Oct 5, 2007 With SmackDown! vs. RAW 2008 debuting next month, now's as good a time as any to look back on the series' highs and lows from the last decade - without the original PSOne titles (sorry fans). Join us on a rollercoaster ride through the heart of ... » Read More

May 30, 2006

SmackDown! exposed: 'We weren't sure what we were...

PS3 Feature | WWE SmackDown! vs RAW 2007

Friday 19 May 2006 With the long running WWE SmackDown! series about to make the transition to next-gen - SmackDown! vs Raw 2007 will be released on PS3 and Xbox 360 later this year, alongside PS2 and PSP versions - we were recently given a rare opportunity to quiz the masterminds behind the game, the Yokohama-based development team Yuke's. In part one of our exclusive interview, we quiz them on next-gen difficulties, how they sidestep not being able to motion-capture top WWE stars, and what ... » Read More

May 26, 2006

SmackDown! confidential - part 1

PS3 Feature | WWE SmackDown! vs RAW 2007

Wherever the future of gaming takes us, we know there will be wrestling there. WWE SmackDown! vs RAW 2007 proves it, riding the next-gen wave with fully interactive wrestling arenas, brawling in the stands, more realistic grappling and some of the slickest-looking wrestlers you've ever seen. (For the full scoop, check out our hands-on preview.) During E3, we sat down to pick the brains of two of the game's developers - Hiromi Furuta, senior vice president of Yuke's, and Taku Chihaya, senior ... » Read More

May 26, 2006

SmackDown! confidential - part 2

PS3 Feature | WWE SmackDown! vs RAW 2007

In part one of our interview with two of the developers of WWE SmackDown! vs RAW 2007, we learned about wrestler rosters, new opportunities for dirty tricks and their sources of inspiration. In part two, Yuke's Senior Vice President Hiromi Furuta and Senior Director Taku Chihaya (along with translator and project manager Colin Mack) talk about making the leap to next-gen consoles, their thoughts on the Wii and why the PS2 version won't suck despite its current-gen tarnish. When you first ... » Read More

May 24, 2006

SmackDown! The inside story

PS3 Feature | WWE SmackDown! vs RAW 2007

Wednesday 24 May 2006 In part two of our exclusive interview, SmackDown! developer Yuke's talks PS3 controllers, keeping up with roster changes, elusive legends and Wii. To read the first part of the interview, click here. Sony recently announced its new PS3 controller will have a motion sensor. Can you see a way of using that in a future SmackDown! game? Taka Chihaya (Yokohama studio senior director, Yuke's): Well, I only touched one for the first time at E3 so I haven't had much time to ... » Read More

May 5, 2006

SmackDown! vs RAW 2007: Exclusive interview

PS3 Feature | WWE SmackDown! vs RAW 2007

This is a big year for WWE SmackDown! The long-running wrestling series - it debuted on PSone in 1999 - will be released later this year on PS2, PSP, PS3 and Xbox 360. This marks not only its next-gen debut but also the first time a SmackDown! game has appeared on a non-Sony platform. You'll be able to read our exclusive hands-on of SmackDown! vs RAW 2007 direct from E3 next week. But in the run-up to getting intimate with the game, we caught up with THQ creative manager Cory Ledesma to find ... » Read More

May 5, 2006

SmackDown! vs Raw 2007: Exclusive interview

PS3 Feature | WWE SmackDown! vs RAW 2007

Friday 5 May 2006 This is a big year for WWE SmackDown! The long-running wrestling series - it debuted on PSone in 1999 - will be released later this year on PS2, PSP, PS3 /and/ Xbox 360. This marks not only its next-gen debut but also the first time a SmackDown! game has appeared on a non-Sony platform. You'll be able to read our exclusive playtest of SmackDown! vs Raw 2007 direct from E3 next week. But in the run-up to getting hands-on with the game, we caught up with THQ creative manager ... » Read More

Apr 18, 2006

WWE Superstar Speaks on SmackDown!

PS3 Feature | WWE SmackDown! vs RAW 2007

Not only is WWE wrestler Shelton Benjamin the reigning intercontinental champion, he's also been the winner of the WWE Superstar Challenge - the knockout videogame tournament in which wrestlers go head-to-head in bouts of SmackDown! on PS2 - for four years in a row. After he once again trounced the competition in this year's contest, we caught up with Benjamin for the full SmackDown! lowdown... You've won the WWE Superstar Challenge four years in a row now. Is there anyone even close to your ... » Read More

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