One of the most interesting aspects of THQ’s WWE game’s is their presentation and their storylines. Some have ultimate wrestling nerd nostalgia like when Edge and Christian reunited in SmackDown vs. Raw 2011 before they did on real WWE programming.

Others are completely out of the realm of reality (We all remember the video of Kurt Angle being magically transformed into a woman by Candice Michelle from a few years ago). With the completely over the top style of WWE All Stars, there is certainly some intrigue in to the presentation of its story modes.

Each of the three modes will consist of a 10 match tournament for the player, much in the style of fighting games like Mortal Kombat or Marvel vs. Capcom 3 where players will eventually reach their championship match against either the Undertaker (Legends path), Randy Orton (WWE Superstars path) or D-Generation X (Tag Team path). Here is what we know so far about these three different paths in WWE All Stars:

Path of Champions, WWE Legends – Undertaker

The World Heavyweight Championship is on the line at SummerSlam. Can you defeat 10 of WWE’s battle-hardened WWE Legends and defeat Undertaker? Paul Bearer welcomes you to his funeral parlor, as Undertaker emerges from a standing casket. He has a message for the player – “Rest in Peace!” There are plenty of surprises and more cutscenes along the way as you move your way up to face “The Phenom!”

In just over a week, THQ releases its newest WWE game, WWE All Stars. Departing from the realistic, television style of the SmackDown vs. Raw series, WWE All Stars chooses a more over the top style in both its animations and graphics. The beefed up Superstars and Legends more closely resemble Zangief from Street Fighter IV than their real life counterparts. But that certainly isn’t a bad thing.

WWE All Stars gives a good change of pace to the WWE video game brand without getting in the way of their top selling annualized franchise. Included in WWE All Stars will be a host of WWE Legends and current Superstars including friends of the Flickcast Kane and John Morrison.

Two somewhat surprising additions to the roster are Hulk Hogan and “Macho Man” Randy Savage. Hogan, despite being known as a WWE icon is currently on the payroll of TNA wrestling, WWE’s closest competition. Randy Savage only recently just came back in to the WWE fold after a long absence where not even his name was mentioned on WWE programming for years since his departure from the company in the 1990s.

WWE’s SmackDown vs. Raw 2010 helped the franchise reach the momentous 50 million unit mark with sales. With SmackDown vs. Raw 2011, THQ and Yuke’s hoped to continue the sucessful tradition of the annual franchise by taking the franchise’s stalwart features like the godlike level of character customization and great in ring action and adding some new ones, most notably WWE Universe Mode, an expanded backstage arena during the Road to WrestleMania mode and the upgraded physics system.

Gameplay:

As we talked about in our review of last year’s SmackDown vs. Raw 2010,  the biggest strength of SmackDown vs. Raw 2011 is how fun it makes the matches available to players. The control scheme proves itself to be easy to learn but a challenge to master allowing players of all levels of skill to enjoy bouts against the computer. This quickly changes however in player versus player combat where a novice has next to no hope against an opponent with more experience with the franchise.

New to this year’s in ring gameplay comes an improved physics engine. The physics in WWE games has varied over the years to the Gamecube days where contact with a ladder could take out a ring full to competitors to even last year’s SmackDown vs. Raw where instead of colliding with a ladder on a big fall, superstars would hit the ground and have the ladder gingerly slide over. Now, items like tables, ladders and chairs are interactive set pieces. Instead of moving aside when a competitor is aimed at it, tables shatter on contact and pieces will remain in the ring as the action goes on around it.

Wrestlers now react to being tossed on top of chairs and a kick to a ladder can send both it and the superstar climbing it to the floor. This feels like a step towards more added realism for the game’s in ring product. (And yes, we understand the irony of talking about realism in reference to professional wrestling… er, sports

With its release date under a week away, THQ has revealed a new trailer for SmackDown vs. Raw 2011 featuring all of the biggest moves in the WWE, the finishers. Much like the real WWE, in SmackDown vs. Raw 2011 a match can be ended in an instant if a player is able to hit their big finish out of nowhere.

