WWE SmackDown vs Raw 2010 featuring ECW

WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010 featuring ECW for Nintendo DS brings THQ's annual WWE wrestling series to the dual-screen handheld in October 2009. It is the Nintendo DS edition of the sixth game to carry the SmackDown vs. Raw name and follows WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009. Yuke's developed the series release for THQ, while TOSE oversaw the distinct DS version. Its title reflects the then-current Raw, SmackDown and ECW brands, with the latter appearing in the series for the last time before WWE ended the ECW brand in early 2010.

This is a one-on-one and multi-wrestler professional-wrestling game built around striking, grappling, running, Irish whips, pins and signature finishing moves. Rather than relying chiefly on the stylus approach used by earlier DS entries, the game moves its principal in-ring actions to the system's buttons and Control Pad. Players choose a WWE Superstar or Diva, work through a match's changing positions in and around the ring, weaken an opponent and try to secure a three-count or fulfil the chosen match's condition. An elevated camera angle gives the portable bouts a clearer view of the ring and surrounding area.

The Nintendo DS game uses a smaller roster than the home-console releases, but preserves a range of WWE settings and match formats. Standard exhibition play lets players set up encounters featuring the Raw, SmackDown and ECW talent of the 2009 roster era, while familiar stipulations add different routes to victory. Championship Scramble and a revised Royal Rumble were among the features associated with the 2010 edition; the DS release also introduced an Ambulance Match, a format unique to this version. Backstage brawling and other arena-based situations extend the action beyond a conventional ring contest.

Its handheld Story Mode supplies a structured single-player progression through WWE-style scenarios. Matches move the story forward, and a created wrestler can develop statistics, deal with injuries and visit Mr. McMahon's office as the mode unfolds. Creation and unlockable material give the game another layer beyond immediate exhibitions. The DS version includes a collectible-card system: earned cards can provide in-match power-ups, such as calling for interference, or unlock additional match types and parts for a created Superstar.

WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010 on Nintendo DS therefore is not simply a reduced copy of the PlayStation, Xbox or Wii editions. It was designed around a portable control layout, a compact presentation and DS-specific content, while still drawing on the brands, wrestlers and rivalries central to WWE programming at the end of the 2000s. For players exploring the series on Nintendo's handheld, its button-led grappling, Story Mode, card collection and exclusive Ambulance Match define this particular version.