Post by Danger Man on Aug 14, 2005 17:13:04 GMT
Preview and screenshots from 1up.com
Last year's installment in the perennial SmackDown! series, SmackDown! vs. Raw, was seen as somewhat of a disappointment to many wrestling fans. The roster wasn't filled out particularly well, the AI could be completely abused, and the story mode wasn't nearly as long or replayable as the previous version's. THQ and Yuke's, however, have set out to right the wrongs and win back the series' fans with WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006.
For starters, the team has made significant changes to the game's difficulty. Last year's WWE titles had two types of AI -- Day of Reckoning's infuriatingly cheap "I'm going to reverse everything you throw at me" opponents and SmackDown! vs Raw's dumb-as-a-rock "please stop doing your finisher and pin me already" opponents.
Thankfully, neither of these appears to be the case for the latest in the SD series. SvR2006's computer opponents are not only more aggressive and smarter than last year's, but they're even programmed to fight using the real-life grappler's realistic move set and tendencies. Improved AI also means that gamers will no longer be able to drop fifteen straight "5 Knuckle Shuffles" in order to gain a quick victory in Season Mode.
Ah Season Mode -- the heart of the SmackDown! series and the one area where most players will spend the majority of their time. THQ's been pretty tight-lipped thus far, but it's safe to assume that last year's major complaints (extreme linearity and voice-overs that sounded as if they were recorded in a vacant auditorium) haven't fallen on deaf ears. What we do know is that every superstar, created or otherwise, will be allowed to join the fray, something sorely missing from the original SvR.
Another complaint many people had with last year's SD title was that its roster was not just out of date by the time it was released (many of the then-current champions weren't even featured in the game), but it was also extremely limited even when compared to previous years'. Luckily, the latest in the series will feature not only 60+ of today's superstars but more than 10 Legends, some never seen before in a SmackDown! game. No word yet on which side gets Animal.
For the first time in years, the team is also making some noticeable changes to the way the game plays. Previous SD titles had a basic meter which, upon filling, allowed you to perform a finishing move -- however, no attempt was ever made at giving the matches any real pacing ala real-life professional wrestling. Now, borrowing a bit from Day of Reckoning, Smackdown! vs Raw 2006 will contain a momentum meter which will fill and drain depending upon the flow of the match. If, for instance, your character is laying the not-so-proverbial smackdown on his opponent, the momentum will sway to his side. Take a few well-placed hits, though, and suddenly your opponent will have the advantage.
Also new this year is a stamina system, much like the one featured in the new WWE Day of Reckoning title. Wrestlers will now get more and more exhausted as the match goes on, so taking a breather here and there is advised. Sure it's a feature that the FirePro titles have had seemingly forever, but there's nothing wrong with borrowing if you're going to borrow from the best. Players can also turn this option off if they choose.
SmackDown vs. Raw 2006 also features a few new match types including the fan-requested Buried Alive, as well as a much-needed improved Ladder match. There's even a "Fulfill Your Fantasy" match where players will be able to dress up the divas and have pillow fights -- no joke. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that they'll be implementing the oft-requested "Judy Bagwell on a Pole" match in this year's game...keep sending those letters.
Though Smackdown vs. Raw was the first SmackDown! title to feature online play, its implementation was sorry at best. Once online, players were given only two match types, both being one-on-one matches. Combined with some pretty bad lag and a lack of stat tracking or leaderboards, most gamers didn't give the mode a second look. THQ plans to completely change that with 2006, however. This year's title will allow up to four players to join an online match and compete in any of the four-player match types. Voice chat is also supported in SvR2006, so players can trash talk just like the wrestlers they're controlling.
But of course the big question on everyone's mind is "How does Carlito look?" After the travesty that was DoR2's Carlito model, we're happy to report that SvR2006's Carlito Caribbean Cool is d**n-near perfect -- or at least as perfect as we're likely to see on this generation of consoles. Carlito fans will no doubt be pleased as they perform ambiguous finisher after ambiguous finisher.
With WWE Day of Reckoning 2 hitting stores later this month and WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 dropping sometime around November (plus a PSP version following soon after), wrestling fans certainly have something to look forward to for the rest of the year. Now if only we were as optimistic about the television shows.
