For those who dont have Insider, go see the Play of the Day for a look at the Parking Lot Brawl :cool:

Smackdown Countdown: Mr Perfect
 

http://ps2media.ign.com/ps2/image/ar...2060050210.jpg

Video 1 - Entrance

Woooo Mr Perfect :love: He comes out with towel in hand, and throws it up his back and catches it again :heart: He walks down to the ring and gets in by jumping over the top rope. He then climbs the turnbuckle and salutes the crowd.

Video 2 - Legends fight

Perfect vs Hanzo, Perfect takes Hanzo down with a Northen Lights suplex for a two count and then hits the sambo suplex when he gets back up. Perfect then locks in a neck submission and then an ARM BAR/elbow combo.

Video 3 - Legends finish

Perfect hits an ARM BAR DDT and then takes Hanzo down with an enziguri. Perfect the executes the Perfect Plex and gets the three count. Perfect then celebrates as Hanzo cant believe his luck.

http://ps2media.ign.com/ps2/image/ar...2055807695.jpg
http://ps2media.ign.com/ps2/image/ar...2055809211.jpg
http://ps2media.ign.com/ps2/image/ar...2055808555.jpg

Smackdown Countdown: Roddy Piper
 

http://ps2media.ign.com/ps2/image/ar...2062851902.jpg

Video 1 - Entrance

So it seems the World Tag team champions are in this game after all, whoops, spoiler warning. Piper comes out in his Hot Rod t-shirt and plays up to the crowd. He walks down to the ring and gets in to a chorus of boo's. He then poses for the crowd.

Video 2 - Legends fight

Piper vs Hanzo, Piper reverses a move which gets Hanzo a smack in the nuts. Piper hits another low blow and after some reversals Piper locks in an adominal stretch. Piper goes low, again and hits a running neck breaker on the ref lol

Video 3 - Legends finish

Piper drops a knee across Hanzo's face and slams him down by the head. Piper hits the Double Arm DDT and then locks in the Sleeper Hold. Hanzo fades away and Piper wins the match. He then celebrates his victory, and the crowd are now cheering for him.

http://ps2media.ign.com/ps2/image/ar...2062724075.jpg
http://ps2media.ign.com/ps2/image/ar...2062722965.jpg
http://ps2media.ign.com/ps2/image/ar...2062722356.jpg

His entrance seems like it was made for the current Piper we have...you know, the crazy, open-mouthed, silent-scream, wacky Piper that we have now, as opposed to what he was like 20 years ago. They don't even have him screaming during the parts where his arms are outstretched and his head is bobbing.

And LOL @ the World Tag Champs comments. Great. Just great.

I'm doing everyone for the countdown since its late. Unfortunately, I won't be able to post until sometime later this week as I have to hop on a plane in a few hours -- just not enough time in the day to do it all.

credit - Jeremy Dunham

Here are the 19, thats right, 19, not 5 like in SvR 2006, superstar entrances

1."The British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith
2.Hollywood Hulk Hogan
3.The Hurricane
4.Doug Basham
5.Little Guido/Danny Basham
6."The Million Doller Man" Ted DiBiase
7.Scotty 2 Hotty
8.Muhammad Hassan
9.Andrè The Giant
10."The Mouth Of The South" Jimmy Hart(Megaphone included)
11.Paul London/Brian Kenrick
12.Jake "The Snake" Roberts(with Damion bag)
13.Brock Lesnar
14.a Diva entrance
15.Christy Hemme
16.Eugene
17.FUCK YEAH, "Y2J" Chris Jericho
18.Christian Cage
19.Orlando Jordan

credit - WrestlingGames.de, from the Create-An-Entrance video

edit - still stumped on 14, but Fugitive was right about Bulldog and Doug/Danny Basham

Good to see that the CAW actually comes out with Jimmy's microphone. Perhaps this means that a CAW will actually come out with Trips' water bottle this time.

I could be wrong but I get the feeling that number 1 is Davey Boy Smith and 14 is Stacy Keibler. Number 4 has got me stumped.

Actually, scratch that. Watching it a few times, I know who that is now. Number 4 is Doug Basham and number 5 is Danny Basham.

