Grappling with Wrestling Games

Someone asked me once who my favorite wrestler was. Wow. Talk about an unfair question. That's like asking a Mom to choose her favorite child, or John Goodman to choose between chocolate and caramel. If I'm thinking with my head, I've got to go old school and say Harley Race or the legendary Ric Flair. If I'm thinking with an entirely different part of my anatomy, the answer is Stacy Keibler. Few could match Shawn Michaels' work ethic, fewer still can live up to The Rock's charisma. And what about old-school favorites such as "The Iceman" King Parsons or Kevin Von Erich?

Like I said, it's an unfair question.

The popularity of wrestling games is a boon to fans of sports entertainment like me. I've been known to throw down on wrestling games on nearly every console imaginable, from Fire Pro Wrestling on the Gameboy Advance, to the latest Smackdown and Raw games on Xbox and PS2. One of the most exciting wrestling titles I've seen in a long time is eagerly anticipated WWE Smackdown vs. Raw, a game which combines both rosters of the popular cable TV grappling shows and a huge cast of voice talent, which should add a lot of atmosphere to the game, an essential quality in such an over-the-top genre.

WWE Smackdown vs. Raw producer and designer Andy Abramovici has been keeping a Designer Diary for us, tracking the development of the game up to its early-November release. Check out the story here to see what's new with this cool new title.

Now, I'll pose the question to you: Who's your favorite wrestler? See, told you it wasn't easy.