Wrestling games have been a dime a dozen over the last decade or so, but none have really given fans a true superstar experience. There have been many attempts at simulating a career experience in recent WWE games, but what if the powers that be let the WWE licence go to someone who could really take it for a spin? When you think about it, the WWE universe is not unlike the Star Wars or Mass Effect universes.
A tale of good versus evil played out with a cast of quirky yet unforgettable characters who carry their own sorts of unique lore. That lore has been mined before, but this time around there would be a presence behind the scenes that can extract the best parts and include them into a larger contextual whole without sacrificing quality.
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That company is Bioware, a developer who can create a world from nothing but a few ideas on a notepad but have also proved they can take established IP and turn it into something enthralling.
The task isn’t easy, but then nothing in life worth having is, so let’s get started.
The Plot Thickens
Alright, so to fit these superstars into proper context, we’re going to need aย general plotline that allows the use of all eras and rosters. The easiest way to do that? The Authority.
Now, that collective groan you just heard was from the many wrestling fans who are completely tired of that angle dominating Monday Night Raw every single week, and that is a fair complaint. However, here it presents a great common enemy that can be used in a variety of ways.
The Pitch:
The WWEย started out as a gladiatorial sport, featuringย the greatest warriors from all over the world showcasing their skills in the squared circle. The sport eventually became the world’s most popular pastime, and with that popularity came more connections, and ultimately more power. Eventually, it got so big that it needed two divisions, Raw and Smackdown. The Smackdownย brand was supposed to be strictly for the local communities, but eventually, its popularityย grew so immense that it began to eclipse Raw, which appealed to the rich, glamorous, and international set, and soon infighting began.
Eventually, the stars of Smackdownย rebelled, and full blown war erupted between the two brands, with the Authority of Raw led byย Vinceย McMahon facing off against his son Shane McMahon who led the crew ofย Smackdown.
Further, still, there is a third faction called NXT, an upstart group created by Vince’s former Protegeย Triple H. NXTย learns of a plot by WWEย Raw to silence some former legends of the WWEย who have come out against Vince McMahon’s increasing power base. They pass this information onto Dusty Rhodes, who goes on to form a special team consisting of the best of the best from both brands, who are tasked with stopping Raw’sย plot and removing Vince McMahon from his lofty position of power.
It’s complicated, and there are a lot of moving parts, but ultimately a company likeย Bioware is used to that sort of thing. They have a knack fro making separateย factions within a game world relatableย or at the very least intriguing. All you have to do is look at Dragon Age: Inquisition, which paints a vivid picture of Tevinterย and how it’s citizens live without you ever actually setting foot withinย its borders.
The Characters
Obviously, we’re going to need a leader. When thinking back on some of the great Hall Of Famers the company has had, there is really only one obvious choice.Dusty Rhodes. Rhodes was viewed by many wrestlers and superstars as an inspirational figure backstage, both at NXT and in the WWE. That makes him a perfect candidate for the leadership role.
There would be 11 characters, with two of them being optional pickups throughout the game.
The Roster would include:
Your custom character
John Cena
The Undertaker
Becky Lynch
Enzoย Amoreย w. Big Cass
Bayley
Ultimate Warrior
Sashaย Banks
Finn Balor
Optional: Stone Cold Steve Austin,ย Sting
There are too many options to not leave some fan favorites out, but weย tried to go with superstars that feature different move sets or would allow for interesting team dynamics. Biowareย games always feature a healthy amount of team banter when you’re traveling from place to place, and a group that includes you, the Ultimate Warrior, Bayley, and Enzo would certainly provide some interestingย conversation.
You would be ableย to pick up new clothing and armor through exploring the world or picking them up at shops you encounter along the way. Each character will also have a specialty outfit that can be unlocked by completing their loyalty missions. These specialty outfits would base themselves on the superstar’s most iconic look, but with a modern flair.
