WWE SmackDown! vs RAW 2006

[Guest ch1ppy08]

Click here for the article.

I'd quote the article but it's 8 pages so..yea..

[Pepsi Punk]

What's the point of adding a Buried Alive match so long after they last had one?

I really like the stamina idea though. I'm guessing this also means that a headlock will make you less tired than a powerbomb, which is pretty sweet.

[Guest ch1ppy08]

Maybe--just maybe--they'll add a two-person Slobberknocker mode!

That would seriously be awesome, though no one plays Slobberknocker "matches" besides me...

Edited July 4, 2005 by ch1ppy08

[Timmoru Suzuki]

The Stamina thing looks really, really, really good, thumbs way up!

Everything else seems an exercise in adding flash new features that add nothing and become stale and boring inside five minutes, rather than actually trying to improve the gameplay.

[Guest The Real Deal]

They've pretty much gave away the main match at Survivor Series in season mode, im happy about this one.

[Farmer Reil]

How have they given it away? Did I miss something? :/

Oh, you mean the last screenshot caption? Meh, maybe, but I don't think it'd have been intentional...

Edited July 4, 2005 by TheReilDeal

[JoeMimic]

I'm waiting for more info on Season Mode; it better be more like HCTP and less like SVR.

[The Kraig]

At least they're trying now. The SD series was becoming like the FIFA games, just a simple update.

[zero]

Another year, another IGN interview of THQ's all sizzle, no steak. In all honesty, I was getting really excited about SvR06 (love the name, bout damn time they started using years), until about page six of the interview.

Buried Alive match? Who gives a shit? We see those maybe once every four years, why don't you work on letting me stand on the fucking apron before putting in a gimmick match that will get old after the first time?

Alternate outfits would take too long? Are you fucking kidding me? Every AKI game since 1997 had alternate outfits, I don't understand why it would take so much effort. All it is is putting an article of clothing on a character. I can do it with the touch of a button to CAW, why not HHH? And for that matter, why can I still not edit the pre-existing wrestlers' appearance? I thank them for finally letting us edit movesets, but come on!

You know what would help you save time to do those alternate outfits? Dropping character voice overs! Goddamn those are fucking terrible and killed the season mode last year. Don't need them, give me text and I'll be fine.

You streamlined the CAW? You did that last year, and it still takes an hour to create a wrestler and a moveset.

Improved Diva graphics?! YIPPEEEEE! I still won't use them.

A button to help you retrieve stamina? Hmm, sounds like FirePro's breathing system. And while I'm glad Smackdown is doing it, it's something that should have been incorporated years ago.

More online options? Certainly couldn't have any less than last year.

More backstage areas, winning scenes, a profile system?! Wow, these are all things that have been in past games that were removed for no apparent reason!

Dammit I hate THQ. And this really seals it for me:

The roster will be somewhat similar in the breakdown between superstars and legends. A big reason for that is because we're offering a season mode, we want to make sure that it offers storylines that would make sense on your typical WWE programming. In order to do that, we want to focus on the guys that are currently on television.

Translation: We like to limit your options to have the most fun Season Mode possible. Don't expect to be able to put Legends or your CAWs in the Season Mode roster, because that might actually provide a unique gameplay experience and infinite replay value. Enjoy our incredibly bland and poorly acted voice overs as you repeat the exact same storylines over and over again. If you're not involved in a title feud, expect to become Stacy Keibler's boyfriend eighteen times and if you are involved in a title feud, expect to face no one except Triple H, Batista, JBL, John Cena and Randy Orton.

[whiskers]

I had a huge rant typed up, but the boards crapped out and ate it. Here's a synopsis.

It's about time they added the ability to ram your opponent into the steel cage. A staple of the match hasn't even been seen in the entire Smackdown series.

Buried Alive Match: I wonder what wrestlers they had to cut out of the game to put this in. That and the waste of space Bra and Panty match.

No Alternate Costumes: Their piece on that translates into "We're just lazy."

