Wrestling with choices

Inour last hands-onwith WWE Smackdown! Vs RAW 2007, we covered the known roster, the new analog control scheme and the tremendous variety of props and other implements of destruction you can use to obliterate your opponent. Our friends at THQ stopped by for another visit, but this time, they showered us with info on the newly redesigned Season mode, the General Manager mode and the Create-a-Wrestler mode (which you can witness first-hand if you clickthe Moviestab above).

There are three paths to the new Season mode: the Champion Path that stars you as the current belt-holder in a battle to fend off all comers, the Contender Path pits you against the champion in a quest to earn the belt and the General Path lets you focus on the storylines that run through a given season. Your main point for dealing with the intricacies of wrestler management will be your customizable Locker Room, where you can put up posters, paint the walls different colors and generally decorate it however you like.

The Locker Room holds the nerve center for your entire bone-snapping operation: your computer. Here, you'll get emails, check out web articles and view cut-scenes that all basically center on the story - what alliances you've forged and what feuds you've ignited. All of these things conspire to feed you little bits of the story and accentuate the soap opera feel inspired by the emotional outbursts of your fellow wrestlers. At any moment, you could get the email that will result in a path-changing decision, and some wrestlers will take advantage of your rookie status to wrangle you into alliances that may not necessarily be within your best interest.

We've heard that there are about 36 different storylines, so the broad range of tales should easily be able to accommodate ongoing, multi-season play sessions.