Ohhhhhhhh, What A Rush!

Q & A With THQ Manager About "WWE SmackDown Vs. Raw 2007"

(CBS)  4CL: When you first create your own WWE SuperStar or Diva, the creation will start out with the bare minimum attributes. You will have to take your WWE SuperStar through Season Mode or General Manager Mode and compete with that created character in a large number of matches in order to boost up your stats. Once you put some dedicated time into strengthening your superstar, you can indeed be one of the most powerful and dominating superstars in the game.

GameCore: So there goes my idea of creating a superstar that would be god-like and run wild in the game. Now, Cory, how much experience is there with the group that developed the online gameplay?

CL: Our online team at Yuke's is a very experienced group. Before we started offering online play in the "SmackDown vs. Raw" franchise, they were already developing online games for other products. So, right away, they already had experience with online play and had an infrastructure in place. After we decided to offer online play for our "SmackDown vs. Raw" users, it wasn't very difficult for our developer to get up to speed.

GameCore:I'm glad you to touched on the online game part, Cory. How did the whole online component come into play?

CL: Online play is, no doubt, the future of gaming. We felt it was critical to offer a very robust online feature this year, and we will continue to grow that feature set in the future. We want to continue to invest in online gaming with the strength of Xbox Live. Fans of the series will begin to see more and more from this feature as the year's progress.

GameCore: Now that's what up Cory, Fans getting on line and doing their thing against other fans. So when online, can the user have a four-way match, Royal Rumble match or a tag team match against different people online?

CL: We offer up to four players online in one match. You can play Fatal-4-Way matches, Tag Team Matches, Handicap Matches and even some specialty matches, such as 4-Player Hardcore, Cage and Ladder Matches. We offer over 50 different match type variations for a plethora of different match type experiences online. You will be able to fight with our WWE gamers across the globe.

GameCore: Yes! Now fans can give a fan anywhere some sweet chin music. So, Cory, you touched on Xbox Live and the strength of the online game. Is the PSP version of the game different from the PS2?

5CL: For the most part, the PSP version has all the depth and features that you will find on the PlayStation 2 and the Xbox 360. We wanted to make sure we offered all the same great game play experiences and modes you would find on the console version on the PSP handheld device as well. In fact, we also added an exclusive game mode that only owners of the PSP will be able to enjoy - it is our "Road to WrestleMania" mode that is actually a customizable tournament.

You can choose to play in three different tournament styles as you fight your way to the top of the food chain and receive rewards, such as the King of the Ring trophy or the WWE Championship. We also give players the ability to create their own custom tournament with tons of different tournament options. This gives players another single player experience that's exclusive to the PSP.

GameCore: Now that's great, not only can I take the trill of the game on the road with me but I also get an exclusive mode, too. Well, Cory, I only have one more question for you. THQ started with "WWF WrestleMania 2000" in 1999 for Game Boy Color and Nintendo 64. Seven years later, the games are still great. How does the team see their body of work from seven years ago to now?

CL: Wow. So much has changed in these seven years. Of course, we really see the jumps in progress as we move into each generation of consoles. When we were working on the Nintendo 64, there was only so much we could do with the models or showing video or any kind of special effects.

Now with all the processing power we have on the next generation consoles, we can begin to bring the realism and presentation value everyone sees on WWE programming. The games today look so lifelike and polished. The game play side of things has always been there, and we always look to push the envelope and follow WWE trends, but the biggest changes have been on the graphical side of things.

GameCore: I can't agree with you more, Cory. THQ has made 18 of the last 29 WWE franchise games in the last eight years, and the graphics and game play have been better and better every year. Again, thank you, Cory, for your time. Now it's my turn to power up my PS2 and PSP and get my SmackDown on.

What better way to get my game on but to play right. Well it's not that simple. What fun is beating the computer when I can do it to a real opponent? So I called my friends Phil, and Di and we played for a while.

Let's get right in to the way the game is controlled. There are no hard and outrageous button combos. Di was the test subject, but she did not know it. I only had to explain to her what was what on the controller and she was off running. So far so good, for someone who has not played any of the WWE games and was able to just pick up a controller and get a few instructions. That is a great deal.

Now the new ultimate control-move system was a good addition to the game as well. When doing a strong grapple, you press down on the control stick button. That will let you pick up your opponent in several different ways. For example, you pick your opponent for a body slam and instead of just body slamming him, you can press him over your head, toss him out of the ring, or just slam him in the ring.

The next step is the environment. There are new hot spots and having many weapons to take your opponent out - or at least leave him a bloody mess. A great area that Phil and I like was that you could toss an opponent in to the crowed. Instead of just table, ladder and chairs, you also have the fire extinguishers, extension cords, and speakers, just to name a few things. Having the ability to use more of the environment just adds a new layer of fun to the game.

On the down side, the announcer's commentary is not what you would expect. Jim Ross, Jerry "The King" Lawler, Michael Cole and Tazz may start off OK, but they lose focus of what is going on and start up there own chatter about other superstars. We found it horrible because when any of the four are doing commentating, they call what is going on. Yes, they some times bring up other events and make references, but do not rattle on and on about them and forget that there is a match going on. Also it was wired that none of them could call the match blow for blow. Even if it was a move or two off, it would have made for a better game play.

At the end of the day, THQ's "WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2007," is a good game that puts you in to the action of WWE. There is a ton of things to do and experience throughout the game. The hardcore fans will like the game, but they will be displeased by a few things - but that does not make it a bad game at all.