The following is a two-parter. I enjoyed both "legitimate fighting games" this year (though I'm still getting into FNR4 since the patch came up that removed the title screen freeze issue that rendered the game unplayable for me), but playing both got me thinking...what could the Smackdown vs. Raw series borrow from its real fighting sim brethren?
What SVR2010 Can Learn From Fight Night Round 4:
1. Online Sharing of Created Characters
Simply put, I love this feature in Fight Night...it allows the talents of people around the world to be broadcasted on a wide basis and allows us to play with very accurate versions of celebrities, boxers that didn't make the cut and our favorite fictional fighters such as those in the Rocky series. Let's say we'd like to have a match between Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin in Fight Night Round 4 over the title of "Greatest Hockey Player In The World". OK, it's as simple as downloading other people's versions of them off of Xbox Live or PlayStation Network. If you want to do the same in SVR, though, you'd have to scour the internet and input time-consuming CAW formulas, or, if they're unavailable, you'd have to make them yourselves, which can be twice as time-consuming if you aren't proficient with what THQ and Yukes has given us. A feature like this in SVR will make CAWs instantly accessible to anyone who wants them, saving time and frustration with CAW mode.
2. Attire Customization
The concept of customizing your boxer's attire down to the laces in FNR4 is great. If SVR did this with, let's say, gloves, boots or tights, the days of having to mess with the cumbersome lines and shape designs in SVR would be almost instantly over. Simply put, the design system in SVR is cumbersome, frustrating and outdated, not to mention the exact opposite of user-friendly. If SVR took a "piece by piece" approach to customizing their base attires like Fight Night does, we'll be seeing many more realistic CAWs out there, not to mention much more personalized and authentic designs for the character you're trying to create.
3. "In-The-Ring" Camera Angle (As An Optional Feature, Of Course)
We saw Legends of Wrestlemania try to accomplish this earlier this year, but I wasn't much of a fan of that approach. It made wrestlers look larger-than-life (which is very understandable knowing the WWE and its virtual portrayals of their characters). Conversely, I think Fight Night offers a dynamic experience with its "Referee" and "Close" angles...both allow you to experience the graphics up-close and get caught up in the intensity of the action in the ring. Now, I enjoy playing on SVR's default "broadcast" angle but I think an alternate camera angle that can bring a new level of emotion to the table may be very interesting. I can't believe DOR2 was the last game with multiple camera angles out there...then again, that game seems like the pinnacle of innovation compared to the fairly stagnant SVR series in my opinion.
4. Fight Physics/Collision Detection
Punches are often imperfect in FNR4 and it adds to the randomness and unpredictability of the game. Counters are impressive and give me a real level of satisfaction when I pull one off successfully. SVR, on the other hand, is horrible in this regard. There's too many canned animations and the physics are straight out of a game from two generations ago. No, I'm not expecting SVR to come packed with Euphoria, but at least make the combat organic. Collision Detection has always been the SVR series' problem, and the fact that everything seems to be canned is very upsetting, especially when DOR2 offered the most realistic collision detection system I've seen in a wrestling title. Taking a cue from FNR4's randomized, authentic collision detection would instantly bring SVR2010 lightyears above its previous yearly iterations.
5. Striking Strategy
There's no real strategy or depth in SVR. It's too dumb to be in the league of a Capcom-esque fighter and too over-the-top to be in the league of Fight Night or UFC Undisputed, and there's TONS of room for cheese/cheating/cheapness. The fact that my ten-year-old cousin can toe kick me into oblivion in any version of SVR we play is disappointing...and yes, I know I can reverse this flurry and create my own advantage. It's just that you don't really get punished for "toe kicking into oblivion" apart from your special meter deteriorating. It's really an excuse for stupid online gamers to boast about how much people other than them suck, and we all know how that mentality has dragged down the online experiences of games such as Madden and NHL 2K in the past. So, there needs to be a system in place that makes strikes multi-dimensional. Maybe making a tiered striking system could be the way to go, or one that allows the AI to play to the weaknesses of the gamer, which is something a lot of professional wrestling includes (especially when a wrestler sells an injury as part of an angle).
6. Make Reversals Satisfying
Counters are one of my favorite elements of FNR4's gameplay. When I nail a counter, I feel rewarded because my opponent is suddenly reeling. Counters allow me to plan a flurry of attacks that I could potentially score a knockout with. Now, we all know reversals in pro wrestling aren't like the counter-punches in boxing, but the payoff from an audience's point of view is similar: the person taking the attack has found a way to undermine his opponent and surprise us at the same time. Therefore, why can't reversals in SVR have the same payoff? This may require SVR to completely revamp their reversal system, but it will be worth it if such a revamp leads us to feel satisfied by reversing a move and gaining a quick upper hand on our opponent. SVR's current reversal system is stale and has no real kind of reward to it. If we had a split-second window to reverse an attack and turn the advantage our way in SVR, we could potentially be on our way to matching the pageantry of a real wrestling match.
