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| SmackDown VS Raw 2008 |
FSM team |
The latest WWE game hits every format from the PS3 to the Wii and we get hands on with every version!
Since SmackDown VS Raw went from a PlayStation-exclusive series to a multi-format franchise, it’s done an nWo and taken over the gaming world. Digging itself in at the top of the charts, cracking sales records (with a staggering 40 per cent sales growth in Europe alone) and generating enough money to turn around entire WWE financial reports, SmackDown VS Raw 2007 was nominated as Fighting Game Of The Year at the E3 games expo and the series is the best-selling beat-‘em-up franchise on the planet. The problem, however, was that the game was utter Marmite to players across the world.
Though lauded for introducing innovations like environmental hotspots, Ultimate Control Moves, analogue control and an interactive crowd, many felt that the game had actually taken a few steps backwards. Players griped about the Stamina system that, when you performed moves, took almost as much out of your own character as the amount of damage inflicted on your opponent. While the selling in the 2006 edition was far too lax, with characters popping back up after major high-impact moves, many felt that it was far too unforgiving in last year’s game, as wrestlers lay on the mat for up to ten helpless seconds after a mere body slam. And that, of course, led to the “Tap Any button Repeatedly” pad-mashing as players desperately tried to get up.
While veteran SmackDown players could overlook these issues but, many newcomers to the series found the flaws too off-putting and the game simply too complex to get to grips with. And the newbies are all important, with only 10 per cent of the 40 million core WWE fans actively playing its games. So THQ radically overhauled its strategy; not only has it set out to make the experience more enjoyable to hardcore gamers, it also wants to make it more accessible to this wealth of potential players.
NEW YEAR’S REVOLUTION
To this end, SmackDown VS Raw 2008 is being released on the Xbox 360, PlayStation3, PlayStation2, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS. In addition to addressing the issues from last year’s release, the number one priority this year is to provide a distinctly different experience on each platform, designed specifically for each console and catered to the tastes of each segment of the audience. In short, SVR2008 hasn’t simply been ported across each system; different flavours of the game have been cooked up for every kind of console and every kind of player.
The Xbox and PlayStation, for example, are generally home to hardcore gamers who want a pure, intricate gaming experience. Thus, SVR2008 on these systems is the same, complex combat simulation that diehards have come to expect from the franchise. The Wii and DS consoles, however, appeal to a far broader audience of more casual gamers. These versions
of SVR2008 have therefore been streamlined to simplify the complicated controls and gameplay, and have been rebuilt from the ground up to take advantage of the unique interfaces of the Nintendo consoles.
So, while 360 and PS3/PS2/PSP users will still be battering buttons and enjoying the traditional SmackDown experience, Wii and DS gamers will enjoy a completely new and far more accessible experience by waving Wiimotes, swinging Nunchuks and dragging styli across the screen.
Thanks to the wonderful men and women at THQ, we were recently able to spend a day getting hands-on with the varying versions of the game. Though the PS2 and PSP iterations were sadly absent (expect them to be slightly-less-shiny-but-still-sexy translations of the 360 and PS3 releases), we took each of the other consoles out for a test drive. Just two months before release, how are they shaping up?
PLAYSTATION 360
In addition to hosting the “pure” SmackDown experience that hardcore game fans have been watching evolve since 2000, the Xbox 360 and PlayStation3 obviously enjoy the most jaw-dropping presentation. With brand new animations, new lighting and shader systems and over a million dollars worth of motion captured movement, SVR2008 on the high-end systems is getting ever closer to photorealism. And this year, THQ brought in more WWE superstars than ever before to mocap their own specific entrances, taunts and finishers, which brings to life the already terrifyingly authentic-looking character models.
The wrestlers have once again lent their vocal talents to the game, too, with THQ tailing WWE shows for two months in a $500,000 mobile recording studio to capture dialogue from major and minor superstars alike. And, unlike your average episode of Raw, this year the guys were even allowed to adlib and cut their own promos, rather than sticking to the boring bullet points in the script (something that is noticeable enough in the robotic rants being reeled off every Monday night, but sticks out like Big Daddy V's boobs at an ECW Originals party when
done in a videogame).
