WrestleMania XIX picture/preview

[Guest WukenBloodstar]

I'm pondering the same think..why does Rey look blacker than The Rock?

[Guest MarvinisaLunatic]

blatantly stolen from PGC..

 

It’s a pretty rare thing in this industry when a company will not only admit when they’ve failed, but they then turn around and do everything possible to make good on prior broken promises. At THQ’s WrestleMania XIX event this past Sunday, the company did just that. In their initial presentation, THQ made it very clear that they are listening to fans and journalists alike. They want to make sure you judge this game based on what the game delivers this time, and to not let the travesty that was WrestleMania X8 weigh unfairly on this product.

 

To that end, THQ is turning the series around 180 degrees, aiming to deliver in five key areas. First and foremost, they want the game to be fun. They want people to be able to pick up the game and have a blast with it. This was something severely lacking in WrestleMania X8, but if this early look at the game is any indication, even the THQ staff really enjoys playing the game.

 

Second, they’ve developed a new gameplay system that gives you depth without the stifling complexity you’d see in other games. You initiate a grapple with the A button, tapping it for a weak grapple and holding it down for a strong grapple, at which point you can unleash a move or your opponent can counter. The buttons usually have this dual context, even outside of grapples, where they do one thing when tapped, or another when held. Best of all, it gives you a great variety of moves without having to initiate a ridiculous series of button presses to do one move. It’s not the No Mercy grapple engine, but it actually feels a lot faster and easier, and with a similar variety of moves from any given position.

 

Third, THQ wants to make sure that the AI is more “organic”, and can learn from the player. For example, if the player is primarily using a couple of moves, the computer will learn to expect those moves and counter them. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to see this during my brief time with the game, as this pre-alpha demo was limited to just Rey Mysterio and The Undertaker.

 

Next, they want to make sure that the presentation of the game is in line with what fans expect when they see a WWE broadcast. You know what to expect when you see RAW or SmackDown! on TV, or a Pay-Per-View event, and THQ is going to ensure that feeling is translated into the product. We were able to catch glimpses of this progress through the use of some very dynamic camera angles that happen not only during an instant replay, but also as some other moves are made, the camera would pan out and turn around. There was a definite “wow” factor to that effect, which is the last thing THQ is set on delivering. WrestleMania X8 didn’t convey any sense of excitement, but even in this build, we were quite impressed with the level of refinement.

 

The game has been in development since last May, with people from both Yuke’s and former AKI employees completely rebuilding the engine from scratch, and it’s pretty clear right from the get-go that they know what they want to do this time around. Even with only two characters to play with, you could see a lot of what they’ve put into the game. The animation is very fluid, more so than even the very good SmackDown: Shut Your Mouth for PlayStation 2. Fans of wrestling know that The Undertaker and Rey Mysterio have completely different ways of moving around the ring, and each one moves just as you would expect in the game. Rey is quick and agile, and even when standing still, he sort of crouches and weaves, ready for anything. Taker moves more slowly and more deliberately, and you can almost feel the power behind his punches. It wouldn’t matter how accurately the wrestlers moved if you couldn’t recognize who was pulling them off, but the wrestlers I saw were incredibly well detailed. A lot of work has gone into getting them to look just right; the animation is a combination of motion capture and hand animation. THQ told me that they use a lot of photographs to get the details just right.

 

The two wrestlers were different heights, and they wrestlers seemed to be aware of that height difference, something we haven’t seen much of in other games. When standing toe-to-toe, Rey Mysterio would look up at The Undertaker, which was pretty interesting. Height and speed aren’t the only differences, as the wrestlers will all have different stats that determine how they will work in a match. Power, stamina, etc. will all play a part. As I played the game, you could see this system in effect, as you needed to be very skilled with Mysterio in order to get the better of Taker. Rey didn’t have as much power or stamina as Taker, and he needed to use that speed to stay out of Taker’s grasp. These stats are augmented somewhat with a “momentum meter” above the wrestler’s name, which changes from the default green to red, as the player starts doing well giving them a small bump to their stats. As a player’s momentum drops, the meter will fade from green to blue, giving them a small loss in stats as well. Gaining the edge in the match and keeping it is going to be an important part of the strategy in WrestleMania XIX.

