Official Smackdown vs. Raw Thread

[Media 2.0]

I dunno to be honest, I don't think he looks at all bad. Sure he could look a little better, but I think they've done well with him.

Also what's this 'X - Continue' stuff about? You can use it during a pin? or is that just a scene? Looking really good though.

←

I'm pretty sure it's stuff during season...

Those look really good. Lookin foreward to this one. Has anyone heard any news about DOR yet?

There's actually a 'LOT' of info on DOR :ohwell: . They're (IGN) currently in the middle of that countdown...add a wrestler every day thing. The newest one up is Doug Basham. Go to IGN and there's a lot of pics..and videos...and the like.

More pics..

[tristy]

Wrong title belt.

[Media 2.0]

Wrong title belt. 

←

I'm pretty sure it was cuz whoever the player is won it during season...seeing as all the pics are season pics.

German mag scans..

I have a feeling eventually I'm going to get tired of the staredown/test of strength stuff...hopefully it only occurs when you want it to..

[Asuka's Gonna Kill You]

Great pictures!

Benoit looks pretty damn good if you ask me. Big Show is still looking great, I'd so wish you could change his name so I could have 'The Giant Vs Andre The Giant'.

Shelton looks pretty damn good so far too. Bischoff is top notch as well.

Looking better and better :thumbsup:

[Ash J. Williams]

I am SO skipping school to buy this game! Face/Heel Meeter? Chop Battles? PPV MODE!? CREAT A BELT! YES!!!

[reyrey619]

i've been reading this thread and I have one question: What is this KOC Mazat keeps talking about?

[Asuka's Gonna Kill You]

July 29, 2004 - We had some strong and positive reactions to our all-encompassing WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW Overload informational piece earlier this week, but are glad to report that THQ has updated us with even more of the good stuff for today. Listed below in simple to read bullet point format, this newly discovered news not only reveals the answer to several of your burning questions, but also shows you the power of yours, the consumer voice -- as one of the features previously announced as non-existent has now been implemented to make the people happy. What feature is it? You'll just have to read on to find out.

As a quick reminder before you begin, however, don't forget to check the media page below for five brand new screenshots of stars like Stacy Kiebler, Evolution, and the Heartbreak Kid. Enjoy!

The first bit of significant news today is that THQ has decided to allow players to control legends during season mode after all. It was definitely a sore spot for gamers when we announced it to be otherwise earlier this week, so the revelation that you'll be able to play with personalities such as Legend Undertaker during the season is one that naysayers are sure to appreciate. Keep in mind, however, that in order to use them, you'll need to unlock them first. Additionally, THQ is still unsure as to whether or not legends will be mixed in with regular opponents over the course of a given season like last year, or if they'll only be available as a player-controlled character.

Users will be able to enjoy any match type they want in the Create-A-PPV mode and will not be restricted to a specific set of bouts (with a maximum of eight matches per event). Additionally, user-created belts can only be defended in the Create-A-PPV option and cannot be defended during standard exhibition matches (though, since Create-A-PPV is essentially a collection of exhibition matches anyway, it's close enough).

Evolution rules RAW

Speaking of Create-A-Belt, THQ revealed additional tidbits as to how it works and what its purpose is. To put it simply, it's a great way to unlock the game's many bonuses -- be they hidden characters, outfits, or whatever. To use them in the best way possible, simply defend your created belt during the PPV matches to add a prestige value. This prestige value continues to rise the more successful you are, and you can eventually sell it back to the game to reap a dollar value for use in the Shopzone.

Oh and one final tidbit on Create-A-Belts: yes, you can defend them against human players who can then save them to their own memory cards, and no, you can't import created titles into the season mode.

Specificities pertaining to the heel/face mechanic were elaborated on. Officially known as the "Dirty/Clean" mechanic, players will be able to wrestle in an exact style that rewards them for their alignment towards either discipline. If you're a heel, for instance, you'll be able to build your dirty meter up by performing evil deeds. Arguing with the referee, breaking off the turnbuckle, holding submissions after the break, and taunting from the arena floor all count as dirty meter builders. Once the meter is built all the way up, players will be able to pull off illegal strikes like eye pokes, low blows, and brass knuckles without penalties.