Speaking of scripts, ECW head writer Dave Lagana was in charge of “booking” SVR2008, ensuring continuity and authenticity with the televised WWE product. This wasn’t just a case of him casually casting his eye over page notes, either – over three hours of cut-scenes have been scripted, along with a ridiculously extensive scenario set mapped out for the game’s Story Mode (which, according to one overly effusive THQ representative, boasts “some 800,000 different paths”, which is surely hyperbole of Hogan-esque proportions).
In response to the polarised reaction to last year’s game, the company went about gathering an utterly ridiculous (though truly invaluable) amount of feedback. Doing everything from focus group testing, data-crunching magazine reviews, monitoring players’ online habits and even conducting a special survey that saw gamers hooked up to medical equipment to monitor their heart rate and emotional response to gameplay situations (seriously), THQ has tried to evaluate its product in every conceivable way in order to improve the experience.
Reviewers complained about the button bashing; the company introduced a Struggle Submission system. Bloggers lamented the lack of difference in play between characters; it introduced unique Fighting Styles. Online players were gravitating towards certain wrestlers and away from others; THQ emphasised and de-emphasised characters in Story Mode accordingly. Whatever the critical reaction ends up being this year, you certainly can’t say the developer didn’t listen to consumers and try to address the criticisms raised. But the million-dollar question, of course, is whether all this has actually made any difference to the gameplay…
THE ART OF FIGHTING
The biggest change comes in the form of the Superstar Fighting Styles, which truly make each character feel and play differently. SmackDown has always struggled with fighter individuality, as characters all felt virtually the same except for their movesets and clumsy weight class differentiation. But no longer will Rey Mysterio feel like little more than John Cena with a few moonsaults – now each superstar plays the way that they actually wrestle.
‘Powerhouse’ wrestlers like Triple H and Bobby Lashley overwhelm opponents with sheer strength, and can build up a Special to enter “Rampage Mode”; characters go berserk, are impervious to pain and, for around ten seconds, will no-sell attacks like a true Hulkamaniac. They’ll automatically reverse grapple attempts, while their own grapples are irreversible and inescapable. While in a Rampage they also benefit from “Irresistible Force” whereby, when they are pinned, they bench press opponents across the ring with a super kickout; to get a successful pinfall, opponents will have to wear down a Powerhouse’s arms.
‘High Flyers’ include Rey Mysterio, Jeff Hardy and (snigger) Carlito. They have access to aerial assaults like dives and springboards from the second and top ropes, as well as increased climbing speed, nimbler movement around the ring and stronger flying attacks. Cruiserweights can now dazzle lumbering opponents with speed and pepper them with rapid-fire skydiving, from West Coast Pops to Quebrada DDTs to slingshot twisting cannonball sentons! They can also perform “Possum Pins” whereby they lay prone on the mat and, when an opponent moves in, they are ensnared in a sneaky small package or rollup.
‘Brawlers’ such as John Cena enjoy a smashmouth, pitfighting style that even incorporates MMA-esque ground and pound. And in a manner similar to the Powerhouses’ Roid Rage Rampage Mode, “Roughshod Mode” sees Brawlers become impervious to strikes while their own blows are super-powerful and unblockable. Along similar lines, ‘Hardcore Fighting’ is embodied by The Sandman, who can use both weapons and the environment to dish out ungodly amounts of punishment, from Arabian Facebusters to one-man Conchairtos.
While ‘Showmen’ such as The Undertaker feed off the crowd and use taunts and spectacle to their advantage, superstars like Ric Flair and Randy Orton embody the ‘Fighting Dirty’ style. They can beg off on an opponent before poking them in the eyes, lull them in and then nail them with a low blow, push the ref into their foe to knock them out and take advantage with weapons, and they can even hold onto submissions and illegal holds for the full referee's five-count, inflicting damage for far longer than any other wrestler can.
