WWE Raw V.S. Smackdown!

[Aero 0]

Just watching JBL's entrance, again, I just realized that they even went as far as to have JBL shake an unseen fan's hand in the aisle, and at the end, right before he smiles, from the the distance, you see JBL whipe his hands together... the hand sanitation cream!

[Silence 0]

True enough. I rarely went for them, either, and when they did end up in the hands of two randomly paired main eventers, it just annoyed the crap out of me as well.

Well, that pissed me off, too. It's only because there weren't enough tag teams (face and heel) paired up on either Smackdown or Raw, though.

[Use Your Illusion 0]

HAND SANITATION CREAM!?

 

Consider the sin of the missing limo forgiven.

 

UYI

[Rendclaw 0]

thats kind of a shame since I like my CAWs to either own or have owned every possible title. My Low-Ki CAW has done that, since basically he is a cruiserweight despite his stats.

 

And I have grown to hate Day of Reckoning as well, though I am nowhere near as far in the game as Venkman.... I love the moves, but god the gameplay really, REALLY sucks.

[Guest GoinHomeSmDay2006]

I was bothered at first when I read about the lack of certain titles in the season mode but in the end it doesn't matter. I mean more often than not the crusierweight and tag team belts in HCTP were held by a created wrestler anyways. Looks like I'll use the create a belt feature more than I thought I would.

[Use Your Illusion 0]

To be honest, I'm *really* not feeling it this year. I'm seriously contemplating just not bothering with this title at all. I mean, what else is there that is added outside of a few wrestler updates and a shitty 'backstage fight' option that technically could already be done in previous games?

 

Think I'll just save for Metal Gear.

 

UYI

[Aero 0]

I was definitely more hyped for last year's, but I'm still looking forward to it this year if only for a more updated roster. A new season mode will be refreshing, too.

 

I am getting San Andreas right away, though, so I might hold off on this for a week or so.

[Guest Real F'n Show]

I'm mainly just excited for the create a PPV and belt, and a revamped season. The only thing I hate about the release of a new Smackdown game is that it means I'll have to create all my CAWs again, but I guess that's half the fun anyway.

[Slickster 0]

Powerman 5000 is doing 3 unreleased tracks for the game's soundtrack, BTW.

[Use Your Illusion 0]

I find season mode gets old really quickly. I was running around in circles, covering previous storylines on my SECOND run through season mode within HCTP. I certainly am welcoming the 'different storylines for each brand' idea they've incorporated into this one. However, it will be interesting to see if the same problems arise as soon as they did in last year's title.

[Rendclaw 0]

I am getting a touch tired of recreating my CAWs and the ones that I want in the game.... thats why I am going to keep HCTP. if I want to see a Steiners-Road Warriors match, I can do that, no problem. Not to mention that some of these kids REALLY need to base their formulas on actually videos of the wrestlers. I had to seriously edit the Scott Steiner CAW I found to make him look right, though the Rick Steiner CAW I found was pretty much dead-on.

 

I like running through the storylines multiple times just so I can watch HHH's Superstar Points go lower and lower.... I get such a perverse thrill out of it. Not to mention just how many kinds of matches they will throw at you to strip you of the WWE/World Title. The game is a lot of fun, I have to admit.

[Guest bigm350]

I'll be getting Raw vs SD! but I'm not as excited as I was last year when HCTP came out. Who knows, though, it looks pretty good and could be an overall better game than last year's title was.

[Ted the Poster 0]

I've always wondered why it was never possible to import at least the appearances of previous CAWs. Seems like it'd be simple enough.

[David Blazenwing 0]

Over at IGN.com, they have the profiles up for Rowdy Roddy Piper and Superfly Snuka...

 

...and they have entrance music! Their real entrance music! That totally raises the bar for me as far as wanting it.

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

And of course, now that entrance music is in for Legends, Mr. DiBiase is nowhere to be found. Oh well, Bret, LOD, Snuka, and Beefcake all have good themes (Beefcake's is very generic, but I like it).

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

Hmm... now that I've actually watched the videos, I see that they've just made thier own knock-off music for the Legends. Well, it's better than nothing.

 

For non Jimmy Hart themes like Bret's, Taker's, and Kane's, I wonder if they'll use the real deal or make a knock off.

[Use Your Illusion 0]

Over at IGN.com, they have the profiles up for Rowdy Roddy Piper and Superfly Snuka...

 

...and they have entrance music! Their real entrance music! That totally raises the bar for me as far as wanting it.