Similarly, wrestlers aligned as heels get bonuses too Their Clean meter is built by fighting clean, playing to the crowd, using signature grapples, performing high-flying moves, and taunting inside the ring. Once their meter has been built all the way up, they'll be privy to temporary invincibility. Nice!

THQ has incorporated an all-new baseball slide maneuver this year that allows you to attack ringside opponents from inside the ring. There have been similar moves to this before, of course, but this particular one has never been used before.

The submission system will utilize two meters this year. The first is the same tug-of-war submission from last year (that works on the same button-tapping mechanic), while the second will appear for reversible submissions. Entirely timing based and only applicable for things like leglocks and armbars, the reversal meter should add a little more strategy to the typical grappling setup.

The online mode still hasn't be solidified yet and final word as to whether or not it makes the final build is still dependant on the results of Sony's online beta test. Unfortunately for fans hoping to get in, the window to join the beta test is long since closed and SCEA is not accepting any more applicants.

Four new wrestlers were confirmed as part of the lineup: Rico (who we already knew about but forgot to list last time), Edge, Renee Dupree, and JBL (that's Bradshaw for those of you not in the loop). The roster so far is listed in the table below (though it is still not complete).

Current Wrestlers

A-Train

Edge

Rico

Batista

Garrison

Cade

Rikishi

The Big Show

JBL

Rob Van Dam

Booker T

John Cena

Scotty 2 Hotty

Bubba Ray Dudley

Kane

Shawn Michaels

Charlie Haas

Kurt Angle

Shelton Benjamin

Chavo Guerrero

Mark Jindrak

Stacy Kiebler

Chris Benoit

Matt Hardy

Tajiri

Chris Jericho

Randy Orton

Torrie Wilson

Christian Rene

Dupree

Triple H

Chuck Palumbo

Rey Mysterio

Trish Stratus

D-Von Dudley

Rhyno 

Eddie Guerrero

Ric Flair 

Legends

Andre the Giant

Legend Kane

Legend Undertaker

As you can see from the table above, the pair of legends previously known as old-school Undertaker and old-school Kane will now officially be called Legend Undertaker and Legend Kane. No other legends have yet been revealed.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That's all we have for now folks. Don't forget to check our media page below for some brand new screenshots and check back with us again tomorrow for even more images (though you may have already seen tomorrow's screens elsewhere in previous locations. But at least we're completists!). See you again real soon.

[Media 2.0]

More pics...

[A-Dub]

Lookin good, even though SM's face looks nothing like SM, everyone else looks awesome.

[kaya]

Ortons face is meh

THQ has incorporated an all-new baseball slide maneuver this year that allows you to attack ringside opponents from inside the ring. There have been similar moves to this before, of course, but this particular one has never been used before.

The submission system will utilize two meters this year. The first is the same tug-of-war submission from last year (that works on the same button-tapping mechanic), while the second will appear for reversible submissions.

---- They finally caught up with NWO Revenge! They have a baseball slide attack!

----The submissions system sucked MAJORLY in HCTP, despite wearing my opponent down into the deepest red, and bashing the buttons like a fucking maniac i scored maybe one or two submissions, total. It was TOO hard, only with a turbo button ting, did i have any hope :/

[apsham]

UPDATE ONE, BEFORE SECOND

July 26, 2004 - WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW is getting ready to hit the PS2 like a ton of bricks this fall. Easily one of the most, if not the most, anticipated sports game to come out this year, SmackDown! vs. RAW could very well have sales in the same unbelievable range as the previous entries in the series. With new wrestlers, new moves, new voices, deeper storylines, more customization, and the possibility of online play (which is already in beta testing), this game is going to be frickin' massive.

To help you make sense of it all, we've decided to compile tons of information about SmackDown! vs. RAW into one place. All the big questions about the game are answered with info about several different aspects of the gameplay. Sure, this isn't all of the info available about the game so far, but it covers the bases enough that extra searching will be only for the hardest of the hardcore out there who are going to be on the constant lookout anyway. If you just want to know everything there is to know of interest, check this out. Even if you're a diehard fan of the series, check this out anyway -- it's a great source of new information, too.