We were hugely impressed by the six (of eight) fighting styles we saw. Not only are they all very different, they’re exceptionally well balanced and have their own strengths and weaknesses. Much like Paper, Rock, Scissors, one fighting style may be very effective against another, but less so against a different one; a Brawler may be able to overwhelm a Showman with his brutal ground and pound, but a High Flyer might elude him with aerials while a Hardcore Fighter can nullify him with weapons. You can’t just use the same formula to win all your matches – now you’ll have to form tactics when facing specific adversaries.
SMACKED DOWN
Another major innovation is the Struggle Submission System, which is just as much of a revolution as analogue control was to the grappling engine. The clumsy meters and button-bashing to apply or escape submissions have been replaced with a sleek, intuitive analogue system, which sees you pulling back on the stick to apply pressure. At the top of the screen appears an icon showing two hands clamped tightly together; you want to crank on enough pressure to do damage to your opponent but, if you rear back too far, the icon shows your grip on the hold loosening.
If you’re on the receiving end of the submission, you have to counter-crank in the opposite direction to your opponent by chasing the rumble on your own analogue stick. Find the right angle, apply enough pressure and you’ll see the hands in the grip icon slipping apart, breaking the hold. Much like every other analogue mechanic that has been introduced to the series, the system is incredibly smooth, fluid and feels amazingly immersive. There’s nothing like clamping on an STFU and cranking back as hard as you can on Randy Orton’s big smug head!
We were also pleased as punch that SVR2008 now fully incorporates the ECW brand. Although it has been dissed in the game’s title, ECW’s stars and storylines comprise a full third of the Story Mode, while The Extreme Rules Match has been introduced as an all-new match type. You’ll have access to a selection of weapons that you won’t find in any other portion of the game, you can configure bouts to be as lawless as you like and you’ll even be greeted by chants of “E-C-dub!” from the crowd – which you can now brawl into anywhere you want.
Yes, the audience is now interactive on all four sides of the ring and feels even more alive than last year. Drape your opponent across the guardrail and you can snatch a drink from a fan, pour it on your fallen victim’s head and stand with one foot on his back, soaking in the cheers. Like last year, crowd members hand you weapons and now, when you go to take a foreign object from under the ring, an all-new Weapon Wheel appears, allowing you to select your preferred implement of doom rather than pulling out five guitars before finding that chair you wanted.
And did somebody say “tables”? Oh yes. Not only can you set up a table, not only can you stack one table on top of another, not only can you set a table on fire – now you can set up two tables, one on top of the other, and set them both ablaze. The televised ECW revival may hardly have set the world on fire, but now you can take great pleasure in setting things on fire to your heart’s content.
In all, we’re incredibly optimistic about SVR2008 on the Sony and Microsoft systems. THQ has gone to great pains to listen to the criticisms of last year’s game and has attempted to fix those flaws. With the introduction of Superstar Fighting Styles, Struggle Submission and other subtle refinements to the gameplay and control scheme, the series has been afforded another layer of depth that should lift it into the realm of the elite grappling games. Definitely a massive step in the right direction and we can’t wait to get our hands on the finished products.
STRONG STYLUS
That’s the traditional SVR2008 games taken care of. But what about the wacky new Nintendo versions – can a wrestling game really be played with a pen or by waving your arms around like a madman? It’s certainly a very bold direction to go in. After all – aside from oddities like EyeToy Kinetic: Combat and arcade machines like Sonic Blastman and the original Street Fighter – no one has attempted to make a fighting game controlled by physical movement. And while there may be a very good reason for that, THQ has nonetheless created two of the most unique wrestling videogame experiences that you’ll ever come across.
We’ll start with the DS version, which is entirely stylus-controlled. That’s right, the whole game is played by jabbing, stabbing, dragging and tapping – not a single button press is required. Characters are controlled through a series of context-sensitive commands and hotspots; use the stylus to grab your wrestler’s arm, drag it back and then fire it forward to throw a punch. Grab his leg, flick it towards your opponent and kick him right in the nuts. Draw a circle over his head and you’ll nab him in a headlock, then use the stylus to move your free hand and you can knuckle him straight in the face.