No Goldberg? :(

seriously? That re-fuckin-tarded!

This roster is ok. The greatest roster EVER though was in Here Comes The Pain.

This game is ace. Taking Gregory Gelms on a Raw season. Lightweights can do fuck all striking against someone like Big Show, it's quite entertaining to find other ways to beat them :D

Where did you watch them?

http://ps2media.ign.com/ps2/image/ar...6105716409.jpg

Finishers - Diving Headbutt and Diving Moonsault 1

STR 9
SUB 7.5
DUR 8.5
TEC 7.5
SPD 6
CHA 8
HRD 8.5
STA 6.5

PS2
Bam Bam Bigelow's Entrance
Bam Bam Bigelow vs Talmadge
Diving Moonsault and Diving Headbutt

http://ps2media.ign.com/ps2/image/ar...6114333774.jpg

Finishers - Elbow Drop 7 and Piledriver 2

STR 7.5
SUB 8
DUR 8
TEC 8
SPD 6.5
CHA 9
HRD 8
STA 6.5

PS2
Dusty Rhodes' Entrance
Dusty Rhodes vs Hanzo
Bionic Elbow Drop

credit - Jeremy Dunham, ps2.ign.com

http://ps2media.ign.com/ps2/image/ar...7000434119.jpg

Finishers - Diving Fist Drop and Piledriver 1

STR 7.5
SUB 7.5
DUR 7.5
TEC 8
SPD 7
CHA 8.5
HRD 7.5
STA 7.5

PS2
Jerry Lawler's Entrance
Jerry Lawler vs Talmadge
Piledriver

http://ps2media.ign.com/ps2/image/ar...7013009592.jpg

Finishers - Ground Tazzmission and Back Tazzmission 2

STR 8
SUB 9.5
DUR 7.5
TEC 8.5
SPD 7
CHA 7
HRD 9
STA 7.5

PS2
Tazz's Entrance
Tazz vs Talmadge
Tazzmission

credit - Jeremy Dunham, ps2.ign.com

http://ps2media.ign.com/ps2/image/ar...7003934869.jpg

Finishers - Powerslam 4 and Shoulder Block 2

STR 8.5
SUB 7.5
DUR 8.5
TEC 7.5
SPD 6.5
CHA 8
HRD 7.5
STA 7

PS2
Jim Neidhart's Entrance
Jim Neidhart vs Hanzo
Anvil Slam

http://ps2media.ign.com/ps2/image/ar...6111904975.jpg

Finishers - Sharpshooter and Piledriver 2

STR 8
SUB 10
DUR 8
TEC 9.5
SPD 6.5
CHA 8
HRD 7.5
STA 9

PS2
Bret Hart's Entrance
Bret Hart vs Talmadge
Sharpshooter

credit - Jeremy Dunham, ps2.ign.com

http://ps2media.ign.com/ps2/image/ar...7011615004.jpg

Finishers - Stunner 1 and Stunner 3

STR 8.5
SUB 7.5
DUR 8
TEC 8
SPD 7.5
CHA 10
HRD 8.5
STA 8

PS2
Steve Austin's Entrance
Steve Austin vs Hanzo
Stone Cold Stunner

http://ps2media.ign.com/ps2/image/ar...7010056139.jpg

Finishers - Rock Bottom and The People's Elbow

STR 8
SUB 8.5
DUR 8
TEC 9.5
SPD 7.5
CHA 10
HRD 7.5
STA 8

PS2
The Rock's Entrance
The Rock vs Hanzo
Rock Bottom and The People's Elbow

credit - Jeremy Dunham, ps2.ign.com

Number 14 looks like Maria to me.

http://ps2.ign.com/articles/744/744193p1.html

Videogames based on the world of professional wrestling, like the event itself, have always had their share of big pops and blown spots. For every No Mercy or Here Comes the Pain, there's a Rumble Roses or Legends of Wrestling waiting backstage. Luckily for THQ, its annual WWE SmackDown series has typically been on the upside of things -- adding enough yearly improvements to keep fans happy with what Vince and company bring to the table. But like most great wrestlers who stick with the same gimmick for far too long, WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007 is starting to feel a little too familiar for its own good.

