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Post by evil on May 31, 2011 17:00:45 GMT
Yes. In case you haven't learned by now. Today was the big announcement from THQ regarding the SvR series. The series name has now officially been changed to simply "WWE 12"
Some information has been released by WWE.com regarding the game:
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Post by fu on May 31, 2011 17:26:10 GMT
Sounds promising, but I've been trolled by LJN...THQ before.
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MG Cage
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Post by MG Cage on May 31, 2011 18:10:17 GMT
Same, until I actually SEE some real improvement & not just read about it, I wont get hyped.
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Post by evil on Jun 1, 2011 3:52:33 GMT
Q&A w/ Corey Ledesma from SvR.com:
Q: Take me through your thoughts on how SvR '11 was received, and what you could/wish your team could have done better? Cory: We have a lot of pride in the work we put out there, so the team felt very good about WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011 being a solid product that fans were going to thoroughly enjoy. We were able to introduce a new mode, called WWE Universe, that we think was a very solid foundation for the future and got a lot of people excited to play the game. Adding dynamic object physics to gameplay was also another major addition that we felt changed the way the game looked and played for the better. All in all, we were generally pleased with how the game was received. With that being said, there were some game areas we were not completely satisfied with and feel need significant improvement. Our fans are intelligent, recognize a lot of those shortcomings as well and let us know about them. Unfortunately, some of the game areas or improvements we want to make can’t happen overnight and take a lot of planning, research and development and other resources to see to fruition. In those cases, we often create multi-year plans where those improvements are rolled out in phases so we can realistically achieve the quality we want each year while also rolling out new features and updates, updating the roster and balancing our development costs. To give you a little insight to our future planning, these are some of the key areas we are going to continue focusing on from a technical standpoint: 1.) Gameplay 2.) Online Lag and Cheating 3.) Animation Quality 4.) A.I. 5.) Sound 6.) Graphical Quality These are the game areas where we can continue pushing the envelope and step our game up to the next level from a technical standpoint. You’ll start to see a significant amount of those improvements listed above in this year’s game. We are investing heavily in the future of this franchise. On the design side, we weren’t happy with the execution of Road to WrestleMania. We liked the concept, but we just didn’t do a good job making that backstage area fun, keeping it populated, entertaining and engaging. We went back to the drawing board a bit on that one. We also had some disappointing bugs in gameplay that our creative team was a little disheartened by, but we’ll get a lot of those things cleaned up. Online also had several issues we are working hard to address. I want the fans to know that we are very aware of their criticisms and we are working as hard as we can to address them. Just know that in some cases the reason you might not see changes happen as quickly as you like because there are some difficult development challenges or hurdles we are trying to overcome just like any other developer, but we’re committed and we’ll get there! Q: As the creative director of the team, what's your opinion on the name change? Cory: I absolutely love it, and I’ve been a key proponent of the change. I’ve just felt for a couple of years now that the franchise has been getting stale and in need of a reboot. Not just with the name but also with the game experience. The name of the franchise evolved a couple of times over the years, and it has gotten to the point where the name doesn’t really mean anything. WWE currently doesn’t have brand wars, and the shows themselves are rarely competing against each other, so SmackDown vs. Raw as a name doesn’t really have a meaning. We started out as just being called SmackDown when that show made its debut for WWE back in 1999. Back then, we were releasing WWE products exclusively for specific platforms – SmackDown for Sony, Raw for Microsoft and Day of Reckoning for Nintendo. We then made the decision in 2004 to pool all of our resources together and make one great game, which is how SmackDown vs. Raw came together. Now, we are just WWE ’12, which is great because we just want to be known as the official, authentic WWE simulation product ... period. All that encompasses what’s great about WWE live events and television is encapsulated and recreated in WWE ’12. It’s simple and to the point. I’m pumped about it because I’ve always wanted to re-launch this franchise the right way, and we are finally getting the opportunity to do it this year.
