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| Friday
Night Smackdown: Season Mode and Create-A-Superstar for DS |
| October 31, 2008 at 11:08am |
You can roam freely in Season Mode. So
you might bump into the Big Show at the gym to tell him what is up.
Click the picture above to see the video.
You can build a costume or grow the
world's most powerful moustache with Create-A-Superstar. Click the picture above to see the video.
Lately, we've been focusing on many of the
console-specific features of
WWE Smackdown vs. RAW 2009,
but for this edition of Friday Night Smackdown, we'd like to point
out some of the options available right in the palm of your hand in
the DS version.
If you want to work your way to the WWE Hall of Fame, then you should give Season Mode a shot.
You'll have to start at the very bottom of the ladder by negotiating a contract with Vince McMahon. Then you'll have to
battle your way through Superstars from all three brands, RAW, Smackdown and ECW, to work your way to the top. You'll be able to
roam freely through a variety of locations, including WWE
Headquarters, your home, the gym and the arena, where you'll frequently
bump into WWE Superstars, like John Cena, The Undertaker and more.
It takes persistance and hard work to make a name for yourself in the WWE.
With each match you win, or each time you prove yourself in the
locker room, you'll earn Respect Points that will open up new
opportunities. You'll also earn upgraded physical attributes, and
you can always buff yourself up a little in one of three training
minigames in the gym.
Your DS will also give you the freedom to build and customize your own
pro wrestler with the Create-A-Superstar feature. You'll start with a body
type, facial features and hairstyle. Then you'll be able to add on virtually unlimited options,
like hats, shorts, trunks, shoes, tattoos, elbow pads, sunglasses
and more.
Not only will you be able to design your Superstar's look, but you'll also be able to
allocate attribute points among five strengths and weaknesses,
customize your set of strikes, grapples, taunts and finishers, or
even select your own entrance music.
We have even more talent roster revelations to bring you this
week. For those of you keeping score at home, you can add RAW Superstar JBL and John Morrison from ECW to your
DS list.
You can add those two, plus The Miz from ECW and Smackdown stars Jesse, Festus, Michelle McCool and Maria, to the roster for
Xbox 360,
PS3,
Wii,
PS2 and
PSP.
You can find videos showing Season Mode and Create-A-Superstar on
GameStop Cinema. We'll bring you more news next Friday. |
| Red Wednesday #11:
You'll Get by with a Little Help from Your Friends |
| October 29, 2008 at 11:04am |
Autumn Reeser as Commander Lissette
Hanley. Is that a lollipop or a confectionary explosive device? Click on the picture above to see the video.
This is it. This is not a drill. Command & Conquer Red Alert 3
for PC is available today, and the battle of the Superpowers has
begun. One thing you'll notice right away about the gameplay is the
co-op play, designed to help you out whether you're playing with a
friend or relying on one of the in-game Co-Commanders.
We were able to talk to Red Alert 3 producer Greg Kasavin to ask him
how this type of play works in a Real Time Strategy setting. "This
is the first time there's been a fully cooperative campaign where
you can play all the missions, either with a friend or alone," he
told us. And it was a very deliberate decision to go that route."
Banking on the popularity of online co-op play, the advantages of a friend being
able to back you up if you get into tight spot, and the strength of combined arms
and strategies, Greg said that they decided to apply co-op to their
campaigns. "On the one hand, it was pretty risky," he said. "But on
the other, we knew what we were going after because one of the most
entertaining ways of playing Real Time Strategy games is in a
team-based fashion."
Playing with a buddy offers several advantages. Suppose you're
having trouble getting through a particular mission. You can ask a
friend to drop in and help you out. Or your partner can provide air
support as you lead the ground attack. It's no longer the "you
against the world" scenario. It's at least you and a friend against
the world, Greg told us.Even if you
choose to play solo, you'll get an assist from one of the
Co-Commanders in the game. The Co-Commanders are there to provide
support, without doing all of the work for you or getting in the
way, Greg explained. You can expect the Co-Commander to keep
pace with your strategy, whether you give direct orders or rely on
the Co-Commander to back you up on his or her own. There are three
Co-Commanders per faction, and whether they play with you or against
you will depend on which faction you choose to play as. They are all
unique characters with their own personalities. "You get to see both
sides of these characters, as to how they act when they're on your
side versus how they act when they're trying to take you down,"
Greg said.
That's where the talents of actors like Autumn Reeser come into play.
Autumn, known for her TV work on The OC, movies like Lost Boys 2: The Tribe,
and currently for playing the goddess Phoebe in the TV series Valentine, was cast in the role
of Lissette Hanley, an Allied Commander and former spy. "She's got
this sweet nature about her, but she's also got this very sly and
experienced quality about her, as well. So there's more to her than
meets the eye. A specialist in high tech Allied weaponry, Lissette
prefers to use weapons like dolphins equipped with Sonic Disruptors
or Cryocopters with freeze and shrink rays. And whether you see her
sweet or ruthless side will depend on which side you're on.
