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Where Does the Smackdown Series Go From Here?

11:55 AM - December 5, 2008 by RaychelSnr

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.

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Member Comments

# 1 Hooe @ 12/05/08 01:03 PM

Online leagues seem to be the way of the future in every sports game, don't they? I agree, though, that having an online SDvR e-fed would increase the life of this game tenfold.

# 2 SoxFan01605 @ 12/05/08 09:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 7stringking


	No GM mode is lame..In fact, it shoul dbe expanded to incorporate more RPG elements and stuff that can be random or or programmed in, say different types of interference and betrayals...Stuff like that. The gameplay needs improving too. Token 4(by Yukes) had a dozen pages just for proogramming your CAWS...That was almost 10 years ago!!!... It would be nice to see Yukes make the game deeper, not more shallow like they have in some ways

I agree about utilizing RPG elements and deepening story mode. The game could play flawlessly, but no substance for your CAW= quicker boredom. What's crazy is they could have just tweaked some (if not all) of the RTW stories to fit your CAW.

I would love if they created a story mode for CAPs that has branching elements to it. You could essentially have one story mode branch into the different RTW themed events based on your status. Have paths for when you're just starting out, for when you're shooting for various titles, faction building (and joining) paths, tag team paths, etc. Within these you could have the common elements of many WWE stories: deception, betrayal, victory, relationships, rivalry, etc, etc. It would really immerse you in the game. Especially if you could go through these paths with a buddy. Which brings me too...

Finding a way to co-op these advancements is a must. My buddy and I were all pysched when we found out they had a tag team story mode. Come to find out it's only if you use Batista and Mysterio. More co-op features and deeper stories would take away some of the staleness from the game.

I remember one of the games had it this way. You could both play through a career with varying stories generated for each character individually. It was just generic cutscenes of whichever character getting hit by a car or something. "Who is the mystery driver?" It was pretty shallow and just kind of recycled the min-stories on a loop, but it was a cool concept. This was several years ago too. Imagine what they could do with those kind of ideas now. Allow not only co-op play, but the chance for your stories to cross. Maybe a dynamic online career mode. You can choose the number of live participants much like a league. Obviously the stories would be a bit more limiting for this (maybe you each get some trash talk or team-up options for each show or something?), but it would still be interesting, I think.

I use APF as my measuring stick for my feelings on depth. Many people, particularly those who graze the OS forums love the gameplay of APF. It played a very accurate football game. There were tons of details in gameplay, but it was light on features. Without some depth, even a near perfect game becomes just a tech demo, IMO.

# 3 countryboy @ 12/05/08 09:35 PM

General Manager mode has to make its return. Road to Wrestlemania and Career Mode are nice, but for guys that want to have "hands on" capabilities, they are hindered in SVR'09.

I like just as much as the next guy being able to have a "career" with my created wrestler, but dictating the matches, setting up rivalries, determining champions, etc..., thats what most fans want in my opinion.

Then again, I could be the only one, but I'll still speak for the majority.

# 4 statum71 @ 12/05/08 10:20 PM

I thought I was the only one who thought using text dialogue would open more possibilities.

I've been saying for years and I'll say again... Even with the advanced graphics and all, THQ has not made a better wrestling game than Here Comes The Pain (never played No Mercy). I re-made that game with creates and ran the story-mode countless times for 2 YEARS!!!!

Two years is the most replayabilitiy I've gotten from ANY game.

# 5 statum71 @ 12/05/08 10:26 PM

Can't help gotta add this.....

Here Comes The Pain let us:

Play a full year season with ANY wrestler... then

select all the wrestlers to be included.... then

decide which show everyone would be on.... then

seperate the heels and faces... then

Wrestle ANY match we wanted in the season mode....

Talk about going backwards.....

# 6 SoxFan01605 @ 12/06/08 05:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by countryboy


	General Manager mode has to make its return. Road to Wrestlemania and Career Mode are nice, but for guys that want to have "hands on" capabilities, they are hindered in SVR'09. I like just as much as the next guy being able to have a "career" with my created wrestler, but dictating the matches, setting up rivalries, determining champions, etc..., thats what most fans want in my opinion. Then again, I could be the only one, but I'll still speak for the majority.

I agree with this to an extent. I think you can combine the two from a feature standpoint though. You can have the career mode AND set up all the matches, etc. You can either choose to set up the storylines or have them play out automatically.

My problem with GM mode is that it's been boring. Setting up storylines is just a generic way of building a show rating in the last couple GM modes. You should still get the cutscenes, backstage stuff etc. You can either choose to set up the stories and matches or build the matches around the stories as they play out. It would give a much more realistic feel to GM Mode.

I just think better options, story, and user control would lead to much more satisfying experience. Plus, as some have alluded, GM Mode is basically what the story mode used to be. They just took out the story and even some of the control.

# 7 DJ @ 12/07/08 02:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SoxFan01605


	I agree with this to an extent. I think you can combine the two from a feature standpoint though. You can have the career mode AND set up all the matches, etc. You can either choose to set up the storylines or have them play out automatically. My problem with GM mode is that it's been boring. Setting up storylines is just a generic way of building a show rating in the last couple GM modes. You should still get the cutscenes, backstage stuff etc. You can either choose to set up the stories and matches or build the matches around the stories as they play out. It would give a much more realistic feel to GM Mode. I just think better options, story, and user control would lead to much more satisfying experience. Plus, as some have alluded, GM Mode is basically what the story mode used to be. They just took out the story and even some of the control.

I'm with ya on this idea.

# 8 TheShizNo1 @ 12/07/08 02:19 PM

How is this on the PS2? Is CAF there also?