That's pathetic.

[Guest The Winter Of My Discontent]

Will this game still come out with the new lawsuit?

[Use Your Illusion 0]

I hope not. Watching enraged 14 year olds throw tantrums and spit out random hacking threats is great.

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

There is a Developer Diary over on GameStop with an entry today about the insane booking of trying to get 40+ guys into recording sessions for the game's voice overs. Here is the last page where he goes over his 10 highlights:

 

Here are some of my favorite Superstar moments from the sessions:

 

1. Chris Jericho and John Cena. No surprise, but both these guys were awesome in the studio. Jericho is of course a rock star as well as a WWE Superstar, and he's extremely comfortable on the mic. (He also left us prime tickets for the show that night--thanks, Y2J!) Cena was a natural, and he was great to work with because he loves video games (including SmackDown!).

 

 

2. In one of our studios, we had a spread of assorted low-fat wraps, fresh fruit, fruit shakes, stamina bars, chips (baked, not fried), diet cola, and a veggie tray--basically everything but raw meat and internal organs. Batista walks in. I say, "Hey, Batista. While we review your lines again, feel free to help yourself to anything and everything." Batista glances at the spread. "Sorry, I can't eat any of that," he replies. Folks, I am a picky eater, but we had something for everybody on those trays. Still, looking at Batista, I felt like I could probably assume that he is pretty down with his dietary requirements, and that whatever he could in fact eat, it was probably working. I decided to drop the subject. More food for me!

 

3. On the flip side of that, we had RVD bragging good-naturedly about the fact that he can eat just about anything and stay in shape while other guys would rather starve than touch certain foods. (He showed up at the session with a double order of biscuits and gravy.)

 

4. When Chris Benoit used to wrestle in Japan, he was given the name "Wild Pegasus." I had been dying to ask him why that name was given to him. I thought the wings of the Pegasus might have been a metaphor for the killer mullet he wore back then. So as we rode to the studio in Vancouver, British Columbia, I asked him why they called him that (and because I like my arms in their sockets where they belong, I didn't actually make any mention of a mullet). Benoit chuckled and told me he didn't know. I asked him why he never asked, since if somebody called me a Pegasus I'd likely want to know why. He simply stated that some questions seemed better off not asking. For reasons I cannot fully understand myself, I found this conversation fascinating.

 

5. All the Divas. We recorded Trish Stratus, Stacey Keibler, Torrie Wilson, and Sable. Do I really need to explain why these would be counted as highlights?

 

6. Randy Orton recorded with us in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Legend Killer was very cool, but he was also pretty beat, as he'd had a tough match the night before. Although the studio was first rate, the booth apparently got pretty hot. After about 30 minutes, he asked if he could take his shirt off in the booth. Of course we said that was fine with us. (Better him than me, believe me.) Along with the normal session notes I made that day, I'm sure I noted somewhere to book Trish, Torrie, and Victoria for Winnipeg next year.

 

7. Vince McMahon. We recorded him at the WWE studios in Stamford, Connecticut. (Which, by the way are a world-class TV recording/editing/posting facility. I had no idea they were that stacked.) Mr. McMahon was a trip. He was scheduled for one hour, and it was like pulling teeth to get him booked due to his insane schedule. He arrived late, but once he got in the chair there was no stopping him. He was like a runaway train. I was able to pull on the reins a few times, but I had to pick my spots. One such spot was I asked him for a retake on the "You're fired" line. His first couple of takes were somewhat subdued, and if you watch WWE programming, you know exactly what I was looking for from that line. And yes, we got it.

 

8. Meeting Stephanie McMahon was a little surreal. While she did not appear in the game this year, I ran into her in the parking lot at the WWE studios. As we were introduced, I presented myself as a rep from THQ. She was very cordial, and simply said, "Hi. Nice to meet you. Steph." As if the most dominant female in the WWE needs to introduce herself.

 

 

9. Triple H and Ric Flair. As fate would have it, Triple H was scheduled to record in one of our more rural settings. In fact, the studio was actually a renovated barn in the middle of a pretty desolate area. When his limo pulled up, he apparently called the WWE to make sure that he was in the right place and would actually make it back to the arena alive. In any case, the studio was up to snuff and Triple H did a great job. He was an exception, however, in the sense that he was going to wait around for the next guy--Ric Flair--to finish. Well, Ric's limo arrived late--so late, in fact, that we had to cancel his session that day. Triple H ended up hanging out in that barn with us for two hours after his session. He brought in and played the new Motorhead CD, helped us by calling Flair a few times, made an impromptu appearance for a few local kids who were going to the show that night, and basically shot the breeze. As down-to-earth outside the ring as he is off-the-charts in it. So, back to Flair: Why was he late? His limo driver got extremely lost, and although I was personally unhappy that we had to scrap Flair that day due to time concerns, it was almost worth it to see The Nature Boy do what I can only describe as "cut a promo" on the driver once they finally arrived. Flair was not happy. The Dirtiest Player in the Game was gracious with us, but it was a bad, bad day to be a limo driver.

