On the weekend of August 22nd, the trucks rolled into Los Angeles to set up "The Biggest Event of the Summer," WWE's 22nd annual SummerSlam. But the night before, THQ held a special event at the Sheraton Hotel, mere blocks from the venue where the show would be held, where they would reveal what the WWE Universe could expect from the 2010 edition of the successful, long-running WWE Smackdown Vs. Raw series.

The WWE is about three key things, and it's all in the name "World Wrestling Entertainment." The organization and its shows and Superstars have fans who watch week after week from all over the world. In addition, from Matt and Jeff Hardy of North Carolina to the Hart Dynasty of Canada to the Great Khali of India and even newcomer Yoshi Tatsu of Japan, the WWE's talent is known for coming from all over the globe as well.

Then there is the wrestling, which forms the crux of the product and sets it apart from nearly everything else. From mat wrestling to cage matches, and from falls-count-anywhere matches to Tables, Ladders, and Chairs, this has been the biggest part of any wrestling video game to date, and THQ's are no exception to this, with last year's entry putting an added emphasis on the allied powers of tag team wrestling.

And finally, we arrive at the entertainment portion, which for the most part tends to come up a bit short in video games. This has changed gradually over the years, as more authentic entrance music, spectacular fireworks, and amusing taunts have been worked into the product.

And more recently, actual storylines have been worked into the video games, too, though this has been limited to but a handful of characters. The lead time for development of the games makes adapting any current storylines difficult, if not impossible, before the game ships, and there are so many members of the roster that to try assigning a unique, fitting story for each would be to delve into madness.

Furthermore, things change at the drop of a hat, and the status of a Superstar can change as soon as a game goes to press. As anyone knows, a wrestler's character is only as good (or bad) as the last action they made.

For these reasons and more, creating a product with storylines and dialogue as entertaining as what millions of viewers see each week on television would be an incredibly daunting task, to put things mildly. And as a result, it seems that THQ is doing the only logical thing they could think of.

They're putting control in your hands.

Put simply, and I'm calling it right here and now, WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2010 is looking like the LittleBigPlanet of wrestling video games. In addition to what fans have come to expect from the franchise, THQ is creating what is being described as a "social network atmosphere" which will allow players to create and customize a tremendous number of options, from wrestlers to storylines, and share them online in the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of the title (sorry, Wii owners).



As THQ Senior Creative Manager Cory Ledesma explained, while they hope that everyone will enjoy their product, they realize that they cannot please everyone with everything. But unless they are given the tools to create their own gaming experience, they aren't going to enjoy every aspect of the game.

"We want them to feel they can create their own gaming experience and customize their world to their liking," he explained to those in attendance.

The 11th installment of the series is once again being developed by their associates at Yukes (there's that "World" part again), and will be available on all current platforms, including the Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Wii, Nintendo DS, and wireless. But it appears that the features of the 360 and PS3 versions are what will steal the show.

"It's Your World Now" is the tagline for this year, and though they've always offered great creation tools, this is the year in which they are taking it to a whole new, "unprecedented" level, as Ledesma put it. Their four "C's" of 2010 are:

• New Creation modes
• New Customization tools
• New Content
• New Community involvement

He got things started with a live demonstration, which starts with a new addition to this year's game, the Training Facility where players will start off to learn the ropes--literally. In addition to letting those new to the game (or the series) get a feel for the game, it doubles as the main menu, featuring a pop-up that allows one to access any area of the game.

In some ways, the Training Facility reminds me of practice modes for other games, such as Super Smash Bros. Brawl. However, unlike those modes, there are context-sensitive prompts which come up as you move around the ring, alerting you to what you can do at different places and times.

"It's not your traditional tutorial, where we force you to walk through linearly," he explained, "but it's more exploration-esque as you move around the ring."

As one moves around, the prompts appear, and as the moves are executed, a check-mark comes up to show that you've successfully performed the move described. The prompt will then no longer come up, signifying that part of the tutorial has been completed.



"As you move along, there are over 100 control tips," Ledesma said. As he explained it, it's not only good for new users to get used to things without being in a live setting, but also allows experienced players to brush up on some of the new techniques which have been implemented, or even learn some of the more advanced controls which they might not have even known about.

Naturally, you can choose which Superstar you would like to practice as, and adjust how active (or inactive) the opponent is. You can also adjust the "momentum" meter, which changes things so that you can pull off Finishing maneuvers.

Players can pull up the list of tips at any time to see what they've completed and what they haven't, or reset them so that friends or family members who haven't played can give it a shot.

