If you’ve have been a hardened fan of the SmackDown series for a few years, the same question is always asked as the next one creeps onto the radar; just what can Yuke’s do to keep the franchise both relevant and visible? Before 2008, it was getting the game back to its usual solid standard, a task the company achieved. With rumors doing the rounds that the impressive UFC engine would be used as a kick-starter, this seemed to where THQ was headed. Not so…
Rather than reboot SmackDown entirely, Yuke’s has looked to the online space to innovate. It’s no secret that the ‘creator’ side of the grappler has always offered some of the best and most in-depth customization available. You could spend hours on a wrestler, tweaking everything down to the size of their right eyelid. With this attitude in mind, the game is now essentially your play toy. All the classic creating tools have been enhanced to a shockingly deep degree, with favorites such as ‘create-a-fighter’ now enabling you to perform some truly jaw dropping moves. As well as adding in top rope maneuvers for you to manipulate, you can alter the finer elements, such as distance and trajectory. Don’t think that driving somersault elbow drop enough kick? Then simply adjust to suit. Expect to see some absolutely crazy stunts come October.
All of this, however, is the WWE story Designer. As the name suggests, having to rely on the developer-produced in-game cut-scenes and narratives is no longer a restriction. Giving you the option to carve your own storyline, it opens up an avenue that personally, we’ve dreamed of since children. Yes, it does mean that real angles can be represented in a topical fashion, but it also enables the opportunity for scenarios you’ve always dreamed of seeing becoming a digital reality. The reforming of Evolution, the Undertaker returning to a darker persona, kofi Kingston stealing a briefcase from Ray Mysterio…
From the more sensible to the bizarre, if you imagine it, there’s a fair chance it can be fashioned, complete with dialogue – albeit in text from – emotions, camera cuts, fade outs and, of course, the big match payout at the end of it. It’s almost the answer to the classic ‘what if?’ conversations that have sprung up when wrestling fans congregate. What if Hulk Hogan had beaten the Ultimate Warrior at WrestileMania? Thanks to the new robust customization, you can fashion the two legends and then insert them into a plot of your choice. As these can then be put on to Xbox Live for the World to experience, this is like no other SmackDown game to date.
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