The Setting
You always want a game like this to be a bit timeless which is why we’re setting this one in the near future. We’d want to make sure the visuals will hedge towards the realistic, with a touch of stylized cartoon shading.
Like we mentioned earlier, the goal would be to implement the various superstarย histories into different areas of the map. Each section is controlled by either Raw, Smackdown, or NXT, with NXTย acting akin toย safe havens.
An easy comparisonย to make here is something like the game of Risk, where players ruleย over their own countries. Charlotte rules over a high-class district with Dana Brooke acting as her policy enforcer. Rusevย runs his territory with an iron fist (literally) with Lana at his side, and the Bullet Club are more in line with a biker gang that collects the taxes for Vince McMahon’s operations.
Smackdownย as a faction are the rebels, but they still have their areas to avoid, like Bray Wyatt’s district, which houses the ghostly wanderings of Sister Abigail. AJ Styles is the former leader of the Bullet Club, and as such tends to dabble in smuggling out items from Smackdownย territoryย into Raw territory, and runs a tight-knit operation.
Certain superstars can be persuaded to join your cause, however, but its up to you to discover those threads as you traverse the world. Each superstar you gather to your side will net you additional bonuses and perks.
The Combat
A WWEย superstar’s moveset is oftentimes larger than life, so transitioning that into a game shouldn’tย actually be that hard, but it will not be grappling based like previous wrestling games.
This will, however, be a real-time affair, with up to four superstars in your party at one time. You’ll have basic attacks consisting of various melee moves, and will function as a mix of combat styles from Dragon Age: Inquisition and Jade Empire. Those attacks will build up your stamina meter, which will allow you to pull off fancier moves, which you’ll learn as you level up over time. Those moves will all have various motion effects and dramatics adhered to them, as spectacle is a huge part of the WWE.
Submission maneuvers will be availableย during boss fights, and while they won’t do any damage they will swing momentum in your favor, and will reduce the enemy’s stamina, giving you some vital moments to catch your breath. As most WWEย fans know, each match has an ebb and flow to it, and Bioware will need to implement that into its combat.
As you complete combos, team attacks, and score critical hits, your momentum meter will slowly rise. Once the meter is tipping in your favor, your hits will do higher damage, your attacks will land more quickly, and abilities will cost less to staminaย to use. This works both ways, though, so if the enemy is able to stun you or hit you with critical damage their meter will rise as well, and if it tips in their favor, they score the same boosts as you do.
Roleplaying In The WWE
Bioware’s creative muscles canย present themselves here in a number of ways, starting with conversations. You’ll unlock special side missions by talking to the rest of your group at your hideout, as well as longtime feuds that you can take part in to unlock more clues as to where the hidden Legends of WWE are hiding out. The more Legends you find, the more perks you unlock, and the Legends will make their home at your hideout.
Those special missions will be necessary to enlist the two optional characters to your side, those beingย Stone Cold Steve Austin and Sting, who along with the other Legends have goneย underground. The more NPC’sย you speak to, the more clues you’ll uncover, but you’ll also learn about the history of the WWE, something that will figure into another beloved aspect of wrestling.
While there aren’t as many classics as there used to be, the art of the promo is still held dear amongst WWEย enthusiasts, and Biowareย would merge the time-honoredย tradition with their already strong dialogue work in previous games, with a fun twist.ย
As you talk to people in the world, you’ll discover new dialogue options for your custom promo, which will be used at the beginning of boss fights. Your custom superstar will have a number of choice lines to pick from, including ones you’ve discovered and unlocked along the way. You will need to deliver them in the right way and in rhythmย as you spar against the opponent to net an initial burst of momentum to start the encounter.
These are just a few of the ways that Biowareย can utilizeย different facets of the WWEย to deliver a roleplaying experience that will be unlike anything else, all the while being built upon the developer’s stellar dialogue and narrative driven foundation that has served them so well throughout their storied history.
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So what do you think? Is a game you’d spend money on? Let us know in the comments below!
