Smackdown vs. Raw 2009: News/screens

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

He also mentioned Honkytonk Man and Lawler for the Legends game, but I assume that was a guess.

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

Lawler has never even wrestled at a Mania...so if he WAS to be put in the game we can just take the game title as a nothing and the doors are open to everyone.

 

Personally...I want the Horsemen...

[fazzle 0]

What about Pete Rose?

 

That man is a Wrestlemania ICON damnit.

[dubq 0]

It sucks to also come to the realization that we probably won't see Demolition in this game either due to the BS between Ax & WWE.

[This is Bo 0]

I lost faith in the smackdown series, that's why I didnt buy the last one. hearing how the season worked turned me off. Now, this new installment has caught my attention, CAM, I think people have been asking for this for a long time and now it's going to be in (Hopefully it stays in for the final version). Their focus is on tag team, well, then all tag team should be there, from past and present. How many legends are going to be in? Because if you have the BOD as a tag team should be great, the Hardys, R&S connection, and other tag teams that I failed to mention would be a good thing.

 

I can imagine that many people who'll purchase the game will spend hours in create a move, I know I will.

 

How is the online gaming?

 

Is it worth getting this over the TNA installment?

[Obi Chris Kenobi 0]

First draft of the cover:

 

http://uk.ps3.ign.com/dor/objects/14242649...d=gofqi7906afk3

 

 

[Spyke 0]

I lost faith in the smackdown series, that's why I didnt buy the last one. hearing how the season worked turned me off. Now, this new installment has caught my attention, CAM, I think people have been asking for this for a long time and now it's going to be in (Hopefully it stays in for the final version). Their focus is on tag team, well, then all tag team should be there, from past and present. How many legends are going to be in? Because if you have the BOD as a tag team should be great, the Hardys, R&S connection, and other tag teams that I failed to mention would be a good thing.

 

I can imagine that many people who'll purchase the game will spend hours in create a move, I know I will.

 

How is the online gaming?

 

Is it worth getting this over the TNA installment?

 

TNA looks like its gonna be a good game but it seems like it will be lacking a lot of things to blow SVR out of the water.

 

Hardys and Brothers of Destruction were tag teams in SVR08 so I dont see why they wouldnt be in 09. With HHH and HBK on the cover it seem DX will be in too. Miz and Morrison also being confirmed and hints that London and Kendrick will finally be in (GREAT seeing how they are now no longer a team great work THQ) Makes me wonder just how many past tag teams will be in. Carlito and Santino? Hass and Benjamin? we'll find out in due time!

[dubq 0]

Bad roster choices aren't THQ's fault...

[Mike wanna be 0]

I wish there was more on the Legends game. I'm looking forward to that way more than SvR this year, and that's keeping in mind that I shudder to think of how bad the Legends storyline mode will probably be.

 

On the other hand, though, it's possible that with many Legends no longer with us, they will go with text-only storylines which makes for a far better experience.

[Broward83 0]

meh, they'll just get the one's that are still alive and able to speak to do whatever little sound bites they need them to do.

 

I'm just hoping they can acurately get some of the legends down. Rude looked like a bad 70's Porn-Star hit by the ugly stick.. (as opposed to his actual 80's Porn-Star look that wasn't half bad).

 

I also hope they fix the glitch that caused the game to crash if you had too many playlists on your system. If not that, then why not use the extensive library they have of media and just load in the entrance theme's they own..

[Spyke 0]

UPDATE!basically a copy and paste from the DVS board which is a copy and paste from IGN

This is taken straight from IGN as you'll notice if you read the following. Before even getting into this I want to add that I did my best to make TNA iMPACT sound and look exciting but with what I read and seen SVR09 has no competition this year. Sorry TNA maybe next year. The excitement of creating the Spyke Crusher as I always imagined it has hit me. That with the fact that the inferno match doesn't look like it will be a joke just makes waiting for this game feel like torture. You'll notice things in the game....minimal things that don't make or break the game but the fact its in there just makes you want to be glad your a wrestling fan. Most minimal and really has nothing to do with the gameplay that excites me is the fact that flicking the analog controller to the left or right changes the in game music to the next track. I think Def Jam Vendetta and NBA 2K8 are the only games I've played so far that can do that but anyway your dying for the pics and the news right? Well here goes:

 

If you're a SVR hater, you might scoff at that little addition, but fans of the franchise should take note because it's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the polish being put into this title. After an hour and a half of playing and creating, I was digging my time with SVR 09, but it wasn't the match types that were making me cheer inside. I was marking out for the way the ropes sagged as Jeff Hardy put his weight on the taught lines. I was marking out because flicking the left stick skips the current track playing over most menu screens in favor of another licensed tune or wrestler entrance theme. I was marking out because load screens now display the stats you've racked up as whichever wrestler is on the screen -- your win/loss record with Triple H, your most played match type, etc.

 

(Check out the detail in the arena) (PS3)

 

I could go on -- and as you can see below, I obviously will -- but the gist of what you need to take away at the broadest level of SVR 09 is that THQ and Yuke's have taken the gameplay and controls that you now know backward and forward from SVR 08 and shined 'em up real nice. Don't worry though, they apparently haven't turned them sideways or stuck them up your candyass. The character models look more defined than ever, the championship belts fit snugly on character waists and appear polished as well as heavy, and the action seems to be a few frames faster, although both the PS3 and Xbox 360 will run at a solid 60 frames per second.

 

Now, even though SVR 09 keeps the left stick to move, right stick to grapple scheme we all know and -- most of us -- love, that's not to say that nothing has been added. When you get dropped by a superkick or what have you in this year's game, you'll still be instructed to tap a button repeatedly, but when you pull yourself to your knees, you'll be able to hold down the triggers to enter a guarded state. Basically, if someone wants to kick you while you're guarding, you'll be able to reverse the strike and get up cleanly. If for some reason you can't get up and your opponent is stomping your corpse over and over again, the game will only let you take the punishment for so long before it generates a reversal that pushes the bad guy back and gives you the chance to get to your feet. There are other nifty tweaks and additions to the control scheme, but we'll chat those up when we get to them. For now, let's talk about the Inferno Match.

 

Ever since the Undertaker and Kane stepped into the ring at Unforgiven 1998 and ring hands set fire to a barrier around the squared circle, the WWE fan base has dreamed of participating in a video game version of the Inferno Match. This year, THQ's delivering that vision. My inaugural bout in the flaming fight pitted my CM Punk against the one and only Matt Hardy. The entrances progressed as normal -- Punk trotting to ringside in his T-shirt (which hugged the champ's body and looked more realistic than ever) and Chicago-inspired trunks before wringing his hands in the middle of the ring; then, without a load screen, Matt Hardy's music blared and Version 1 ran to the ring -- and I got to see Punk pacing Matt as the fire round ringside illuminated his face.

 

Then, the bell rang.

 

The first thing you'll notice is that SVR 09's Inferno Match takes advantage of the fact that it's a video game. Rather than have some lame metal halo around the ring that actually houses the flames, the actual ring-rope sides of the ring are on fire. You pull off body slams and other moves, and, as the bodies impact, the flames shoot up.

 

(Time To Play In Flames) (360)

 

Think Go to Sleep is a gruesome looking finisher in real life? Take a gander at it as flames explode around Matt Hardy's impromptu dental work and the screen shatters like broken glass -- the broken glass bit is the new visual that goes off at the moment of Finisher impact and looks pretty damn cool.

 

As you're pulling off these moves and the ring's belching towers of fire, a smaller box in the lower left corner is tracking the heat of the ring. It'll start at a bone-chilling 300 degrees and work its way up as the moves get more and more devastating. The rising flames also mean the screen's getting redder and redder. Anyway, when the pyro gets to a balmy 500 degrees, that's your chance to shove your opponent into the hellfire. To do this, you'll need to pull off a strong grapple and then work the enemy to whatever side of the ring you want with the left stick.

 

If you're the dude getting dragged to the fire, you'll have to be on top of your face buttons to get out before you're lit up. When the strong grapple starts and you guys begin inching forward, your controller's face buttons will pop up near your HUD and you'll have to tap the buttons that are lighting up. If you pull off the taps quick enough, you'll break the hold and save yourself from third-degree burns. If you fail to keep up, the buttons will disappear as your opponent goes for the final shove into the fire and then the buttons will pop back up for one final command. Miss that move, and you're extra crispy.

