WWE '13 Screenshots With Undertaker, Kane And More

THQ has once again posted a few new screenshots of WWE ’13 for another week.

There is a batch of new screens showing Current Era Undertaker and Attitude Era Kane. You can also look at Ken Shamrock, JBL, DX Triple H, Kevin Nash, Kharma and Justin Gabriel.

On a side note, the WrestleMania XXVIII has been shown and the stage and palm trees are accurate to the real thing. It’s hard to tell at this stage if it’s set indoors but it looks like it has been…

WWE ’13 is out from October 30th for the PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii.

Check out the new screenshots below:

King of the Ring Tournament Returns In WWE '13

Another feature making its comeback in WWE '13 is the King of the Ring tournament. Although WWE itself has not held a King of the Ring tournament for the past few years, it's always been popular with the fans. This is the main reason why THQ decided to bring it back for WWE '13.

Check out what Bryan Williams posted about King of the Ring: 

• Create your very own King of the Ring tournament! Players can choose the number of participants (4, 8 or 16) as well as the gender of the participants involved (that right, Divas can also take part in the King of the Ring tournament).
• Players can also choose the type of match that they’d like for their tournament (Normal, Backstage Brawl, Hell in a Cell, Iron Man, Ladder, Last Man Standing, Steel Cage, Submission, Table, TLC and Extreme Rules).
• Participants in the tournament can be chosen at random or selected by the player.
• Each match in the tournament can be played or simulated.
• The King of the Ring tournament can be played solo or with a friend.
• A special coronation cut-scene is shown for the winner of the tournament.

I Quit Match Details And Screenshots In WWE '13

THQ has confirmed on the official WWEGames' official website that the "I Quit" match will be making its comebacks in WWE '13. The reason the match type is making a comeback is due to overwhelming popular demand. WWE '13 Game Designer Bryan Williams posted more information on it and what you need to know.

I Quit Match:

• The I Quit Match is finally making its long awaited return! The match type has been completely redesigned from top to bottom to provide players with the most authentic representation of the I Quit Match ever seen in video game form.
• In keeping with WWE programming, the I Quit Match is a 1-On-1, no holds barred, anything goes affair. Utilize anything and everything within the in-ring environment to force your opponent to say the humiliating words, "I Quit!" 
• When your opponent is in a grounded state, press the pin button to summon the referee to the grounded opponent. The referee will kneel down and place a microphone in front of their face. It’s at this point that the I Quit mini-game is triggered. Stop the moving cursor within the designated target zone before the words “I Quit” fully materialize on screen to inform the referee of your desire to continue the match. If the opponent is unable to complete the mini-game in time, they’ll automatically quit the match. If a Superstar is in possession of a stored finisher icon they can use it to automatically win the mini-game and continue the match. However, doing so will result in the loss of that finisher icon.
• When an opponent is in the midst of performing the I Quit mini-game, the attacking Superstar can utilize anIntimidation taunt to increase the difficulty of the mini-game. Performing an Intimidation taunt will cause the mini-game meter to shake violently, which makes it that much harder for the defender to complete the mini-game in time. Use of Intimidation results in a loss of momentum for the attacker so think twice before using it. If the attacker doesn’t have a sufficient amount of momentum within their meter the Intimidation taunt can’t be used.
• The I Quit mini-game can also be triggered by applying a Breaking Point submission hold on an opponent. Just like grounded situations, the referee will position themselves near the trapped defender and position the microphone in front of their face. Complete the mini-game successfully to break out of the submission hold and continue the match. Failure to break out in time will result in a loss.

UK Fans Have A Chance To Play WWE '13 Early

THQ has announced on its official website a competition for UK gamers to play WWE '13 a few days before its released for the public.

500 lucky fans will be able to play WWE '13 at a special WWE party held on Saturday 27th October. One lucky winner with nine friends will also win "an all-expenses paid trip to WWE Raw Live at the Birmingham LG Arena on Monday 5th November". You also get the chance to meet CM Punk backstage!

All you have to do is fill in a registration form and invite 9 for your best friends. You will have to fill in your details before Sunday 30th September.

To register for the competition, simply click here.

New WWE '13 Screenshots With Triple H, Kelly Kelly And More

THQ has posted a ton of new screenshots for WWE '13. Take a closer look at the following wrestlers: Triple H, Rey Mysterio, Sin Cara, R-Truth, Shane McMahon, Jinder Mahal, Road Dogg, Kofi Kingston and Kelly Kelly.

