September 26, 2008 - Fall's a pretty great time of year. Yeah, yeah -- there are all those leaves changing colors, the return of football, and pumpkins or whatever -- but what the fall really means is that it's wrestling game season.
This year's no different at IGN. The SmackDown Countdown (where we debut the SVR roster one character at a time) is in full effect, we've already had two Friday Fights (full SVR matches the fans choose), and now there's another THQ&A (where THQ answers questions from the IGN readers).
Want to get in on the action? Want to vote on the new match we feature on Friday Fights? Want to ask Cory a question? You'll need to start checking the IGN SmackDown board then, brutha.
Until then, enjoy this fan-driven interview, but keep in mind reader questions have not been edited so that they may serve as a catalyst to scare kids back into the classroom.
Patroclus300: Will Legends be in this year? or will you leave Legends out for DLC, and make room for more wrestlers?
Bryan Williams, Creative Manager: We'll be making a formal announcement regarding the specifics of our DLC plans within the coming weeks.
Patroclus300: Why are their only 7 wrestlers available for RTW mode? Why did you leave superstars like Orton, or HBK out of RTW mode?
Justin Leeper, Creative Designer (Road to WrestleMania designer): We think Road to WrestleMania is a significant improvement in comparison with our previous season modes. Before, players took their selected Superstars through generic storylines. Road to WrestleMania stays faithful to WWE's most popular Superstars through unique storylines. For example, Undertaker's story has supernatural elements that only fit him, while Triple H's story delves into his colorful past.
Because of these changes, each story requires very unique design, performances and programming. In fact, Road to WrestleMania Mode's scripts were 250 pages long. We have over 2 1/2 hours of motion-captured scenes and other exclusive goodies. Each story is a huge undertaking, residing in its own private universe.
Keep in mind the stories aren't just about who the player is controlling. Take the two Superstars you mentioned: We did not leave out Shawn Michaels or Randy Orton. They play major roles in at least one story. Both actually have more voiceover lines than some of the playable Superstars!
When the game comes out, try Road to WrestleMania. We think people will want to complete each story – not just for the tales they tell, but also the numerous unlockables and unique elements.
GhastlyDeadman15: When is the cut of the roster? because people say is night of champions and others say wrestlemania.
Bryan Williams: There is no particular date or point in time in which we lock down the roster. The roster cutoff date is governed by our own internal production schedule. I've read a couple posts on the IGN message boards claiming that Night of Champions is the cutoff date. The roster cutoff has nothing to do with the WWE's PPV schedule. It'd be a whole lot cooler if that were the case.
mumtaz1324: WILL ANYONE LET ME KNOW IF THIS GAME'S ONLINE MODE WILL BE IMPROVED I.E. THE ABILITY TO PLAY YOUR FRIENDS ONLINE.
Bryan Williams: We'll be unveiling our online feature set shortly. Without giving too much away, I can confirm that you'll be able to play your friends online. Stay tuned to IGN for more details.
kvn_mixon: Will Divas be able to participate in Six Man Tag matches this year?
Bryan Williams: Players will be able to use the WWE Divas in Six Man Tag Team events.
El-Nuevo-Muchacho: The new features in the tag team match are awesome, but my question is how will they work in single player tag matches where the Superstar on the apron is controlled by the computer? Will their be a way to command them to do certain things like pull down the ropes or grab the opponent, such as with the manager controls in past games, or will we just have to hope they're thinking what we're thinking? Thanks.
Bryan Williams: This is a great question. There is no way to directly control or instruct the AI tag partner on the apron. The AI has been tuned to anticipate actions and behaviors during the match so that the player isn't saddled with having to compete against the legal opponent while at the same time be responsible for commanding the AI partner on the apron. If an opponent in the ring happens to get too close to the AI partner, the AI player will make the grab so that the player-controlled Superstar can perform a double team move or strike. If the player is getting whooped on by an opponent and is close to defeat, the AI partner will begin to generate a hot tag on behalf of the team. Players can also rely on their AI partners to break up potential match ending pin/submission attempts without worry. After completing a tag team match, players can judge the partner AI for themselves. I'm confident that fans will be pleased with all of the improvements that have been made, from gameplay to AI.
angelito: are we having the special ref. match in this year...? i had lots of fun when we had it... when is the demo coming out ?
Bryan Williams: I can confirm that the special referee match figures prominently in one of the Road To WrestleMania stories. I can honestly say it's like nothing you've ever experienced before in a SmackDown game. The Special Referee match is just one of the many cool and unique features that players will only be able to experience playing through Road To WrestleMania mode. As for the demo, it will be out soon. I'm sure Gruesome Greggy will let all of you know when it's available.
MGM1314: When doing research, do y'all really look at some or all of the wrestling vids(i.e. WWE,TNA,ROH,NOAH,NJPW,and AJPW)and decide whether or not this wrestling move is appropriate for the game?
Bryan Williams: Everyone on the team is an avid fan of professional wrestling. When it comes to wrestling, we watch everything! I personally watch roughly 10 hours of wrestling- related programming each week. When it comes to deciding on which moves are implemented, our first order of business is to make sure that each WWE Superstar and Diva in the game has a move-set that is as accurate as possible. In deciding what's appropriate for implementation, it's as simple as identifying a move that looks cool and adding it to our motion capture shot list. We take tremendous pride in our Create A Move-Set, and we make it a top priority to increase the number of available moves each and every year.
CAZH718: will you be able to play your custom music during matches?
Bryan Williams: Yes, players will be able to play their own custom music during matches. However, this functionality will only be supported on the Xbox 360.
jakuls_hell: pedigree on stairs?
Bryan Williams: Players can do a lot of cool things with weapons in WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009, but sadly, performing a pedigree on the steel steps is not one of them. However, I'm not going to end this question on a sour note. In this year´s game, you'll be able to DDT an opponent on top of a steel chair. It may not be a pedigree, but the move is extremely impactfull and appropriately gruesome. Jake the Snake would definitely approve.
wwefnfurlife: Is there any chance of the true backstage ever returning to the games. Like in the days of here comes the pain, in hardcore matches we could travel from the ring to backstage, vice versa freely is that ever going to be back.
Bryan Williams: We hear this request a lot from the fans. I want everyone reading this to know that your pleas for interconnected backstage environments do not fall on deaf ears. Interconnected backstage environments will make a return appearance sometime in the future. Understandably, I'm not at liberty to say when, but expect to see this implemented sooner rather than later.