Hardcore Wrasslin'

When you work as hard as the gentlemen in the WWE, you're bound to get a mention here at Hardcore's Hardcorner. The WWE Smackdown series of games hardly needs an introduction, as even the most casual of wrestling fans should be familiar with the catchphrases and signature moves of a few wrestlers.

Who's this gonna hurt more?

Any game that finds you choking your adversary with a folding chair one moment, bashing their head into an announcer's table the next, and then tossing them off the top of a twenty foot cage for good measure is a game that is already well on its way to being hardcore. Fortunately, WWE® Smackdown® vs. Raw® 2007 offers ample opportunity to challenge even the most skilled gamer and the most fanatic wrestling fan.

If you think you have the testicular fortitude to take on these hardcore challenges, then it's time to cowboy up and prove yourself victorious despite the following restraints.

Be a Legend
Hardcore gamers fight through pain and feed on their own frustration. Prepare yourself to do both as you start your career on Legendary difficulty. When you should be cutting your teeth on average talent, you'll be going toe to toe with the best in the business like Triple H, Kurt Angle, and John Cena.

You might hope that since you're just starting out these guys might have reduced stats, but you'll be disappointed. They only boast statistical ratings roughly twice yours, and their fight techniques and reversal abilities are much more powerful as well. Enjoy the pain.

Can you take him?

Create Everything
Though not particularly difficult, true dedication to wrestling can only be proven by the rare gamer who takes the time to create their own wrestler from scratch.

This is not just a matter of creating a look, but of creating a custom character, making tweaks and adjustments, layering the costume, and sculpting the body. It's not just assigning a move set, but handpicking from dozens of abilities and animations. It's not mimicking another superstar's entrance into the ring, but building your own replete with fireworks, smoke effects, musical tracks, and animation transfers to form your own unique introduction.

A Loss is a Loss is a Loss
Just like in real life, if you lose, you're done. Even if your storyline goes bust or you lose a title bout, take it like a man. Don't touch the power button. Follow this rule and you will find your career becomes a truly marathon experience. More importantly, you will have the knowledge and satisfaction that your success is legit, not glitched with the help of powering off before auto save kicks in.

WWE's little wrestler who could.

Clean it Up
You'll find ample opportunity in your career, both online and off, to take advantage of not so legal items. Whether it's a fence pole wrapped in barb wire, a sledgehammer, or the classic folding chair, you can really bring the hurt in this game. Your challenge is to resist that temptation and prove that you can win by skill alone, and not by taking advantage.

Multiplayer Title Matches
The truest test of wrestling prowess will be to take the A.I. out of the equation. When you get that first tag-team title match at Armageddon or even when you finally get your shot at the world championship in Wrestlemania, call on the abilities of the most skilled member of your Friends List, not the computer, to prove your worth.

This in-game option to wrestle a career match online against a human opponent is a stroke of hardcore gaming artistry, and it should be taken advantage of. Besting the computer is one thing, but only after defeating a truly dynamic, unpredictable opponent can you truly hold any championship belt proudly aloft and announce your hardcore triumph.

Article by Hardcore