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Go! Sports Ski to exclusively use motion controls
When the Go! Sports Ski trailer appeared on the PlayStation Store, we can't say we were too impressed. Sports games are a dime a dozen, and it appears that Go! Sports Ski will have unique Sixaxis motion-controls. In fact, that's the only way it'll be controlled.This downloadable title will be available on the Store later this year, and will feature global rankings and online play for up to four players. Stay tuned for more details.%Gallery-5022%
New Ring of Fates video: Jumpin' Yuke Flash
Square Enix is keeping up its media push for Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates with yet another video, adding onto its bombardment of scans and screenshots to draw in anyone who hasn't already decided to pick up the game's special-edition DS Lite bundle. This week's clip features Alhanarlem, one of the main characters from the ARPG's spellcasting tribe of Yukes, leaping from platform to platform in what looks like a competitive minigame in which players race through a stage to find a hidden blue switch. Power-ups are scattered around the field, but their effects aren't revealed until they're grabbed. Vault past the post break for the embedded movie.
Yuke's chats up improvements in next Smackdown!
Knowing the number of WWE fans that read PSP Fanboy, I'd feel wrong not sharing some details from Gamespot's recent interview with Yuke's. Here's what fans can expect in Smackdown! vs Raw 2008: A big focus this year is making more differentiated, and complex fighting styles A vastly improved and more realistic animation system, with more animations than ever before, and a motion blending system The motion blending system also allows for better controls of your wrestlers ECW's inclusion means lots more weapons in the game 24/7 mode will allow the gamer to experience the ECW invasion and as always work their way through the ranks to become WWE champ Yuke's wants Smackdown! to be one of the premier fighting games on all the systems. We'll have to wait for the title's release to see how they do.
WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2008 first screens
THQ recently announced their latest entry into the never-ending realm of man v. man dramatic fighting known as wrestling. This one, WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2008, is set to release on practically every console known to man, but we've got a good handful of screenshots for you to enjoy. Speaking of wrestling, which of the "fighting" style games do you find most enjoyable? Are you the wrestling nut? If so, what... ah... subgenre of wrestling is your pie? Prefer boxing? Or are you the classic martial arts fighter, finding the most joy in tossing out a hadoken (forgive the spelling if incorrect) and slamming your opponent with a shoryuken (again, sorry)? We asked how people felt about different racing game styles, so now we're asking you, the battling enthusiasts!
Fans get their wish: ECW coming to SmackDown vs Raw 2008
A while back, I asked what readers wanted to see from SmackDown vs Raw 2008. One of the most requested additions was that of ECW wrestlers. Well, either someone was listening or they think just like PSP Fanboy readers. THQ is saying ECW will have a "significant" presence in this year's wrestler. ECW superstars, arenas and luckily weapons will be in the game. On the gameplay front, THQ said "realism and strategy are at the forefront". There will be a new submission system, new rosters, more interaction areas, more outside the ring action, new online community additions, and finally a combined season and general manager mode. Sounds like this will be the best WWE game yet! [Via Gamespot]
Smackdown vs Raw 2008 screens are slammin!
THQ just released a few screenshots for their latest wrestling installment WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2008. Xboxygen posted all fifteen newly released screenshots and to be honest ... they are very pretty. The character models are highly detailed, accurately representing their real-life wrestlers without the facial scanning oddities. Seriously, these models are very good. We'll have to see if the environments are equally gorgeous and how gameplay works out, but these shots are promising. Anyone a huge wrestling fan and looking forward to a little WWE wrestling?
Smackdown vs Raw 2008 Announced
THQ announced to investors today that it would release WWE titles for every platform imaginable. That means the PSP will be getting its third WWE wrestling game in so many years. No real details were announced for the 2008 edition, but to anyone that has followed wrestling games, it should be painfully obvious that features will be added and the roster of wrestlers will be updated. And one can only hope that ECW will be incorporated fully. [Via IGN]
Smackdown returns, do the load times still suck?
Smackdown is out today. I was originally going to do a Metareview for this game, but I decided: why not focus on the one crucial flaw of last year's game? The load times. As you may remember, WWE SmackDown! 2006 got smacked down by the gaming community by having quite possibly the worst load times of any game in recent memory. Is this year's iteration of the popular wrestling franchise any better? Let's find out: Gamespot (79/100) - "Load times are still a big issue, as well, though not quite as humongous an issue as they were last year. Prematch load times are still long and annoying, especially when you have entrances set to on; menu transitions, especially in season mode, take longer than they ought to; and creating a wrestler can still be a time-consuming process, thanks to the loading. Again, Yuke's did improve this aspect somewhat this year, but load times continue to get in the way of the game." Games Radar (80/100) - "The developers remembered this, too; they made a focused effort to drastically reduce loading. And it worked: the loads aren't lightning quick, but they are far faster, now measuring in double-digit seconds instead of minutes." GameZone (85/100) - "On to the bad news, the game suffers from heavy lag that just doesn't pertain to the Ad Hoc multiplayer mode but throughout the single-player mode as well. This, of course, is a major annoyance that often leads to missed punches or choke slams. Secondly, the long load times are back, although - on a lighter note -they're not as frequent as the first game." The critics say the load times have improved, but are they tolerable yet? I'm placing an open challenge to all readers: if you own this game, please make a similar video, for PSP Fanboy fame, and maybe even a little swag, or something.
