WWE: Day of Reckoning [GC]

In about a month GameCube owners will finally be able to get their hands on THQ's newest wrestler, WWE Day of Reckoning. The Yuke's developed title features more than 40 superstars, a host of Legends, and all the popular venues and play styles that combine to make the WWE a dominating force in the television arena today. The game also boasts an incredibly deep create-a-superstar feature that is clamped hand-in-hand to what could be called the most robust addition to last year's WrestleMania game: a compelling new story mode.

We've spent several weeks exploring the story mode in the game. Below, we take you through it.

The Full Story
Thinking about taking The Rock or Triple H through the story mode in Day of Reckoning? Think again. The mode does not include the option to play with existing superstars. Instead, it has been designed from the ground up to revolve around aspiring fighters. You have two choices: you can ether select a character -- a generic model type with pre-determined attributes -- from the game's template. (There are roughly eight different choices from the start.) Or you can utilize the game's impressive create-a-superstar mode to build a wrestler from scratch.

The latter is the preferable path because you can design your ideal pro from head-to-toe, literally. The create-a-superstar option is so well made and runs so deep that virtually every facet of a model is customizable. You can select head shape, size, jaw line, mouth line, width, eyes, nose, hair, color, shoulders and chest build, arms, stomach, waist, thighs, calves, feet -- the list goes on and on. You can change skin color, texture, add hair or muscles, add veins or bruises, scars or cuts -- whatever floats your boat. You can select masks, facial expressions, wardrobe, tattoos, and more. And when you're done with the looks, you can perfect your future superstar's attributes. Want him to be a brawler? Then up his strength. Want an acrobat? Set his fight style to high-flyer. Then direct your character's ring entrance from camera angles to music selections, opening animation, pyrotechnics and much more. You can and likely will spend several hours first creating your perfect wrestler, and then several more perfecting his look and style.

For the record, we created a sizzlingly sexy superstar whose nickname is Girlie Man. He goes by the stage name Assy, though. Assy is a handsome devil with bright red hair wings, a diseased face and silver eyes. We've included a screenshot of the powerhouse in today's article.

You begin your long, arduous journey to the top of the WWE at the very bottom. You're a nobody. A bruiser. Little more than a wannabe. You've won a couple of matches here and there, but you're hardly proficient. Still, you're determined to make a name for yourself. The story in Day of Reckoning unfolds in-between matches in cut-scenes running real-time on the game engine. There is no voice work, unfortunately, a shortcoming that THQ hopes to address in next year's version. Still, player models are highly realistic and are better portrayed through the use of believable facial and body animations. Text appears on-screen to indicate what each person is saying.

A scene opens to Vince McMahon's office. The head of the WWE picks up the receiver of his phone and says, "Okay, I'm ready for the next one. Send him in." You enter. McMahon takes a look at you and gives you the standard speech. He says that you graduated from wrestling training, top of your class. That you were "a big fish in a small pond." But that none of it means anything. He explains that you'll have to start all over again and -- possibly -- through hard work and training, you might get a chance to play with the big boys. Finally, he asks if you're up to the challenge.

Of course, you are, and so you report to WWE Developmental, where you can first tweak your character and game settings in the locker room. Next, you'll meet the Coach, who will set you on the right track. You'll start small. The Coach will simply want to see if you're capable. You'll have to brawl with a couple of bums and trainees. After each match the game tallies up all of your actions and awards you a score, which translates to cash. It'll gauge successful strikes and grapples, strikes and grapples countered, stamina used, deciding move and score a total.

If you're good enough, you'll eventually impress the Coach and he'll decide to introduce you to former WWE general manager Mr. Heyman, who will set you off on a series of matches to really prove what you've got. The game picks up in difficulty around here. Instead of merely winning, you might have to win in under five minutes, or perform two finishing moves before you pin your opponent. Meanwhile, the competition steady grows more challenging.

The formula continues. You continue to win and you climb the ranks. It isn't long before you're competing in less popular WWE venues and fighting rising stars, and before you know it you're in the big time.

Stay tuned over the next couple weeks for movies that show off the story mode in motion.

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