 

What happens when you go up like a brother of the Undertaker? The camera cuts to your dude rolling around ringside on fire -- a rolling/freaking out animation that stays on a disturbingly long time -- before fire extinguisher fog blasts in from the sides to save the day.

 

There are other caveats to this match, such as the fact that you can't bounce off the ropes when the temperature is at its highest, the ring'll stick around that 500 degree mark for about as long as a momentum meter would flash, and so on, but one thing I can tell you is that this match is eye candy. Sure, it's goofy to see Triple H rolling around on fire, and it felt a bit sluggish moving a grappled opponent to the flaming ropes, but the fire growing and the roaring sound after every big move is a brilliant touch.

 

I've played these games for a long time, and the close up on CM Punk rearing back on the Anaconda Vise as flames grew behind him might be one of the coolest shots I've ever come across.

 

Even though I only got a brief taste of SVR 09, there seems to be a lot of nifty tidbits like the Inferno Match, and I'd personally put the refined Fighting Abilities in that category. Last year, THQ and Yuke's debuted Fighting Styles -- a grouping of abilities that gave benefits to the characters based on how they acted in the ring. This year, the developers are dropping the styles but keeping the abilities. Look at it this way: last year, Randy Orton was a Dirty Superstar. This meant that he had access to a bunch of dirty abilities such as removing turnbuckle covers and pushing the ref into opponents, but he didn't have access to the abilities that were in the Hardcore Fighting Style. This year, every Superstar will have six abilities. This means that single grappler can have the ability to remove turnbuckle covers as well as the ability to bash himself over the head with a chair to regenerate limb damage. These abilities are now independent. There's no longer a title you have to worry about.

 

(BOOYA.....OH OH! I told you lay off all the hair products Matt) (360)

 

Breaking the abilities up seems like it's going to amplify the individuality that Fighting Styles introduced. During my demo, THQ talked about trying to make this game feel more like WWE programming than ever before and the Fighting Abilities are a big part of that. For example, when was the last time you saw a match end in a simple Boston Crab or arm-bar submission hold? If a wrestler puts someone into a hold that isn't his or her finisher in real life, it's not likely the opponent is going to tap. For years, that hasn't been the case in SVR. If you wore the legs of Shawn Michaels down, he'd tap to the simplest of leg holds.

 

That's not going to happen anymore.

 

If you don't have the Submission Specialist ability, you can't make someone submit to a plain old hold. Now, don't get me wrong -- John Cena's no Submission Specialist but his STFU will make people submit because it's a Finisher/Signature move. That fact is universal, but nobody's submitting to a figure four unless it's a Finisher/Signature or the person pulling the move off is a Submission Specialist.

 

If you haven't caught on in your years of reading IGN's SVR coverage, THQ is pretty good at keeping secrets. The company says that there are "big, big features" that it hasn't announced for SVR 09, but that didn't stop us from getting the dirt on a few more of the 20 Fighting Abilities. Possum Pin's one of the abilities, but it's been tweaked a bit from last year; this time, you have to spend a stored finisher to pull the move off. There's the Dirty Pin (using the ropes for leverage), Hardcore Resurrection (the aforementioned beat-yourself-up-to-heal move), Object Specialist (a proficiency with items from under the ring), Lock Pick (a one-button press that gets you out of submissions), Steal Taunt, and Steal Finisher.

 

Beyond all those abilities were three that we found especially intriguing. Kip-Up is the tried-and-true Shawn Michaels move of kicking up from your back to your feet. A Superstar with this ability will only be able to do the move once per match and only when he's racked up critical damage. Once the guy pops up, he'll have a full momentum meter and be momentarily damageless. The next ability we really dug was Fan Favorite. We didn't get to see it in action, but what will happen is the Superstar will begin taunting and clapping in an attempt to get the crowd going. If the opponent doesn't stop the Superstar, the crowd will get in on the claps, they'll become deafening, and the foe will cover his ears and be open for an attack. The last "big one" we got to hear about was Resiliency. This is kind of an always-on attribute that won't be deployed by a button press but should definitely affect the way the game plays. In previous years, schooling the Hurricane was the same as schooling Triple H. If you knew your moves, you could dominate different guys in the same way. THQ's looking to fix that with Resiliency, a Fighting Ability that makes a main eventer feel like a main eventer when you're wrestling him. A Superstar with this ability will need more bang to knock on his buck.