Click to expand images:

WWE '13 I Quit Screenshot Revealed

A new screenshot has been revealed in WWE '13 that shows the "I Quit" portion of the game. It's taken from the game's Attitude Era mode and sees The Rock facing Mankind in their brutal yet memorable "I Quit" match in the 1999 Royal Rumble PPV. Notice The Rock is also wearing his tracksuit attire too.

Check out the screenshot below. Click to enlarge image.

WWE '13 Weight Detection Inactive During Finishing Moves

Although WWE '13 reintroduced the weight detection system where smaller wrestlers cannot pick up big wrestlers like The Big Show and Mark Henry, Cory Ledesma revealed on twitter that the system in inactive when you initiate a finishing move.

Check out the evidence below:

@king_shocker420 it's not active for finishers
— Cory Ledesma (@RealCoryLedesma) September 14, 2012

What are your thoughts of the weight detection system being totally ignored for all finishing moves?

New WWE '13 Gameplay Videos

THQ has released a bunch of new gameplay videos for WWE '13. Here you can witness the entrances and finishing moves from the likes of The Rock, Randy Orton, Lita and many more.

The Rock has a beard this time in WWE '13 unlike in WWE '12. Randy Orton has a lot more hair this time around as well and his entrance is more accurate in WWE '13. They finally animated his pose right during his entrance. Other wrestlers you can look at include: Attitude Era Lita, Farooq, Bradshaw, Wade Barrett, Road Dogg and Heath Slater.

WWE '13 is out from October 30th for the PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii.

Check them out with the links provided besides each wrestler's name:

- "Attitude Era" Lita: Entrance | Finisher
- Bradshaw: Entrance | Finisher
- Farooq: Entrance | Finisher
- Heath Slater: Entrance | Finisher
- Randy Orton: Entrance | Finisher
- Road Dogg: Entrance | Finisher
- The Rock: Entrance | Finisher
- Wade Barrett: Entrance | Finisher

New WWE '13 Screenshots Show The Rock, Randy Orton And More

THQ has released a batch of new screenshots for WWE '13. Check out the likes of The Rock, Randy Orton and more.

Check out the screenshots below:

42,000 Copies Of WWE '13 Austin 3:16 Edition To Be Shipped

When the "Austin 3:16" edition of WWE '13 was announced a few months ago, THQ emphasised the fact that it was a limited release and that it as likely to sell out if you did not pre-order. We now have an idea that around 42,000 copies of the game have been made thank to Stone Cold Steve Austin.

This is because each copy of the "Austin 3:16" edition is shipped with a video game card signed by Stone Cold Steve Austin himself. A tweet from the man himself reveals how many of the cards he has had to sign before the game is shipped to customers from October 30th.

Stone Cold tweeted:

"7,000 signatures left to complete #THQ video game inserts. After signing Stone Cold Steve Austin 35,000 times, I'll just shorten it to SCSA."

If you don't want to miss out on this special edition of WWE '13, I suggest you pre-order the game from THQ Store (in the USA) or your participating games retailer right now.

 

WWE Lists Its Top 15 World Heavyweight Champions

To celebrate the tenth anniversary of the World Heavyweight Championship, WWE has listed its top 15 wrestlers who have held the belt over the last decade. Do you agree with the list.

Check out the list below:

15. Goldberg
14. Daniel Bryan
13. Randy Orton
12. Kane
11. CM Punk
10. Chris Jericho
9. John Cena
8. Mark Henry
7. Rey Mysterio
6. Sheamus
5. Booker T
4. The Undertaker
3. Edge
2. Batista
1. Triple H

I Quit And Create-A-Championship Return In WWE '13

According to the achievement list that was posted on Exophase.com the other day, the "I Quit" match and the option to create your own championship returns in WWE '13.

Check out the evidence below: 

New WWE '13 Screenshots

THQ has uploaded a few new screenshots for WWE '13. Here we have a look at The Great Khali, Stephanie McMahon, Hawk, Animal, Eddie Guerrero, Cody Rhodes and Christian.

Check out all of the screenshots below:

WWE '13 Achievement List Leaked

Below is what appears to be the WWE '13 Achievement List that was posted by several sources yesterday.