 

Fans of wrestling “psychology” will love the new location damage feature. You can target a specific part of your opponent’s body, weakening an arm or leg (or even head) to the point where the victim will start to “sell” that injury during the match, favoring the damaged area. Weakening a specific limb will also give you an advantage when your wrestler’s moveset targets a limb. Of course, WrestleMania XIX will be the first wrestling game in this generation to feature blood. The screen flashes red briefly to alert you to the fact that a wrestler has been busted open, and then the juice will start to flow.

 

Of course, it wouldn’t be a wrestling game without the trademark finishing moves, and the game looks to deliver them in a somewhat new way. With every punch, successful grapple, and reversal you land, your adrenaline meter fills. When completely full, one “special” bar (out of three) will light up. Pressing A and B at the same time will initiate your special “mode” which lasts for a limited amount of time, around 10 seconds or so, and will put a fascinating glow around the wrestler’s name. The wrestler will give a signal, such as The Undertaker dragging his thumb across his throat, signaling the demise of his opponent. Hitting the A and B buttons again when in the proper placement for the move will use that wrestler’s finisher, but if you run out of time before you pull off the move, you’ve wasted a special bar.

 

Speaking of the finishers, they look fantastic. Each is incredibly realistic and has that distinctive look you’ve come to expect. The Undertaker hoists his opponent up for the “Last Ride”, even tugging them by the trunks, just like on TV. There are few moves quite as spectacular as Mysterio’s “619”, as he slingshots himself through the ropes horizontally, whipping around and kicking the victim in the head. The wrestlers have multiple finishers as well; Undertaker also sports both the “Tombstone Piledriver” and the “Choke Slam”, and Mysterio has the “Top Rope Hurricanrana” and “Sit Out Face Slam”.

 

The story mode has had people talking, where Vince McMahon fires you, and you have to gain your revenge. You will battle McMahon flunkies in a variety of locations, using the environments to your advantage. You’ll be able to climb all over objects to try and gain the upper hand. As you progress, you’ll earn cash which can be spent in the WWE ShopZone, unlocking more costumes, wrestlers, features and more.

 

The arenas weren’t all in place yet, but we did get to see brief glimpses of the “RAW” set, and it looked very accurate. As for the WrestleMania set, the WWE had several hard and roaming cameras in place to get the arena from every angle, but THQ won’t just rely on that footage. They’ll actually be getting a lot of information from tapes of events and shows, so they can review them over and over again to make sure they get it right. After seeing the WrestleMania event live, the arena looked spectacular, and seeing that translated into the game should be very impressive.

 

Overall, the game was surprisingly polished for an early build, feeling fresh and new, and I am enthusiastic about the new direction in which THQ is taking the title. If the rest of the game is as refined as this brief glimpse, fans should have no problem dismissing the failed WrestleMania X8 in favor of this new entry to the series.

 

The core wrestling part sounds like its going to be awesome...still not too sure of the whole "Revenge on McMahon" thing, and no mention of CAW, but I hope they do a better job with that as well.

[Mrnoitaull 0]

On the picture, Isn't it Rey Mysterio not Ray

I was about to say that too

[Guest MarvinisaLunatic]

PGC has 7 videos of WM 19

 

I havent looked at any of them, and probably will only check out the smaller ones because my connection is so damn slow.

[Guest Ram]

I like the damage-specific thing, but they should've gotten that done a LONG time ago.

 

The whole blood thing is stupid. They had blood in the first WCW game for the 64. The fact that its now a selling point is just sad.

 

Hopefully it'll be fun to play, but the storyline sucks.