So for all you fans of the game who want to know just what the hell is going on with the latest in this insanely popular series, just sit back, relax, and take a deep breath before diving into the information. Special thanks to PSM and THQ for helping us to make this happen.

What superstars can we expect to see and how many are there?

Contrary to other reports, the final roster has not yet been determined. Furthermore, the number of superstars on the lineup is still up in the air. Though, it has been confirmed that where will be in excess of 50 current wrestlers, with additional characters available in the legends bracket. Here are the confirmed wrestlers so far:

Current Wrestlers

A-Train

D-Von Dudley

Ric Flair

Batista

Eddie Guerrero

Rikishi

The Big Show

Garrison Cade

Rob Van Dam

Booker T

John Cena

Scotty 2 Hotty

Bubba Ray Dudley

Kane

Shawn Michaels

Charlie Haas

Kurt Angle

Shelton Benjamin

Chavo Guerrero

Mark Jindrak

Stacy Kiebler

Chris Benoit

Matt Hardy

Tajiri

Chris Jericho

Randy Orton

Torrie Wilson

Christian

Rey Mysterio

Triple H

Chuck Palumbo

Rhyno

Trish Stratus

Andre the Giant

Old-School Kane

Old-School Undertaker

Keep in mind, the roster above is incomplete and is definitely subject to change (we're looking your way Rikishi and Scotty!)

Are any of the legends from last year's games back for this year?

As you can see by the answer above, only three legends have been confirmed up to this point, but with several more on the way, it's certainly possible. Unlike last year, however, legends cannot be used during season mode.

Is the grappling system any different?

Though the changes to the grappling system won't be as dramatic as last year, there are still a number of significant changes for this version. The first and most important alteration, for instance, is that signature and quick grapples are harder to counter than power and submission moves. Additionally, players can now partake in grapples while sitting on the mat, perform new halfway-standing grapples, and even participate in back and forth chopping matches like the ones that Ric Flair and Sting made famous back in their NWA days.

Another big feature this year is the inclusion of face and heel special maneuvers. Tailored to each wrestler's personality, these moves allow for temporary invincibility for heels that let them cheat without getting caught, while faces can do, uh, whatever it is faces do. Of course, the ladies are getting a slight grappling addition themselves, with the spank meter -- the more accurate a player is with their meter, the more accurate the spank. And depending on the spank, the woman's reaction could either be painful or pleasurable; with special animations dedicated to both responses.

Is it true that submission holds have been refined?

Yes, it's true. A new time-based meter has been added to the tug-of-war grappling system that allows players to add more intensity to their holds so that they can be applied longer and do more damage. On the flipside, other players can reverse the submission holds from within this animation based on their own performance, and can finally break subs while in tag team matches.

Are there any new attributes or character abilities?

Indeed there are. The old attributes of Strength, Submission, Stamina, Technique, and Speed are back, but have now been joined by charisma. It's a pretty important addition too, as it's used to determine how much of SmackDown move bonus you receive when taunting.

Speaking of taunting, players can also argue with the referee following close two-counts or put their foot on the ropes when pinning. They run the risk of getting disqualified if they push things over the edge, but can gain an extra advantage or two if it pays off for them.

Perhaps the coolest new addition, though, is the inclusion of pre-match staredowns and test of strength competitions. You can even get into shoving matches and get an early advantage on your opponent of you play your cards right.

How about the weight detection system? Is it better?

Is sure is. The game boasts much smarter weight detection and finally plays into finishers too. For you abusers out there, this means that you can forget about pressing The Big Show up in the air with a powerslam just because it's your special.

What arenas are confirmed so far?

Barely any. But after a phone call and some research, we've confirmed that the last arenas used for SummerSlam, Backlash, and Armageddon are already in the game.

Can we create our own belts?

Yes! Through the season mode you'll be able to earn money which you can use to Create-A-Belt by buying and configuring a variety of belt parts.