 

(Cena just sucks...no clever line for this.) (360)

 

Now, to put down these main eventers, you're going to need some killer moves, and this year you'll get to make your own with Create-A-Finisher. As I'm sure many of you are aware, I was a two-time Backyard Wrestling Federation Champion before landing on IGN's doorstep. My title reigns were marked with drinking laundry detergent and a terrifying move known as the Greggy Guillotine -- a fireman's carry that spun out into a Stone Cold Stunner. I actually stole the move from the character creation found in N64's WrestleMania 2000, and I have been heartbroken every year since then to find it missing from the SmackDown series.

 

Finally, my virtual Gruesome Greggy can pull off his very own finisher.

 

Create-A-Finisher presents you with more than 500 animations to slot in up to ten steps that will make up your masterpiece. When I clicked on step one, I was taken to a list of all the available moves. Tapping the bumpers cycled through move subcategories such as blood-drawing maneuvers, taunts, holds, and more, while the right stick rotated the green guy demonstrating the moves as well as zooming in and out. Of course, there is no such thing as a DQ in the BYWF, so I choose to start the Guillotine animation with a swift kick to my opponent's groin. For step two, Gruesome Greggy yanks the foe into a fireman's carry. Step three spins the bad guy out into a Diamond Cutter position, and step four finishes the cutter.

 

Sure, it wasn't the stunner -- only a few dozen of the 500-plus moves were available in the build I was playing -- but it was still awesome looking and a cinch to set up. With the move running next to my four-step layout, I decided the kick wasn't swift enough and jumped back to crank the speed of the blow up to 150 percent. With the brutal combination complete, I jumped in and named the move -- you can choose from a set of pre-assigned names if you want to hear the announcers say it or create your own title -- and saved the creation. From there, it was as simple as assigning it to an actual or created Superstar.

 

Our final touchstone in our WWE afternoon was the revamped tag team match. Although the company's keeping a lid on all the bells and whistles under SVR 09's hood, THQ had no problem promoting the double team finishers, hot tags and more that this mode features. For our bout, we teamed up with a developer to become the Hardys (EXTREME!) and went up against Rey Mysterio and Mr. Kennedy. Jeff and Matt came out as a team and under the Hardy moniker, while Rey and Ken entered solo.

 

(Who's that jumping out the sky? R-E-Y!)

 

As Jeff, the match began with me perched on the apron watching Matt work. Since it announced that SVR 09 was overhauling the tag match, THQ has said that it's going to make the inactive tag team member still feel like they're part of the match. From my quick taste, it appears to be working. While Matt wailed on Rey, I could stalk around the two sides of the ring that touched our corner, I could jump to the arena floor, I could crawl into the ring, and I had a number of offensive moves I could pull off when the time was right. When Matt whipped Rey at the ropes, a button tap had Jeff yank the rope down so that Rey went flying. If Mr. 619 got too close to Jeff, I could use the right stick to grab the munchkin and hold him so Matt could get in a few shots -- however, I ran the risk of Rey reversing when I tried this and belting me in the jaw. If Matt decided to be selfish, I could also use the right analog stick to force the tag and get my time in the limelight.

 

Tag teams are nothing without teamwork though, and SVR 09's got a wealth of options. There's a ton of double team moves -- think Jeff and Matt's copyrighted crotch/leg drop thing -- that can be set off by one player initiating a strong grapple and the other guy just grappling normally. On top of that, there are around 20 dedicated tag team finishers -- such as the Twist of Fate followed by the Swanton Bomb. Some of those double team finishers will be self-explanatory when you're rolling with an established squad, but if you're pitting Wrestler A with Wrestler B and the two aren't connected, you'll have to pair them from the main menu -- a lot like the old Create-A-Stable -- and assign the finisher there.