Q: The feedback from the community has been loud and vocal concerning the gameplay portion of the game. Do you have a message for those vocal fans? Cory: We read you loud and clear! We’ve been quietly investing in and eagerly waiting for the right opportunity to introduce this new animation technology into the franchise. It’s actually something we’ve been working on for two years now. Being the annual franchise that we are, it’s difficult to bring in new, significant technology without halting the project entirely. I compare it to trying to change the tire of a car driving 80 mph: not easy to do! The technology group at Yuke’s Yokhama has been secretly working on the technology and its implementation while we’ve been working on the game the last two years. We are now at the point where we can integrate it into the game. The new animation technology and tools have allowed us to do things in gameplay that were not possible with the previous technology. We hit a ceiling on the old tech, and now with our new tech, we have plenty of more years to build it out and deliver a fun, responsive and visually impressive game. It will be exciting the next few years as we see what our new technology is fully capable of delivering. Q: Without giving any information, what area of the game are you most excited about in WWE '12? Cory: Gameplay, gameplay and more gameplay. Now, we aren’t changing the game entirely or completely ripping everything out to start over. That wasn’t the goal. What we are doing is taking the basic essence of what is good in the past games and making a new experience that feels fresh, fun, responsive, faster, smoother and is of higher quality. If you’re played the SmackDown vs. Raw games in the past, I have zero doubt you will notice the difference as soon as you pick up this year’s game. We are adding new gameplay systems, completely overhauling gameplay systems and improving current gameplay systems. The new animation system is giving us new capabilities as well. One quick is example is that you now have the ability to interrupt animations. For example, if John Cena is doing a five-knuckle shuffle in the game, you can knock him right on his butt in the middle of the move (something you’ve never been able to do in our game because the animation had to completely play out – and that goes for every single move in the game). We have several new capabilities like the one just mentioned that will change the dynamic of how the game is played. We didn’t want to completely throw everything out and build something from scratch. That would force us to take a major step back, probably cut out 80 percent of our moves/match types and also put us at risk to disappoint fans who love the current game. We wanted to find the balance between fixing what is broken and also delivering a brand new, high quality experience. I believe we are accomplishing that now, and fans are going to love this new WWE ’12 gameplay experience. We will be unveiling more about the changes to gameplay as time moves on.
Q: To prove to the community that feedback is always heard and sometimes implemented, can you give us a small example of something in WWE '12? Cory: This is a tough question because we have addressed so much fan feedback already, but a lot of it I can’t talk about just yet. So, I will give you just two quick examples. The rest we will announce when the time is right. 1) The fans have been asking for a new submission system. I’m happy to report there is a new submission system. It’s called the Breaking Point Submission system. It has a new mini-game, and also, for the first time, submissions where you can climb to the rope for a rope break. 2) The fans have been asking for wake-up taunts. I’m happy to report there are now wake-up taunts. Do you love those dramatic moments where Randy Orton slams his fists to the ground, daring his opponent to stand up and then unleashing his RKO when the opponent stumbles right into his clutches? Well then, you’re going to be one happy camper. Q: With the success of WWE All Stars, did your WWE '12 team learn anything from the fan reaction? What kinds of things are applicable to WWE '12 that was also in All Stars? Cory: I’ve been pushing for this type of product ever since I’ve started at THQ, and the team at THQ San Diego did a fantastic job executing on this. I worked on creating the original pitch for this game, and we set out to create a game where the experience would be something along the lines of WWE meets NBA Jam: a fun, accessible, over the top WWE game that complimented the simulation franchise we already had with SmackDown vs. Raw. I wasn’t surprised to see that fans took so well to the product. However, WWE ’12 and WWE All Stars are two completely different products. There are some elements that can be compared, while others we feel only belong in an over the top experience. We took notice of a lot of the core gameplay elements that made WWE All Stars so successful, such as their fast-paced match flow, simple controls, quality motions, quick response time and mid-move reversals. There is a lot to like in All Stars, and I think a lot of things that can translate well into WWE ’12. We looked at it like any other competitive product and tried to identify the elements that can help make WWE ’12 the best game possible. Q: There has been a ton of game franchises that have taken on a new name. Is WWE '12 just a name change? How will we know? What is your favorite (other) franchise re-invention? Cory: WWE ’12 is far from just a name change. Our goal has been to create a brand new experience with a new, high quality animation system, a new renderer and a new strategic gameplay experience that will look, feel and play substantially better than its predecessors. When you play the game, you’ll notice right away that you’re spending less time on the mat mashing buttons and more time enjoying the action with a faster paced gameplay flow, simpler game controls and the most fluid and realistic animations the game has ever seen. This is a true franchise reboot and not just a name change. It’s also an investment toward the future of the franchise, giving us the opportunity to use our new technology to push the game to new heights never seen before. Q: How far along in development are you on WWE '12? Cory: We started around the end of May 2010, so we are currently at the one year mark. We still have more months ahead for gameplay tuning and bug fixing, and then we are done. It feels like we never stop. One year bleeds into the next. With the multi-year plans, we are already planning for projects in the distant future. Q: What can we expect to see at E3? (expecting him to say "can't tell") Cory: We will be showing off a one on one match so that people can come by and take an early look on how the new and improved gameplay experience is looking. We will have four playable Superstars available, including one Superstar making his WWE game debut! The rest I can’t reveal just yet. You will have to play the game at E3 to find out what we’re up to! Q: What is the one thing you want in the WWE series that is not yet possible? Cory: Almost anything is possible. It just comes down to how much you have to sacrifice in order to get it. I know a lot of people have asked us to have eight, 10, 12 and even 20 Superstars in the ring at once. Although we could completely reconfigure the game to support this, a ton of effort would go into this rather than on developing other features. The game would also take significant hits to model and animation quality to make this happen; at the end of the day, it’s just not worth it. Although I agree it would be cool to have this for particular match types, it currently is just not worth the risk and work associated with the task.