Here's some screenshots:
Last year's installment in the perennial SmackDown! series, SmackDown! vs. Raw, was seen as somewhat of a disappointment to many wrestling fans. The roster wasn't filled out particularly well, the AI could be completely abused, and the story mode wasn't nearly as long or replayable as the previous version's. THQ and Yuke's, however, have set out to right the wrongs and win back the series' fans with WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006.
For starters, the team has made significant changes to the game's difficulty. Last year's WWE titles had two types of AI -- Day of Reckoning's infuriatingly cheap "I'm going to reverse everything you throw at me" opponents and SmackDown! vs Raw's dumb-as-a-rock "please stop doing your finisher and pin me already" opponents.
Thankfully, neither of these appears to be the case for the latest in the SD series. SvR2006's computer opponents are not only more aggressive and smarter than last year's, but they're even programmed to fight using the real-life grappler's realistic move set and tendencies. Improved AI also means that gamers will no longer be able to drop fifteen straight "5 Knuckle Shuffles" in order to gain a quick victory in Season Mode.
Ah Season Mode -- the heart of the SmackDown! series and the one area where most players will spend the majority of their time. THQ's been pretty tight-lipped thus far, but it's safe to assume that last year's major complaints (extreme linearity and voice-overs that sounded as if they were recorded in a vacant auditorium) haven't fallen on deaf ears. What we do know is that every superstar, created or otherwise, will be allowed to join the fray, something sorely missing from the original SvR.
Another complaint many people had with last year's SD title was that its roster was not just out of date by the time it was released (many of the then-current champions weren't even featured in the game), but it was also extremely limited even when compared to previous years'. Luckily, the latest in the series will feature not only 60+ of today's superstars but more than 10 Legends, some never seen before in a SmackDown! game. No word yet on which side gets Animal.
For the first time in years, the team is also making some noticeable changes to the way the game plays. Previous SD titles had a basic meter which, upon filling, allowed you to perform a finishing move -- however, no attempt was ever made at giving the matches any real pacing ala real-life professional wrestling. Now, borrowing a bit from Day of Reckoning, Smackdown! vs Raw 2006 will contain a momentum meter which will fill and drain depending upon the flow of the match. If, for instance, your character is laying the not-so-proverbial smackdown on his opponent, the momentum will sway to his side. Take a few well-placed hits, though, and suddenly your opponent will have the advantage.
Also new this year is a stamina system, much like the one featured in the new WWE Day of Reckoning title. Wrestlers will now get more and more exhausted as the match goes on, so taking a breather here and there is advised. Sure it's a feature that the FirePro titles have had seemingly forever, but there's nothing wrong with borrowing if you're going to borrow from the best. Players can also turn this option off if they choose.
SmackDown vs. Raw 2006 also features a few new match types including the fan-requested Buried Alive, as well as a much-needed improved Ladder match. There's even a "Fulfill Your Fantasy" match where players will be able to dress up the divas and have pillow fights -- no joke. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that they'll be implementing the oft-requested "Judy Bagwell on a Pole" match in this year's game...keep sending those letters.
Though Smackdown vs. Raw was the first SmackDown! title to feature online play, its implementation was sorry at best. Once online, players were given only two match types, both being one-on-one matches. Combined with some pretty bad lag and a lack of stat tracking or leaderboards, most gamers didn't give the mode a second look. THQ plans to completely change that with 2006, however. This year's title will allow up to four players to join an online match and compete in any of the four-player match types. Voice chat is also supported in SvR2006, so players can trash talk just like the wrestlers they're controlling.
But of course the big question on everyone's mind is "How does Carlito look?" After the travesty that was DoR2's Carlito model, we're happy to report that SvR2006's Carlito Caribbean Cool is d**n-near perfect -- or at least as perfect as we're likely to see on this generation of consoles. Carlito fans will no doubt be pleased as they perform ambiguous finisher after ambiguous finisher.
With WWE Day of Reckoning 2 hitting stores later this month and WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 dropping sometime around November (plus a PSP version following soon after), wrestling fans certainly have something to look forward to for the rest of the year. Now if only we were as optimistic about the television shows.
Here's some screenshots:
*drools*