How to craft a perfect storyline in WWE SmackDown vs Raw 2010

It’s been a busy 2009 thus far for the WWE. On SmackDown, reigning champ CM Punk has driven Jeff Hardy into premature retirement after an epic summer-long battle, and now seemingly has the backing of WWE management as he enters a feud with the Undertaker over the World Heavyweight Title. Meanwhile on Raw, both D-X and John Cena have endured a miserable year thanks to the attentions of Randy Orton’s Legacy group. Exciting times for sure, but could you do even better in 2010? Now’s your chance to find out!

Time to complete
The Storyline Designer mode can last either a single night or up to two whole years of WWE programming – including Raw, SmackDown, ECW and some 14 unique Pay-Per-View (PPV) events.

Best bit
There are some pretty cool animations to choose from – cars can explode, friendships can turn sour, sneak attacks can occur at any time. Make sure you use the big angles sparingly though – there’s only so many times John Cena can get run over by a car before viewer fatigue sets in.

Hardest bit
Planning the storylines out so they climax at the right time – draw out a rough outline on paper before starting work on a new story. Ideally, one-on-one confrontations should wait until the Pay-Per-View events – but screwy finishes and run-ins from allies and enemies alike should help keep interest levels up should you need to throw them in the ring together before then.

Q. How do I know if my storyline’s any good?
A. Once your storyline goes online, it’s completely at the mercy of the online community – they have the ability to score your creation out of five stars and leave a full review if your tale has touched their soul sufficiently. Take constructive criticism on board but be prepared to take the odd abusive comment on the chin – chances are that it’s nothing personal.

Latest in Fighting
Minecraft characters Alex and Steve riding in mine carts in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, being chased by Bowser Jr..
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate villain Minecraft Steve is the star of the "best Smash clip of all time," as genius player makes a literal Trojan Horse to destroy an unsuspecting opponent
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS key art.
Masahiro Sakurai says Super Smash Bros "might have died out" if not for late Nintendo president Satoru Iwata: "There's no doubt that he influenced me in many ways"
Mortal Kombat 2 3DO
After 32 years, Mortal Kombat 2 has finally been ported to the one hyper-expensive '90s console that could actually do it justice
jinx in 2xko weilding a big hammer with a smirk on her face
The League of Legends fighting game spin-off won't be getting its big playtest, but that's so that more of you can play it later this year
Retro Gamer
Retro Gamer celebrates Capcom’s greatest fighting games
A screenshot shows Fatal Fury ninja Mai performing a combat move in Street Fighter 6.
Fatal Fury's top anime girlfriend Mai "bounces" into Street Fighter 6, and her bouncy arrival is driving Capcom to horny madness: "She's giving fierce. She's slaying"
Latest in Features
Key art for Assassin's Creed Rogue Remastered showing Shay Patrick Cormac in a black and red outfit that's a cross between Assassin and Templar armor, with his ship The Morrigan behind him
Assassin's Creed Shadows can wait – I spent 40 hours mopping up the map in the one game in the series everyone skipped
Avowed screenshot showing a corpse-like figure's face with glowing purple mushroom/spore growths
I thought I was going evil in Avowed, but one quest changed everything I thought I knew about morality in this RPG
Yakuza 0
10 years on, Yakuza 0 is still one of the strongest entry points to a franchise ever made
The Witcher 3 screenshot of Geralt
Avowed and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 tap into the same thing that makes The Witcher 3 so compelling – and it's something I'm always looking for in RPGs
Marvel Rivals Spider-Man
Spider-Man has become every Marvel Rivals player's worst nightmare
The Iron Mask
The 32 greatest swashbuckler movies ever made