The original Xbox had quite a few wrestling titles during its heyday, but they were all unfortunately horrible. Now with the Xbox 360 THQ decided to be a little more generous to Microsoft when it comes to the squared circle by bringing their critically acclaimed WWE Smackdown! Vs. RAW series to Microsoft’s premier next-gen console, will Microsoft’s console finally reach main event status in the world of professional wrestling or will the 360 have another Wrestlemania 21 on their hands.
This year’s game has a lot of major improvements over last years. The biggest improvement is in the grappling system. Grapples will now be set to the right analog stick and the right bumper button will be used to toggle between weak and strong grapples. The analog grappling system will allow for very cool situations, for example you can now pick up someone for a suplex and hold them in the move and walk them over to the guard rail, table, ladder, etc. and drop them right where it hurts. Of course you won’t be able to have a character like Rey Mysterio pick a guy like Big Show up for a suplex and walk around, so physics will apply here. In addition to the new grappling system, THQ has also taken the chance to revamp several matches, including the ladder and cage matches. Now in order to get the belt from the ladder you will use the analog sticks to grab the belt instead of simply jumping up and hanging from the belt, also added this year is the Money in the Bank ladder match from Wrestlemania 21 and 22. The cage match will work in a similar manner to the ladder match by using the analog sticks to climb out of the cage instead of tapping the face buttons like a “Wild Manâ€; all three of you Marc Maro fans out there should get that reference. Aside from the revamped grappling system and matches, you will also be able to take the action into the crowd for the first time in several years.
Graphically the Smackdown! Vs. RAW series has always brought the best out of the hardware it is running on and the 360 is no exception. Smackdown! Vs. RAW 2007 is nearly picture-perfect on the 360. The wrestlers themselves all look identical to their real life counter-parts down to fine details like Triple H’s large nose and the lettering on John Cena’s boxers because he is the doctor of thuganomics after all. In addition to all of that, each wrestler will also sweat as a match progresses and the sweat will stain the mat and you will see it dripping off the wrestlers’ bodies, making the 360 the first console to feature high-def sweaty men in tights!
Yuke’s and THQ have announced a roster of 50 superstars; including the usual top tier talent like Triple H, The Undertaker, John Cena, Batista, and Shawn Michaels. And new to this years game are; The Boogeyman, Johnny Nitro, Joey Mercury, Melina, Umaga, Super Crazy, Great Khali, Finaly, Bobby Lashley, and of course Misssssstttteeeerrrrr KEEEEENNNNEEEDDDY……. Kennedy. With a roster of 50 current superstars, well mostly current both Kurt Angle and Boogeyman are no longer with the company, WWE Smackdown! Vs. RAW 2007 is shaping up to be the next world champion of pro wrestling video games. Continue to check back at AMN for more in depth coverage and late breaking news on WWE Smackdown! Vs. RAW 2007 before its scheduled November 14th release.
