WWE SmackDown vs. RPG
There's somewhat of a trend forming in DS sports games -- developers eschewing straight sports simulations in favor of bizarre experiences. We've seen it in MLB 2K8 Fantasy All-Stars, and now we're seeing it in WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009. THQ has hired Japanese "ninja developer" TOSE (best known for Super Princess Peach, the Stafy games, and being mysterious) to create their latest DS wrestling game.
They have bizarred it up indeed, adding an out-of-ring mode in which the backstage area is full of NPCs and rendered environments, much like an RPG overworld. You'll travel around taking on missions and interacting with other wrestlers as you try to level up your character's various attributes, like "Sweatiness," "Shirt-tearing" and "Catchphrases."*
It actually sounds like a really cool take on the RPG. It's like Puzzle Quest, but with wrasslin'! Unfortunately, the screenshots so far don't really show anything but creepy 3D models.
*not actual attributes
