WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010 Rivals Hands-on

by Greg Miller - IGN.com | 30 September 2009 12:00
 
We set the stage for run-ins of epic proportions.
 
The run-in is a critical part of the professional wrestling landscape. Without a random Superstar (or Diva) sprinting into an ongoing match and ruining the crowning of a new champion or destroying another grappler's chance at superstardom, the WWE would lose one of its main feud-starters... and one of its main ways of driving fans crazy.
 
This year, WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010 is putting you in rivalry business. WWE Rivals is tucked away under the My WWE section of the SVR menu and allows you to set the same-sex friends and enemies of every Superstar and Diva in the game. You'll open the option and see a spreadsheet of names with details on what brand they're on, how many enemies they have, and how many allies are with them. By clicking on one of the names, you can go in and modify the five ally slots and the five enemy slots with any created player or in-game, same-sex character available.
Time for an HD run-in. Running along the left side of the five ally slots and five enemy slots is an intensity meter -- max at the top and low at the bottom. Whomever you put at the top of your list is that Superstar's biggest enemy or ally, and the ones you slot lower get progressively less intense. This helps the computer decide who it's going to send out (i.e. the more intense rival will be more likely to show up to screw you while the more intense ally will be on tap to help).
 
I got to fool around with this option this morning, and the setup is super-easy to use and understand. You just pop in, select a spot, and choose the character you want to go there. When you assign someone as a friend or foe on one Superstar's slot, the game automatically goes and modifies the other guy so that both lists reflect the change.
 
Now, just because these relationships exist -- even if you never touch the option, THQ has tricked out a bunch of folks with current relationships -- it doesn't mean they're going to be used in every match. Interference can be turned off in the match rules section, but beyond that, there's no guarantee that a Superstar is going to come flying in during a match. It took me a handful of exhibition bouts to lure Kane out to come after Evan Bourne and when I was trying to get the Undertaker to attack Tommy Dreamer (I created that rivalry), Mark Henry ended up answering the call for vengeance rather than the Deadman.
 

Foes forever.

In my experience today, it seems the game has these guys programmed to rush out when it looks like a match is at its peak. On the few occasions when I did have a run-in, the action seemed to be triggered by me hitting my Signature Move and getting the momentum for my Finisher. If you have allies, they have the option to run-in and help you after your enemy has popped up. When you've beaten the hell out of the Superstar/Diva interfering or they've beaten the hell out of you, they'll retreat so that the match can go on. Anything you change in WWE Rivals will only be reflected in the exhibition mode. None of this is going to carry over to the Road to WrestleMania stuff or so on.
 
The guy or gal running in will have a few options as to what they can do, according to THQ. The run-in can simply stand by the ring apron and break up pinfalls, slide into the ring and hit the Finisher he or she comes packing, or come in with a weapon. I say "according to THQ" because my hands-on session only had the guys running in and waiting to break up pinfalls.Although this is preview code, it would appear the option's still got a few kinks in it. I was playing a standard match as Batista against Cody Rhodes when I got my first taste of WWE Rival action. I gave half of the Legacy a Spinebuster and as I lifted Rhodes in preparation for the Batista Bomb, Randy Orton came running in through the crowd and hopped over the barricade. I set off the Finisher just as Orton hit the black mats around the ring.
 
Then, nothing.
 
Orton just stomped around the ring. I rushed out after him, but he pretty much ignored me and just stomped around me. Then, Ted DiBiase ran out and he just stomped around the outside of the ring. Both he and Orton ignored each other. Why are you two here?! Do something!
Ring the damn bell, ref! Finally, I started beating on Cody outside of the ring, and as I earned my Signature Move, Randy clicked into gear, punched me in the head, and whipped me back to the ring. Similarly, whenever I started trying to pin Cody, Randy would jump on the apron and distract the ref. This stuff was cool. It seems as if there's just not enough outside-the-ring logic right now -- the AI is programmed to only interfere when something very specific happens.
 
Of course, it's kind of crazy that the ref just ignored Orton slamming Batista's head into the pole and continue counting him out, but whatever.
 
Once I turned the tide and wailed on Orton, he freaked out and pointed at me a bit before running off. I didn't need to hit him with a special move, just beat on him a bit. Of course, when I gave Ted the Spinebuster, he took off. Later on, Mark Henry and Evan Bourne ran out in separate matches, but both hovered in the air near the ropes rather than standing on the apron while arguing with the ref.
 
While most people are going to come from the crowd or the entrance ramp, a few Superstars have special run-ins. When it's time for Taker, the lights will go out and he'll appear in the ring; Kane will come out to his red lights and bursts of fire, and Triple H will run out wielding a sledgehammer.
 

WWE Rivals is Jericho!

Based on this quick taste of a preview build of the game, I can tell you I like the idea of WWE Rivals a bit more than the implementation. Assigning allies and enemies definitely gives you the opportunity to make your roster as up to date as possible, but the fact that I can go out and stand next to the guy there to interfere and not get a reaction, that I can end the match before the run-in even gets to the ring, and that the interferer can just wail on me in front of the ref, leaves me a bit wary of the final option.
 
Again, THQ seems to have nailed the presentation of these moments with the camera cut to Kane's fire or Rey hopping a barricade as I set up my Finisher, but the implementation leaves me wanting -- at least at this point in production. Look for a final word on WWE Rivals when I review WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010 in October.
 
Supplied by IGN.com