The Legends: Ever since HCTP, I've said one thing. THQ should make their own Legends of Wrestling game, and leave the WWE games free of them and add more current WWE wrestlers. As well as keeping most of the belts...

As for adding the stamina bar and having longer matches: Good, I love a long match. I also hope there is the ability to have a 60 minute Iron Man match.

More to come tomorrow.

[Docpepper]

so far it seems thq is trying to hype this game beyond belief. SVR was good for multiplayer , but the season blew chunks , and the only time I play it now is to tinker around with caw. I'll probably still buy the game but I'm not believing the hype at all.

I wish a game company would get off their ass and make a wrestling game using the no mercy engine , it would bury the smackdown series

[zero]

The Legends: Ever since HCTP, I've said one thing.  THQ should make their own Legends of Wrestling game, and leave the WWE games free of them and add more current WWE wrestlers.  As well as keeping most of the belts...

←

That would probably be a bad idea. The Legends help sell the games and we don't need THQ spreading their resources even more for another wrestling game. Three different games on three different platforms and none of them are good. One is above average (Day of Reckoning), one is below average (Smackdown vs. RAW) and one flat out sucks my balls (WrestleMania 21).

A decent amount of THQ/Yukes/Studio Gigante's problems would be solved if they just fucking made one damn game a year. It works for Madden, it would work for Wrasslin. Pull all your resources together and have them make one game for all three systems, it would be so much better than the shit we are being fed now. "But Zero, what about platform-specific features that couldn't work on all three systems?" Worth the price to pay to get a solid wrestling game. The only platform-specific feature that would really be missed is theme music-ripping which can (or could?) be done on the X-Box games. Other than that, you wouldn't miss much. One game, every year, all three systems. Make it online for PS2 and XBox, leave it out for Gamecube, simple as that.

[Guest Farer]

Jesus, with the Buried Alive match, you know they're just stretching for things to add just for the sake of adding things. Just so they could have another bullet point on the back of the box. Because "Longer, non-linear, story mode" doesn't sound as exciting as "NEW NEW NEW BURIED ALIVE MATCH TYPE!!!!"

The same thing goes for Day of Reckoning 2's take on submission holds. You use the C-Stick to do different holds that raise different stats that can be countered different ways, that end up in the same old "MASH A TUG OF WAR" system from the first game. Thanks a lot for the needless complication of submission holds, and not a season mode that gets old after 1 play through.

SIGH.

[apsham]

I like how everyone is so skeptical when these games are released in what? November?

[Herr Matzat]

i got 100% reliabel info on that it will suck as usual and sell tons of copys becaus of it´s licens anyway.

feel free to hate me

[King Ellis]

Besides, it was getting to be a real pain in the ass to figure out new taglines every year. Know Your Role, Here Comes the Pain, Shut Your Mouth, etc. It could have been "You Can't See Me," maybe, but nah.

Bastards.

We realized that the SmackDown fans are diehard and buy each game when they come out

Oh-oh, rumbled.

Also just skimming through it seems like they are trying to make it more 'realistic' in the sense that it will be more like real wrestling, back and forth action as more of a show then an actual fight. It's just...I dunno, what would be the point? I'd love there to be like a crowd meter where if you put on better quality matches the fans would react and you'd benefit from that. Kinda breaking into the business end of things here which I doubt THQ would like but you could gain pushes and whatnot for putting on better matches (or in the WWE's case, depushing). Far too much effort for them I know but, why should I bother to make the match look better?

I could rant for a while on this but basically some of this sounds appealing but others really grate me. You can't be bothered to do alternate attires but you'll spend ages on Diva body models? Who the fuck cares? The dweebs who try and get a look at the virtual panties and ogle over bra and panties matches? Pah-lease.

Edited July 5, 2005 by King Ellis

[Media 2.0]

Buried Alive match? Who gives a shit? We see those maybe once every four years, why don't you work on letting me stand on the fucking apron before putting in a gimmick match that will get old after the first time?

