Here is our exclusive interview with Justin Withers, the Lead Designer at Acclaim, discussing the forthcoming Legends of Wrestling: Showdown. The interview was conducted by Smackdown5.com's webmaster Mark O'Connell
Mark - Hi Justin. What new features are you most excited about in Legends of Wrestling: Showdown?
Justin Withers Mark, thanks for taking time to put these questions together. As for new features, Im really excited about our new take on career mode. Its more of a story mode, actually. After selecting a wrestler, as you progress through the 70s, 80s and 90s, youll encounter some regular wrestling-type storylines, but most importantly, wrestler-specific storylines. Weve added over 200 real-life feuds, so every single wrestler on our roster, at some point in his career, will run into one of these real stories. Im also excited about our Classic Matches. Weve done a lot of research and gathered as much information as possible about each of these 15 matches, trying to stay as authentic as possible. I think fans will really get a kick out of them. Each one begins with the match in-progress and itll be up to the user to either recreate history or change it.
Mark - Which returning superstars can we expect to see on the roster?
Justin Withers Pretty much the entire roster is returning for Showdown. Youve probably already seen the press releases, but weve added Ultimate Warrior, Dusty Rhodes, and Jake The Snake. Well be announcing more new talent soon.
Mark - How many different match types are there?
Justin Withers Weve added table, first blood, tornado, Ironman, best 2 out of 3 falls, and hardcore matches. Weve also worked on a lot of the A.I. from Legends 2 that was used in ladder and cage matches.
Mark - How will Career Mode work?
Justin Withers I explained it a little bit in the first question, but to give some more background on it, we really tried to come up with a fresh new approach. We abandoned the territory angle and decided to focus on eras. Instead of beginning in the southeast and becoming the national champ, you begin in the 70s and wrestle your way through the next 30 years, ultimately facing Hogan. Weve painstakingly gone over our roster and set up era-specific stables and opponents for each wrestler in each era, as well as era-appropriate outfits. One of our main goals in creating this mode was to give it real depth in authenticity as far as heel/ face rivalries. All of our A.I. and popularity/ excitement measurement has been rewritten because of this new direction. The only way to really stay true to these rivalries and feuds is to create a universe in which everything heel/face is set up, just as it is in professional wrestling. I really think wrestling fans are going to appreciate the work weve done to create such authentic stables and feuds.
Mark - Explain the new Ready to Brawl controls.
Justin Withers The ISP system from the previous Legends game was very ambitious, but it was difficult to pick up and quickly understand. That being said, our new controls are not so basic that they will be mastered in a matter of minutes, but we are going in a direction that easily opens up a lot of options to users. Just as in any great fighting game, both the most advanced player and the novice can enjoy playing. Different people enjoy different depths of control. In Legends 2, the ISP control system was a bit ostentatious. We hope to appeal to all levels of gamers. Our main focus was to not only make the controls easier to understand and master, but to also focus on move set authenticity. A major criticism of the last game was wrestlers doing moves that belonged to other wrestlers. We have made an exhaustive effort to correct this. Its a videogame and you have to remember that, so you may see moves that these wrestlers may not have been known for but *could* have pulled off, but as for doing someone elses signature move, that wont be happening in Showdown.
Mark - Has Create a Legend mode been expanded since LOW 2?
Justin Withers Yes, you can now adjust body parts. Geometry manipulation is our biggest addition, but well be adding new textures, etc. Weve also added Edit a Legend and you can take any existing wrestler and change him however you want.
Mark - Who is providing the in-game commentary?
Justin Withers We recorded play-by-play with Tony Schiavone. He sounds awesome. Most wrestling fans will remember him from his time in both the WWF and the WCW. Bobby The Brain Heenan record our color commentary. We had the two of them in the recording booth together and got some really great material. There is a chance well add a third man to the booth, but that is yet to be determined. One of the things that Im excited about with this commentary is the way the matches will be called. Many other games have pbp and color commentary but the actual in-game matches, after the wrestler introductions, etc, are just not called well. There are too many random oohs and ahhs. We are working hard toward having a commentary system that is intelligent and follows the flow of the match.
Mark - Can we expect to see more fantastic Superstar interviews this time round?
Justin Withers Unfortunately, no. We didnt have time to put them together.
Mark - Will there be unlockable items such as superstars and arenas?
Justin Withers We are planning on having unlockables such as arenas, outfits, entrance gear and maybe some other stuff. Currently, we arent planning on locking any wrestlers.
Mark - How involved are wrestlers with the creation of their characters?
Justin Withers Im sure these guys would really like to be involved more, but as it stands, we really dont have any contact with them. Weve gotten to work with Bret Hart, Ivan Putski, and Bobby Heenan on this project. Hart and Heenan actually recorded some grunts and groans for us that well be cuing when wrestlers get hit, thrown to the mat, etc. We take a lot of pride in the accuracy of our wrestler models, and making them as realistic as possible is something that our artists are always striving for. I imagine our dedication and attention to detail will make any of the Legends in our game very happy.
Mark - And finally, what sets LOW: Showdown apart from other wrestling games on the market?
Justin Withers Our roster is the first thing that sets us apart. From the beginning, having Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior, etc, make this roster untouchable. No other game can claim to have the Legends we have. My hope is that with these wrestlers, we can turn this franchise into one in which the controls are competitive, the career mode is unique, the models are top notch, and the gameplay is exciting for all levels of gamers. Thanks a lot for setting this interview up. On behalf of the team in Austin, Id just like to say were all really excited about this game and hope that the public enjoys the changes and additions weve worked hard to create.
