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This thread has been linked to the game 'WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2007'.
From the title screen, through the faithfully reproduced entrance videos to the in-game graphics, this is an absolutely stunning looking game. The characters at times have a tendancy to look too shiny (like they bathed in cooking oil before coming out), the ringside mats are too reflective and the shadows can be a bit nuts, but these are minor quibbles, the rest of the game looks extremely good (It looks as though the character textures have undergone a lot of "Zbrushing" for this installment of the series; everyone seems to have a lot more muscle definition than previous versions, and it certainly has the look of a hires game, i imagine using displacement mapping to save load on the game engine that`s better spent elsewhere)
Sadly, it`s a beautiful looking, lumbering, unresponsive, frustrating, over-complicated game. The reworked control system is a finger flapping ordeal and when you DO manage to engage a grapple, it`s only a matter of seconds until it`s reversed by the computer opponent. Of particular frustration is the running situation of your character being laid out with "press buttons repeatedly" flashing away.. so you do, then JUST as your guy is abot to get up.. the computer character will stroll over and place you in an over animated move that still tells you to "press buttons repeatedly". Once it`s taken an age to go through it`s motion, you`re left once AGAIN with the instruction to bash the buttons repeatedly, resulting in long periods of time mindlessly pressing buttons with no visible effect on screen, watching your character come out on the losing end on what quickly becomes an automated beatdown. The margin for reversal of these lengthy moves is also SO small that it`s barely worth its inclusion.
The trouble lies with the amalgamation of styles. On one hand the game is trying to replicated the lights, pyro and glitz on "sports entertainment" but bolting it to a complex control system that would be better spent on a "technical" wrestling game such as "legends of wrestling". WWE fans are far more likely to want a fast, arcadey style game where hammering buttons and jumping from the highest place is the order of the day; an erratic reversal guage and a mini-game for just about everything (trying to undo the belts in ladder matches or open the door of the cage is instantly a total pain in the ass)
There are some baffling omissions/additions to the game - No Paul London or Brian Kendrick, but Snitsky and Viscera make it in (minus his partner charlie haas it would seem in another odd omission) and the commentary, as ever, is diabolical.
The scenarios section of the game is a good idea, i`ve liked it since i first saw it in ISS on the snes; you`re given specific matches to win in exchange for cash (usually hidiously 1-sided affairs that will take a few goes to beat)
Overall, the game boasts a lot of features and choice in match type, options and the sheer number of modes, etc is very impressive and the aforementioned graphics are of a very high standard. Impressive or not however, i got through 3 matches before becoming so bored with the endless reversing of my moves and the tedium of simply watching that all sense of fun vanished. In my mind, this is the point that ANY games fail; if it stops being fun and bcomes a chore, then it`s no longer recreation.
i`m sure i may end up going back to this game on future visits to the owners place, but if i never play the game again, i think i`ll deal with it.
A definite "try before you buy", but then if you DO buy it, i won`t understand why ;)
Sadly, it`s a beautiful looking, lumbering, unresponsive, frustrating, over-complicated game. The reworked control system is a finger flapping ordeal and when you DO manage to engage a grapple, it`s only a matter of seconds until it`s reversed by the computer opponent. Of particular frustration is the running situation of your character being laid out with "press buttons repeatedly" flashing away.. so you do, then JUST as your guy is abot to get up.. the computer character will stroll over and place you in an over animated move that still tells you to "press buttons repeatedly". Once it`s taken an age to go through it`s motion, you`re left once AGAIN with the instruction to bash the buttons repeatedly, resulting in long periods of time mindlessly pressing buttons with no visible effect on screen, watching your character come out on the losing end on what quickly becomes an automated beatdown. The margin for reversal of these lengthy moves is also SO small that it`s barely worth its inclusion.
The trouble lies with the amalgamation of styles. On one hand the game is trying to replicated the lights, pyro and glitz on "sports entertainment" but bolting it to a complex control system that would be better spent on a "technical" wrestling game such as "legends of wrestling". WWE fans are far more likely to want a fast, arcadey style game where hammering buttons and jumping from the highest place is the order of the day; an erratic reversal guage and a mini-game for just about everything (trying to undo the belts in ladder matches or open the door of the cage is instantly a total pain in the ass)
There are some baffling omissions/additions to the game - No Paul London or Brian Kendrick, but Snitsky and Viscera make it in (minus his partner charlie haas it would seem in another odd omission) and the commentary, as ever, is diabolical.
The scenarios section of the game is a good idea, i`ve liked it since i first saw it in ISS on the snes; you`re given specific matches to win in exchange for cash (usually hidiously 1-sided affairs that will take a few goes to beat)
Overall, the game boasts a lot of features and choice in match type, options and the sheer number of modes, etc is very impressive and the aforementioned graphics are of a very high standard. Impressive or not however, i got through 3 matches before becoming so bored with the endless reversing of my moves and the tedium of simply watching that all sense of fun vanished. In my mind, this is the point that ANY games fail; if it stops being fun and bcomes a chore, then it`s no longer recreation.
i`m sure i may end up going back to this game on future visits to the owners place, but if i never play the game again, i think i`ll deal with it.
