The THQ&A

[Smacktalks]

Greg Miller recently sat down with THQ Senior Creative Manager Cory Ledesma to field some questions from IGN users. Most noticably Cory announced that there is indeed more mystery features yet to be announed that will have us believe this is the greatest wrestling game in existance, what could these be?.... I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Here's the "THQ&A"....

TwistedSwanton: Now in this latest video of create a finisher a few seconds before it goes to it we see the create menu. Now is there no create a stable in this years game or is it somewhere else?

Cory Ledesma: Create-A-Stable is indeed still in WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009. However, it is no longer under the Create Menu, and we have changed the name of it to "Team Management." We will still have all the great features that were found in Create-A-Stable from past iterations of the game.

fl305: Is GM mode in?

Cory Ledesma: The GM mode is not in WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009. We decided to go in a brand new and exciting direction. Although the GM mode has been in the game for the last three years, we wanted to offer a new and exciting mode that we believe offers more of what our WWE fans are looking for. This new mode, however, does offer some of the same features found in GM mode, but we are presenting everything in a whole new way.

fl305: Are there more than 8 divas this year?

Cory Ledesma: I don't want to spoil the Superstar Countdown, so I would rather not reveal it just now. But I can tell you that we have a huge roster this year. Please check daily to see who is announced next.

fl305: Are there Classic arenas as unlockables?

Cory Ledesma: Yes, we do have a special unlockable arena this year, but I don't want to give out spoilers. You are going to have to wait until someone else spoils it for you or to pick up WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 and check it for yourself.

TwistedSwanton: Will there be alternate attires in this years game?

Cory Ledesma: Yes, indeed. We have about eight alternate attires in WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009. All of these are unlockables in our Road To WrestleMania mode.

Phoenixxx73: Do researchers from THQ/Yukes visit these boards as part of their research into what to add or remove for the next game?

Cory Ledesma: We absolutely do! I can say with full honesty that all of our designers are frequent visitors to the IGN message boards. This is one of our best resources and the best way to hear directly from the fans. I occasionally read posts from people who doubt we are looking, but we definitely are. I see your posts about us!

619rko: Will the PS2 version have online? Will the PS2 version include everything that the next gen consoles have (besides the graphics)?

Cory Ledesma: Unfortunately, we are not supporting online play for the PlayStation 2 this year. The PS2 version does include almost every single feature from the next gen consoles. As we continue to roll out the rest of our features, we will let you know which consoles each feature will be supported on.

LeonJuggaloWHF: At the end of the CAF video, when Punk pinned Batista, he didn't just stand up and be motionless while the video went off. Does this mean we will have any control post match in the non-Wii versions?

Cory Ledesma: The interactive victory scenes are an exclusive feature for the Wii version of WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009.

dave_150177: We've been told that Caw mode has ridden itself of the "painted on" look, although we were told this in 07 I think... What else has changed with CAW mode, or have they left it the same?

Cory Ledesma: We focused mostly on the quality of the Create-A-Superstar parts. They are all 3-D parts and look fantastic this year. Fans will definitely notice the difference. We have also added some new customization options that give you a little more freedom. More details to come later.

blackcyborg: Has manual targetting been put back into the game?

Cory Ledesma: There is no manual targeting in the game. However, we have put in an awesome system which I like to call a semi-auto target system. This system is auto, but can be also controlled in-game to target whoever you want. We have redesigned this brand new targeting system from the ground up. I think it is near flawless because it is extremely accurate and super easy to use.

ChristianSpikez: Why should I buy this game , I'm not 100 % Convinced that it might not live up to it's hype. Give me some reasons why I should buy this year's game. I'm a big fan of the season mode but it's only three months it makes me wonder , if I should buy this game or not.

Cory Ledesma: Fans of the game know that I have been working on the game for a long time (eight years, to be exact). I have seen some of the best WWE SmackDown vs. Raw features/games and some of the ones that did not deliver on fans' expectations. I can say without any hesitation that this is by far the best WWE SmackDown vs. Raw game I have ever worked on. Now, I'm sure some of the readers are sitting there and thinking, "Yeah, like he's really not going to say this is a great game," or "He's going to say whatever to put the game over." I'm saying as a true wrestling game fan that this is truly the best wrestling game I've ever seen to date. Here are the reasons why:

- Gameplay is solid! I haven't felt this good about WWE SmackDown vs. Raw gameplay in a while. The game feels very well tuned and polished. A lot of that credit goes to Yuke's and our game designer Bryan Williams. We have also improved a lot of match types this year, including my favorite

[Luis Lopez]

I was wondering why doesn't THQ make a create an arena mode?

Edited September 15, 2008 by Luis Lopez

[Sunny]

Now, that's another topic homie. There would be so many difficulties with that. First of all, it's gonna be from THQ. They would need like four years to make that shit at least a portion of it to our liking. Then, the graphics would be so awful. Let's take CAW mode for example. The CAW graphics are just appalling in-game if u ask me. Although, it might have the features to back it up when ur making the CAW, it looks rather disgusting in-game. Then, u'll have that usual "layer limitation" which will not enable to give the user full flexibility on what he wants to create. Then, overall, it would just be a bad idea as it will take a lot of space and delete other features already available.

[jamex]

I hope ps2 version will have caf,tag team improvement and all wrestlers i can live without road to wrestlemania