 

10. The Undertaker. My personal favorite moment of the six weeks was between takes. The Deadman ad-libbed a dead-on impersonation of a certain legendary macho wrestler, complete with some "Elizabeth scolding" and some "Ooooh Yeah-ing." We were cracking up all the way. Absolutely classic

[Vigo 0]

I hope not. Watching enraged 14 year olds throw tantrums and spit out random hacking threats is great.

Me too. The Game Faqs board for the game is great right now. It's a nice change of pace from the random bitching you get from them because Randy Orton has the wrong elbow pads or some other minor bullshit they feel the need to cry about.

[Aero 0]

LOD videos are up now, and they gave them their LOD 2000 music instead of the original. It doesn't bother me too much, because at least they still have "Ohhh what a rush" in the beginning. Now, if they don't have Bret's theme in, I'll be pissed.

[Vigo 0]

My whole reason for buying this game rests on Bret Hart and his authentic theme. I know it sounds stupid but that's what really sold me on the game now I hope it can deliver the complete package.

[dubq 0]

There is a Developer Diary over on GameStop with an entry today about the insane booking of trying to get 40+ guys into recording sessions for the game's voice overs. Here is the last page where he goes over his 10 highlights:

 

10. The Undertaker. My personal favorite moment of the six weeks was between takes. The Deadman ad-libbed a dead-on impersonation of a certain legendary macho wrestler, complete with some "Elizabeth scolding" and some "Ooooh Yeah-ing." We were cracking up all the way. Absolutely classic

Dude, it'd be awesome if they include an audio track of this as an extra or something after the credits roll. It sounds hilarious!

[Guest Real F'n Show]

Will this game still come out with the new lawsuit?

From what I've read on other boards, Raw vs. Smackdown is still coming out, but it's highly unlikely that THQ will be working on any WWE games after this. That seems to be the general consensus from a lot of other people on various wrestling/video game message boards anyway.

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

From Mr. Mike Regan's GamingRing.com site:

 

THQ Comments on WWE Lawsuit

CALABASAS HILLS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 19, 2004--THQ® Inc. (NASDAQ:THQI) offered comments today concerning the lawsuit filed by World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. (NYSE:WWE) (the "WWE") earlier today against JAKKS Pacific, Inc. (NASDAQ:JAKK), THQ and others.

 

THQ is committed to preserving its rights under the videogame license with the WWE. THQ believes the WWE is pleased with the manner in which THQ has managed their brand in the video game category. As THQ is not directly accused of any wrongdoing in the complaint -- rather the complaint alleges wrongdoing on the part of JAKKS Pacific and others of which THQ was and is unaware -- THQ is not in a position to comment on these allegations. In any event, either there is no basis for terminating the video game license, or THQ expects to be made whole by those whose conduct is eventually found to be unlawful. THQ intends to vigorously protect and pursue its rights, if necessary.

 

The lawsuit has no effect on games currently scheduled for release, including WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw, which is scheduled to ship on November 2.

 

 

 

So Smackdown vs Raw fans can rest assured, the game will be released on time on November 2nd 2004

 

 

There ya go.

[deancoles 0]

On the IGN videos Mankind and Beefcake have their real themes, I wish Mankind's was that one he used briefly in 98/99 instead of the music he uses now.

 

Edit: I wish Fink would announce the legends, hearing Lillian introduce Brutus Beefcake sounds weird.

[Guest Metallica]

It sucks that they haven't done anything to make the animation of falling through the cage look or sound like it hurts.

 

There should be a pretty loud thud at the very least.

 

Mankind looks good though..

[JN News 0]

Dude, that's on election day. Kerry wins the election, and I get Smackdown vs. RAW. How good will my day be on Nov. 2nd?

[slimm44 0]

Dude, that's on election day. Kerry wins the election, and I get Smackdown vs. RAW. How good will my day be on Nov. 2nd?

Well your day will be half good. Kerry winning...I dunno.

 

Just playing dude