From there, Ledesma got down to the Create-a-Superstar menu, and just one of the star attractions. While they've had it for a number of years, he revealed that this year has seen a complete overhaul of the feature.

A number of major improvements was cited, and the first one noted is that they have "thrown out" all of the old Create-a-Superstar parts and created all new 3D parts for players to work with. "Every single part you see here is brand-new and 3D, with no more ties attached to the body or necklaces that don't even move," he explained. "Instead, it's free-flowing 3D parts, all brand new, so our fans will really like that."

Ledesma noted that the interface has been redesigned as well, and now new parts load up more quickly than before, with little waiting involved. They hoped to narrow the amount of time needed to create a wrestler, and so the smaller load times and streamlined menu are the strides they have made towards reaching that goal.

One issue with past created Superstars is that, when placed next to a real Superstar, they could be told apart rather easily. This time, they've spent a lot of time increasing the polygon counts of the characters and raising the quality so that the two types of player characters would be less distinguishable, if at all. The mode now boasts over one-thousand parts, including some "very wacky things."

"The sky is the limit," he added, noting that it's possible to be yourself or create comic book-styled superheroes, or whatever your imagination compels you to do.

Other customization options include the pose for the match-up screen. Previously, created wrestlers would take on a rather static, generic pose, but can now take on a variety of more "action-ready" looks as the card appears for who they will be facing.



The next mode demonstrated was the "Paint Tool" mode, which Ledesma described as an extension of the Create-a-Superstar mode. With this feature, ones which fans have been demanding for a number of years apparently, you can create your own tattoos or custom logo to apply to your created Superstar's clothing or skin. Ledesma likened it to the paint tools found in a number of other programs, and cited it as having an easy-to-use interface.

The next new feature spoken of is a most welcome addition. It is not at all uncommon for a WWE Superstar to change the look of their ring attire week after week, and often, the main change is to the color.

One week, Rey Mysterio might play to a Los Angeles crowd by wearing a version of his costume that is in the Lakers' purple and gold; the next, perhaps he decides to team with the Hart Dynasty, and wears pink and black to reflect his part of the alliance. And now, if such a hypothetical series of events were to occur, the new "Superstar Threads" mode allows players to keep pace with the clothes they see their favorite Superstars wrestling in on TV.

Each Superstar has a custom menu that highlights certain parts of their attire, allowing players to go in and adjust them to their heart's desire, even employing the use of a color wheel so that perfectionists can get it just right. Up to three alternate attires per Superstar can be saved to the 60-plus strong roster.

These new threads can be taken into matches both online and offline, and also be shared among other enthusiasts. Ledesma rhetorically gave the idea of an all pink Undertaker, the suggestion of which was apparently enough to bring the Demon of Death Valley back from the dead the night following the presentation.

Unfortunately, we don't yet know about more complex changes--such as Shawn Michaels donning camouflage the very next night on pay-per-view and since.

Next on the agenda: Create-a-Finisher. It is similar to last year's and is touted as easy-to-use, but has increased versatility in just how customized you can make your finishing move. Up to ten animation parts can be strung together to create the move, allowing for some pretty crazy stunts.



One example demonstrated was a Shooting Star Press from the top rope which contained a lot of flips before the wrestler crashed down onto his opponent. If someone wanted to turn Mario into a wrestler and give him a high-jumping finishing maneuver, this game will let you do it; the height they demonstrated was insane and inhuman, though Ledesma still boasted the "realism" of the animation to some mild laughter.

The game has a list of pre-made names for the Finishing maneuvers that the announcers will call out, but you can also come up with your own names. Just don't expect J.R., the King, or Matt Striker to validate them by calling them by name.

Perhaps the biggest new addition comes in "WWE Story Designer," which was demonstrated on video, but is unfortunately not available to be seen (yet). Players have the run of the WWE calendar, from Raw to Smackdown to ECW to pay-per-views, and can string together long-running two-year story arcs or one-night episodes as they please.

Creation options include "scenes," which are the non-wrestling oriented moments such as someone's car blowing up, and "matches," which is basically where things get settled--or at least, in theory. Any type of match you desire can be selected to progress your story, and wrestlers from both the Superstar and Created character rosters can be used to move things along.

Even more interesting is that you can change the damage level of characters going into the matches. Triple H got jumped by Legacy backstage? Then you can reduce his stamina, perhaps beef up his opponent for the night so that he has a rough time ahead of him.