What new modes are there?

Create-A-PPV lets player finally create their own pay-per-view events of three to eight matches complete with new matches of their own devise, legendary matches of days past, and current matches seen on television. With the user created belts, players can even allow combatants to vie for the grand prize. Imagine creating your own wrestlers and belts and then having them compete against one another. Incredible. The best part is this doesn't affect the season, so people won't be afraid of partaking in the festivities.

Also being added to the table are Challenges. According to PSM, these are matches that can only be won by meeting certain criteria, such as pulling off two finishers in one match or beating four legendary wrestlers with a specific character.

Can we add our own music into the game via the HDD?

Nope. We will not be able to add our own customized music into the game. In fact, there is no hard drive support whatsoever.

What has been added to Season Mode?

First, the storylines have been revamped so that they're now more engaging and more believable (within the sports entertainment context of wrestling, anyway). There are now also mini-games that not only help build a character's attributes (perhaps somewhat analogous to how mini-games in Rocky and Fight Night build characters), but there are also mini-games that alter a wrestler's heel or face status (whether or not he is a bad or good guy). Storylines are now also completely voiced by the wrestlers themselves and include taunts, signature attacks, and a variety of other dialogue being classified as "respect actions," of which we still know little about.

Will women have their own season mode this year?

Nope. Still no season mode for women.

How has create-a-wrestler improved?

Off-the-bat, expect new, higher resolution textures and a streamlined interface. Also, given the advanced state of the engine, character models now have double the amount of polygons to work with. Higher polygon counts and higher resolution textures can make for some pretty startling characters. That's all we know for sure at this point, but we can also expect a greater diversity of customization, including more colors, accessories, and otherwise configurable settings.

Can you edit existing wrestlers?

You cannot edit existing wrestlers.

Will Smackdown vs. Raw be on any other platforms?

Nope. This one is PS2 exclusive.

Is there a Buried Alive match?

There is not a Buried Alive match, but there is a Parking Lot Brawl, which you can find further details about by browsing through a news article we published on July 16, 2004.

Will there be voiceovers for announcers or superstars?

Yes. There are real voiceovers for every wrestler in the game, except for those legend wrestlers who are not a part of season mode. Even the announcers from both Smackdown and Raw are in the game (no Heat team, however). Players will also be able to choose which announce team they'd prefer to listen to. The game is very comprehensive when it comes to voiceover work. The only limitation is that when you create-a-wrestler you cannot assign a voice to him. In this respect, the game is more like Knights of the Old Republic, in that your character doesn't actually speak. In conversations, player made characters will have dialogue trees, but will say nothing aloud.

Can we create a manager?

You're always able to create any character and assign him / her as your manager. If you'd like, you can even assign any existing character to be your manager.

Any graphical improvements?

Yes. There are approximately 25% more polygons per wrestler and enhanced texture detail for existing and created grapplers. Additionally, stadiums have more detail, characters have added animations, and facial likenesses are far more accurate.

When is SmackDown vs. RAW coming out?

As of this writing, SvR is scheduled for release on November 15, 2004. Keep in mind, however, that this date is one that has been established by retailers and not THQ, which means it can (and likely will) change before the game is finished.

Is it online or not?

This is a tricky subject, but the official answer is "maybe." While it's true that Sony Computer Entertainment has opened an online beta test to try SmackDown! vs. RAW's various capabilities, the results of that test is what determines whether or not that feature will make it into the final build. Furthermore, it is unknown what kind of online play these betas will offer -- be it head-to-head, scoreboards, downloads, or whatever. Only time will tell what becomes of this.

Oh, before you go -- What new match types are there?

There is only one new match type, the Parking Lot Brawl.

UPDATE 2, FOLLOWING THE FIRST

July 29, 2004 - We had some strong and positive reactions to our all-encompassing WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW Overload informational piece earlier this week, but are glad to report that THQ has updated us with even more of the good stuff for today. Listed below in simple to read bullet point format, this newly discovered news not only reveals the answer to several of your burning questions, but also shows you the power of yours, the consumer voice -- as one of the features previously announced as non-existent has now been implemented to make the people happy. What feature is it? You'll just have to read on to find out.

