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| WWE SmackDown vs. RAW 2009 |
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| Fighting |
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| Yukes |
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| THQ |
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I have to admit, THQ seems to be having a really good end year. Saints Row 2 just hit the streets and has been met with critical success both with the press as well as with fans and newcomers to the series alike.
Smackdown vs. Raw 2009 is just around the corner and THQ invited us to see for ourselves how the game is coming along.
I'll admit that I didn't really know what to expect. I had not really followed WWE since The Rock took down Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania 18 in Toronto a few years back. I also had not played a wrestling game in years partially due to my own conceptions that the controls would be very difficult to adjust to for all but the most hardcore of fans. I soon would discover how wrong I'd been all these years.
We arrived at THQ early Tuesday morning where Creative Manager Bryan Williams, Senior Creative Manager Cory Ledesma and Associate Game Designer Dan Ryan met us. Things started off on an amusing note as THQ's debug Xbox 360 RROD'ed upon being turned on. From there we then sat through a 2 hour presentation looking at Smackdown vs. Raw 2009 on the Wii, DS, 360 and PS3. After the presentation we then we got to play around with their current build.
I won't go into a ton of detail regarding the Wii version, however it appears that this version of the game is fast paced and arcade like with a large emphasis on Wii Mote controls. I'm certain that Wii owners will be pleased with what THQ has produced.
The 360 and PS3 version are basically identical in terms of options and gameplay, and most folks will choose which version to buy most likely based on whichever console's controller they are more comfortable with. Obviously as a member of MSXBOX-WORLD I chose to spend most of my time playing on the Xbox 360 build of the game and I came out with some fairly favourable impressions.
Before I go any further, I think it's important to again note that I haven't played the Smackdown vs. Raw 2007 or 2008, so my thoughts are based from the perspective of not having any preconceived notions of how the game should play. First and foremost I am generally concerned with how much fun I'm having while playing a title, and I believe that "fun" something that 2009 is going to deliver in spades.
The single player Career Mode looks to be a lot of fun consisting of various Superstars with complete Custom stories for each one. Each story starts 83 days before Wrestlemania and follows the wrestler on the trail to glory. You get to see the days counting down from the wrestler's custom locker room, which is also where you will accept new matches, and also progress some of the storyline.
We watched the beginning of one story and it played through just like something you'd see on TV, complete with over the top drama that draws in so many viewers each week.
I was impressed the developers really managed to capture the feel of how a WWE storyline should progress, and I found myself wanting to know more about that wrestler's story when we moved on to other game features.
Many of the game unlockables will be available by completing each wrestler's story, and completing special objectives. For example in one match the unlockable was only available if you managed to get the opposing wrestler to tap out. These unlockables will provide a lot of replay incentive, particularly as the difficulty ramps up through the storyline. Be prepared to face interference in your matches from friends of whomever you are fighting, backstage fights, and the other zany things that can happen when watching WWE on TV.
Playing against other journalists at the event was an absolute hoot and this game is going to rock over Live. Multiplayer allows for up to 4 players online or off. Tag Team matches allow for additional fun with shared Tag Team Finishing moves, a shared momentum metre, and Hot tags. The amount of Tag Team match types was also staggering with everything from 6 man tag, Fatal 4 Way, Royal Rumble, 2 on 1, 6-man and more.
My first game involved a 10-player ladder match, and later a new game match type called "Inferno". As I discovered ladder matches can take awhile to complete and this allowed me the opportunity to get a handle on the control scheme. I quickly realized how wrong I had been regarding how difficult it was going to be to learn the controls. Within about 10 minutes I knew which button did what and within 15 minutes I barely even had to think about what to press while in a match. On the same token, the easy to learn controls did not take away from the strategic depth in the game at all. Definitely a case of easy to learn, hard to master Smackdown vs. Raw 2009 has really balanced the line between keeping the game accessible to new players while still giving hardcore fans multiple strategic choices and options while in a match. To me this is key … I want a game that makes me think strategically at the meta game level rather than having to worry about difficult button combinations to pull off my next move. I think THQ has done a fine job managing the control scheme in a way that newcomers and fans alike will like.