# 9 statum71 @ 12/07/08 09:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SoxFan01605


	I agree with this to an extent. I think you can combine the two from a feature standpoint though. You can have the career mode AND set up all the matches, etc. You can either choose to set up the storylines or have them play out automatically. My problem with GM mode is that it's been boring. Setting up storylines is just a generic way of building a show rating in the last couple GM modes. You should still get the cutscenes, backstage stuff etc. You can either choose to set up the stories and matches or build the matches around the stories as they play out. It would give a much more realistic feel to GM Mode. I just think better options, story, and user control would lead to much more satisfying experience. Plus, as some have alluded, GM Mode is basically what the story mode used to be. They just took out the story and even some of the control.

I'm with ya too. I've always wished the GM Mode way more than just satting up matches and watching show ratings. Seeing cutscenes and stuff WOULD make it HIGHLY replayable.

# 10 DXZeke @ 12/08/08 02:07 AM

As for Reversals:

That's what the sliders are for! And they do work. I've turned them down so the harder difficulty levels aren't as such. That you do get a bit more offense in.

Sliders are helpful for any sports game. It gives the user control instead of being stuck with just one way.

# 11 JiggidyJames @ 12/09/08 07:59 PM

I thought this was the last year they had the license. Or was that just THQ as the publisher?

# 12 Misfit @ 12/12/08 05:20 PM

I want a "real" GM mode which is why I haven't bought a Smackdown game since the first one with a GM mode came out (whatever year that was). I want a mode where I decide who is going to work with whom and what the outcome will be. The ultimate goal being to manage talent and compete agains the other GM's show in terms of ratings. Say I'm making Edge fight a bunch of hardcore or hell in a cell matches, maybe he complains that he wants more money if he's going to go through this type of stuff. Or perhaps Triple H doesn't like that I'm not using him i the main event. The unreal part of it would be that the other shows would be like seperate companies and you would have to compete for talent and operate within a certain budget. After every Wrestlemania you should get rewarded or penalized based on how well you did.

I think it would be a good marriage of the real and the fake side of wrestling and would make things enjoyable. You would also have the option of playing any match and the characters would have free will, so if someone is pissed that they're supposed to lose they might defy your orders. The mode would need a lot of tweaking and to make sure there isn't too much of that kind of stuff but I think its worth trying and would be a step forward for the franchise, and not a step back.

# 13 bears5122 @ 12/16/08 08:24 AM

They need to give people a reason to play it for longer periods of time. The bread and butter in sports games there days are the season/franchise modes. The SvR has not done enough to enhance this or make it enjoyable. While some of the storylines are interesting, the user has little power in how it goes over. Sometimes they completely make no sense. My suggestions:

1) Go back to the old season mode that allowed as many humans in the season as you want. Treat it like any other multi-user season mode in sports. They used to do this back on the PS2.

2) Build an internal ranking system that changes as wrestlers win/lose matches. Guys in the top 4 of each brand would be considered main eventers and viable WWE/World Championship contenders. Those 5-10 would be mid-carders competing for the Intercontinental title or just getting higher in the rankings. Matches early in the card mean less than main events, and PPV would count for bigger boosts as well.

3) Allow you to build alliances/enemies based on your interactions with wrestlers. Allow your wrestler to interfere and help a wrestler or hurt them in their match. These alliances or enemies would determine feuds and eventually stables. Those close alliances would be tag partners and allow you to compete for the title there.

I don't think this is all that complicated. Most sports games have franchise modes ten times more sophisticated. All you need is a nice ranking system, scheduling algorithm, and alliance/enemy system.

Online mode would be where this works best. You could have a CPU GM or a human one. Each week is treated the same as a week in NCAA football or whatever. Get your matches in and go to the next week. Keep track of title history, records, etc and it makes it a fun system to play with friends.

# 14 The GIGGAS @ 12/16/08 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Misfit


	I want a "real" GM mode which is why I haven't bought a Smackdown game since the first one with a GM mode came out (whatever year that was). I want a mode where I decide who is going to work with whom and what the outcome will be. The ultimate goal being to manage talent and compete agains the other GM's show in terms of ratings. Say I'm making Edge fight a bunch of hardcore or hell in a cell matches, maybe he complains that he wants more money if he's going to go through this type of stuff. Or perhaps Triple H doesn't like that I'm not using him i the main event. The unreal part of it would be that the other shows would be like seperate companies and you would have to compete for talent and operate within a certain budget. After every Wrestlemania you should get rewarded or penalized based on how well you did. I think it would be a good marriage of the real and the fake side of wrestling and would make things enjoyable. You would also have the option of playing any match and the characters would have free will, so if someone is pissed that they're supposed to lose they might defy your orders. The mode would need a lot of tweaking and to make sure there isn't too much of that kind of stuff but I think its worth trying and would be a step forward for the franchise, and not a step back.

You sound like you'd like TEW, if you haven't already tried it.

# 15 Jeru3131 @ 12/17/08 11:28 AM

You have to agree that Yutes is the anti-SCEA. Scea, which makes the show, are constantly on here listening to the ideas of their consumers and trying to incorporate what the fans want. We've been screaming on these forums for years that all we want is a deep career mode. If they just gave us that we would all be happy. But they don't seem to care about their fans. They know they could add one little gimmick, update the roster and they're gonna make their money. I, for one, haven't bought a wrestling game in three years. Strictly a rental for me until they incorporate a deep career mode for my CAW.

# 16 coffeeholic @ 01/02/09 09:43 AM

TEW is an excellent text based sim for the hardcore only. It has a massive learning curve-BUT-If you have the patience, it will reward you sevenfold. The roster mods at the TEW gamesite are great too. I'm currently working on a modern day WWE franchise and a late 90's one also.

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