Now don't misunderstand, SmackDown 2007 is still an impressive combination of wrestling, storytelling, and customization. Like every year before it, it offers a number of new gameplay and feature additions and continues its reign as one of the better looking combat games around. The issue here is that after eight straight years of Yuke's modus operandi, the presentational formula hasn't evolved enough to feel as fresh as it used to. But we'll have more on that a little later. First, let's talk about what SmackDown does right -- and that includes a lot.

http://ps2media.ign.com/ps2/image/ar...027542-000.jpg

Let's begin with the control scheme, which is the first and most obvious difference between this year's title and those that came before it. Wrestler control has been moved to the right analog stick instead of the face buttons and, though there is a definite learning curve (which can take as long as a week to get used to), the new system is definitely more responsive and fun to use than the old method. Another benefit of the new system is that it makes flowing from one move into another easier because the analog stick emulates realistic movements more naturally (though not on the same level as something like Fight Night or NHL 2K7). It's hard to go back to older SmackDowns after using the analog configuration.

Tying into the analog grappling system is another one of SmackDown vs. Raw's more appealing new features, the "Ultimate Control Moves." Initiated by a press of the R3 button, ultimate control adds much-needed player influence on the action at hand. Though it can't be used for every move in your arsenal, the UCMs do allow you to control the speed and frequency of certain powerslams, DDTs, powerbombs, and suplexes. The only downside to these maneuvers, is that they aren't always balanced properly -- sapping your stamina dry after you perform three or four "groin on the ring" pushes, while allowing you to pull off three or four repeating powerbombs with similar (or perhaps even less) stamina repercussions. It's a neat idea sure, but not without its problems.

http://ps2media.ign.com/ps2/image/ar...253837-000.jpg

Perhaps the most entertaining (and addictive) new feature for SVR '07, is the inclusion of environmental hot spots and the option to fight in the crowd. To THQ's credit, these mini-sequences really capture the feeling of the WWE's more brutal match-ups (the hardcore matches of the late '90s in particular spring to mind) and are definitely fun to play. Not only do these environmental interactions allow users to throw opponents into speakers and strangle them with cords, but it also allows them to smash heads into staircases, grab a fan's sign to build heat, or send an opponent flying through the Spanish announcer's table. Fun stuff.

Another admirable fix to SmackDown this year is the more realistic Season Mode. Featuring more than 40 original storylines with beginnings, endings, and the occasional branching path, the fully-voiced season has familiar and not-so familiar narratives that should please most WWE fanatics. Examples of just some of the stories you'll see includes a pack of small wrestlers banding together to take out their larger competition; one of SmackDown's biggest names betrays his brand right before the Survivor Series; and your character is transformed into a hot young woman while feuding with Edge thanks to a magic wand. Character-specific storylines and events based on your superstar's overall standing are also included. Just don't expect it all to play out like it has in season's past -- now there is no true calendar year; players just endlessly transition from feud to feud.

Of course, the most improved feature this year is the General Manager Mode. Building on the same foundation that powered last year's game, the new GM option offers a number of new goodies -- including the ability to hire writers for better storylines, the option to send superstars to Heat and Velocity for improved popularity, and full access to the "Power 25" rankings from WWE.com. As an added bonus, users can even hop in and wrestle any of the matches on their schedule at any time. Simulation nuts will likely go crazy over this.

http://ps2media.ign.com/ps2/image/ar...059504-000.jpg

Believe it or not, there are plenty of other little fixes and bonuses that THQ has thrown in for good measure. An all-new endless reversal system, additional player creation parts and options (200 trimmings in all, with a "stylize" option to emphasize personal touches), and the highly-anticipated "Money in the Bank" match are but a few of the tidbits worth mentioning. Combine that with refined ladder matches, slightly improved online options over last year (strangely, Xbox Live supports only four users, while the PS2 supports up to six), and the requisite increase in moves, and you can see why SmackDown is strong force in the ring yet again.