 

(Team Xtreme) (PS3)

 

Thankfully, tag teams will share a momentum bar, so there's no need to worry about tagging in a partner and losing your power. On top of that, the new Hot Tag seemed pretty cool. I let Jeff get beat on a bit by Kennedy, and then began holding the D-pad. Slowly but surely, the onscreen momentum meter began to burn and finally erupted in flames. When this happened, I just had to get Jeff on our side of the ring, and the camera jumped to a beleaguered Jeff making the weary, last ditch dive to tag in Matt. Like a ball of brutality, Matt leapt into the ring, took out the legal man, and then swung at Rey on the apron. As this happened, a button prompt appeared on the screen. If our partner piloting Matt hit the proper button, Rey would go down. However, our partner missed the prompt. Rey nailed Matt and ended the Hot Tag antics.

 

(Im Loving all the photos of Cena getting his ass beat) (360)

 

When I read the message boards or check the comments on an SVR story, I almost always see someone criticizing THQ for "putting out the same game every year." As a fan, you and I could argue the fact that there's always new arenas, wrestlers, modes, and more, but there is some truth to the criticism -- THQ constantly builds on what makes its games good. Although I've only logged a little more than an hour with SVR 09, this title seems to be building in the right ways. There's a more appropriate amount of echo in the ring announcers voices; there are four different crowds that will show up in the game's arenas; when a ref's counting a pinfall or ring out his voice now sounds as if it's coming from inside the ring and there are no more big, hokey numbers that pop up on the screen; and when Superstars such as the Undertaker perform finishers that end in a pin, the game's going to make the move flow so that the sequence doesn't end in a rope break. The character models look sharper than ever, the entrances are grand, we don't even know all the features yet, and there's going to be downloadable content.

 

I am legitimately excited about this title, and I don't see how fans of the franchise couldn't be.

 

(Dead Man Walking) (PS3)

 

Published by: THQ

Developed by: Yuke's Media Creations

Genre: Wrestling

Number of Players: 1-4

Release Date:

US: November 2008

Europe: TBA

Australia: TBA

MSRP: $59.99

Also Available On:PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Wii, Nintendo DS

[El Psycho Diablo 0]

Well, it sounds good, but we've heard gushing previews like that how many times before?

[Obi Chris Kenobi 0]

Now, even though SVR 09 keeps the left stick to move, right stick to grapple scheme we all know and -- most of us -- love, that's not to say that nothing has been added. When you get dropped by a superkick or what have you in this year's game, you'll still be instructed to tap a button repeatedly, but when you pull yourself to your knees, you'll be able to hold down the triggers to enter a guarded state. Basically, if someone wants to kick you while you're guarding, you'll be able to reverse the strike and get up cleanly. If for some reason you can't get up and your opponent is stomping your corpse over and over again, the game will only let you take the punishment for so long before it generates a reversal that pushes the bad guy back and gives you the chance to get to your feet. There are other nifty tweaks and additions to the control scheme, but we'll chat those up when we get to them. For now, let's talk about the Inferno Match.

 

FINALLY! This was way and by far the most single handed thing that would cause intense rage to explode out of my like the Hulk caught having a shit only to find there's no toilet roll left. There was nothing worse then getting chopped down then Randy Orton stomped for an hour unable to get back no matter how many times you hammered the 'da buttonz!' like a hyper active kid endorsed by a sugar rush on a bouncy castle. Then the shitty way the opponent would grab you as you got back up, timing it every time to chain move you back down to restomp you.

 

THANK YOU!

[LivingLegendGaryColeman 0]

Sounds like some interesting features. I am just eagerly anticipating the release of the rosters. I usually try to use people I have never been able to use before and I think this year there will be a bunch of debuts. Also, IIRC (and it's probably a few pages back in this thread), isn't this year's edition supposed to have the biggest roster yet?

[Aero 0]

Rather than see new matches that happen about once every five years like the Inferno match, I wish they would finally just completely revamp HIAC. It's been the same thing for, I think, the last five games. (Last year's game was the same, right? I never played it, and I don't remember hearing anything different.)

