Smackdown vs. RAW 2007

[Kwanzabot]

taken from IGN.com

Also: "players will have the ability to take signs and other objects from fans and use them as weapons."

[The Slickman]

Looks ridiculously good in my eyes .

[daileyxplanet]

That's very unplausible unless they all say "Welcome to Dreamland"...

Also: It's a dark day in wrestling game history when you can read the brand of boxers Cena wears.

[King Ellis]

March 30, 2006 - It's WrestleMania 22 in Chicago, Illinois this weekend and to help celebrate the occasion, the folks from Yuke's, THQ, and WWE are going to make a special announcement tomorrow evening. To be revealed at the annual Superstar Challenge prior to this weekend's festivities (which includes the WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony and WrestleMania itself), the announcement will officially confirm the next iteration of the WWE videogame family, WWE SmackDown vs. RAW 2007.

In addition to confirmation that the game is coming to stores later this year, the most interesting piece of information actually relates to the systems on which the game is coming out -- which embrace PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions besides the expected PS2 and PSP SKUs.

This move not only marks the first time in the franchise's history that a SmackDown title will appear on two system generations at once, but also, the first time that the game will be headed to a platform other than one created by Sony.

"We are pleased to bring our highly successful WWE SmackDown vs. RAW franchise to next generation consoles," said Kelly Flock, executive vice president, THQ worldwide publishing. "As the publisher of the number one wrestling videogame brand in the world, we are eager to take this franchise to new heights by offering the game to current-generation, next-generation and handheld gamers."

"We are excited about the next groundbreaking release in the multimillion dollar SmackDown vs. RAW franchise," said Nelo Lucich, vice president of interactive, JAKKS Pacific. "WWE SmackDown vs. RAW 2007 combines ambitious, exciting features, such as the interactive fighting area within the crowd and a brand new analog control grappling system, which enhance the WWE videogame experience. We are confident this debut will offer a compelling sports entertainment experience for the next generation of gamers."

So what's this about a new analog control system and interactive crowd fighting? Specific details about those features are still a little vague, but we do know that gamers will be able to take their brawls into the audience just like on WWE programming, while also experiencing what THQ is calling "more realistic fighting" and "more intuitive movement." As stated earlier, though, what that means exactly we don't know.

What we do know, however, is that a number of improvements in other areas will certainly make the cut. Season Mode, for example, is said to feature "an unprecedented level of player choice" compared to previous games, while in-ring and outside-the-ring hotspots (which can be used to inflict bodily damage in special ways) have also been included. Moreover, arenas in SVR2K7 will be fully interactive to the point of supporting unspecified environmental damage and players will have the ability to take signs and other objects from fans and use them as weapons.

Speaking of weapons, there will be plenty of those too (more than in the last game) and brand new "High Impact Combination Moves" that round out each superstar's arsenal. Further enhancements, like an expanded General Manager mode, online play with voice chat support (finally!), high-definition displays for PS3 and 360, and updated rosters will also be included. Multiplayer fans should also be happy to note that up to six players will be able to wrestle each other at once for all three console iterations. Version details for the PSP, however, disc are still a mystery.

As always, there's still plenty to be learned about WWE SmackDown vs. RAW 2007 and we hope to bring you another update as soon we can. In the meantime, we invite you to check out the first "next-gen" screenshots of the game and remind you to check back with us again over the weekend should we learn anything more.

So yeah, the fact it's going to Xbox is great in theory. You'd think that with a development team working on one game rather than different one for each console that it'd help development some way. I can't help but feel that at least for this year things not might run smoothly. The PS3 version at least might go the way of 360 sports games and be limited in terms of roster/game modes etc. Some good early signs but at the risk at sounding negative Smackdown games usually talk the talk but things are curiously lacking come release time.

Actually now that i've looked over the pictures some more, why would a face Rey Mysterio take a woman's crutch?

Edited March 30, 2006 by King Ellis

[Heroin Bob]

Holy shit. The graphics for this are amazing.

Looks like I get to keep my PS2 for another year.

[apsham]

She was obviously offering it.

[King Ellis]

And on a related subject, signs? Come on, what kind of damage is a freaking sign gonna do? Paper cuts? I suppose it might make an interesting GM mode moment.

"Ric Flair will miss tonights show, he is suffering from excessive blood loss following a botched sign spot."

[Miami Vice]

Anyone who had a hand in the "RAW" series of games for the XBOX should never be aloud to program again.

[zero]

In addition to confirmation that the game is coming to stores later this year, the most interesting piece of information actually relates to the systems on which the game is coming out -- which embrace PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions besides the expected PS2 and PSP SKUs.

THANK CHRIST!

It's about fucking time they started treating it like an actual sports game instead of making one decent game and two really shitty games for the other consoles. Crowd fighting I don't really care about since it probably wont be anything spectacular, but the "hot spots" are a brilliant idea. Moves should hurt way more when performed on the outside of the ring and on the ramp. Hopefully that means the inclusion of moves on weapons, and expanded weapons moves themselves. Hopefully they can make tables breaking look a little better too. The graphics look awesome, which is not surprising considering what Rumble Roses looks like on the 360. Although I'm a little disappointed with still only six wrestlers on screen at once, still no chance for real Survivor Series matches, but oh well. How often do we even see a six man tag match on WWE TV anymore? Still, their biggest problem has always been the lack of match customization, which I know they won't address in this game, but oh well. 06 was the game we needed, so I'm sure 07 will just expand on it.

[Olive the other Jiberdeer]

So, since half my face is still frozen from dental work, I'm drooling.

But I'd be drooling regardless.

[Your Mom]

Awesome. I was worried we would have to keep the PS2 no matter what just to play this. Now it's time to consider my next gen home

[Corizzle]

Holy shit. The graphics for this are amazing.

Looks like I get to keep my PS2 for another year.

[oldskool]

Let's see. We have Rey substituting for New Jack in one picture, a fan obviously offering up a crutch for weapon usage in another...what is this, ECW 2007?

I want more variety in the next batch of pictures. They sweat. I get it. Does every sports game for the next generation have to have Active Sweat Rendering technology?

[Olive the other Jiberdeer]

]

Edited March 31, 2006 by theonemankliq

[zero]

I have a feeling the New Jack will be insanely difficult to pull of in actual gameplay.

[BlackFlagg]

especially if the CPU gets up as fast as they do in '06

[The One Bad Ass Outlaw]

What are Gregory Helms and Pat Patterson doing in the front row in the Moonsault picture?

[probablyoliver]

I was more worried about the fact Dennis Rodman's in the same picture.

[therockbox]

Ollie, start working on a save now.

You might get it done in time.

[probablyoliver]

You're a bastard and I hate you.