So with all the positives listed above, where does the valid criticism for WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007 start to creep in? Well, the most obvious place is with the animations. Despite having a number of new moves and ringwalks (primarily mo-capped by Doug Basham for all you trivia hounds out there), the vast majority of SmackDown's moveset feels just as familiar now as it did eight years ago. Despite the eventual move from keyframe to motion capture, a strong portion of the maneuvers here still feel like they're two generations old -- requiring users to wait until most of them have finished playing out before they can react. The "selling" animations are the biggest culprit, however, as it's not uncommon to catch an opponent sleeping for three or four moves in a row because, though their character isn't really hurt, their reaction animation is so lengthy they can't avoid their opponent's next move.

http://ps2media.ign.com/ps2/image/ar...919083-000.jpg

SmackDown further gives off the impression that it's an older game thanks to an outdated roster and structure. The ECW brand, for example, hasn't been split into its own show as it was in reality five months ago and many of SmackDown and Raw's wrestlers are branded to the wrong show or use an old gimmick (Vito doesn't have his dress, Booker isn't a king, etc). What's more, superstars Paul Burchill, Psicosis, Joey Mercury, Kid Kash, and Mark Henry aren't even on WWE programming anymore, and the WWE's rival (TNA) has its biggest superstar, Kurt Angle, listed as the most dominant wrestler in the game. Whoops!

On a related note, the roster issues are made even more disheartening because of its omissions. Prominent tag teams from all brands, such as all five members of the Spirit Squad, Kendrick and London, and several others haven't been included at all, while other personalities such as AA Estrada, Charlie Haas, and Tatanka have been left off the lineup as well. It's understandable if recent impact players like Sylvester Terkay, The Miz, CM Punk, or Jeff Hardy didn't make it because of time constraints, but to see guys who have been around for more than a year and still not make the cut... is just sort of weird.

And what about those wait times? From start to finish, SmackDown vs. Raw 2007 loads slower and more often than a terrified civil war soldier. Almost every screen in the game past the initial menu loads in upwards of 10-20 seconds every time one is selected. There are even instances where... I kid you not... you have to go through a load screen to get to the next load screen. Couple this waiting time with the occasional PS2 lock-up (it seems to happen most during matches with multiple wrestlers -- must be memory issues) and the same non-aggressive AI from the past couple of years, and you can understand why the game feels a bit dated.

http://ps2media.ign.com/ps2/image/ar...931250-000.jpg

Does this handful of issues make SmackDown 2007 a bad game? Of course not, no sports or fighting title is ever without its problems. But given the current state of videogames and the continued progress that developers have made with AI, downloadable content, and realistic animation routines (especially on the next-gen level), SVR '07s lack of competitive fire in these areas certainly shows what's in need of an overhaul -- particularly going into next year, when all three next-generation systems are in full swing and expectations are high.

Closing Comments
Don't let our nitpicking fool you (after all, we snipe because we care) -- WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007 is still an imposing beast of a wrestling game. Regardless of its dated animations, rosters, and foolish AI, it's still a heck of a lot of fun. Thousands of different grappling holds await those who tread its squared circle, while the new analog-based mechanics and ultimate control moves add depth to a system that most would expect to be exhausted. In other words, think of SmackDown 2007 as the Ric Flair of videogames -- a wrestling great with enough titles and fond memories to keep its forward momentum for yet another, but aged to a point where we're questioning how much longer it can go.

7.5 Presentation
A strong collection of storylines are supported by a deadly accurate WWE broadcast style. Epoch-long load times at every turn, however, take away from the fun.

8.5 Graphics
Yuke's still knows how to make great current-gen character models and environments and it shows in SVR '07. The animations look great too... even if we have seen them for years.

7.0 Sound
Commentary is more diverse than last year, but it will still repeat rather quickly and it makes a number of silly mistakes. Total voice-overs for current superstars and most of the intro musics helps.

8.0 Gameplay
The proven SmackDown grappling mechanics get a much-needed boost from analog control, environmental hot spots, and UCMs. Poor AI and unavoidable chain attacks can get frustrating.

8.0 Lasting Appeal
A bazillion match types and options, the expected online mode, Season and General Manager features, and six-player support should keep you going for a good bit.