Win conditions are another option which can be selected, such as first blood or submission-only. Or if a character has to lose to progress the story, that can be implemented as well. This can include interference, where a Superstar of your choosing runs out and costs Hunter the match. On top of that, you can have someone come out to help and be the difference-maker, saving the character from an even worse beatdown.

The other part, as mentioned above, is a cut-scene creator which allows you to tailor fit the moments which happen between matches. The options available allows you to change the length of the cut-scene, the locations (over 20 to 30), the characters' animations (over 100 to choose from), who is partaking (upwards of three or four characters), and even their dialogue (text, not spoken, of course).



But perhaps most amusing is the ability to change the expressions of the different characters in the scene, as demonstrated by Jim Ross going from quite happy to looking rather downtrodden. Players can also adjust the camera angles for maximum effect, and select videos to play on the massive Titantron screen which adorns the entrance ramp to the arena.

Of course, if Vince McMahon singing "Stand Back" isn't on there, then I think a lot of people are going to find themselves very disappointed. We'll keep our fingers crossed.

Ledesma noted that all of this content wouldn't be much good if players couldn't share it with one another, which is why they were happy to announce that all of the created content in WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2010 would be able to be uploaded and downloaded for other players to enjoy. Finding certain kinds of content will be made easier thanks to a search engine, allowing one to seek out created wrestlers, entrance movies, stories, and more.

"You know, there's all these websites that talk about a character and how to put them together," he said, "but no more of that. It's just go online, search for your stuff, you download it, play with it offline, or you can even take it online."

To aid in the search, those who are uploading their created content can leave comments about their creations, as well as keywords to help make their files stand out more to certain search queries. One can also sort by the highest ranked content, friends, and other criteria.

"Really, you're prolonging your experience and the lifespan of this game," Ledesma added. "It's something that we're really passionate and excited about."

He then moved on past the creation features to the "Road to WrestleMania" story mode, which was successful last year and featured custom stories and voiceovers from a handful of WWE Superstars. This year, however, for the first time, they are introducing a WWE Divas storyline, branching storylines, and interactive cut-scenes. You can also take your own created Superstar to compete on the Grandest Stage of Them All.



He then boasted that this year's game would have a huge roster of "over 60 guys," though only a relative few were named: Chris Jericho, Edge, John Cena, John Morrison, Kofi Kingston, Maryse, Mickie James, Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio, Triple H, and the Undertaker.

One other Superstar was also revealed for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 owners who preorder their copy at certain outlets: WWE Hall of Famer "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.

Ledesma moved on to the Wii version, which he said they were very excited about, noting that it was a step toward a more traditional wrestling simulation. They've overhauled the controls to give it more of a wrestling simulation feel, and will be supporting the Classic and GameCube controllers in addition to the standard Wii setup.

He also added that there would be more match types and the addition of the "Create-a-Finisher" feature to the Wii version, plus the "Road to WrestleMania" story mode designer. Ledesma described the game as having a "full feature set," which fans would be happy to hear about.

Ledesma moved on to the Nintendo DS version, which he said had a lot packed into it. A new gameplay style featuring the D-pad and the buttons has been added, bringing a faster reaction time and experience. A new reversal system has also been implemented, and is handled through simple button commands.

He also notes that the DS version will have a sort of collectible feature within, collecting cards for power-ups that can be used in matches for bonuses, to gain access to new arenas, and to open up Superstar profiles. These can be collected in the Play and Story modes, as well as traded wirelessly.



The DS version is said to boast a "surprisingly deep story mode for a handheld." Players can take created wrestlers through all three brands, which will allow them to earn experience and new moves along the way. THQ is boasting "story driven action," with training mini-games, cut-scenes, and interaction with the roster of WWE Superstars and Divas.

Another new addition for the DS version are the backstage brawls, which take place in 14 different areas, such as parking lots and locker rooms. These can be unlocked by gaining certain achievements in the Story Mode.

And if that wasn't enough, the DS will mark the debut of the Ambulance Match, whose goal is for the player to beat their opponent down enough so that they can be locked in an ambulance, thus winning the match.

All in all, this year's iterations of the WWE Smackdown vs. Raw games look tremendous. Getting a little bit of time to play the game after the presentation, it looks terrific, and all of the content creation options for the HD versions of the title seem ready to take this one leaps and bounds beyond the competition.

Personally speaking, it's been a few years since I've really sat down with a WWE video game, sometime before this new generation rolled out, and while I've been compelled to pick one up, never has the urge been as strong as it is with this new iteration.

I said it before, and I'll say it again: the HD versions look to be the LittleBigPlanet of WWE video games.