Jan. 9, 2007
Ohhhhhhhh, What A Rush!
Q & A With THQ Manager About "WWE SmackDown Vs. Raw 2007"
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Body slam your opponents. (THQ)
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Knock out enemies with ring-side attacks. (THQ)
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"WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007" (THQ)
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A whole lineup of WWE stars is included. (THQ)
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"WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007" (THQ)
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Interactive Read The Label Parents: before you buy the game, check the rating on the box!
We work closely with WWE to get the inside scoop on storylines and character changes so that we can plan accordingly. However, sometimes last-minute changes happen based on anything and everything, such as injuries, contract issues, etc. There is also no "off season" in WWE.
Unlike other sports like football, basketball, baseball and hockey, there is no period of time where things are calm and not many players are switching teams. In WWE, it is a constant 365 days of new and live content. Injuries can happen at any time, new superstars could emerge at any point of the year and superstars could jump brands at the drop of a hat. It is a big challenge to keep up with WWE but one that we enjoy and look forward to each year.
GameCore: Tell me about it Cory. I watch it all the time, and if I miss one show or event, I have to read about it on WWE.com site. Cory, does the game have any storylines from what is happening now in WWE or what has happened in the past 12 months?
We work closely with the WWE writers to create new and authentic storylines for our WWE products. There are so many possible stories to tell with all the compelling characters that the WWE has, so we find it very easy to be able to showcase new content for an entire 12-month WWE season. With that said, we feel that our Season Mode is another extension of WWE programming.
GameCore: That works. I can see how boring it will get if I was to play a storyline that happened last year. So THQ come up with original storylines and, if so, did they have to get approval by WWE?
CL: Our writers and producers on staff work with the writers at WWE to develop each original storyline. This way, not only are the WWE writers signing off on the stories, but they are working with us to create them. This is an absolute win-win situation having both groups working so closely together with the same goal in mind, which is to deliver new and compelling original storylines for the WWE videogames.
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GameCore: That's nice, you guys work all on a product, when done, WWE Fans will love. Now, Cory, let's move on from production schedule and story line to the game. So what is the whole 3-D modeling process of getting a WWE star from real life to the digital game life? E-mail your questions and comments to GameCore.
CL: It is a very long process modeling for each superstar. Since we have over 70 WWE models in the game, it is a yearlong process to complete them all. Each model for a next generation console takes roughly about five to six weeks to model. Before the modelers can start, we need to take reference pictures of the superstar and then complete 3-D scans of them using body scan technology. Once we have their references, the modelers then go to work modeling their body sizes and body likenesses.
Then work goes into detailing all of the intricacies of their faces. Once the basic models have been made, then come all of the texturing, weighting and special effects that go into the models. After we get the models into decent shape, there is still a lot of tweaking that goes on to get the models looking just right. All in all, it's one of the most time consuming and challenging jobs our developers have.
GameCore: Wow, five or six weeks to get the superstar in 3-D form. Cory, sounds like there is a lot of hard work going on there. Now, Cory, in Create-A-SuperStar, is there a structured way to create players or can users make them so powerful that they are unbeatable?
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