8.0
Impressive OVERALL
(out of 10 / not an average)





....Hmmm, that's for the PS2 version. Of course the 360 will have better loading times, so I'm curious to see how the response is to that. Regardless (and I WILL be picking this up on 360 instead of PS2), it still looks hot to me. Can't wait. :love:

Yes 360 will fare much better.

OK, my impressions:

-After reading that review, if the 360 DOES have better load times then the PS2 version must be intorable. Honestly, it loads like fuck

-XBox Live mode is a pile of shit. Laggy to hell and the problem is you have to reverse a move when the other person has pressed it, not when it happens on the screen. Basically, the host of the session virtually always wins. At least all the modes are selectable, and exhanging CAWs would be useful

-Cruiserweights are pointless, you can't hurt heavyweights. If Gregory Helms hits Kurt Angle with a spinning heel kick, Kurt stands there while Helms holds his leg like he just hit a brick wall. And thats not a reversal, it's what happens. INCLUDING on his shining wizard.

-CAWs look like they fit now, which is nice.

-Create an Entrance is great, no frickin load times on it

- Season mode is still fun

Wait how do you already have this? And for which system.

Someone with the game, anwser me this: Just how 'in depth' is season mode?

Woah Tazz has his ECW theme. :love:

Erm, storylines last from the first week up till the PPV until you get a new one and theres usually one choice you can make on the way. CAWs also have speaking parts :love:

360, downloaded it from the internet.

Oh, and getting voice mails from Kennedy is cool.

I also had one from Davari....

Okay...who long does the entrance music in the CAW section last?

Let me just beat Kennedys ass and I'll tell you :P

Just let it loop while the preview was in the background for RVD and while it wasn't the entire song, it was about 3:00 long. He did his full entrance 2 and half times before it started looping.

Nice, gracias.

Oh FFS. Kurt Angle does Ankle Lock spam. He puts you in an Ankle Lock and by the time you've broken free he has another special and uses it straight away... Bastard.

maybe the version you have/I'm downloading is a beta or something Hansey?

So what if IGN's Jeremy Dunham only gives it an 8.0 (on PS2)? I bet the other web and media reviews give it scores of at least 9.0-9.5 on PS2, not that I'd be upset, of course. After all, it's just a few dozen people's opinions, which may or may not be my own depending on my experience upon playing the game, but I do think IGN could have at least given this game an 8.8 or so...thoughts?

Nah, it's retail. The shops even have it in their stockroom right now.

I think 8 is a perfect score for it. It's fun and addictive, but a few flaws stop it from going into that level of greatness you want from it.

It may be a beta. If it's not, there are some huge bugs in season mode.

wwe.com headline: Hasney injured, not able to compete at Wrestlemania.

I'm thinking fuck, thats annoying. But then it goes onto talk about The Rock getting injured after winning the Royal Rumble. 1. The Rock isn't in season mode. 2. I havn't unlocked him. 3. He damn sure wasn't in the rumble I didn't win.

Anyways, now I have a 4 way no. 1 contenders match to see who will get the shot at WM.

Is there going to be much downloadable content?

I think it was confirmed that there is no downloadable content at all, not sure though.

Kennedys a goddamn legend, just got another voicemail from him:

*spoilers: Highlight to read*

So, let me get this straight: A dead man, who's not actually dead, and his burn victim brother, whos not actually burnt, kidnapped your girlfirend, who's not actually your girlfirend..... And you let this happen right in front of you? You're pathetic. Looks like another easy win for MMMMIIIIIISSSSTTTTEEEERRRRRRRRR KKKKEEEEEEENNNNNDEEEEY................
Then after you ready that you have a new voice message that simply says:

KENNEDY.

Only thing i'm concerned about is the loading times. Other than that, it all seems good to me, don't care if it 'feels dated'. Think i'm going to get this, anyone know when it comes out? Also, has there been any news on whether you can pick the results of the matches in GM mode instead of having to simulate or play them? Season mode seems to be the biggest improvement though, i'm mostly looking forward to that.

I went to WrestlingGames.de, as was credited in DSD's post, and followed the links.

If you need a direct link, it's http://wrestlinggames.de/media/video...0/day5/cae.wmv

14 is Stacy Keibler, I'm positive about it.