What SVR2010 Can Learn From UFC 2009 Undisputed:
1. "Next-Gen" Create-A-Wrestler Capacity
Yes, I'm aware that UFC's created fighters take up (a lot of) hard drive space but for a CAW junkie and show producer like myself, I'd trade hard drive space for unlimited (or triple-digit) CAW slots any day of the week. 30 slots just isn't cutting it anymore, THQ. Heck, WWE Raw 2 had 64 and that was how long ago? I know people are content with 30 but the fact that older and less-notable games on the market (Fire Pro, KOC) have done it before upsets me. Get out of the memory card generation, THQ.
2. Authentic WWE Broadcast Presentation
SVR has some true-to-life presentation already, but UFC has, in the words of Peter O'Keefe, "cleaned its clock and buffed and polished it too". Taking cues from the stellar broadcast presentation of UFC will help SVR become truer to its brand of entertainment. Turn the HUD off by default and use other visual cues to signal that a finisher is on its way. Add WWE and WWEHD bugs on the left side of the screen. Add "double feature" replays during long stoppages in action or after finishers (Raw and Raw 2 did this). Have the commentators build up a wrestler during entrances in any game mode (not just in Road to WM). Take load screens out in between entrances and have seamless transitions between every wrestler's entrance. Research real-life WWE camera positions and angles and use those as camera angles during move animations. As a matter of fact, take out the way moves are presented outright...it seems that most of the moves in the game are "cutscenes". Ever try to do the People's Elbow or Sweet Chin Music and replay it in Highlight Reel? Exactly. I was amazed with how true-to-life UFC's presentation was this year and if SVR delivers in the same regard, I'll be twice as amazed...
3. ...oh yeah, the commentary...
Maybe I'm the only one that thinks this, but the play-by-play and color commentary has improved every year since THQ brought it back in SVR2007, especially JR and King's track. But it's still some of the worst commentary tracks in gaming today. Nothing sounds organic anymore, and the fact three commentary teams need to be presented doesn't make anything better. Honestly, I know many people will be upset if all three shows' teams don't make the game, but I'd take one detailed commentary track with JR and King (or JR and Grisham, or Mathews and Striker, or JR, Cole and King like at WM25...) instead of three generic, repetitive, and annoying teams. They could take UFC 2009's approach in this regard by taking real-life event commentary and piecing it together with exclusive commentary recorded for the game. It gives UFC 2009 a true broadcast feel, something that you could mistake for the real thing if you were in another room, away from the television. Yes, I know commentary hasn't necessarily been a priority for the SVR series as of late, but a system like UFC's could work. If not, it's another year of muting the commentary track. Even Tom Hammond doesn't receive that dubious honor in my household.
4. Chain Wrestling/Power-Outs/Working The Crowd
I realize the average WWE wrestler isn't quite at the level of Kurt Angle in his or her technical skills, but playing UFC gave me a lot of ideas about what SVR could potentially offer in terms of chain wrestling. By adopting a similar system to UFC 2009, a player could be able to wriggle out of an armbar and reverse it into an inside cradle or school boy, or be able to "power out" or "work the crowd" out of a potential submission. SVR's "struggle submission" system doesn't capture any of this despite making holds quite suspenseful. In fact, chain wrestling doesn't exist in SVR unless you can count its bare-bones reversal system. Also, attaching this to an attribute could separate the John Cenas from the Kurt Angles of the wrestling world. Those who aren't able to chain under this new system will either have to rely on rope breaks, the crowd or the referee in order to reverse or escape holds.
5. The "Big Match Feel"
All right, so UFC2009 may not TRULY capture this, but title matches, pay-per-views and Wrestlemania should have some sort of pageantry, even in Play Now mode. Make Wrestlemania the gigantic event it should be. Add 70,000 fans. Add its pageantry, large scale and expensive amenities (larger pyro displays, longer entrance ramps, louder and more atmospheric crowds). Title matches should be much more suspenseful and include announcements after entrances. Announcers could even report on how long the wrestler has held the belt or how many defenses he or she has. The AI wrestler could take more risks or wrestle desperately in order to retain the belt. Anything to make it feel like something big's on the line for your wrestler.
Whew. That was a novel...but it was certainly fun to think about what could be with the sorry SVR series, and why it's inferior to the "legitimate fighting sports" games on the market. But then again, that could be the reason why SVR lags behind UFC 2009 and FNR4. It's a staged spectacle and the game isn't trying to be the most authentic or realistic game, simply because the average WWE fan doesn't think like the marks among us do. They simply want to see John Cena toe-kick Randy Orton ad infinitum and pull off impossible diving moonsaults off the top of 20 foot cells. And, sadly, that seems to be what the WWE wants to give them. And guess what? That's exactly what they're getting.
