Preview by: Meghan Watt

With less than two weeks to go before the game's release, the WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2010 development team had a chance to show off the eleventh game of the series in Westlake Village, California. On a crispy cool Thursday morning, I sat down amongst wrestling fans and fellow game critics alike to see what THQ and Yuke's had in store.

THQ's Brian Williams and Jon Durr began the presentation with the Xbox 360 and PS3 editions. Moments after loading, the game drops you into a bare-boned training arena where you can practice your moves against a complacent dummy from the WWE roster. Every move you make triggers one of more than 100 training tips. For instance, grab a dummy to learn how to change grapples without breaking or skirt the edge of the ring to read about apron moves, two of SvR's new gameplay features. From the menu, you can switch the default wrestlers to any one of the 32 pros, including your created Superstar. You can also toggle the A.I. difficulty and momentum setting.

CREATE MODES

Of course, before becoming an expert in the ring, you'll probably want to try out SvR's new and improved Create-A-Superstar where you can now craft up to 50 wrestlers. To explain the latest features, Williams introduced us to his bulky creation: Masher. You might recognize this long-haired, kilt-baring Tarzan from the game's commercials. As Williams scrolled through the various clothing options and accessories, noting the vastly improved loading times, he explained how the created Superstars and Divas no longer stand out as home-made. In earlier installments, your Lindsay Lohan lookalikes had flat facial features and painted-on apparel. Now, even you can look like you belong beside Kane... or at least beneath him.

That afternoon, we got to test the limits ourselves in a Create-A-Superstar competition. With about 30 minutes to prepare, we had to impress WWE United States Champion The Miz with our creations – or in some cases, abominations. Not only can you create your own tattoos with the Paint Tool (tantamount to MS Paint with pencils, fills, etc), but you can adjust almost every bodily feature from belly bulges to shoulder height. You can also fit your wrestler with Indian headdresses, pimp robes, Samurai helmets and other bizarre knick-knacks.