Oh wow! It's been another year and like all major sports franchises, WWE Smackdown vs. Raw is presenting us with their 2009 entry. I'm sorry, did I say sports? I meant the height of Sports Action Entertainment! Isn't that how Vince McMahon refers to it?

THQ has been at the helm of the Smackdown vs. Raw franchise for ten years now, and its readily apparent that every advancement they make is hit with a fan response that sends them back to the drawing board. In the past, Smackdown vs. Rawmade waves with it's Create-A-Superstar feature. The internet is packed with how-tos that'll build you anyone from Ronald McDonald, to Captain Falcon, to Linda Blair from the Exorcist.

Unfortunately, little Bobby Brady has always been stuck pulling off Kane's Chokeslam instead of that signature crotch punch you had in mind. Well, Smackdown vs. Raw 2009 isn't going to hold you back any longer. This year, creating a superstar will be a fully-fledged experience. You'll create your Superstar, put together their entrance, and even create a finishing move from a set of over 500 animations. Chances are, if there's something you want your character to pull off that you can't find in the animation list, it isn't anything remotely like wrestling.

Now if that feature alone doesn't sell a copy to every owner of the franchise ever, then I don't know what will. But after listening to fans, the gang at THQ has added a number of features to keep the game as fresh as possible. First off, playing with a buddy will take on new heights as they've included a co-op tag-team storyline. The whole tag-team experience has been retooled to keep both players invested in the fight, despite whoever is currently the legal man in the ring. For one, both players share the same health bar, so the strength of the team is relative to both your skills, not the one guy who tears up every round.

The only new match type in SvR 2009 is the intently sought after Inferno Match. Oh yes, two wrestlers battle it out in a ring of flames. The more damage done and heavy slams to the ground, the higher the flames rise until they're strong enough to burn your opponent. Finish the match by dragging your opponent into the fire and giving them a nice and crispy burn across their face. It's the Height in Sports Action Entertainment (Sorry, I love saying that).

Likenesses to all of the franchise's superstars are recreated, dare I say, perfectly (uncanny valley notwithstanding). I've always known that Smackdown vs Raw has some of the best visuals out there, so it should come as no surprise to see them return looking as good as ever.

WWE Smackdown vs. Raw has just about everything going for it and I'm really looking forward to It's release. While the devs haven't been able to mention any of the names featured in the game yet, we are surely going to get what wewant. After all, if your favorite wrestler isn't in there, you can make him yourself. With a shirt. That says "TinnieMaster is my best friend".

Comments Welcome.

Last week, Aint It Cool News reported the possibility that Bryan Singer's follow-up to Superman Returns is still on track. Except possibly without Bryan Singer!

The Incredible Hulk's Louis Leterrier was asked by a fan if he would have any interest in helming a new Superman, the director answered, "Funny that you mentioned Superman... because, hum, maybe they asked me."

The story was later updated with a Leterrier claiming that some confusion is afoot regarding what was said in yesterday's AlloCine Q&A:

"What I meant was that I had been told about a possible reinvention of Superman. Not that I was offered the job."

So, while the man behind the Transporter may not be directing a new Superman film, he does seem to confirm the folks at Warners have a few surprises up their tights when it comes to the future of the Man of Steel.

I personally hope they let Singer let Superman return at least one more time and allow him to bring his suped-up sequel to the big screen. He's been hyping how non-stop nuts Superman: The Man of Steel will be ever since his appearance alongside Richard Donner at 2006's Comic-Con and I for one want it now! I want it! I want it more than any other superhero film announced for the next four years! Give it to me!

After one week and 16 five-word comments, here's how the Add Five Words collaborative story has worked out:

Just when Albert thought he lost his winning lottery ticket he started a drunken rampage, while scratching his hairy butt. He began raping sexy woman, he was shot and arrested but broke out of prisonbut then he just realized that he wasnt wearing pants.

He never had the ticket to get into the movies, so he choke-slammed the usher and pushed his way in, but picked the wrong theatre. He had to watch fairyland so he threw a sharp pointy Nacho at the screen and...

And that's all she wrote... so far. Feel free to continue the story in the comments for this post. For those who don't know about the Add Five Words story, here's the deal:

Each comment for this post should contain exactly five words, and those five words should flow from the previous five words. The result will be a collaborative story. You can post any number of comments, but you may not post two comments in a row, and it's best to keep it to one comment per day. The most recent five words added to the story are:

Started making horrible annoying loud...

Hey everyone who happened to stumble unwittingly across my blog, I've got some ranting to do and a bit of gaming news for ya'll In case you didn't hear my 360 red ringed on me on Thursday. So I am getting ready to ship my third broken console over to Mexi…Texas for repairs. In the meantime it looks like Microsoft still plans on releasing arcade titles despite the fact that I can't play them. This week I won't get to play "Schizoid," and "Golf: Tee It Up!" when they are released this Wednesday for 800 points each.

"Schizoid," has the distinction of being the first Xbox LIVE Arcade game developed with Microsoft's XNA Game Studio. The Golf game is a golf game. Maybe I'll try the demos when my box comes back hopefully before August, ok September. In-a-bizzle!

Comments Welcome.

Hi ya'll, I've been working really hard here on Tv.com lately earning my 'Contributor of the Millennium' & 'Over 15 reviews' emblem, slowly making my way up the ladder I thought I'd relax a bit and play a little game with you lot here just for fun, It's the 'TinnieMaster Add Five Words Game' and the rules are as followed:

Each comment for your post should contain exactly five words, and those five words should flow from the previous five words. The result will be a collaborative story. You can post any number of comments, but you may not post two comments in a row.

I'll start.

Just when Albert thought he...

somebody carry on from here and then so on and so on

*EDIT [08/07/2008]* We'll carry this story on later in another blog because I want to post some other blogs now, but feel free to add to it still.