E3 2010 – WWE Games Hands-On
"First of all, we went 20 minutes with WWE SmackDown vs. RAW 2011. If you’ve ever played the previous title, you know what to expect gameplay-wise. The demo they showcased featured 4 wrasslers, Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, The Miz, and the Undertaker. TLC (Tables, Ladders, & Chairs) was the match of choice to show off the new controls and the updated Havok engine.
From what I’ve played, the Havok engine is definitely in full force. The grapplers were bouncin’ off of stuff as well as the weapons. If a ladder landed on the ropes, any character can react to it. No more of anything magically passing through the ring ropes and such. If you thought SvR08 was about “hardcore”, you should really check out the stuff we pulled off. You can throw anyone anywhere around the ring, and if there’s an object in the way, he/she’ll react to it. If you smash the living hell out of a table, its debris will stay for a very long while. (It’ll eventually disappear, but it won’t until way long after. In fact, you’ll already finish the match by the time it does.) Ladders get busted in half, weapons can be thrown, and you can perform finishers from the top of the ladder. I’m not talkin’ about generic Superplexes. I’m talkin’ about character-specific finishers, like the RKO from Orton, the Codebreaker from Jericho, and so on. One thing I’m grateful they put in is the ability to move your character while they’re in the middle of a grapple move. Remember back in the good ol’ days where you had to line up your opponent so you can actually perform the high-risk spot? No longer would you have’ta worry about that. The A.I. does a good job with puttin’ on a great (hardcore) match too. You can also do three-strike combos without havin’ to watch a cutscene for it. The crowd is integrated with the action as well, much like their moods from WWE Day of Reckoning 2 (GCN). Oh, and the entrances were excellently presented, especially with Orton’s cold eyes glarin’ right at you.
The sad news about SvR11 though is that there won’t be any Nintendo DS version available. Last year’s title played almost like the old N64 titles (like WWF WrestleMania 2000 (N64)), and I was hopin’ they would improve on that formula. Unfortunately we won’t get to experience that this year. Maybe they’re prepping a 3DS WWE game instead.
As for WWE All-Stars, Nick and I briefly played this title. The control scheme took some gettin’ used to, and we had a good time playin’ it. When THQ said it was a pick-up-and-play game, they weren’t kidding. It took us a few minutes to familiarize with the new control scheme. Pretty soon, The Rock (Nick) was layin’ the smackdown on Cena with twisting Samoa Drops, sky-high Rock Bottoms, a rocketing People’s Elbow, and more. Cena (me) then no-sold everything and gave Rocky some high-impact moves such as a “You Can’t See Me!” Suplex, a wrenching STF, the jumping Five Knuckle Shuffle from hell, and a huge Attitude Adjustment to finish off the match. Mind you there were no refs and there was no rope break, yet the 3-count was still nyah. This title is somethin’ you just gotta play, and there’s no doubt in my mind we may be seein’ this as a downloadable demo in the future. Nick really enjoyed this more than SvR11. He liked the more bat-s**t crazy gameplay than the simulation of the traditional title. I admit, it was an interesting game, and I can’t wait to play it again.
We saw a li’l bit of WWE SmackDown vs. RAW Online (PC) via trailers. That is still Korea-exclusive, so we won’t be seein’ that anywhere in the States. Sorry, modders.
That was our hands-on time with the E3 WWE Universe. Footage of these games should be available later on." GamingRing.com
LINK: http://gamingring.com/news/2010/06/15/e3-2...games-hands-on/