In the trailer below, you will see just how good SmackDown vs. Raw 2011 looks in action and how much effort was put into making the finishers look as realistic as possible.

Some of the highlights below include classic’s like the Undertaker’s Tombstone, Shawn Michael’s Sweet Chin Music, Bret Hart’s Sharpshooter and Jake “The Snake” Robert’s DDT. In addition, SmackDown vs. Raw 2011 is doing a great job of highlighting some of WWE’s newer and younger talent with the likes of Santino Marella’s Cobra, Zack Ryder’s Zack Attack and Kofi Kingston’s Trouble In Paradise.

Make sure to take a peek below and stick to The Flickcast for more on WWE’s SmackDown vs. Raw 2011 including a review once the game is released.

The latest release from WWE Studios, Legendary stars WWE star and corporate mascot John Cena alongside Patricia Clarkson, Devon Graye and Danny Glover in the most heartfelt film the company has been a part of. Devon plays the role of Cal Chetley, a target for bullies in his small Oklahoma town, who lives with his mother Sharon (Clarkson).

Against his mother’s wishes, Cal decides to join the high school wrestling team despite his small stature as a way to reconnect with the father he barely knew and the brother Mike (Cena) he has rarely seen in the past ten years. Down on his luck and filled with self-loathing, Mike reluctantly begins to train his brother in the ways that made him a championship wrestler which ultimately helps bridge the gap between the two.

It’s hard to hear the premise of Legendary and not begin to see correlations to Rudy. An undersized kid trying to make it in a sport based on physical superiority and muscle mass that only has his heart helping push him forward. Thankfully, WWE Studios pushed past a story just about high school wrestling and added a layer to Cal Chetley and his new obsession.

As a result, there is a lot of emotion behind everything happening that doesn’t feel like a Rudy ripoff. This young man didn’t always dream of being a high school championship wrestler. He just sees it as a way to connect to a past and a family that is so far away from him.

The relationship between older brother Mike and mother Sharon is also incredibly well done. The few times they are on screen together is incredibly uncomfortable as Sharon appears to be in physical pain from being in front of a son that has chosen to stay out of her life for so many years that she never forgave for something that wasn’t even his fault. The deeply conflicted Mike also has some great scenes when he is apart from his family that show just how much his grief has consumed his life.

Back in November, we gave you our review of WWE’s latest Smackdown vs. Raw 2010. Now, SmackDown vs. Raw 2011 is on the horizon and WWE has just announced the superstars for the game’s cover as well as some of its key features.

In the US, John Cena, the Big Show and the Miz, the latest addition to the Money in the Bank club, will be gracing SmackDown vs. Raw’s cover art (seen above). If you scan down to the gallery below, you will also see the European cover art featuring the Undertaker, Randy Orton and Sheamus.

“WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011 is on track to deliver the most incredible WWE simulation experience to date in our storied franchise,” said Danny Bilson, Executive Vice President, Core Games, THQ. “This year’s game will offer players a variety of intuitive new gameplay features, impactful upgrades, industry-leading creation and customization tools, as well as unparalleled freedom to experience their own virtual WWE moments in line with those seen weekly in WWE.”

XBox 360 – THQ – $59.99
Score: 7.5

THQ brings back its yearly moneymaker WWE SmackDown vs. Raw with a revised visual look to the game and brand new Create-A-Story mode. Since its inception on the Playstation in 2000, SmackDown has been an annual franchise that has continuously worked to improve itself with updated graphics, gameplay, new match types and, most importantly, user customization.

Taking pages from some real life WWE programming in its story mode while keeping as up to date a roster as possible with each iteration, there is an instant appeal for sports entertainment fans to pick up this game and play out the role of their favorite superstar or their own custom creation.

Gameplay:

The gameplay of WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010 is very similar to the previous years. Players move their wrestler with the left analog stick, use the right stick to lock up in to a grapple and use various combinations to perform specific moves. This isn’t like a standard fighting game where complicated button presses are needed to pull off “special” moves like the complete circle on the DPad needed for Zangief’s piledriver in Street Fighter.