Smackdown:Just Bring It That's likely why the wrestler list has contracted in comparison to the PlayStation games, although the listing we have is preliminary -- the figure we're given for the final version is "35 to 50." WCW wrestlers are a possibility, but that decision is in the hands of the suits, not the developers. Even if they don't appear, though, you can create them or any other character from a selection of more than 1,000 edit parts. That's not as many as SmackDown! 2 (which had 2,500), but it's still a substantial array of cosmetic options, and those options will be made available by an improved GUI, with more animating elements and other nifty stuff. Created and licensed wrestlers can compete in a total of 67 different match types, counting all the different combinations of matches and stipulations. That figure is rather stretching it, but there's still an awful lot of different possibilities, including six-man matches and eight-man battle royales (although only four human players are supported as yet). The Royal Rumble should be much closer to the real-life mayhem, too. Table and TLC matches are included for those of a garbagey bent, and the developers are hoping (as we are) that the table-breaking mechanics will be a little more versatile than before. No changes in that area are confirmed, however. SmackDown! Just Bring It, as with SmackDowns past, is guaranteed to spawn its share of mysteries while it goes through development. The Season mode, for example, is still a very big question mark, although it's one of the areas most in need of improvement (you wouldn't believe the number of players who couldn't even get their wrestlers in a match in that mode). We can be fairly sure, however, that it will live up to the standards of presentation set in the first two games -- though they were both in need of improvement, they were leaps ahead of the competition in terms of realism and gameplay. Check back in a couple of days for the latest news from E3, where we'll get a new look at what Yuke's and THQ have in store. 78 styles of matches. Specific match types are not yet known. 35 superstars. The specific roster is not yet available and probably not yet finalized. Over 1,000 moves. It is not yet known if the 3D through a table is one of them. Six-man tag team matches. Nine wrestlers in the ring at once, presumably in the Royal Rumble or in matches with run-ins. Play-by-play commentary. Yes, there will be commentary. Finally. 60fps framerate. SmackDown! 3 will allow players an unprecedented freedom of movement and action around the ring and stage before, during, and after matches. You'll be able to Pearl Harbor an opponent on the entrance ramp, distract the ref before cheating, engage in extracurricular confrontations, and otherwise re-create even more of the violence and theatrics of the real-life WWF. That's the skinny as we know it so far, but THQ will definitely have more information coming soon, especially as E3 approaches. Finally, wrestling fans have something to look forward on PS2, and if the past SmackDown!s are any indication, they won't be too badly disappointed when THQ's next game hits the streets this fall. |
These will be made into links... |