-a-Finisher system was touted rambunctiously, yet was received with little fanfare. Many of the reviews and much of the community chatter scolded the system for lacking depth and imposing too many restrictions. Overall, I think that the system was stamped with a sub-par rep unfairly. While the system did not exactly allow us to explore the corners of our imagination, it did lay the groundwork for an exciting new level of customization for both created and existing wrestlers.

The next step is simple: take the system to a higher level. First and foremost, let’s see some available finishers from different positions, most notably, from behind a groggy opponent. Restricting gamers to front-only created finishers was tolerable for one year. It will not be for two.

Next, we need to see more branching animations. I do not mind the system being somewhat of a funnel, but the scope needs to be broadened significantly. There should be a handful of end-result animations -- such as the Stunner, DDT and RKO -- that should be accessible from nearly any position or maneuver. Let’s face facts here, a lot of finishers end in similar fashion; it is all about the innovative method of reaching that end result. Next year’s game needs to reflect this in the system.

There are a few other areas of improvement that would be much appreciated within SvR’s Create-a-Finisher system, such as created submissions, created top-rope finishers and created tag-team finishers. I do not expect such systems to pop up in SvR 2010 since they would require fundamentally different creation systems. However, I think it would behoove developers to start exploring these options.

 

Combine Career and Road to Wrestlemania

Road to Wrestlemania was outstanding. The idea of wrestler-specific story modes was long overdue, and the execution was top-dollar. I thoroughly enjoyed playing through unique story modes with the different available superstars.

BUT…

As much as the Create-a-Finisher kept our imaginations contained, so did Road to Wrestlemania. Allowing us just a small smattering of wrestlers to take to pro wrestling’s promised land was a nice way to whet the appetite, but it was hardly a meal. Next year, I want a full-scale buffet.

In order to achieve this fulfilling feast, SvR 2010 must do away with separate story and career modes, and combine them into a single mode, like wrestling games of the past did -- No Mercy obviously comes to mind. The Career Mode of '09 was a mind-numbing, hash-out-matches method to build up attribute points and had zero replayability. If this mode were to merge with an in-depth, decision-driven story mode, well sir, we would have ourselves a winner.

One of the obvious obstacles to such a mode is voice acting. SvR 09’s Road to Wrestlemania mode did a superb job of incorporating voice talent into the mode. But how would this work in a broader, all-inclusive story/career mode? Simple, it would not.

The time and money involved in recording actual voice-overs for a wide-spanning career/story mode make the desired result unfeasible. It is an unfortunate truth. However, I think that there is a compromise that many of us could live with: the return of text dialogue.

Before you start hurling heavy or sharp objects in my general direction, let me explain. Including text dialogue seems like a drastic move in the wrong direction, but it would open the possibility for substantially longer, deeper and more customizable storylines within a career mode. Think of it this way: The game could have six or seven superstars who have their journey accompanied by actual wrestler voice-work, while the rest of the superstars (and created wrestlers) could use a handful of different paths driven by text dialogue. Is it perfect? No. But would it increase the replayability -- not to mention provide a more satisfying use of created wrestlers? You are damn skippy it would.

Tweak the In-Ring Action

I am not a big opponent of the grapple-stick system employed by the SvR series. Actually, I think that the system offers a more natural squared-circle experience -- and clipping/collision detection aside -- provides smooth transitions from situation to situation.

So, my main beef with the in-ring action of the SvR series is the reversal system. In order to build momentum and succeed, there is a lot of waiting and reacting involved. As much as the pace of real pro wrestling matches is dictated by timely reversals, the SvR series has gone a bit overboard.

When playing a skilled opponent, or the CPU on one of the harder difficulty levels, much of your success relies on biding your time, waiting to reverse an ill-timed strike or grapple by your opponent. Despite the "realism" of such a system, it makes for a lot of downtime within matches, and from an offensive standpoint, makes stringing attacks together ridiculously abnormal.

As much as I champion realism in other sports titles, I would not mind SvR becoming a little less sim and a little more arcade. I like being rewarded for my defensive skills, but at the same time, I loathe being punished for my offensive-mindedness. It is time developers toned down the reversal system a tad, and made the game more of a slug-fest. The improvements to multiplayer alone would be monumental.

Cater to the E-Fed Crowd Online

Probably a little too large of a pipe dream here, but I think SvR would benefit tremendously by appealing to the E-fed niche. If you happen to be unfamiliar with the concepts of E-feds, it is rather complicated, and suffice to say, rather nerdy. Rather than explain it in my own words, I will direct you here. Wikipedia saves the day again.

E-fedders are a special breed of wrestling fan, and could prove a lucrative market for a wrestling video game, provided the product is on point. With the vast amount of customization involved when creating wrestlers (e.g. attire, entrances, custom entrance music, and now, custom finishers), a logical next step would be to bridge this customization to an online E-fed system.

Think of it like the "Online Dynasty" for wrestling gaming. Gamers could create their wrestlers, submit either text or voice recorded "promos" or role-plays, and compete in weekly "shows" where they take their created grapplers into the digital ring to duke it out with other created wrestlers.

Some of this is falling into the "it would be really cool if…" category, but imagine a system like this that also employed little devices like in-match interferences, heel/face turns, or even something to allow a specified commissioner to handicap wrestlers depending on the quality of their role-plays. The sky is the limit.

Such a system would be a huge selling point for those of us who have ever dabbled in E-fedding, and would provide a deeper, more addictive online mode for those who may be new to the concept. Overall, this would be tremendously fun for the gamer, and potentially highly profitable for developers.

I am sure I have barely scratched the surface in terms of an actual wish list, but sound off, and let the OS community know what you would like to see in SvR’s future.