Check out the achievements below: 

WE GOT TWO WORDS FOR YA - 30G - Complete the Rise Of DX storyline in Attitude Era mode 

Cause Stone Cold Said So - 30G - Complete the Austin 3:16 storyline in Attitude Era mode 

Unholy Alliance - 30G - Complete the Brothers Of Destruction storyline in Attitude Era mode 

We Smell What The Rock Is Cooking - 30G - Complete The Great One storyline in Attitude Era mode 

SOCKO! - 30G - Complete the Mankind storyline in Attitude Era mode 

Grandest Stage Of Them All - 30G - Complete Attitude Era mode 

Historian - 50G - Complete every Attitude Era mode objective 

Once In A Lifetime - 20G - Defeat John Cena using The Rock at Wrestlemania on Legend difficulty 

The Memory Remains - 20G - Defeat Triple H using Undertaker in a Hell In A Cell match at Wrestlemania on Legend difficultly 

People Power - 20G - Defeat John Cena using John Laurinaitis on Legend difficulty 

Dream Match - 20G - Have CM Punk VS Stone Cold take place in any arena on any difficultly 

Out Of Nowhere! - 10G - Catch an opponent in a mid air finisher 

I'm Not Cleaning This Up - 10G - Break the WWE ring 

Crossing The Line - 5G - Get replaced by another referee in a Special Referee Match 

Fair To The Very End - 5G - Referee a match without your fairness meter rising 

The First Of Many - 10G - Perform your very first Spectacular Moment 

OMG! OMG! OMG! - 20G - Perform all Spectacular Moments 

Create An Arena 2.0 - 15G - Create your first arena in Create-An-Arena 

Artist - 15G - Apply a Custom Logo to a Custom Superstar, Video or Arena 

Finisher Expert - 15G - Create a Front, Top Rope, Corner and Submission Finishing Move in Custom Finisher Move 

Story Teller - 15G - Create an original story 

It's Your World Now - 20G - Create a show in WWE UNIVERSE using Custom Superstars only and a Custom Arena 

Rookie - 5G - Win your first match as a Custom Superstar in WWE UNIVERSE 

Pro - 10G - Win 25 matches as a Custom Superstar in WWE UNIVERSE 

Main Eventer - 30G - Win 50 matches as a Custom Superstar in WWE UNIVERSE 

Hall Of Famer - 50G - Win 100 matches as a Custom Superstar in WWE UNIVERSE 

I Am The Champion - 15G - Win any title as a Custom Superstar in WWE UNIVERSE 

Backstage Brawler - 15G - Attack a Superstar backstage in WWE UNIVERSE 

Bitter Rivals - 15G - Win the final match in a WWE UNIVERSE Rivalry 

Mr Money In The Bank - 15G - Win and cash the Money In The Bank briefcase on the same night in WWE UNIVERSE 

Pipebomb! - 15G - Cut an in ring promo or be interviewed in WWE UNIVERSE 

Guaranteed Main Event - 15G - Win the Royal Rumble match in WWE UNIVERSE 

The Start Of A New Era - 15G - Win the Wrestlemania main event in WWE UNIVERSE 

Holla! Holla! - 15G - Assign a GM to your show in WWE UNIVERSE 

Online NXT - 10G - Win your first Xbox Live match 

Online Artist - 20G - Have your content downloaded in Community Creations 10 times or more 

Secret Achievements 

There are 10 secret achievements that are currently unknown at this time

The Dark Knight Rises Teaser Trailer Analysis

The teaser trailer for The Dark Knight Rises was released on Youtube earlier this week and it raises a lot more questions than answers. Nevertheless, it is intriguing and shows fans what is to come next year.

As most of you already know, at the end of The Dark Knight, Batman went into hiding because he and Gordon agreed not to expose Harvey Dent as a psychotic two-faced murderer. They wanted the citizens of Gotham City to have hope and posed Harvey Dent as the true hero and Batman as the villain.

It appears as if Batman's services are needed once again as the trailer shows Commissioner Gordon on a hospital bed with an oxygen mask. It seems as if he's talking to Brice Wayne and demanding that Batman is needed once more as the evil known as Bane is here.

Bruce Wayne questions if Batman is still around as he's not sure if Batman himself is up to the task of defeating an opponent such as Bane. The trailer ends showcasing Batman coming back only to see Bane coming up to confront him.

Anticipation for The Dark Knight Rises is indeed building. Since this has been advertised as the last Christopher Nolan directed Batman film, there's a chance he may kill off Commissioner Gordon seeing the state he is in because of Bane.

