No ladder is safe.
Guess what? THQ is putting out another wrestling game. I know, shocking, but WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2011 is a reality and it's coming to stores on Oct. 26, 2010. Here at E3, I got the chance to step into the squared circle, and as usual, Yuke's and the team behind the Smackdown series have found new ways to make fake fighting seem more real than ever.
Now, everyone remembers WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2010; it's a game I deemed "great" and one of the main reasons I dug it was the focus on making the game seem like it was actual WWE programming. There were logos on the screen, bare chests and backs got red as they got wailed on, and the copyright information popped up when matches ended.
WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2011 keeps all that and only improves the presentation vibe.
Today on the E3 floor, I got to pick up a controller and climb into a tables, ladders and chairs match. I was the Lionheart Chris Jericho and up against the Undertaker, but the characters really weren't the story. Sure, Jericho was in new tights packing purple highlights, but the models didn't look too different when compared to what we saw last year.
What was different? Well, the "WWE HD" logo you know from actual WWE programming now sits in the upper-left corner and on the barricades at ringside, the RAW logo was emblazoned on the announce tables, and physics care of the Havok engine have made their way to the tables, ladders and chairs. You can lean a table or ladder up against the ring ropes or the barricade, throw an opponent into it, and watch as the object reacts to the weight. When the Undertaker just clipped the side of a table with Y2J's body, just the legs on that side of the table gave out. Then, the Undertaker picked up Jericho and powerbombed him onto the remaining section of the table. You can even lean a closed ladder on a standing ladder for a ramp.
When these moves are hitting, Jericho's body was reacting to the objects and staying on them – it wasn't like he was immediately rolling off the item or ignoring it.
This was even more evident when the ladders got involved. When I used a double-underhook suplex to toss the Undertaker onto a ladder I had placed on the mat, Taker hit, grabbed the small of his back, and stayed on the ladder. When Undertaker powerbombed me onto a ladder resting in the corner, the ladder bent in half and sandwiched me there.
Now, you might be wondering how all these moves are happening. Smashing tables and setting up ladder moves wasn't incredibly difficult in previous SVRs, but it wasn't a breeze. In WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2011, you're going to be able to direct when you're tossing people. When you pick an opponent up in a move, you're going to have a window where you can rotate your body so that you're choosing where the body is going. If you aim the dude you're tossing, you can easily interact with ladders and tables.
This is going to leave a mark.Another addition to WWE SVR '11 is the ability to throw chairs. Yes, like a frustrated wrestler in the ECW of old, one button press now flings whatever you're holding at your enemy. There are new finishers off of the ladder, the crowd has been fixed so that it doesn't hold up invisible signs, and muscles are going to react when wrestlers pose and flex on their way to the ring. Oh, and the way to win ladder matches has been overhauled; now, you hold the right stick up and yank the stick down when the screen tells you to. Do this enough, and you win the match.
One match is never enough to judge a Smackdown game, but WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2011 seems like it's set to capitalize on what worked last year. I like the physics, I like the destruction, and I like the ability to control where my moves are going. Now, I'd like to play more of it, please." THQ.com
