Here's a preview from
http://www.gaming-age.com/cgi-bin/previews/preview.pl?sys=xbox360&game=svr08 .................
It's that time of year again. Spring is heading around the corner, the flora and fauna are slowly creeping back into reality, and sweaty man-grappling has just hit a fever pitch with the quasi-season finale in Wrestlemania. WWE and THQ ride this hype wave with their annual Wrestlemania Weekend event which debuts the newest chapter of the WWE video game saga.
Naturally, this year's edition will be named Smackdown vs. Raw 2008. A splashy subtitle, noting an ECW Invasion is apparently not part of the title, but just to indicate that ECW is going to make a major impact in the gameplay. Not only that, but the game will also expand beyond the Playstation and Xbox brands to hit both Nintendo consoles.
THQ, on a conceptual level, seems to be taking great strides towards improving SvR on all levels. Focus testing, data mining, and other varied marketing research techniques were instituted to try to figure out what the majority of players were experiencing in the game. Whether it be which modes and characters are most popular or how big the (admittedly smaller than expected) online community was, it gave THQ a good idea of where to start.
Improvements this time around, outside of the feature set, seem to be centered around stifling the critical and fan complaints. Animations are being retooled and improved, with a strong emphasis on removing the sliding-feet phenomenon. As well, Yukes has been tasked with removing downtime in the game. You know how sometimes in fighting games a move starts and you can't have input in what goes on on the screen? That's not happening here, because at every point in a match you will have the ability to control your character.
Gameplay-wise, SvR 08 looks to be a radical departure from the prior games. While the standard now is to put down weight classes and lack any deviation from such, the new plan is a grouping of eight fighting styles. “How will you play?” is the question that's going to be pushed, with each Superstar having one primary and one secondary skill.
Hardcore, high-flyer, brawler, showman, dirty, technical, submission, powerhouse... Every skill has its advantages and disadvantages, and quite a few exclusive moves. Say, for example, you were playing as Randy Orton. He's a dirty player, so he can utilize a move called the “ref shield.” He hides behind a ref, giving him invincibility. Orton can then push the ref into you and segue into stomping your face. Alternately, a character like Kane who has a powerhouse stat, can throw you into the environment for higher damage. As such, matches may require specific wrestlers to finish them more easily.
Of course, this is also a point on which I wonder how it will affect the core theme of the series in the ease of pick-up-and-play gameplay. While SvR 07 isn't the most accessible game, a good 15-30 minutes will make anyone at least a contender. Of course, if you select not to learn it, like an unnamed wrestler from this year's Superstar Challenge, you can expect to lose in a matter of a minute or two against a player with any experience. It is as such that the game needs to stay accessible, giving it a sort of party game target. Hopefully the concepts don't clash, but we shall see.
This year's version also will not center around just getting the championship. While that's cool and all, the new goal is to go from WWE Superstar to Legend to Hall of Famer. In the new WWE 24/7 career mode that combines GM and Season modes, the task is clear—be remembered. For some, like the Undertaker, such a progression would be rather quick as he's already straddling Legend status. With someone newer, or a CAW, you'll have a much longer journey filled with daily activities such as training.
Naturally, the Wii and DS versions will be a little bit different than the others. SvR 08 for the Wii, as was posted yesterday, utilizes a more arcadey style and waggle wand entertainment. Act the move out, and the gesture will translate to the screen—pretty funny to watch, if nothing else. The DS version, which was only shown in a screenshot mockup, makes extensive use of the touchscreen. Gestures by way of the stylus will translate into moves by the approximately 20 characters (versus the consoles' ~50 character set) in a visual style that looks akin to No Mercy.
Quoth Superstar Challenge runner-up Carlito when asked by an interview about whether or not fans should consider getting into wrestling, “Don't do it. Stick to watching it, playing games. Just don't do it.”
I'd say that's as good an endorsement as any
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here's the link to the two videos out
http://media.www.gamestats.com/media/844/844743/vids_1.html
One is a video interview and the other is game footage.