Will it be better than The Dark Knight starring Heath Ledger's Joker?

Find out when the The Dark Knight Rises is released in New Zealand on July 19th, 2012.

Here is the teaser below:

The Top 5 WWE Smackdown Series Video Games

With WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2011 coming out in only a month’s time, I thought it was fitting for me to compile a list of the top 5 video games in the Smackdown franchise. In case you did not know, the series started in 1999 and has now produced twelve main entry Smackdown games. Ever since 2004, it is now been called Smackdown vs. Raw. According to THQ, the series has shipped an impressive 40 million copies. It won’t stop there as THQ recently extended its contract with the WWE to produce more video games for the next 7 years.

Here are the top 5 video games in the Smackdown series:

5)Smackdown! 2 Know Your Role

The second game expanded on the playable first game introducing more backstage areas for you to explore and wreck havoc in. Not only that but it was the first to include the impressive Hell in a Cell match. I had many memorable matches throwing Mankind around while I was being The Undertaker. My only gripe from this PSone era game was the long loading times during the Career mode. Aside from that, this game was a multiplayer favourite of mine back in the day.

4) Smackdown vs. Raw 2006

This iteration from the franchise came out in 2005 and introduced a lot more game features and had a respectable main current roster as well as an impressive list of “Legends”. The game introduced us to the GM Mode which allowed gamers to sanction their own matches just like a member of the creative department would do in real-life at the WWE. Although released solely on the PS2, it boasted some of the most realistic graphics ever seen at the time. Not to mention you could unlock a plethora of goodies too. One noticeable unlockable that stood out to me was the chance to play in the outdoor Wrestlemania IX stage.

3) Smackdown vs. Raw 2010

The newest game on the list was a major improvement over the disappointing 2009 addition of the SvR series. The level of creativity in the game could make any fan occupied with this game for hours. The fact you could create your own storylines, shows and PPV events was arguably the main reason this game stood out form the rest of the game’s released recently. It was also the first in the game to incorporate the HAVOK physics engine. This helped the game improve its collision detection meaning for more realistic gameplay. Let’s hope Smackdown vs Raw 2011 can improve on this improving formula.

2) Smackdown! Shut Your Mouth!

Released in 2002, Shut Your Mouth! rectified many of the shortcomings prevalent ih Just Bring It! Among those were more competent commentary and you could use weapons and environments more creatively. For example, I could be Jeff Hardy and climb up the King Of The Ring staging area to perform a mega Swanton Bomb. Another example was that you could fight in the parking area and fight on top of the cars! The main story mode may have been the longest one in the series to date, but it had a lot of interesting storylines and allowed you to unlock a lot of extra content too.

1)Smackdown! Here Comes The Pain

Without a doubt, this is the best game in the series so far and is yet to be beaten. The inclusion of four grapple holds allowed you to perform more moves than ever before. Also noteworthy was that it was the last game to include the enjoyable backstage areas for you to fight in. It was also the last in the series that allowed you to store up to 5 finishers. Now you only get to use your finisher once when you have earned it, and even then there is a time limit for you to use it before you have to earn it again! My personal favourite feature of this game was the roster. It was the debut of guys like John Cena and Randy Orton but it also had Goldberg and current UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar. Even current TNA performers such as Kurt Angle and RVD were in this game. A lot of dream matches could be staged while playing this game. Not to mention it’s still a kickass game to play despite being over 7 years old.

That’s it; this is my list for the best Smackdown series games. Smackdown! Here Comes The Pain to me is still yet to be beat in terms of both gameplay and roster. Smackdown vs Raw 2011 is certainly looking promising but we’ll all have to wait for its outcome when it releases in late October.

Are collector’s editions of games a total waste of money?

Recently there have been many games out offering more than just the game itself. Dubbed as “collector’s editions” they offer the consumer a few extras to justify the high price tag they’re often set at.

My question is are they totally worth the price of admission? Sure, if you’re a huge fan of a certain game it’s nice that to have a bonus such as a making of DVD or an art book, but $200 is a lot of money to spend on one game even with the extras.

The Street Fighter IV Collector’s Edition was a huge rip-off to anyone who bought it for the full RRP of $200. On paper it seemed like a good bargain as it came with the game, a mini strategy guide, a Blu-ray movie, two figurines and packaged in a cardboard box like a diorama. What they didn’t mention was that the figurines were only 3 inches tall and were made of cheap plastic – plus they were imposable. The Blu-ray movie looked more like a DVD in terms of picture quality and the movie itself lacked any action and the mini strategy guide was only eight pages long.