As a quick reminder before you begin, however, don't forget to check the media page below for five brand new screenshots of stars like Stacy Kiebler, Evolution, and the Heartbreak Kid. Enjoy!

- The first bit of significant news today is that THQ has decided to allow players to control legends during season mode after all. It was definitely a sore spot for gamers when we announced it to be otherwise earlier this week, so the revelation that you'll be able to play with personalities such as Legend Undertaker during the season is one that naysayers are sure to appreciate. Keep in mind, however, that in order to use them, you'll need to unlock them first. Additionally, THQ is still unsure as to whether or not legends will be mixed in with regular opponents over the course of a given season like last year, or if they'll only be available as a player-controlled character.

- Users will be able to enjoy any match type they want in the Create-A-PPV mode and will not be restricted to a specific set of bouts (with a maximum of eight matches per event). Additionally, user-created belts can only be defended in the Create-A-PPV option and cannot be defended during standard exhibition matches (though, since Create-A-PPV is essentially a collection of exhibition matches anyway, it's close enough).

- Speaking of Create-A-Belt, THQ revealed additional tidbits as to how it works and what its purpose is. To put it simply, it's a great way to unlock the game's many bonuses -- be they hidden characters, outfits, or whatever. To use them in the best way possible, simply defend your created belt during the PPV matches to add a prestige value. This prestige value continues to rise the more successful you are, and you can eventually sell it back to the game to reap a dollar value for use in the Shopzone.

Oh and one final tidbit on Create-A-Belts: yes, you can defend them against human players who can then save them to their own memory cards, and no, you can't import created titles into the season mode.

- Specificities pertaining to the heel/face mechanic were elaborated on. Officially known as the "Dirty/Clean" mechanic, players will be able to wrestle in an exact style that rewards them for their alignment towards either discipline. If you're a heel, for instance, you'll be able to build your dirty meter up by performing evil deeds. Arguing with the referee, breaking off the turnbuckle, holding submissions after the break, and taunting from the arena floor all count as dirty meter builders. Once the meter is built all the way up, players will be able to pull off illegal strikes like eye pokes, low blows, and brass knuckles without penalties.

Similarly, wrestlers aligned as heels get bonuses too Their Clean meter is built by fighting clean, playing to the crowd, using signature grapples, performing high-flying moves, and taunting inside the ring. Once their meter has been built all the way up, they'll be privy to temporary invincibility. Nice!

- THQ has incorporated an all-new baseball slide maneuver this year that allows you to attack ringside opponents from inside the ring. There have been similar moves to this before, of course, but this particular one has never been used before.

- The submission system will utilize two meters this year. The first is the same tug-of-war submission from last year (that works on the same button-tapping mechanic), while the second will appear for reversible submissions. Entirely timing based and only applicable for things like leglocks and armbars, the reversal meter should add a little more strategy to the typical grappling setup.

- The online mode still hasn't be solidified yet and final word as to whether or not it makes the final build is still dependant on the results of Sony's online beta test. Unfortunately for fans hoping to get in, the window to join the beta test is long since closed and SCEA is not accepting any more applicants.

- Four new wrestlers were confirmed as part of the lineup: Rico (who we already knew about but forgot to list last time), Edge, Renee Dupree, and JBL (that's Bradshaw for those of you not in the loop). The roster so far is listed in the table below (though it is still not complete).

Current Wrestlers

A-Train

Edge

Rico

Batista

Garrison Cade

Rikishi

The Big Show

JBL

Rob Van Dam

Booker T

John Cena

Scotty 2 Hotty

Bubba Ray Dudley

Kane

Shawn Michaels

Charlie Haas

Kurt Angle

Shelton Benjamin

Chavo Guerrero

Mark Jindrak

Stacy Kiebler

Chris Benoit

Matt Hardy

Tajiri

Chris Jericho

Randy Orton

Torrie Wilson

Christian

Rene Dupree

Triple H

Chuck Palumbo

Rey Mysterio

Trish Stratus

D-Von Dudley

Rhyno  

Eddie Guerrero

Ric Flair  

Andre the Giant

Legend Kane

Legend Undertaker

-As you can see from the table above, the pair of legends previously known as old-school Undertaker and old-school Kane will now officially be called Legend Undertaker and Legend Kane. No other legends have yet been revealed.