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Post by evil on Jun 1, 2011 4:05:17 GMT
Additional info from IGN.com:
The WWE video game franchise is being entirely rebooted. The first screen shots of WWE 12 resemble SmackDown vs. RAW, but the similarities end there. THQ says it has “changed the game’s DNA” and the game “has been taken apart and put back together.” The previous control system of analog-stick grapples has been scrapped. The game has gone back to the retro format of grapple, strike, pin and finisher being controlled by the controller’s face buttons. There are no strong and weak grapples — the moves you perform will be based on how worn down your opponent is. There’s a new animation system, new blending methods, something called “Predator Technology” — basically, they went under the game’s hood and ripped out all the old stuff that people hated and plugged in brand new parts to try and make the most fluid wrestling game around. THQ is going above and beyond to bring a brand new feel to the game and make it feel as close to WWE programming as possible. New on screen graphics, shading effects and depth of field and camera angles are being used for the game. A new limb targeting system has been created. There is a new “Breaking Point” submission system where players tap buttons in a tug of war mini-game. Players will now be able to attack and taunt their opponents from all new positions. For example, Randy Orton can pound on the mat prior to performing his RKO finisher. There is a new “dynamic comebacks” feature to give matches a more dramatic feel. Difficulty levels of the computerized opponents have been re-calibrated.
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Post by Jason Youngblood on Jun 1, 2011 5:12:49 GMT
This predator technology sounds interesting. But I swear I just wanna live to be able to see a 5 on 5 Survivor Series match on ONE WWE/Smackdown game. The possibilities as far as what could be done with that in e feds are just endless.
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Post by joeseph on Jun 1, 2011 11:10:02 GMT
This could be either really good for the series or really bad. Though I agree with the guy that too many people expect fairly large changes overnight. I think this is something that would have been better as a project in the background for a couple years and just work on fine-tuning SvR. Making as many changes as they're claiming in just a year is asking for a buggy game.
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Post by evil on Jun 1, 2011 11:12:08 GMT
My honest opinion (thus far, based on the info given) is that WWE 12 should be a 'great' game. At least on paper. But, I have to say. We are likely not going to see the TRUE POTENTIAL of this revamped series flourish until WWE 13, o WWE 14. But I gotta admit. Its a nice start so far.
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MG Cage
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Post by MG Cage on Jun 1, 2011 11:14:23 GMT
Same, until I actually SEE some real improvement & not just read about it, I wont get hyped.
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Post by joeseph on Jun 1, 2011 11:42:41 GMT
I'll save my opinion on whether it's a good change even on paper until I read and see more about the changes. The fighting styles in 08 were great idea on paper, but the execution was horrible while I thought physics engine was a bad idea on paper(Due to time constraints in making the game), but executed greatly.
I'd like to see an improvement in 3D parts in CAW mode. A lot of them are too 3D and jut out from the body too much that they look really bad to me. Animations could use some fixing too. I want to use the Bicycle kick so much, but it looks like such shit. Same with a lot of Corner CAF and diving moves.