Edited July 5, 2005 by Media 2.0

[Guest The Real Deal]

No you see that's the problem. Not 'everyone' likes football, I've been hoping for a buried alive match, a proper one.

Just like the bra & panties match was the added feature, and sold alot of copies due to it for HCTP. Sooooo the buried alive match will do the same, and will do better.

[zero]

Honestly, did the Bra and Panties match sell the game? Come on, was there some guy standing in Gamestop holding up a copy of Here Comes the Pain saying, "Oh man, I dunno, another year, another Smackdown game. Can I justify spending $50 on more of the... wait a minute... oh my God... BRA AND PANTIES MATCH?! Oh fuck yeah, I'm buying two copies in case one gets damaged!!!"

The game sells because of the WWE license, that's all. But I do expect sales for this one to be lower because of how bad Smackdown vs. RAW was. Not a substantial amount, but enough to notice.

I like how everyone is so skeptical when these games are released in what? November?

Give me one good reason why I shouldn't be skeptical? Every single year THQ does and interview with IGN and throws out all these half-truths and dodgy answers. They've gotten a lot better on not flat-out lying and giving empty promises, I'll grant you that, but for the most part, it's fluff. Smackdown is a lot better than it was at Just Bring It, but I could take a shit that was better than that game. THQ is doing basic things that should have been done years ago, and the core of the game, season mode, is going to be ruined again by those shitty voiceovers. Give me one good reason (ie: not something like 'well you haven't played it yet!') why I shouldn't be skeptical and I'll shut my mouth.

EDIT

Being able to play just one game, for some of us, would suck.

So you would rather play three games ranging from 'decent' to 'oh my God I can't believe I wasted $50 on this pile of shit,' than one excellent game every year? No Mercy is good enough (and customizable enough) to still pick up and play to this day, despite being five years old. There is not a single wrestling game since then that can be played five MONTHS later, let alone years.

Edited July 5, 2005 by Zero

[Guest Majick]

I played Here Comes The Pain almost constantly because I could add CAWs to Season mode. Having Vince come out with his stable of Jushin Liger, Gail Kim, Jack Briscoe and Randy Savage was worth it

But SvR was a step back. Much as I fancy Stacy, I didn't want to fight for her. Not in a Battle Royal that I always lost because I always played as a cruiserweight so I could be lawn-darted out of the ring by Undertaker.

I did like the challenges, though. I thought they were a great addition.

I'd be happy if the following improvements are made:

Larger season mode, with more than the same fifteen or so scenarios. HCTP was great. Improve on it.

CAWs included in season mode the same way they were in HCTP. If they can't talk, just use subtitles.

Improved commentary. If they have to have it, let's not have the same lines every match, huh? (And yeah, I know that JR and King do that on Raw every week anyway...)

I'd be ecstatic if the following improvements were made:

Bring back the tag team and crusierweight titles, and build a proper storyline around them.

RVD's singlets available for CAWs (because then my inevitable tag-team with him would look like a proper tag team). And no, I don't care about anyone else's attire, or editting HHH's pants or anything

Bring back roster trades. I don't care if the voiceovers become - even more - generic as a result. I want to play as Juventud Guerrera vs. Triple H, damnit!

I'd quite probably explode if the following were included:

Improved Create-a-belt where you can produce decent versions of the classic WWF, WCW and ECW belts without having to include a HHH centrepiece or spending $300,000 that it's taking you a month of solid play to earn.

CM Punk

Personalised feuds, such as facing Jericho/Carlito on their interview sets or MNM telling you off for getting too close to Melina. It might have limited usage, but I'd love it if they could find a way to do it...

Perosnally, I compare the WWE games to the GTA games. I know it's a weak comparison, but in the two years between Vice City and San Andreas, the GTA engine has been refined and improved, and the game is something like three times larger, if not more. That has to be possible with Smackdown, right?