US, September 17, 2007 - It began with a few seconds buried in a WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2008 trailer. In between talk of fighting styles and random clips, Sandman dropped a match on a folding table and the thing burst into flames.
THQ cut to some other action, but the image lingered in the minds of SmackDown fanboys worldwide -- did we just see what we think we saw? Was that for real? Would this be the year flaming tables finally get introduced into the premier professional wrestling game?
Yes. Yes it is, but THQ and Yuke's aren't stopping there. This year will also see the inclusion of flaming, barbed wire two-by-fours, more audience interaction than ever and barricade moves that'll make you think twice about what's possible on the black behemoth -- and it's all thanks to ECW.
Say what you want about old school ECW -- it was more brawling than wrestling, the talent was never as good as other organizations, some other statement that shows you're a lame ass, etc. -- but after a morning of WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2008's ECW Extreme Rules Matches, we can tell you everything that made the organization special has made it into this year's game.
As you're about to see below -- we've uploaded lots of video and images for you to peruse -- we went nuts and threw caution to the wind for this feature. Sure, we could've stuck with who has debuted on our daily Countdown, but Rey Mysterio and Batista in an ECW Extreme Rules Match just didn't sound right -- but the Innovator of Violence Tommy Dreamer and new blood Elijah Burke?
Now, this is extreme.
When the match type was announced, some of the more jaded among the SmackDown brethren rolled their eyes and wondered how this would be any different from a hardcore match. The answer is that this is the embodiment of what it must be like to wrestle in the ECW arena in Philly. Our Dreamer/Burke match started with the ECW icons in the ring and weaponless. There weren't any cheesy items sprawled out in or around the ring -- it looked just like a regular ECW bout.
Lucky for us, the match also plays like a normal ECW fight as well. There's no count out and no disqualification, but unlike a hardcore match, pinfalls and submissions can only take place in the ring. Just like in the old days when Paul couldn't afford a Titantron, you can't wander into the backstage labyrinth like you can in a traditional WWE hardcore match -- you have to keep the action in front of the live fans.
Think that sounds weak? It isn't. In fact, the fan interaction is what makes this mode feel like it's torn from the glory days of the Dudleys, Mikey Whipwreck and Francine. As Tommy wailed on Elijah outside the ring and around the barricade, fans would present weapons to the ECW Legend who could either take the tool from the blood-thirsty fanboy and bludgeon Eljiah with it or -- using an environmental grapple -- have the fan hold the object out while Tommy hurled Elijah into it. Guitars, championship belts and even beverages make their way from the front row fans -- sadly, no one's decked out in a neon windbreaker or the long hair/shades combo -- and into the faces of the fallen.
At one point Tommy, while performing an Ultimate Control grapple, carried Elijah over to the barricade and we were prompted to press up on the right joystick. When we did, Tommy lifted Burke. When we pressed the stick down, Tommy let the heel go and Elijah's face met the barricade. Later, a fan held out a crutch, Tommy laid Elijah over the barricade and the right joystick commands popped up for us to decide how long we wanted to wait before we jerked the stick down and slammed the rehabilitation tool on Elijah's back. When Burke had been beaten on enough, Tommy rested against the barricade and celebrated with his fans.
For those who loved ECW enough to suffer through ECW: Hardcore Revolution and ECW: Anarchy Rulz!, your prayers have been answered.
But you didn't come here to read about all that jazz, did you? You want to know about the tables. Well, when a wrestler reaches underneath the ring in an ECW Extreme Rules Match, what he pulls out is no longer left up to chance. Instead, a pinwheel of weapon choices -- a mop, chair, guitar, etc. -- appears in the lower left corner of the screen and allows you to pick your implement of destruction. Even better? You won't be attacked while you decide. Anyway, let's say you pick the table, push it into the ring and set it up. The easy part's done. Now you need to go back to wailing on your opponent to get your special up. Once your momentum meter is flashing, you can walk to the table, hit your finisher button -- triangle on the PS3/PS2 and Y on the 360 -- and your wrestler will pull a match from his boot, strike it on the sole and let the wood go up in flames.
Awesome.
Once it's lit, the table won't go out until someone is thrown through it. Just like the barricade moves, getting your least favorite heel or face to feel the heat isn't that tough. You can scoop him up in an Ultimate Control grapple and toss him through the fire via your favorite suplex, fireman's carry or what have you. Of course, the cooler thing to do is to stack two tables, light the top one on fire and superplex your foe through the flaming monstrosity.
The act of setting up tables and pulling off moves might be too much for the lazy pyromaniac, THQ dropped in the flaming barbed wire two-by-four. For this nifty, double damage-inflicting object, you'll need to pull the unlit weapon from beneath the ring and unleash your special in a similar boot-match-woosh scenario. Now, you can wail on your opponent until the board breaks and the fire goes out.
A given character's Fighting Style -- powerhouse, technical, high-flyer, brawler, submission, dirty, showman and hardcore -- plays heavily into a match as well. Each character has two styles assigned to them, which can be changed to whatever you like in one of the create modes, but will only have one active in any given match. The style activated provides wrestlers with a number of advantages and specialties. For instance, in the ECW Extreme Rules Match, Tommy had his hardcore fighting style activated. When he was holding the guitar, he had access to a number of weapon grapples a showman or technical superstar wouldn't. When he slammed the instrument into Elijah's midsection and hauled off and nailed him in the face, he was performing a move specific to the hardcore personality. Same thing when Tommy tossed the chair to Elijah and punched it back into Burke's face.
High-flyers such as Rey and Carlito can perform quick, evasive rolls and a number of springboard attacks; technical superstars such as Shawn Michaels and Mickie James have a beefed up defense; and the list goes on with some of SmackDown's previous features now being tied into a specific style. Remember how anyone could steal someone's finisher in past games? That ability has been made exclusive to showmen. That might sound disappointing, but the benefits that come with the move are pretty impressive. Now, when a player is pulling off a stolen finisher, the action will freeze, the arena will darken, and as the camera spins around the move, flashbulbs will erupt.
It's not a move for the humble mat technician to crank out.
The ECW Extreme Rules Match isn't the only mode making waves on this year's game. For a ref to begin his ten count in a Last Man Standing match, you'll have to hit your finisher; although the official Title Match option is missing from the list of game modes, that's only because you can now defend a belt or challenge for a title with the click of the start button as you select your superstar; and in Ironman Matches -- of which there are only 10-, 15- and 20-minute lengths -- a wrestler who loses a fall will get all of his health back while the winner struggles on with the previous round's damage.
Still, are you ready for the big news? The PS3 and the Xbox 360 are getting exclusive features in their individual builds of the game. On the PlayStation 3, you'll be able to press R2 during your character's entrance and switch to a first-person mode. Taking advantage of the Sixaxis, you'll move your controller in whatever direction you want and the on-screen view will follow. You can toggle the view on and off with a click of R2, but don't you want to read all of the signs?
As for the 360 -- drum roll, please -- WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2008 will allow you to take the music off your Xbox 360 hard drive and put it into the game. Want your own soundtrack? It's there. Want Undertaker to come out to Flock of Seagulls? Have at it. Want your created character to come out to your friend's Garage Band track? It's go time.
WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2008 is still close to two months from hitting store shelves, but the coverage blowout will continue on IGN with our daily Countdown, videos, screens, THQ Q&As and Friday Fights -- events where you choose who is fighting, the match type and the arena.
Keep it here for the most in-depth WWE coverage around and stop in on the SmackDown message board to suggest questions for THQ and vote for matches.