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Post by Chris Lionheart on Jun 1, 2011 12:45:06 GMT
Thanks for all these news pieces, Gen.
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Post by evil on Jun 1, 2011 12:48:14 GMT
Your welcome, and I'll keep adding as much info as i can get. Only thing I haven't added were the screenshots. So if somebody can get those for me. That be much appreciated. By the time E3 rolls around next week. We should have a better idea of what the game will be like, and be able to see some actual gameplay footage.
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Post by Chris Lionheart on Jun 1, 2011 12:52:06 GMT
I figure that here is as good a place as any to say that I am keeping an open ear to WWE 2012 in regards to moving onto it next year. I do plan to rent it for a week and test the crap out of it. But it is really going to have to be something special. The hacks for the Xbox360 version of SVR2011 have created for us a very good efed environment, where the female caws can compete in any match type, or we can create custom movesets etc.
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Post by evil on Jun 1, 2011 13:10:42 GMT
More detailed info from IGN.com:
For years WWE SmackDown vs. Raw has been the Sports Entertainment simulation series from THQ and Yuke's Media Creations. It's been a fun ride, but as with any franchise, fans have complained about annual aspects over and over again. Turns out the developers were listening, killed the series, and are planning on fixing things with WWE '12.
The stiff animations, the characters warping into place for certain moves, the confusing right analog stick controls for grapples -- WWE '12 is addressing all of that and feels good so far. That's pretty damn exciting.
THE NUTS AND BOLTS STUFF Now, it would be easy to glance at screenshots and assume THQ and developer Yuke's Media Creatures just dumped the WWE SmackDown vs. Raw name and called it a day. That's what I did. For a few days leading into my meeting, THQ had been telling me this game was going to be unlike any other WWE game I had seen, but when I finally laid eyes on it, WWE '12 sure did look similar to WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011.
Then, I started to play it. THQ and Yuke's didn't just change the name, they changed the game's DNA. There's a new animation system, new blending methods, something called "Predator Technology" -- basically, they went under the game's hood and ripped out all the old stuff that people hated and plugged in brand new parts to try and make the most fluid wrestling game around.
When John Cena's suplexing an opponent, a third Superstar can punch Cena and break up the move. You can do that for any move -- even Finishers and mini-games like the Royal Rumble eliminations. When you're slammed to the mat at the beginning of a bout, you're going to sell the move and get up at the same time so that the match keeps a fast-paced feel. When you're getting up from any move, you're going to have a window to strike before you're even to your feet. The goal is to have a game that feels like anything can happen from any position and eradicate that stiffness and clunkiness that has always been a calling card of WWE SmackDown vs. Raw.
For me, it all came together watching a three-man match. Orton laid out an opponent and went to the ring apron, Cena immediately started his 5-Knuckle Shuffle routine on the downed man, and as Cena was coming down, Randy Orton launched himself from the apron to land a splash. Orton hit, Cena hit, and Orton hit again. The sequence was polished and fast -- it looked like a spot from ECW of old. There was no blown animation as the character on the ground reacted to the first move and ignored the other.
People don't warp to the center of the ring for a 5-Knuckle Shuffle and similar moves anymore; the move happens where it happens. The ropes no longer stay awkwardly still during matches; you slam someone and the ring reacts. The tired fonts and menus of old have been ditched for a new setup. Visually, new shaders and tech have been introduced to make the game look better than ever. There's definition to the character's faces instead of the blur there was last year, and depth of field has been introduced to give the brand new arenas weight and realism.
The game, according to THQ, has been taken apart and put back together, and from the little I've seen, I believe them -- though the changes aren't monumental when you stare at a still image, they shine in motion.
GAMEPLAY Seeing the game in motion is where the proof of all these Predators and shaders lives. I've already talked about how the moves flow together, but there's more to it than that. The days of analog stick grapples are over. Now, everything's going back to the face buttons of your favorite controller. Grapple, strike, pin and Finisher are all right there for the taking. There are no strong and weak grapples -- the moves you're pulling off are dependent on how worn down the opponent is.
