Review by: Meghan Watt

On paper, the new WWE looks fantastic. More than a handful of new features, improved customization and smoother graphics truly capture the brutality and corny showmanship of the “sport”.. But once you jump into the ring, some all-too-familiar bugs gradually become your most challenging opponent.

For WWE SvR 2010, the development team didn't just slap on a couple of new modes and call it a day. New features and welcome improvements permeate almost every aspect of the game. For instance, the moment you fire it up, a training facility appears in lieu of a menu. Finally, you have a chance to master a few grapples before getting your butt kicked in the ring. Not only is this helpful to newcomers, but old fans can test out the game's latest moves as well. While the apron moves aren't all that fancy, being able to swiftly transition from one grapple position to another without breaking contact is a beautiful way to get your opponent into the perfect pummeling pose. You can also execute a submission hold by tapping the right thumbstick, avoiding the obnoxious guesswork.

However, you probably won't spend your first few moments of the game in combat. For gamers like me, you won't be satisfied with the provided 67 Superstars and Divas. You'll want to make your own. Create-A-Superstar has been around for a while, but never before could you create a 7 foot man in S&M ware with chicken feet or a perfect pixel-by-pixel rendition of The Joker. This time around, bizarre accessories from horns to Flavor Flav clock necklaces, and three different forms of attire (ring, entrance and cinematic) make these dreams possible. Furthermore, the Paint Tool, similar to MS Paint, allows you to create your own tattoos and logos. Once your guy or gal is finished, you can save your outfits for later and choose an appropriate pose for your newbie to flash on the Versus screen.

As wonderful as this all sounds, Create-A-Superstar has a few glitches and oddities that may stunt your creativity before you manage to fill the provided 50 slots. Almost every accessory and clothing piece costs a certain amount of points. Although you have 48 points available, you'll soon find that this limits you quite a bit. Your Superstar's body alone costs 12 points. A pair of pants, on average, is worth 14 points. Throw on a jacket, and you will no longer be able to wear a royal crown, Santa hat, Indian headdress and the like. At the same time, adjusting the color of each item is more than taxing. For some reason or another, if you choose, say, dark red for your Diva's hair, you might end up with silver. Want a green tie? The Color Picker will say it's magenta. To top it off, most of what you create will suffer from clipping, especially long hair, neckties and belts.