WWE Smackdown! vs. Raw 2006 First-Look
We head to the portable mat. First impressions and screens!
We could discuss how popular and well-designed the Smackdown! series is, but there's really no need is there? Fans of the series know it's cool, and non-fans, well, they're probably not reading this article. So, let's just jump into how this sucker looks on the PSP. In short, it looks great. And not just from a graphical standpoint, either, the entire package looks to deliver on its promise of offering a very console-like experience. There's very little sacrifice here. Smackdown! on PSP features every mode, character and extra in the PS2 version. Only now, it's entirely portable.
Everything from the character creation system to the story-driven career mode made the jump from PS2 to PSP. And yes, this includes Exhibition and Title Match. And damn does it look close to the console version, too. The game looks really, really good on the PSP screen. Characters animate smoothly, even when there are four onscreen at once, plus character textures appear equally impressive. As far as the character entrances go, well, fans of the console version definitely won't miss much. Yeah, the game's developer took a few liberties here and there, mostly with crowd and background detail, but trust us when we say it's really not that noticeable. In fact, only those with a critical eye will notice. So just don't look. Oh, and match commentary is gone too.
Apart from the stuff mentioned above, about the only other thing different in the portable version are the controls. They're close enough to feel familiar, but they've been reworked to better suit the needs of a mobile gamer, and of course, the amount of buttons on the PSP. Reversals have been mapped to the left and right shoulder buttons, and now we're able to trigger taunts using the left analog stick. Recovering stamina is still handled through the select button, though, even though targeting is a wee bit different. We will now have to use the right shoulder button in conjunction with the square button. We really can't say if these controls felt good, since we didn't actually play the game, but they make sense considering.There's a bunch of stuff in the PSP version that's not even in the PS2 version. Now, these are the kinds of surprises we like to hear. The "we had to remove this and this and this" type surprises, well, not so much. And what, precisely, are these PSP exclusive goodies? For starters, SmackDown! on PSP makes pretty good use of the PSP's Wi-Fi capabilities. We're told four players will get the chance to battle it out over a wireless Ad-Hoc (local) connection. Tag matches, as well as cage and tag team matches will all be available. On top of this, the THQ folks teased us about three multiplayer mini-games. If we revealed these now, they'd surely hunt us down and chop off our limbs. Just remember, patience...sucks. But things will be revealed in short order.
Perhaps the coolest feature in SmackDown! on PSP is the ability to synchronize the PS2 version with the PSP one. Apparently, those who purchase the PS2 version can upload season data to the PSP then play that same season on the road. Then, once the mobile game session ends, the updated season information can then be uploaded back into the PS2. Pretty rad, if we do say so ourselves. On top of this, championship belts, unlocked characters and legends can be swapped freely between the PSP and PS2. Marginally groovy, yeah? We thought so.And there it is. The game looks good, even at this early stage in development, so it's only going to look better. But we'll be back with hands-on impressions soon.
Stay tuned for more.