That's all well and good, but there are specific things THQ has peppered in that affect the gameplay. First, there's limb targeting in WWE '12. You can attack the head, arms or legs, and while this obviously puts you in a good place for certain finishers, it also really twists the match in whatever direction you want it to go. If you're up against a lightning quick high flier, you can work the legs so the opponent can't get around as quickly and can't zip up the turnbuckles. Work the head, and the opponent is going to be a groggy mess. All this plays into how easy it'll be to get an opponent to tap in the new "Breaking Point" submission system where players tap buttons in a tug of war mini-game.
Epic brawls are going to look like the epic brawls you see on TV -- both in terms of the new camera angle that's more pulled back and the gameplay speed I talked about earlier -- but they get even more like Monday Night Raw when you add in the new Wake Up Taunts in WWE '12. Basically, you know how Randy Orton pounds the ground before he goes to hit his Finisher on TV? That can happen in the game now. You knock your opponent down with your Finisher primed, hit the taunt button, and you'll get a celebration that ends with the opponent getting to his feet in the perfect setup for your big move. The opponent gets a chance at reversing it, but it really brings together that TV style presentation THQ's been working on for the last few years.
That said, I thought the stamina bar was a bit of a step backwards in WWE '12. The last few WWE SmackDown vs. Raw games incorporated a barely visible halo around the Superstars feet to keep players in-tune with how they're doing in a match and not distract from the presentation. As of now, WWE '12 features a big meter with a name on it at the bottom of the screen showing how close you are to building a Signature or Finisher (you can store two Finishers). I found it jarring as the game looks better than ever and is trying so hard to mimic broadcasts.
Still, that's the only gripe I have with the new direction. WWE '12 also adds Dynamic Comebacks, which are those tried and true combos you see folks like Cena throw out that take them from the edge of defeat to clearing the ring. If you reach a certain amount of damage, you'll be able to have a shot to use this one-time combo. Pull it off, and you get two Finishers.
These stored Finishers and Dynamic Comebacks make it seem like my friends and I are going to have some awesome matches, but THQ and Yuke's want you to have awesome matches with computer-controlled opponents, too. The AI learns this time around. If you spam run attacks like I do (I'm infamous on the Internet for my floatover DDT), the computer opponent is supposed to recognize that and be ready to counter it. For the first time, THQ says that the computer is going to remember what you've been doing and what it's been doing. (i.e. if it picks up a chair, it's not going to drop it -- it's going to hit you with it.)
Balancing the difficulty isn't just a focus when it comes to the man versus machine matches. THQ found that people figured out how to master the pinning system pretty quickly in SVR 11, so it's been redone in WWE '12. It's still a metered system (hold a button to fill a meter and release it when it gets to a window on the meter), but the window moves around this time at random -- it won't always be in the same spot. Similarly, the window size varies on how beat up you are, and if you're pinned after the opponent hits his Finisher, the meter might not pop up to the two-count so you'd only have one shot at it.
WHEW All that, and there's still more to say. Unless your opponent is really hurting, expect to get just one ground grapple in. The right stick repositions opponents. Animations change based on weight classes. There are new "attach points" for moves so that hands and legs lock to certain points in certain moves and don't clip through bodies. Justin Roberts is here as the ring announcer, King and Cole are confirmed, and Alberto Del Rio's entrance comes complete with Ricardo Rodriguez.
There's a lot to WWE '12, and I won't pretend that I've seen it all. As it stands, this taste served its purpose -- I had fun playing and can't wait to see more. We'll all admit that WWE SmackDown vs. Raw was getting stale and doing the same thing year after year, so a relaunch that tackles a lot of fan complaints head on is very exciting. Let's just hope it doesn't suck.
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Post by Chris Lionheart on Jun 1, 2011 13:25:01 GMT
To elaborate to what I said earlier.... As well as liking the freedoms we have with the X360 hacks right now on 2011, I want to add a 'general' reason for renting this game despite how good it may sound on paper by the time we get to release time.
See that's the thing, it can rock on paper. As 2011 did with it's no stat-grinding to build attributes, setting abilities straight away, improved community creations, nxt/nitro arenas, different hair pieces between attires, multi-color change caw parts. But until I actually have it in my hands I'm just going to "deadpan" and improvement news, such as the new submission system. I want to play the shit out of the game on a week's rental to find out if this game has it's own version of 2011's 'CAW appearance mode getting ripped apart', and 'movesets restricted up the ass', as it's own nasty out-of-the-box surprises that we don't hear about until it's too late and we've purchased/rented the game.
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