What SVR2010 Can Learn From Fight Night Round 4:
1. Online Sharing of Created Characters
Simply put, I love this feature in Fight Night...it allows the talents of people around the world to be broadcasted on a wide basis and allows us to play with very accurate versions of celebrities, boxers that didn't make the cut and our favorite fictional fighters such as those in the Rocky series. Let's say we'd like to have a match between Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin in Fight Night Round 4 over the title of "Greatest Hockey Player In The World". OK, it's as simple as downloading other people's versions of them off of Xbox Live or PlayStation Network. If you want to do the same in SVR, though, you'd have to scour the internet and input time-consuming CAW formulas, or, if they're unavailable, you'd have to make them yourselves, which can be twice as time-consuming if you aren't proficient with what THQ and Yukes has given us. A feature like this in SVR will make CAWs instantly accessible to anyone who wants them, saving time and frustration with CAW mode.
2. Attire Customization
The concept of customizing your boxer's attire down to the laces in FNR4 is great. If SVR did this with, let's say, gloves, boots or tights, the days of having to mess with the cumbersome lines and shape designs in SVR would be almost instantly over. Simply put, the design system in SVR is cumbersome, frustrating and outdated, not to mention the exact opposite of user-friendly. If SVR took a "piece by piece" approach to customizing their base attires like Fight Night does, we'll be seeing many more realistic CAWs out there, not to mention much more personalized and authentic designs for the character you're trying to create.
3. "In-The-Ring" Camera Angle (As An Optional Feature, Of Course)
We saw Legends of Wrestlemania try to accomplish this earlier this year, but I wasn't much of a fan of that approach. It made wrestlers look larger-than-life (which is very understandable knowing the WWE and its virtual portrayals of their characters). Conversely, I think Fight Night offers a dynamic experience with its "Referee" and "Close" angles...both allow you to experience the graphics up-close and get caught up in the intensity of the action in the ring. Now, I enjoy playing on SVR's default "broadcast" angle but I think an alternate camera angle that can bring a new level of emotion to the table may be very interesting. I can't believe DOR2 was the last game with multiple camera angles out there...then again, that game seems like the pinnacle of innovation compared to the fairly stagnant SVR series in my opinion.
4. Fight Physics/Collision Detection
Punches are often imperfect in FNR4 and it adds to the randomness and unpredictability of the game. Counters are impressive and give me a real level of satisfaction when I pull one off successfully. SVR, on the other hand, is horrible in this regard. There's too many canned animations and the physics are straight out of a game from two generations ago. No, I'm not expecting SVR to come packed with Euphoria, but at least make the combat organic. Collision Detection has always been the SVR series' problem, and the fact that everything seems to be canned is very upsetting, especially when DOR2 offered the most realistic collision detection system I've seen in a wrestling title. Taking a cue from FNR4's randomized, authentic collision detection would instantly bring SVR2010 lightyears above its previous yearly iterations.
5. Striking Strategy
There's no real strategy or depth in SVR. It's too dumb to be in the league of a Capcom-esque fighter and too over-the-top to be in the league of Fight Night or UFC Undisputed, and there's TONS of room for cheese/cheating/cheapness. The fact that my ten-year-old cousin can toe kick me into oblivion in any version of SVR we play is disappointing...and yes, I know I can reverse this flurry and create my own advantage. It's just that you don't really get punished for "toe kicking into oblivion" apart from your special meter deteriorating. It's really an excuse for stupid online gamers to boast about how much people other than them suck, and we all know how that mentality has dragged down the online experiences of games such as Madden and NHL 2K in the past. So, there needs to be a system in place that makes strikes multi-dimensional. Maybe making a tiered striking system could be the way to go, or one that allows the AI to play to the weaknesses of the gamer, which is something a lot of professional wrestling includes (especially when a wrestler sells an injury as part of an angle).
6. Make Reversals Satisfying
Counters are one of my favorite elements of FNR4's gameplay. When I nail a counter, I feel rewarded because my opponent is suddenly reeling. Counters allow me to plan a flurry of attacks that I could potentially score a knockout with. Now, we all know reversals in pro wrestling aren't like the counter-punches in boxing, but the payoff from an audience's point of view is similar: the person taking the attack has found a way to undermine his opponent and surprise us at the same time. Therefore, why can't reversals in SVR have the same payoff? This may require SVR to completely revamp their reversal system, but it will be worth it if such a revamp leads us to feel satisfied by reversing a move and gaining a quick upper hand on our opponent. SVR's current reversal system is stale and has no real kind of reward to it. If we had a split-second window to reverse an attack and turn the advantage our way in SVR, we could potentially be on our way to matching the pageantry of a real wrestling match.
