We followed the slow and tragic decline of THQ here at PixlBit over the past year, and a few of us talk about it at length in the current Darksiders episodes of Backloggers Anonymous. As you no doubt know, the core THQ properties were auctioned off recently, but two franchises were noticeably absent from the big sell-off. Those would be the aforementioned Darksiders and the WWE license, which THQ had held the rights to since the release of WWF Smackdown for the PlayStation in 2000. We now know the fate of the WWE video game license, and it has fallen into the hands of 2K Sports. So what does that mean for the gamer itching to simulate Cena vs. Punk in a TLC match?
While rumors had placed WWE with EA at first, 2K Sports was also in the running, but it wasn’t until last week that the company formally announced that they indeed would be shaping the future of the wrestling franchise in the video game space. It was reported that the next game would be titled WWE 2K14, putting it in line with the company’s other properties such as NBA and NHL, but in actuality the series will continue with its current name, and the next game will simply be titled WWE ’14. Japanese developer Yuke’s will continue working on the franchise as they have since the first Smackdown game, and 2K Sports will handle the American end of things in regards to making the presentation as close to TV quality as possible.
So what does that mean for WWE gamers? It means nothing major changes. 2K Sports has had success with making their games mimic the television presentation of the NBA and MLB, so things could certainly look better on that end. But players can expect the game to play much as it has in the past, as Yuke’s continues to iterate on its tried and true wrestling game design.
That’s great news or disappointing news depending on who you talk to. The Smackdown/Smackdown vs. Raw/WWE ’13 series has always been praised for its speed, robust options, and attention to TV detail. However, many people still have very fond memories of the WWF games made by Aki for the Nintendo 64. WWF Wrestlemania 2000 and WWF No Mercy were iterations of the wildly popular Aki games WCW vs nWo World Tour and WCW/nWo Revenge. Known for their deliberate and deep grappling mechanics and the ability to edit characters on the roster to better reflect storylines on TV, the Aki wrestling games are hailed as being some of the best wrestling video games of all time.
Although the news that the WWE games will be made by the same developer as the past 13 years may disappoint some fans, it’s worth noting that we’re right on the edge of a generation shift. Sports games in particular have a rough time making the transition as developers try to learn new hardware while maintaining the yearly release schedule that they’re known for. But with new hardware comes new possibilities, and wrestling games in particular can benefit from the added graphical prowess and hopefully more realistic animations afforded from the coming generation.
Happy with Yuke’s staying on as WWE developer? Want another team on the series? Let us know in the comments who should craft the future of WWE video games!
WWE 13 surprised me with the wealth of options at the players disposal. The gameplay was also solid enough to keep me entertained for hours on end. Not to mention the ability to dowlnoad CAW's is just awesome for someone who likes to make zany matchups. My only gripe is that after beating Attitude Era mode (which was really well done) there is nothing to do. One of my favorite things about a game like WWE Day of Reckoning 2 (which is currently my favorite WWE game) was that there was a huge story mode surrounding your created wrestler with character progression and choices. If they can add that to the next game, and make some of their other features easier to use (like create a story) i think they will have something great.
Did you ever play the Acclaim WWF games, Warzone and Attitude? People hate on them because of their Mortal Kombat-like move lists, but there were some ideas in that game that I'm still waiting to see revisited. You gained crowd heat for doing amazing moves, and lost it if you spammed the same stuff.
I remember fighting a match against Road Dogg and I had beaten him down so bad his life bar was completely empty. I was toying with him, doing my finishing move over and over. The crowd turned on me, started chanting for him, which gave him an attack multiplier. Suddenly, I was fighting for my victory, because he rallied a comeback that took me from full health to critical.
haha, now that sounds awesome. Unfortunately for me, the first WWE/WWF game i played was Wrestlemania 2000 for the N64 which was fun, but i was very young and didnt really understand it other than I liked to kick ass with the Rock, lol.
Seriously though, that crowd system sounded great. I hope they eventually take that into concideration. Sadly, I cant imagine them making too many large improvements. There are a ton possible, but I don't know, I just imagine a minor improvement here or there. We'll see I guess.
I absolutely friggin loved the AKI N64 games, particularly Wrestlemania 2000 and WCW/NWO Revenge. The mechanics were solid as hell, and they were the only wrestling games I ever played to have those last minute, "what they hell do I have to do to pin this person?!" moments. Those games were a mainstay with me and my roomates at my apartment in West Chester, and I'm suprised the cops never got called on us for the shouting that ensued when this was on rotation.
I haven't played a wrestling game since Saturday Night Slam Masters on SNES. That was a fun game. One of my friends got me into watching RAW last year and it is pretty entertaining. My favorite part is when the heels get away with cheating, that's so funny! I'm looking forward to playing as my favorite wrestlers like CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, and Dolph Ziggler. Hopefully you can make Tensai dance in the game too!
If there's a Capcom arcade game I want to see come back, it's Saturday Night Slam Masters.
wcw vs nwo revenge ... i can still remember how awesome it felt watching that games intro the first time i played it ....
Well its a good and bad thing I suppose.