The controls consisted of Left Stick to move, Right Stick to grapple, a one button reversal system, the ability to Save a Signature Move for later use. In addition the developers stated they have added a new defensive move to allow players to quickly recover when knocked down. This was implemented to deal with complaints from earlier titles of the difficulty of recovering when being pummeled on the mat. Each wrestler also gets 2 Signature Moves that can be used or stored when they are "on fire". A player becomes "On Fire" when their momentum metre is filled to the top. The developers stated that the momentum metre was key to game pacing - by encouraging players to attack each other often and rewarding that with momentum this keeps the matches fast paced and exciting. In Tag Team matches this momentum metre will be shared between both members of a team, also encouraging fast paced gameplay.
In addition to an easy to learn control scheme each individual wrestler also benefits from specific abilities that can be used during a match. We watched as the Undertaker executed a "Kipup" during a match. It very much looked exactly like how I've seen this on TV and I felt was a really nice touch in adding to the immersion feel of being in a real WWE wrestling match.
I'm not allowed to go into any detail at all regarding in-game menus however I'll leave it at this - there's a massive amount of customizable options that players are going to enjoy. Everything from where you fight, who you fight, the types of finishers and signature moves your wrestler has, to the ability to create your own unique highlight reels and share them over Live - It's all there. The amount of customization options was actually pretty staggering to me, particularly considering I haven't played a Wrestling game since coin ops in the 80s.
One of the more interesting customization options was the "Create a Finisher" mode that allows the player to create their own Finisher move based on over 500 animations. Essentially Create a Finisher allows the player to create up to 10 different animated segments and string them together to create their own unique closing move. The blending of these segments together was very unique and each segment flowed into each other very naturally. The player can also choose the speed at which this custom move is completed. It's obvious that the development team spent a lot of time and effort motion capturing these moves with real life wrestlers. The end result is fantastic and has ensured that the moves look as authentic as possible when animated on the screen. As an additional bonus the player can pick a custom name for their custom Finisher - THQ has thoughtfully provided 30 different preset custom names which will be called out by the commentators in game, if the player also wants to add audio immersion into their custom finisher experience. As if this wasn't enough custom Finishers can be taken online and shown off as well, which is certainly going to make things very competitive as to who can create the most unique Finishing move.
The Highlight Reel is sure to be a hit with players who want to replay and share their favorite in game moments with friends. Rather than just going with video straight from the match, the developers have chosen to allow gamers the option of customizing their video replay to spruce things up. Players will have the ability to save a one minute and thirty second video reel to share online with friends. Like the rest of the game, customization is key here, with the editor allowing for over 71 different graphics over a hundred different audio clips, dozens of different commentary, and the ability to create a custom DVD cover. Being able to share this over Live will no doubt create a hardcore community of budding video editors, carefully choreographing the perfect promo reel. I could even see the potential of players stringing their own story together based on several different highlight reels released in succession. Certainly this is a unique feature and will really add to the social element of the game.
Before I sign off I have something I wanted to share. The night before I went to THQ headquarters I had the opportunity to sit down for a drink with Bryan Williams, Creative Manager working on the title. His knowledge of WWE lore in general was impeccable, and it was obvious from talking to him that he has a real love for wrestling. I felt this to be something that gave me a lot more faith in the product I would get to play the next day - it was really refreshing to see that the development team working on the game has the same passion as the fans they are making it for. To hear him talking about the game and getting to see how important it was to him that the game feel authentically WWE it really set my expectations high on what I'd get to play the next day. And to being perfectly honest, my expectations were met and more.
Bryan and the rest of the team have a lot to be proud about. Based on my playtime I think the development team has succeeded in capturing that WWE feel while making a game that anyone with a remote interest in wrestling will need to add to their collection. The single player Career Mode is a lot of fun, and multiplayer is going to be a blast. Smackdown vs. Raw 2009 is the sort of game you and your buddies will continue to play long after you've bought it.
Time will tell to see if Smackdown vs. Raw 2009 sells well, but based on what I experienced it deserves to. The game went from being completely off my radar to a day 1 purchase and this is coming from somebody who previously had no real interest in wrestling games at all.
THQ has got a winner on their hands, and I can't wait to see how the game does once it hits stores this fall.
Preview By: Scott Strickland
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