[Exslade ZX 0]

Having played 2008 in the last few days, hopefully they've gotten rid of the stupid feature, in which you can only play either GM Mode, or Story mode. It's kind of stupid that I want to pick up and play GM mode, but in order to do so, I've had to delete my story mode, which might have been at the end or something.

 

I also hope they make it so you can actually control all 3 shows. I want to play it somewhat like EWR, but this is made impossible by the fact ECW and it's one belt somehow got the top 10 superstars on the roster. I suppose with 3 controllers you could, but that's a hassle.

 

edit- I also hope those pictures indicate the possible return of the old style 'HCTP' camera. Where it faces the stage. Although I doubt it. I hate the camera now, as all the arenas look the same. Except the difference between blue/red/black ropes. Other then the occasional action camera that shows the stage.

 

Wrestling at the Wrestlemania arena shouldn't look the same as the Vengeance arena.

[Cartman 0]

I haven't read the whole thread and don't want to really but is there any word on using our own music for wrestler entrances on the PS3?

[Spyke 0]

I think that was confirmed months ago on IGN.

[jwest27 0]

The Create-A-Finisher mode is looking pretty nice. One of the names you can give your move that the announcers will actually say is "Psycho Driver" (at least, I think that's what it says: kind of hard to read), which has me pretty excited. It looks like a Super Dragon CAW will finally have a proper finisher.

[Toxxic 0]

Will create a finisher defintiely be available on the ps2?

[Mad Scientist 0]

Will create a finisher defintiely be available on the ps2?

 

According to IGN's PS2 info page, it does include Create a Finisher mode.

 

http://ps2.ign.com/objects/142/14242651.html

 

IGN's usually pretty accurate with regard to such things.

[Scroby 0]

I can't really figure out how to word this correctly, so I'll ask this the best I can.

 

Did Yukes take out that "Pick a certain style, get certain moves but you don't get certain moves or can do certain things." aspect?

 

A better example is not being able to do a weapon grapple if your wrestler didn't have the "hardcore" wrestling style. Any word if that is actually gone or not?

[Mad Scientist 0]

I can't really figure out how to word this correctly, so I'll ask this the best I can.

 

Did Yukes take out that "Pick a certain style, get certain moves but you don't get certain moves or can do certain things." aspect?

 

A better example is not being able to do a weapon grapple if your wrestler didn't have the "hardcore" wrestling style. Any word if that is actually gone or not?

 

As far as I can tell from my information (dug up from IGN and GamingRing), the "Fighting Styles" as such are scrapped. Now each wrestler will be able to choosed 6 "Abilities" (which are all the extras that were locked in the old styles). Thus, Randy Orton will be be able to cheat AND use the con-chair-to AND mock opponents. Much more individualization is possible.

[Scroby 0]

That's good, that was really one thing I couldn't stand about 2008. One of my favorite thing to do with a weapon is a grapple attack and the fact that only certain type of wrestlers could do that move in 2008 really hurt it in my view. I also mean that in a overall sense as well.

[Broward83 0]

Welp, IGN's SvR 09 countdown has begun!

 

To start things off..we get none other than the befactor of the Milan Miracle, your current IC champion... Santino Marella!

 

Entrance / signature move / finisher / dirty pin

 

Edit: Here's his actual countdown bio:

 

The son-a-ma-gun opening a can of ass whip

[Scroby 0]

The annoucing still sucks.

[Broward83 0]

I turn if off..

[Mad Scientist 0]

The announcing will always suck. It can't help but be repetitive and annoying. The only time it could possibly be good is during a fully scripted season mode, and those aren't that popular either.

[Celtic Jobber 0]

The Canadian Destroyer is in the game through Create A Finisher mode, here's a video showing it: http://gamingring.com/news/?p=3036

[Exslade ZX 0]

The Canadian Destroyer is in the game through Create A Finisher mode, here's a video showing it: http://gamingring.com/news/?p=3036

Not a great deal of difference, but that was actually Trevor Murdoch's "Texas Destroyer" (evidently) and not exactly a Canadian Destroyer. Hopefully they have both.