Speaking of sweet, Autumn Reeser was kind
enough to answer a few question we recently posed to her.
GameStop: We’ve heard you’re a frequent GameStop shopper, which we greatly appreciate.
What are you usually looking for when you stop by your local GameStop?
Autumn: Games for my DS-Lite! Currently, I'm playing
The Sims 2 Pets,
and Professor Layton & the Curious Village.
I also have a lot of gamer friends and family. So I buy gifts there quite often.
GameStop: When you first found out about the opportunity to play a character on
Red Alert 3, were you surprised to learn that it was an actual live-action role, and not a voice-over for an animated character?
Autumn: Yes! I'm a little disappointed that I don't have an animated version of myself out there in the world. (Yet!) I intend to remedy that. I'd love to be a part of another video game or film as an animated character. I'm curious as to what I would look like.
GameStop:Did you do anything special to get into the mindset of a military commander, like beat somebody up or fire an assault rifle?
Autumn: I think Commander Lissette rules mostly through her attitude. I imagine that she's amazing at hand-to-hand combat. She can put someone on the floor with a flick of her wrist. She keeps her cool at all times and feels that she is completely in control. I actually had my fiancé teach me some pretty stellar martial arts/ self-defense moves so I could feel like a bad-a** while I was working (although I didn't actually get to put any of them to use)!
GameStop: You’ve played a vampire recruit in Lost Boys 2:
the Tribe, a former spy and military commander in Red Alert 3, and you’re currently playing the
goddess Phoebe in Valentine. Is it harder to play a fantasy, larger-than-life character than a role as a “typical” person?
Autumn: It's actually very freeing, because you're not constrained to your perceptions. I have learned a lot in the past year through doing these exaggerated characters, and I'm looking forward to bringing the things I've learned to my next “real life” character. Particularly, I've learned it's possible to stretch far outside my own comfort zone, and still believe the truth of what I'm doing.
GameStop: Is there any chance gamers will run into you playing
Red Alert 3 online after it releases?
Autumn: Of COURSE I will have to try out Red Alert 3! I'm looking forward to hearing my voice shouting at me when I make a mistake. :) I hope I'm not TOO mean to myself, but I'm not holding my breath
because I remember the lines that I said!
Get your GameStop-Exclusive Lissette Hanley wallpaper here:
1600x1200
1900x1200
Visit our GameStop Cinema page to see a video of Autumn explaining what it's like to play a Co-Commander in Red Alert 3. Then prepare to meet tough but sweet Commander Lissette, take a lesson from those PBS kids' shows
you used to watch, and use the power of cooperation to dominate in
Red Alert 3. Check back next week for more
Red Wednesday news. |
| What's Hot This Week: October 28 |
| October 28, 2008 at 10:46am |
You don't have to let an Alpaca eat
your head to enter the Guitar Hero World Tour
Sweepstakes.
The weird thing about this cake is
that it actually worked. Too bad everybody ate it.
This week is all about milestones. Whether
it's the release of a much-anticipated game or the celebration of a
gamer's birthday, we have much to be excited about this week. By the
way, the GameStop Blog made its debut one-year ago, and we'd like to
thank our loyal readers for a year of bloggy goodness.
Show the World that You're a Hero: We don't use the word
"hero" lightly around here, but if you have the courage to submit a
photo to the Guitar Hero World
Tour Sweepstakes, you are the greatest hero in history. In fact,
if you win, you'll be immortalized as a character in a future
Guitar Hero release. Check out our
Guitar Hero World Tour Sweepstakes page
to enter the contest. While you're there, you can also discover your
stage name with our Rock Name Generator, design a custom guitar and
have it rated by your peers with the Skin Your Guitar tool, download
Heroic Wallpapers, and view other sweepstakes submissions in our Gallery
of Poses. Oh, and you can buy Guitar Hero World Tour there,
as well.
Gamer Ingenuity in the Kitchen: Proving once again that
gamers are some of the most creative people in the world, take a
look at the picture on the right to see the DS birthday cake
that GameStop customer Brandi made for her son Colby's birthday. She
said it took her four days to make, including an all-nighter the
night before the party. She used food color to hand-paint Colby's
favorite game, Pokémon Pearl, onto fondant, which is a sugary
confection rolled thin like paper. So it was edible, right down to
the brownie buttons. When we asked her how she would top that for
Colby's next birthday, she told us "Oh gosh, I'm not sure. He's into motocross; so maybe a 3-D sculpted dirtbike cake.
He does want something with smoke; so dry ice will be a definite next time!"
If you have an elaborate birthday cake design, perhaps involving dry
ice, robotics or other special effects, send it to
editor@gamestop.com so we
can have a look at it.