Smackdown wrestlers' intro videos
It only feels like yesterday when we were making fun of WWE Smackdown (it was, in fact, two days ago). So, maybe, we'll be a little bit nicer this time. A new year means the developers have a chance to get things right. Get rid of the load times. GamesRadar has been nice enough to grab all the wrestler intro videos from the upcoming Smackdown game, and convert it into iPod PSP format. Simply download their files, and dump it into your 2.80 PSP's VIDEO folder. The new year of Smackdown hits stores November 1st.
WWE SmackDown 2006 to frustrate even more players at new budget price
A press release from THQ today proudly proclaimed that their wrestling title, WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2006, is now available in the low-budget Greatest Hits lineup. According to the press release the game "includes updated fighting and stamina systems, impressive graphics, integrated motion capture technology and authentic SuperStar voiceovers, bringing game play to life with unprecedented levels of realism and strategy during matches." They forgot to mention that the game also features some of the worst load times... ever. Those of you with great patience may want to give this a shot, though. If you can ignore horrendous load times, you'll see that $20 will net you a pretty solid wrestling game. [Via PSP World]
SmackDown series to miss PS3 launch, making next-gen debut on Xbox 360
Following rumors that the PlayStation 3 version of WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007 has been cancelled, THQ confirmed that its perennial wrasslin' series will not boost the PS3 launch lineup this holiday. Instead, SmackDown 2007 will ship for PS2 and PSP, and more importantly, will make its 'next-gen' debut exclusively on Xbox 360. THQ did add that the SmackDown franchise would eventually make it onto PS3, but not until holiday 2007.
Pics of sweaty men [update 1]
Pro-G has posted some new screen shots of WWE SmackDown! Vs. RAW 2007. Wrestling is decidedly not my thing, but the shots look pretty nice. Developed by Yuke's and published by THQ, the game is set to feature online play with in game voice chat as well as a new grappling system. Expect to see the game by Christmas. Be sure to check out the screens if rippled, oily menfolk tickle your fancy (or you could always look at this instead). [Via Evil Avatar] Update: The game should be out this Christmas, not Christmas 2007.
New WWE SmackDown! Vs. RAW 2007 screens
Coming to you like a flying sidekick are these fresh new screens for WWE SmackDown! Vs. RAW 2007. Whether you're a fan of the piledriver or not, the aesthetics for this head-crunching title are undeniably appealing. THQ is saying it has "more realistic fighting" also, so maybe it'll reach out to other gamers who might not vibe with men in tight pants and funny masks.
New WWE game announced
Must... Try... To Control... Excitement... Oh, wait, that was easy. Continuing the trend of putting out one average wrestling game after another, the "wrestling" (from some of their shows, you have to wonder...) behemoth that is WWE have announced yet another PS2 video game. Imaginatively titled Smackdown vs Raw 2006, the game will include, for the first time, stamina, adding more strategy and realism to the matches. No word on whether poor booking, ridiculously ill conceived plots, and wrestlers with talent being fired while untalented idiots keep their jobs will be part of the season mode. That would truly bring WWE videogame realism to a new level.
No WWE at E3
For those quivering in anticipation of the new WWE Smackdown vs Raw title being revealed at E3, we're afraid you're going to have to keep quivering. Try not to hurt yourself. The logic at THQ, if you can call it that, is that, apparently, revealing the game AFTER E3 has a bigger impact. Really not sure how that works, since everyone knows E3, everyone knows the really big players make big announcements at E3, and everyone expects the big names to be revealed at E3. The move paints THQ as bush league, but the title will still sell, even if they do no promotion whatsoever, so let's let them have their little fantasy, shall we.
WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw: a great letdown
Since the turn of the century, THQ's SmackDown! franchise has been churning out titles year after year, courtesy of Yuke's development team. Alright, so five years & six games isn't record breaking, but THQ has been in the wrestling business for a long time now and perhaps reached the pinnacle (at least in this generation) with last year's Here Comes the Pain. That's not to say this year's installment is along the lines of Just Bring It, but it is a bit of a letdown. The two most talked about features, online play & WWE voice acting, are really disappointing. The online component is a shockingly bare bones affair that seems like it belongs in the first generation of broadband console games. As for the voice acting, it ranges from pitiful to believable, but generally remains just tolerable. A few additions have been added to the gameplay, including minigames that mimic stare downs, shoving matches, chop battles, & spanking contests (sorry, ladies only). The character models remain top-notch, and the arena options/match types are overwhelming, but Yuke's still fell short of true innovation. If you're a fan of the series, you'll likely enjoy SmackDown! vs. Raw the same way a Madden-head enjoys each annual installment. It's a great wrestling game, just don't expect it to redefine the genre.
