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A tag team from THQ stopped by the Game Informer offices recently to slam our heads into the turnbuckle and show us their latest wrestling title, WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2007, on Xbox 360. We got the full breakdown on the new control setup, found out what it’s like to wrestle in the crowd, and got some insight on what fans can expect from the story mode. Plus, check out over 20 minutes of direct feed videos of sweaty men tossing each other around.
For WWE 2007, developer Yukes and THQ have decided to focus all grappling maneuvers on the right analog stick. Players can flick the right stick in several directions to perform a quick grapple move that doesn’t take off a whole lot of damage, but can put the opponent in a more vulnerable position. For stronger grapples, players must hold the right bumper and flick the right stick. From here you can choose to perform one of several moves or click on the right stick to initiate special moves. Specials will throw up contextual button prompts onscreen where you can do things like rub an opponent’s face on the ropes by moving the right stick back and forth.
As far as the rest of the buttons go, A is the universal “action” button, X is for strikes, Y is for running, B regenerates stamina, the triggers handle strike and grapple reversals, the left bumper performs finishers, and the D-pad unleashes a variety of taunts. However, last year’s control scheme is included as well for those who can’t handle change.
WWE 2007 has over 20 “hotspots” in and around the ring for players to execute moves particular to the situation at hand. Aside from the obvious slams and strikes fans can imagine from the ropes, turnbuckles, and metal barriers, they will also be able to utilize places like the announcer table to deal out maximum damage. We were able to rip off the table top, grab the TV monitors inside, smash them on our unsuspecting victim, and then choke him with the cables hidden inside the table.
THQ also promises a new storyline with complete voiceover for all of the cutscenes. “We have a new format similar to the one we had in [WWE SmackDown!] Here Comes the Pain where you have three tiers you can go down: champion, challenger, and a general storyline tier. You actually jump between those and play multiple years and see multiple stories that way,” explained Cory Ledesma, creative manager at THQ
“A lot of feedback we got on the story in our season mode in the past is that, at the end in WrestleMania you win the championship and you never get the chance to defend the championship through the story. In this format, you can play multiple years, ten years, and you can go down that champion path and actually hold the belt and challenge people for it,” said Ledesma.
Another new dynamic lets wrestlers fight in the crowd. Observers will clear out as you toss your opponent over the barrier and slam him into the cement. Here you can grab weapons from the crowd like canes and crutches, break a TV with an enemy’s face, or set up a table and smash a guy through it. The pain disbursement options seem to have really branched out.
Finally, we’ll get to the part that everyone wants to know about. Who’s going to be in the game? We know for sure that John Cena, Rey Mysterio, Triple H, Kurt Angle, Shelton Benjamin, Chris Benoit, Booker T, Johnny Nitro, and the Undertaker will be making an appearance. And we’ve seen several other favorites that we’re not allowed to talk about yet. Sad, I know.
WWE SmackDown! Vs. RAW 2007 is looking like it’s taking wrestling to the next generation in style. But don’t take our word for it – check out our massive video collection to see for yourself.
-Bryan Vore
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Did I read that right? 10 year season? 
Not sure if that means the season itself is 10 years or that you can get 10 years without repeating storylines, but still 