What SVR2010 Can Learn From UFC 2009 Undisputed:
1. "Next-Gen" Create-A-Wrestler Capacity
Yes, I'm aware that UFC's created fighters take up (a lot of) hard drive space but for a CAW junkie and show producer like myself, I'd trade hard drive space for unlimited (or triple-digit) CAW slots any day of the week. 30 slots just isn't cutting it anymore, THQ. Heck, WWE Raw 2 had 64 and that was how long ago? I know people are content with 30 but the fact that older and less-notable games on the market (Fire Pro, KOC) have done it before upsets me. Get out of the memory card generation, THQ.
2. Authentic WWE Broadcast Presentation
SVR has some true-to-life presentation already, but UFC has, in the words of Peter O'Keefe, "cleaned its clock and buffed and polished it too". Taking cues from the stellar broadcast presentation of UFC will help SVR become truer to its brand of entertainment. Turn the HUD off by default and use other visual cues to signal that a finisher is on its way. Add WWE and WWEHD bugs on the left side of the screen. Add "double feature" replays during long stoppages in action or after finishers (Raw and Raw 2 did this). Have the commentators build up a wrestler during entrances in any game mode (not just in Road to WM). Take load screens out in between entrances and have seamless transitions between every wrestler's entrance. Research real-life WWE camera positions and angles and use those as camera angles during move animations. As a matter of fact, take out the way moves are presented outright...it seems that most of the moves in the game are "cutscenes". Ever try to do the People's Elbow or Sweet Chin Music and replay it in Highlight Reel? Exactly. I was amazed with how true-to-life UFC's presentation was this year and if SVR delivers in the same regard, I'll be twice as amazed...
3. ...oh yeah, the commentary...
Maybe I'm the only one that thinks this, but the play-by-play and color commentary has improved every year since THQ brought it back in SVR2007, especially JR and King's track. But it's still some of the worst commentary tracks in gaming today. Nothing sounds organic anymore, and the fact three commentary teams need to be presented doesn't make anything better. Honestly, I know many people will be upset if all three shows' teams don't make the game, but I'd take one detailed commentary track with JR and King (or JR and Grisham, or Mathews and Striker, or JR, Cole and King like at WM25...) instead of three generic, repetitive, and annoying teams. They could take UFC 2009's approach in this regard by taking real-life event commentary and piecing it together with exclusive commentary recorded for the game. It gives UFC 2009 a true broadcast feel, something that you could mistake for the real thing if you were in another room, away from the television. Yes, I know commentary hasn't necessarily been a priority for the SVR series as of late, but a system like UFC's could work. If not, it's another year of muting the commentary track. Even Tom Hammond doesn't receive that dubious honor in my household.
4. Chain Wrestling/Power-Outs/Working The Crowd
I realize the average WWE wrestler isn't quite at the level of Kurt Angle in his or her technical skills, but playing UFC gave me a lot of ideas about what SVR could potentially offer in terms of chain wrestling. By adopting a similar system to UFC 2009, a player could be able to wriggle out of an armbar and reverse it into an inside cradle or school boy, or be able to "power out" or "work the crowd" out of a potential submission. SVR's "struggle submission" system doesn't capture any of this despite making holds quite suspenseful. In fact, chain wrestling doesn't exist in SVR unless you can count its bare-bones reversal system. Also, attaching this to an attribute could separate the John Cenas from the Kurt Angles of the wrestling world. Those who aren't able to chain under this new system will either have to rely on rope breaks, the crowd or the referee in order to reverse or escape holds.
5. The "Big Match Feel"
All right, so UFC2009 may not TRULY capture this, but title matches, pay-per-views and Wrestlemania should have some sort of pageantry, even in Play Now mode. Make Wrestlemania the gigantic event it should be. Add 70,000 fans. Add its pageantry, large scale and expensive amenities (larger pyro displays, longer entrance ramps, louder and more atmospheric crowds). Title matches should be much more suspenseful and include announcements after entrances. Announcers could even report on how long the wrestler has held the belt or how many defenses he or she has. The AI wrestler could take more risks or wrestle desperately in order to retain the belt. Anything to make it feel like something big's on the line for your wrestler.
Whew. That was a novel...but it was certainly fun to think about what could be with the sorry SVR series, and why it's inferior to the "legitimate fighting sports" games on the market. But then again, that could be the reason why SVR lags behind UFC 2009 and FNR4. It's a staged spectacle and the game isn't trying to be the most authentic or realistic game, simply because the average WWE fan doesn't think like the marks among us do. They simply want to see John Cena toe-kick Randy Orton ad infinitum and pull off impossible diving moonsaults off the top of 20 foot cells. And, sadly, that seems to be what the WWE wants to give them. And guess what? That's exactly what they're getting.
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