A definite "try before you buy", but then if you DO buy it, i won`t understand why ;)
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From the title screen, through the faithfully reproduced entrance videos to the in-game graphics, this is an absolutely stunning looking game. The characters at times have a tendancy to look too shiny (like they bathed in cooking oil before coming out), the ringside mats are too reflective and the shadows can be a bit nuts, but these are minor quibbles, the rest of the game looks extremely good (It looks as though the character textures have undergone a lot of "Zbrushing" for this installment of the series; everyone seems to have a lot more muscle definition than previous versions, and it certainly has the look of a hires game, i imagine using displacement mapping to save load on the game engine that`s better spent elsewhere)
Sadly, it`s a beautiful looking, lumbering, unresponsive, frustrating, over-complicated game. The reworked control system is a finger flapping ordeal and when you DO manage to engage a grapple, it`s only a matter of seconds until it`s reversed by the computer opponent. Of particular frustration is the running situation of your character being laid out with "press buttons repeatedly" flashing away.. so you do, then JUST as your guy is abot to get up.. the computer character will stroll over and place you in an over animated move that still tells you to "press buttons repeatedly". Once it`s taken an age to go through it`s motion, you`re left once AGAIN with the instruction to bash the buttons repeatedly, resulting in long periods of time mindlessly pressing buttons with no visible effect on screen, watching your character come out on the losing end on what quickly becomes an automated beatdown. The margin for reversal of these lengthy moves is also SO small that it`s barely worth its inclusion.
The trouble lies with the amalgamation of styles. On one hand the game is trying to replicated the lights, pyro and glitz on "sports entertainment" but bolting it to a complex control system that would be better spent on a "technical" wrestling game such as "legends of wrestling". WWE fans are far more likely to want a fast, arcadey style game where hammering buttons and jumping from the highest place is the order of the day; an erratic reversal guage and a mini-game for just about everything (trying to undo the belts in ladder matches or open the door of the cage is instantly a total pain in the ass)
There are some baffling omissions/additions to the game - No Paul London or Brian Kendrick, but Snitsky and Viscera make it in (minus his partner charlie haas it would seem in another odd omission) and the commentary, as ever, is diabolical.
The scenarios section of the game is a good idea, i`ve liked it since i first saw it in ISS on the snes; you`re given specific matches to win in exchange for cash (usually hidiously 1-sided affairs that will take a few goes to beat)
Overall, the game boasts a lot of features and choice in match type, options and the sheer number of modes, etc is very impressive and the aforementioned graphics are of a very high standard. Impressive or not however, i got through 3 matches before becoming so bored with the endless reversing of my moves and the tedium of simply watching that all sense of fun vanished. In my mind, this is the point that ANY games fail; if it stops being fun and bcomes a chore, then it`s no longer recreation.
i`m sure i may end up going back to this game on future visits to the owners place, but if i never play the game again, i think i`ll deal with it.
A definite "try before you buy", but then if you DO buy it, i won`t understand why ;)
Sadly, it`s a beautiful looking, lumbering, unresponsive, frustrating, over-complicated game. The reworked control system is a finger flapping ordeal and when you DO manage to engage a grapple, it`s only a matter of seconds until it`s reversed by the computer opponent. Of particular frustration is the running situation of your character being laid out with "press buttons repeatedly" flashing away.. so you do, then JUST as your guy is abot to get up.. the computer character will stroll over and place you in an over animated move that still tells you to "press buttons repeatedly". Once it`s taken an age to go through it`s motion, you`re left once AGAIN with the instruction to bash the buttons repeatedly, resulting in long periods of time mindlessly pressing buttons with no visible effect on screen, watching your character come out on the losing end on what quickly becomes an automated beatdown. The margin for reversal of these lengthy moves is also SO small that it`s barely worth its inclusion.
The trouble lies with the amalgamation of styles. On one hand the game is trying to replicated the lights, pyro and glitz on "sports entertainment" but bolting it to a complex control system that would be better spent on a "technical" wrestling game such as "legends of wrestling". WWE fans are far more likely to want a fast, arcadey style game where hammering buttons and jumping from the highest place is the order of the day; an erratic reversal guage and a mini-game for just about everything (trying to undo the belts in ladder matches or open the door of the cage is instantly a total pain in the ass)
There are some baffling omissions/additions to the game - No Paul London or Brian Kendrick, but Snitsky and Viscera make it in (minus his partner charlie haas it would seem in another odd omission) and the commentary, as ever, is diabolical.
The scenarios section of the game is a good idea, i`ve liked it since i first saw it in ISS on the snes; you`re given specific matches to win in exchange for cash (usually hidiously 1-sided affairs that will take a few goes to beat)
Overall, the game boasts a lot of features and choice in match type, options and the sheer number of modes, etc is very impressive and the aforementioned graphics are of a very high standard. Impressive or not however, i got through 3 matches before becoming so bored with the endless reversing of my moves and the tedium of simply watching that all sense of fun vanished. In my mind, this is the point that ANY games fail; if it stops being fun and bcomes a chore, then it`s no longer recreation.
i`m sure i may end up going back to this game on future visits to the owners place, but if i never play the game again, i think i`ll deal with it.
A definite "try before you buy", but then if you DO buy it, i won`t understand why ;)