Last year’s release of Smackdown vs Raw 2009 also had a less-than-stellar Collector’s Edition. Although it had a RRP of $140 it was still a bit of a rip-off. All it came with is a Blu-ray disc and yet another cheap mould of plastic – this time a wrestling ring. Again, the content on the Blu-ray isn’t something worth viewing more than once. The making of is only 20 minutes long as the matches featured here aren’t that great either.



These are the only collector’s editions me and my brother had invested in and they were not as enjoyable as we had anticipated. Sure not every Collector’s Editions out there is a huge rip-off as those mentioned above but take this as a warning. As the next time you’re thinking of purchasing a Collector’s Edition of a game make sure the read a couple online reviews on it first. You don’t want to end up like my brother and I do you?

Damian Seeto

Licensed titles and their significance to the gaming world

Imagine if us Kiwis were to play EA Sports’ Rugby games or Sidhe Interactive’s Rugby League titles without getting the chance to don the jersey of an All Black or a Warrior. What about playing Smackdown vs Raw but you lace the boots of Triple B not Triple H? There is no doubt having an authentic license can help make or break a game in terms of its popularity and sales.

Hence, the stronger license is obvious chances are that the accompanying game will be just as popular. In the realm of Pro – Wrestling, no other organisation reigns supreme then the WWE. The Smackdown series showcases exactly how popular WWE has become and over ten years since the first game was released in 1999 the franchise has shipped over 37 million copies worldwide. In direct contrast with the WWE is TNA wrestling which released its own game last year called TNA Impact. However, since TNA does not garner as many viewers as the WWE (TNA programming is not even on NZ screens) sales of the game were lower than what both companies were expecting and both Midway and TNA agreed there will not be a sequel.

Something that always seems to thrive however is people’s fascination with sport. No other jersey is more recognizable to us Kiwis than the All Black jersey brandishing the national logo of the silver fern. Thankfully EA’s Rugby titles are fully licensed with every team and player having the correct names and jerseys. Criminally, Zinzan’s World Championship Rugby released in 2003 only had the official license for the England team while the All Blacks were not called the All Blacks they known as plain old New Zealand. As for the players they all had different names but at least they resembled the All Black team back in 2003. Even though the game was still enjoyable, Rugby 2004 and its many follow ups still outsold the title solely because of the lack of official licenses in the game.

Evidently, this is the same case in the U.K as for several years FIFA goes head-to-head with the Pro Evolution soccer series leading up to the busy Christmas season. Unfortunately, for Konami Pro Evolution Soccer has never beaten FIFA in terms of overall sales and popularity. Likewise when EA knew how profitable it would be if Madden became the only licensed NFL title in the market and in 2005 they did just that and Madden is consistently number one in the US video game charts.

Speaking of being number one, many box office movies also have licensed video games to tie-in with all the hype surrounded with it. X-Men Origins: Wolverine came out earlier this year and while the movie may not have lived up to expectations the tie-in game was surprisingly very playable and many say the game is actually better than the movie it’s originally based upon. A far cry from the old stereotype that games based on movies is always appalling, X-Men Origins: Wolverine shows that a good game can come out of a movie.

Crossover titles of game and other licensed media has also proved to be a winning formula. Kingdom Hearts was a mix of both Disney and Final Fantasy characters and was released to both commercial and critical acclaim in 2002. The game went on to sell an impressive 5.5 million copies even outselling Final Fantasy XII. The follow up featured even more Disney and Final Fantasy favourites and even though it failed to outsell its predecessor it was arguably a better game.

Last year Midway teamed up with DC comics to release Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe. Considering the massive success that was The Dark Knight it was a smart move on Midway’s part to heavily promote that Batman is a playable character in the game. The heavy promotion of Batman paid off for Midway as the title went on to ship a respectable 1.8 million copies. Ed Boon (creator of Mortal Kombat) was happy for the game’s success he is already starting early work on a new Mortal Kombat title.

Whether a license truly makes a game more playable is still debatable however, you cannot deny the commercial success associated with many licensed games and the more people who will be attracted to the gaming industry the better it is for all of us – as this will mean there will be more games for us to play.

Damian Seeto