Mark - Thank you for your time!
Justin Withers Mark, thanks for taking time to put these questions together. As for new features, Im really excited about our new take on career mode. Its more of a story mode, actually. After selecting a wrestler, as you progress through the 70s, 80s and 90s, youll encounter some regular wrestling-type storylines, but most importantly, wrestler-specific storylines. Weve added over 200 real-life feuds, so every single wrestler on our roster, at some point in his career, will run into one of these real stories. Im also excited about our Classic Matches. Weve done a lot of research and gathered as much information as possible about each of these 15 matches, trying to stay as authentic as possible. I think fans will really get a kick out of them. Each one begins with the match in-progress and itll be up to the user to either recreate history or change it.
Mark - Which returning superstars can we expect to see on the roster?
Justin Withers Pretty much the entire roster is returning for Showdown. Youve probably already seen the press releases, but weve added Ultimate Warrior, Dusty Rhodes, and Jake The Snake. Well be announcing more new talent soon.
Mark - How many different match types are there?
Justin Withers Weve added table, first blood, tornado, Ironman, best 2 out of 3 falls, and hardcore matches. Weve also worked on a lot of the A.I. from Legends 2 that was used in ladder and cage matches.
Mark - How will Career Mode work?
Justin Withers I explained it a little bit in the first question, but to give some more background on it, we really tried to come up with a fresh new approach. We abandoned the territory angle and decided to focus on eras. Instead of beginning in the southeast and becoming the national champ, you begin in the 70s and wrestle your way through the next 30 years, ultimately facing Hogan. Weve painstakingly gone over our roster and set up era-specific stables and opponents for each wrestler in each era, as well as era-appropriate outfits. One of our main goals in creating this mode was to give it real depth in authenticity as far as heel/ face rivalries. All of our A.I. and popularity/ excitement measurement has been rewritten because of this new direction. The only way to really stay true to these rivalries and feuds is to create a universe in which everything heel/face is set up, just as it is in professional wrestling. I really think wrestling fans are going to appreciate the work weve done to create such authentic stables and feuds.
Mark - Explain the new Ready to Brawl controls.
Justin Withers The ISP system from the previous Legends game was very ambitious, but it was difficult to pick up and quickly understand. That being said, our new controls are not so basic that they will be mastered in a matter of minutes, but we are going in a direction that easily opens up a lot of options to users. Just as in any great fighting game, both the most advanced player and the novice can enjoy playing. Different people enjoy different depths of control. In Legends 2, the ISP control system was a bit ostentatious. We hope to appeal to all levels of gamers. Our main focus was to not only make the controls easier to understand and master, but to also focus on move set authenticity. A major criticism of the last game was wrestlers doing moves that belonged to other wrestlers. We have made an exhaustive effort to correct this. Its a videogame and you have to remember that, so you may see moves that these wrestlers may not have been known for but *could* have pulled off, but as for doing someone elses signature move, that wont be happening in Showdown.
Mark - Has Create a Legend mode been expanded since LOW 2?
Justin Withers Yes, you can now adjust body parts. Geometry manipulation is our biggest addition, but well be adding new textures, etc. Weve also added Edit a Legend and you can take any existing wrestler and change him however you want.
Mark - Who is providing the in-game commentary?
Justin Withers We recorded play-by-play with Tony Schiavone. He sounds awesome. Most wrestling fans will remember him from his time in both the WWF and the WCW. Bobby The Brain Heenan record our color commentary. We had the two of them in the recording booth together and got some really great material. There is a chance well add a third man to the booth, but that is yet to be determined. One of the things that Im excited about with this commentary is the way the matches will be called. Many other games have pbp and color commentary but the actual in-game matches, after the wrestler introductions, etc, are just not called well. There are too many random oohs and ahhs. We are working hard toward having a commentary system that is intelligent and follows the flow of the match.
Mark - Can we expect to see more fantastic Superstar interviews this time round?
Justin Withers Unfortunately, no. We didnt have time to put them together.
Mark - Will there be unlockable items such as superstars and arenas?
Justin Withers We are planning on having unlockables such as arenas, outfits, entrance gear and maybe some other stuff. Currently, we arent planning on locking any wrestlers.
Mark - How involved are wrestlers with the creation of their characters?
Justin Withers Im sure these guys would really like to be involved more, but as it stands, we really dont have any contact with them. Weve gotten to work with Bret Hart, Ivan Putski, and Bobby Heenan on this project. Hart and Heenan actually recorded some grunts and groans for us that well be cuing when wrestlers get hit, thrown to the mat, etc. We take a lot of pride in the accuracy of our wrestler models, and making them as realistic as possible is something that our artists are always striving for. I imagine our dedication and attention to detail will make any of the Legends in our game very happy.
Mark - And finally, what sets LOW: Showdown apart from other wrestling games on the market?
Justin Withers Our roster is the first thing that sets us apart. From the beginning, having Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior, etc, make this roster untouchable. No other game can claim to have the Legends we have. My hope is that with these wrestlers, we can turn this franchise into one in which the controls are competitive, the career mode is unique, the models are top notch, and the gameplay is exciting for all levels of gamers. Thanks a lot for setting this interview up. On behalf of the team in Austin, Id just like to say were all really excited about this game and hope that the public enjoys the changes and additions weve worked hard to create.
Mark - Thank you for your time!
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