Source: IGN.com

Edited July 30, 2004 by Apple|Shampoo

[Asuka's Gonna Kill You]

Ortons face is meh

THQ has incorporated an all-new baseball slide maneuver this year that allows you to attack ringside opponents from inside the ring. There have been similar moves to this before, of course, but this particular one has never been used before.

The submission system will utilize two meters this year. The first is the same tug-of-war submission from last year (that works on the same button-tapping mechanic), while the second will appear for reversible submissions.

---- They finally caught up with NWO Revenge! They have a baseball slide attack!

----The submissions system sucked MAJORLY in HCTP, despite wearing my opponent down into the deepest red, and bashing the buttons like a fucking maniac i scored maybe one or two submissions, total. It was TOO hard, only with a turbo button ting, did i have any hope :/

←

Seriously? I actually thought it was really good. Obviously people would think it sucks if you cant tap hardly, but I thought it was a good challenge to be honest. Its great if your playing with your friends and your tapping against them tapping, I dunno I thought it was always really good :ohwell:

[Asuka's Gonna Kill You]

Hmmmm why didn't you just post this in the huge Smackdown Vs Raw topic? :ohwell:

[apsham]

I felt this deserved it's own topic, as it's information and not debate\screenshots.

[Kaney]

Old-School Kane

←

This pleases me.

Sounds even better, the create a belt/PPV modes sound great, and could be good fun if you get loads of friends round for tournaments and stuff.

Bit dissapointed about the lack off online play, that would have been great. It'd add a wholoe new dimension to Wrestling leagues in the Cube

[Asuka's Gonna Kill You]

I felt this deserved it's own topic, as it's information and not debate\screenshots.

←

Yeah I'm not starting or anything, just it was posted in the SD topic already thats all. No worries

[Timmoru Suzuki]

No, it was awful. Playing on the Smackdown! difficulty setting, it was impossible to make them submit, and almost impossible to stop you submitting one you had slight damage. I gave up trying to make someone tap months ago. Terrible system.

[The Dork Knight]

Hopefully the following wrestlers will be included...

Billy Kidman

Eugene

Jamie Noble

Nunzio

Paul London

The Rock (Yeah, he probably will be)

Spike Dudley

Stevie Richards

I also hope the following legends will be included

Animal

Hawk

Mick Foley

Randy Savage

Ricky Steamboat

Roddy Piper

Steve Austin (Sorry, but I want Austin in this game somehow)

Ted DiBiase

I also hope they include the "Create-A-Wrestler" code system in this like they promised they would in HCTP.

- The Dork Knight

Edited July 30, 2004 by The Dork Knight

[apsham]

Austin will proably have all his created parts in the game, and obviously the stunner and his move set will probably be in. Hopefully there'll be a way to make a decent representation of him. Personally, the wrestlers that please me the most being in would be:

Renè Dupreè

Nunzio

Jamie Knoble

Randy Orton (properly this time)

JBL (I know... but I like the character and his look)

Charlie Haas

La Resistance

Ted DiBease

Rick Martel (It'll never happen...but meh.)

The Quebecers or Rougeaus (Once again....but they'd look awesome in SD)

Roddy Piper

Ricky Steamboat

Mr. Perfect

I'm indifferent to online play, as I don't have broadband here and even if my dial up could run it, I wouldn't be that much into. I'd rather not risk gameplay and replayability for online or multiplayer gaming.

No problem Johnny, I know it's there but it's all posted in parts etc. I just wanted a big compilation of all the information that's been recently (not exactly) put out.

[Media 2.0]

Randy Orton (properly this time)

JBL (I know... but I like the character and his look)

Charlie Haas

All already confirmed with pics.. (Y)