Road To Wrestlemania.... How to save it?

You may remember... the worst thing I thought was wrong with SvR11 was Road To Wrestlemania.

Basically, if you don't remember my critisism... It blew.

It was boring, sparsely populated, even the side-quest stuff was ridiculously linear, badly implemented, and trudging through endless hallways making up over 70% of the total time it takes to play the mode being an unforgivable offense that would be unacceptable in literally any other adventure mode in any game out there.

And the voice acting was beyond atrocious for certain Superstars who obviously didn't even want to fucking be there, and their disdain for recording dialouge as well as their total inability to act whatsoever, combined with stories that, aside from a few Undertaker bits and Edge & Christian jokes, was really really stale and uninteresting.

So, this brings up the question.... What now? What for WWE '12?

Obviously, I personally think they aren't even going to do it at all the way last years game was. Even Marcus and several THQ guys said that RTWM last year was the most lacking and disappointing thing, they felt.


So what do they do with the mode?

What do you think they'll do? What would you do with it (if you had their limited time, budget and resources for a year)?

Go back to nothing but pre-match and post-match cutscenes like before? Or a new direction? Or try to redo 2011 RTWM and try to improve the tedious, godawful hallway sections?

How would you map this mode out, make what changes, or try what for WWE '12?

And optional question, who do you think should have a story? And what do you think their plot should center around?

Personally, I'd concentrate on doing ONE Road to Wrestlemania storyline, purely for a created wrestler.

The storyline would see you start by being signed to WWE developmental wrestling at FCW against bottom of the card WWE jobbers. Assuming you do well you get called into Vince's office and he offers to move you to the main roster, offering you one of three character ideas he has (1 face character, 1 heel character, 1 tag team with a WWE guy). The story branches accordingly.

Once in the main roster, you have matches and interractions according to your chosen path, but you are constantly given various options through interractions with others to skew the storyline (heel/face turns, screwing over your partner, chances at titles/number 1 contenderships etc). You have options like screwing your partner or cheating/attacking your opponent in every match, and each decision will branch the story, albeit down a number of paths which must ultimately be limited by the size of the game.

There is NO aimless wandering backstage, but you are presented with situations you can choose whether or not be become involved with.

I did wonder about your character having a heel/face level based on their actions, and new opportunities opening up as a result of your level as well.

Here's a similar but fundamentally different take, as another possibility, that I was thinking about...

I was playing Mortal Kombat 2011 and marveling at the way it handled it's story mode, and I thought of this concept....

I was thinking that there could be a long, 20 hour or longer epic cinematic quality storyline, that is broken up into chapters to tell an ongoing story.

Each short chapter has you playing a bit of the overall arcing story related to the entire WWE, as one character per chapter.

The idea would be almost like what one might think of as "WWE: The Movie." (Something that cannot be done in real life, and is too strange of an idea for an ACTUAL theatrical film)

It would be a big epic plotline about the very foundation of the company itself, in which you eventually play as just about (almost) every single member of the roster at one time or another as the story progresses.

For example, Chapter 1 sets the story up, where Santino accidentally overhears some shocking news that threatens to ruin the entire WWE forever, and there is a match where you play as him where he attempts to tell this story to someone who doesn't believe him, and maybe has a reason to fight him, so you control Santino and beat the guy.

Then chapter 2, you take control of another Superstar who the story then shifts it's focus to for that chapter, leading to THIS person you are now, beating Santino (now the CPU) and the story furthers on down the line as you play as different people every week with double crosses, alliances, betrayals, invasions, double dealings, plot twists, surprises, revelations and so on through more chapters as you take control of other Superstars in the story, where things like all of the belts end up becoming integral to the story, leading up to a big, climactic confrontation at Wrestlemania.

I also think that there should be several points sprinkled in the story in which created characters are also used as non-descript general "actors" in the story, but their participation in the story is vauge enough to where they game gives you a general 2 sentence outline of what kind of character this part in the story involves. Things like "What is your idea of a big, angry, bad guy powerhouse?" or "A charismatic, high flying good guy", "an ultra serious submission specialist" ect.

Basically, one big really long story involving everyone in the WWE (including a few created "newcomers" or "invaders" that the story asks you to create (or choosable from defalt templates if you don't want to make the effort), in a cinematic movie-like plot where you play as most everyone in the company at one time or another.

It could include loads of references to character's pasts with each other and history, character motivations true to their characters, heel/face turns you might not expect, maybe something about a complete takeover or coup of the WWE from Vince, the fate of titles, the shaking up of brands, the surprising return of past WWE stars, alumi, or legends, all kinds of things, where the fate of ALL of the WWE is on the line at Wrestlemania, one way or the other.

That is actually my possible idea.

Also, there would be no hallways, in my concept, either. It would also be nice if this big epic plotline had multiple different endings depending on choices you've made up to that point.

i.e: A win as a heel ending, a win as a face ending, a lose as a heel ending, a lose as a face ending, 2 different twist endings, a secret ending, a funny ending, a somber ending, ect.

That is a concept I might be very interested to see.

I think that could work quite well, though you'd need a lot of work on the scripting and storyline development. But if they could fit it in, it would certainly be interesting to play.

However, in the great scheme of things, as long as they make WWE Universe mode more flexible and improve the actual match mechanics - both of which they seem to be doing - then I'm going to be pretty happy.

You know what I think would be really great as well?

If the story mode, whatever it is, features the return appearances of WWE Alumni in the story, that aren't necessarily legends, but aren't on the current roster, BUT nor have they been gone for 20 years or something.

I mean, complete with proper voice acting, even if they are retired in real life.

Such as the in-story return of DDP, or as is possible now, Deisel. Maybe Booker T, or Bill DeMott. Al Snow? ect. If they could reach out to certain guys that still have good standing with the company who aren't currently employed or were let go a while back, who can provide their voice.

Not every special appearance in story mode has to be a conspicuously mute Rock, Jake Roberts, Freddie Blassie, or Hulk Hogan. It always kind of annoyed me when mute legends just show up in the story for little or no reason. Maybe Perry Saturn, or some Attitude era guys that are still around like Gangrel, or X-Pac.

I suppose I just really am thinking and remember how awesome it was to see RVD return in the story mode last year for a special appearance. That kind of thing. If they could pull off something like that in this game for guys that aren't exactly legends or even that old, it could still be nostalgic to many.