When I was a kid, I used to take my pro wrestling figures and pretend to stage the greatest shows the world had ever seen. I loved the idea of simulating what I saw on TV every week, but with my own twist. If I wanted Jim Brunzell to beat Bret Hart for the World Title, I could do it (and did- I was a HUGE Jumpin’ Jim mark). When Hogan had matches in MY rings, he had actual moves, and didn’t resort to just punching, chokes, and back rakes (which I couldn’t understand, since he was supposed to be the “good guy.”) I used to make up my own storylines on my parents couch, which served as my arena. I did pretty mean color commentary for an 11 year old, too.

When I outgrew toys, I always looked for the best pro wrestling games for my console and my PC. I discovered I could simulate action packed matches, but the outcome was always determined by skill with a controller. Feuds I built up in my head didn’t always pan out the way I wanted, just because I couldn’t pull of a finisher combination (or in the case of Fire Pro, because I was too stubborn to turn the difficulty down from 10). I never was able to recreate that feeling of completely running a federation and putting on my own shows where I decided how the story played out. That all changed when I discovered Grey Dog Software and Adam Ryland’s Total Extreme Wrestling games.

Total Extreme Wrestling 2010 (TEW) is the latest release in the critically acclaimed text-based simulation series. In it, you assume to role of lead booker of one of over 60 promotions worldwide. Your job is to keep the owner of your federation happy (unless you pick the option to own the promotion outright if you want to be your own boss), while creating a product people want to pay money to see. This isn’t the “booking” mode in SVR 2010. TEW is a fully realized promotion simulation. It’s up to you to hire and fire workers, set up matches and angles for your shows, negotiate contracts and TV/PPV deals, deal with locker room bullies, and so on. If it sounds complicated, it is. It’s also addicting. We’re talking Civilization “just one more turn” addicting.

Let me give you an example. I’m currently playing as the lead booker of Mid Atlantic Wrestling (MAW), a small federation in Ryland’s Cornellverse, the game’s fictional universe filled with over 2000 workers. MAW is basically designed to be a feeder promotion, training younger workers and giving them the experience they need to become stars for the big boys like the Supreme Wrestling Federation (SWF), the equivalent of the real world’s WWE, while also trying to be profitable on its own. My locker room is disarray. My workers are upset because my backstage rules (one of over 200 new features added to this year’s game) are too strict for their liking. No drugs and no smoking… Yeah, I’m tough like that. On top of that, some of my workers are simply unpleasant to work with (I’m looking at YOU, Jay Chord). I want to fire him and end my misery, but I don’t think I can because he’s the owner’s kid! I spent the day at work plotting how to get rid of him. I’ve settled on trying to put him in extreme rules matches, hoping he’ll receive a horrendous injury. Hey, no one ever said wrestling was a nice business. This was all at the beginning of the game, before I even booked my first show!

Ryland’s attention to detail is astounding. Workers have unique personalities and gimmicks, which are brought to life via the art team’s renders, the only graphics the game has. His sense of humor adds a lot of fun to the game as well. Take for example ZEN, a New Zealand promotion that includes the “ZEN Conceptual Title,” a title with no physical representation (no render). Characters like Hell Monkey and Lobster Warrior are other great examples. My only regret is that I can’t simply synch this game up to Fire Pro to “watch” my shows after I book them. Fortunately, the renders and crisp writing provide all the detail you need to visualize this world.

The gameplay has vastly improved from previous versions of the game. Features I particularly love are the time saving drag and drop booking where you can simply drag the name of a worker you want to use in a match rather than dealing with drop down menus, and the ability to auto name matches or angles, saving me from having to type them out (name vs. name 1 on 1 match). Ryland really listens to his fans (both numerous and vocal- see Grey Dog Software’s forums) and incorporated many of their suggestions into the game to make it that much more rewarding for the player. This is a welcome change in an era of sports games making marginal changes between iterations, or simply fixing errors from earlier games and calling them “new features.”

While the game can still be overwhelming for new players, TEW 2010 has tried very hard to be friendlier to those trying their hand at booking for the first time. New difficulty settings allow new players to turn off options such as penalties for repetitive booking or having too small a roster, preventing characters from getting stale, or allowing low locker room morale to affect performance. Maybe I should turn that one off for my MAW fed… An impressive help guide walks new players through their first show, and Grey Dog’s forums are full of fans willing to help a new player along. Adam Ryland himself is very active on the forums as well.

The thing that impresses me the most about TEW 2010 is the fact that I never feel like I’m fighting the game when playing. If my show sucks, it’s because I made bad decisions, not because the game is glitchy or bugged. The new “dirt sheet” feature even tells me what I did right or wrong with a match or segment (don’t book American Patriot in a 60 minute Iron Man match… just don’t do it.) For example, I ignored my fan base when booking my first MAW show. I booked matches and angles I would want to see, rather than what the fans of the product expected. The show bombed, and I lost prestige. I’ll get them back next show… if anyone shows up.

The game is also fully customizable and can be easily modded. Those of you looking to run TNA or WWE just have to download the mod. I personally recommend staring in the Cornellverse, however. It has too much personality and is too well crafted to ignore. All of this, combined with a role-playing element where your avatar gains skill and prestige (enough to eventually create your own promotion) gives you have a game that you will spend many, many hours with. Try to book the perfect show. Steal that one performer from a rival that will put you over the top and get you that long sought after cable network deal. The options are endless.

At $34.95 from www.greydogsoftware.com, TEW 2010 is a fantastic value, and far more entertaining than the PPV you were going to order. I give it my highest recommendation, even if you aren’t a pro wrestling fan. The depth of strategy and abundance of options make this one of the best games you’ll play this year.

Now, to get Jay Chord injured and off my payroll…