It’s a completely novel way to play a wrestling game and allows for a level of direct control that even the 360 and PS3 versions, for all their bells and whistles, can’t quite match. Once you’ve strung together a few combinations of strikes, grabs, throws and submissions – dragging limbs and tapping on bodyparts to tell your character exactly what to squeeze, squash or smash – you’ll be giggling like Vince McMahon when the WrestleMania buyrate comes in. However, the innovative control system comes with a caveat: pseudo-turn-based combat.
Rather than freeform, back-and-forth, rapid-fire fighting action, the DS version of SVR2008 is really more about fighting reaction. When you lock up, for example, there’s a brief pause, at which point a number of predetermined hotspots appear on the screen, allowing you to choose where to focus your attack. There might be, say, hotspots on your opponent’s head, arm and midsection; tap the arm hotspot and a circle appears, directing you to move the stylus in a circular motion whereupon you’ll perform an arm wringer. Tap the head and a directional arrow appears, motioning you to pull your stylus along it and then back again to throw a punch, and so on.
It’s a cross between the Final Fantasy battle system and the contextual interaction of Elite Beat Agents and Project Rub. Which, in and of itself, isn’t a bad thing, since all of those franchises are tremendous fun. But the question is, will DS gamers be happy with clever, wrestling-themed stylus manipulation, or would they rather have a traditional, straight-up fighting game? For our part, there are more than enough “normal” grapplers on the handheld – and none of them come close to the five-year-old Fire Pro Wrestling 2. So kudos to THQ for having the stones to give players something more than just a lazy port of the console versions.
Wii-WANT-WREST-LING
SVR2008 on the Nintendo Wii is easily the most intriguing of the six versions being released. Like the DS edition it takes a completely non-traditional approach, eschewing the button-cracking and pad-mashing in favour of an eccentric control scheme unlike anything else on the market. However, while the DS iteration is two or three times removed from your standard beat-‘em-up, THQ has attempted to incorporate the Wii’s unique interface into the familiar SmackDown experience, rather than trying to completely reinvent the wheel (maybe just the spokes).
You won’t find turn-based routines or hotspot-dictated combat here; this is essentially a wrestling game where you pantomime the moves in order to perform them. To throw a punch, hold the Wiimote and punch at the screen. To throw a chop, swipe it in a backhanded motion. To kick, hold the shift button and swing. To grapple, hold the trigger and make a grabbing motion. To hoist your opponent up, move the Wiimote into the air. To slam him, swing it back down. And to taunt, hold down the trigger on the Nunchuk and use both attachments to flex, perform crotch chops and, of course, the “You Can’t See Me” motion.
The gameplay is much more streamlined. Rather than porting the PlayStation2 version across and then shoehorning in some awkward Wiimote-waving features, this build of the game has been constructed from scratch specifically with the Wii and its controller in mind. So while it isn’t nearly as complex as the 360 or PS3 (or even PS2) versions, it isn’t meant to be; it’s a sleeker, less cluttered affair that makes up for its lack of intricate counters and pinpoint analogue precision with pure, visceral, immersive and downright fun gameplay.
Sure, the Fire Pro loyalists and Colosseum fanboys will probably regard the control scheme as blasphemy, but the truth is that the most organic, enjoyable components of the "normal" versions of SVR2007/8 are the analogue-controlled portions where you use the stick to ram an opponent’s head into the steps, rain punches down in the corner or crank back on a Sharpshooter. By the same token, soulless button presses can’t compare to the immersive experience of swinging your arms down as you crash an invisible chair over your opponent’s head, holding your right arm high in the air before throwing it down as you chokeslam your foe to the mat, or raising both arms in the air à la Triple H as you stand over your fallen victim…
For the rest of this feature, check out issue 19 of FSM – available at WH Smith and all good retailers. (For US readers we are now carried at Borders, so check for local availability or click here to subscribe.)
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