More big releases this week: This week you can face the
barren wasteland in
Fallout 3,
create your own customizable world in
LittleBigPlanet
or learn the
mysterious ways of the Ninja Dropping in
Ninjatown. Visit our
Now
Shipping and
Coming Soon pages to keep abreast of other hot releases. Plus, Command & Conquer Red Alert 3
is now shipping for PC, and it will be in stores tomorrow. Visit the blog tomorrow to see our Red
Wednesday feature on co-op play and Red Alert 3 Co-Commanders.
|
| Friday
Night Smackdown: Customize Your Own Highlight Reel |
| October 24, 2008 at 9:08am |
You can add custom Batman-esque
graphics to your highlight reel. Click the picture to see how.
You can also add sound, including
music from your own playlist. Click the picture for the video.
When you play
WWE Smackdown vs. RAW 2009
you'll undoubtedly have moments that you'll want to savor, like when
you throw an opponent out of the ring, or when you deliver a
roundhouse kick to the face of an adversary, or when you smack
someone with a halibut that was inadvertently left ringside. If you
order the
Xbox 360 or
PS3 version, you'll not only be able to watch
those moments over and over again, but you'll also be able to
customize those highlights with the Highlight Reel feature. This
includes the
Collector's Edition for PS3,
with collectible Steel Cage packaging and an exclusive WWE Blu-Ray disc with over
two hours of
additional content, including Best of Raw and Smackdown Matches, plus a BONUS
WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2009 behind-the-scenes documentary about the video game.
The Highlight Reel will be making its debut in the Xbox 360 and PS3
versions of WWE Smackdown vs. RAW 2009. In fact, it will mark the first time
you see it anywhere because no other wrestling game has ever had
this feature. At any time during play, you'll be able to use the new
replay interface to see the last 30 seconds of a match. Then you'll have the option to save those clips and customize them in the Highlight Reel
editor mode later.
The Highlight Reel editor will allow you to create and save up to 20
custom Highlight Reels, each more than a minute long. You'll be able
to combine and trim your favorite video clips and screenshots and
then apply a variety of transitional effects to tie them together.
Then you'll choose from a variety of editable graphics to add some "Pow!"
or "Crash!" to your reel, like a fight scene from the Batman TV show
in the 60s. You will also be able to add sound effects, Superstar
entrance music, commentary, or even your own audio from your playlist. Then after you've added lighting effects, slow motion or
varying camera angles, you can finish it with a custom cover,
designed to look like a DVD case, as an intro. After you've enjoyed
watching your highlights, you can upload your favorites online for
others to view, download and rate. Watch the video on our GameStop
Cinema page to see the Highlight Reel editor in action.
We also have some more talent roster revelations to bring you this
week. Hopping onboard WWE Smackdown vs. RAW 2009 are Big
Show, Brian Kendrick and Paul London from Smackdown, ECW star Chavo Guerrero, and
William Regal, Cody
Rhodes and Hardcore Holly from RAW for the Xbox 360,
PS3,
Wii,
PS2 and
PSP
versions. You'll get Cody Rhodes and Hardcore Holly in the
DS
version.
Remember to check out the video showing how the Highlight Reel
editor works on
GameStop Cinema,
and we'll bring you more news next Friday. |
| Red Wednesday #10:
The Music of Red Alert 3 |
| October 22, 2008 at 11:02am |
An orchestra records music for Red
Alert 3 at Skywalker Ranch. Click the picture for more.
A male chorus provides the brooding
Russian vocals for Red Alert 3. Click the picture for more.
Music has always played an integral part in
visual media, like television, movies and video games. It can set
the tone for the entire piece. For example, the guy two cubicles over
from us who incessantly whistles Twisted Nerve from the Kill Bill
soundtrack definitely sets a tone around here. A big,
world-encompassing game like Command & Conquer Red Alert 3
needs a soundtrack that's up to the task, and we were able to visit
with Red Alert 3 Audio Director Nick Laviers to get his insights on
what it takes to set the mood.
Because Red Alert 3 involves varying factions, locations and
situations, the task of composing music fell to a team, rather than
any single composer. Nick told us that a team of four was
responsible for the game's music score: Tim Wynn, James Hannigan,
Mikael Sandgren and Frank Keplacki, whose name you'll no doubt
recognize from his earlier work on Red Alert games.
The complexity and scale of the job required a team, but Nick also
joked, "All of those guys gave us demos, and we liked all of
their demos. So we decided to make things easy for ourselves and
hire them all."
The responsibilities were mainly split up by faction, Nick told us.
Hannigan wrote music for the Japanese faction, while Wynn
concentrated more on the Soviets and the Allies. Hannigan also wrote
a piece that ended up becoming the main theme for the game, Nick
said. "It's a big choir and orchestra piece that was James
Hannnigan's original pitch for the game, but we liked it so much, it
went on to be our theme," he said.
So armed with that piece, some reworks of Keplacki's HellMarch
and Grinder themes from previous Red Alert games, plus
a few others, they spent a weekend at the well-known Skywalker
Ranch, where a full orchestra recorded more than 40 minutes of the
game's music, including a male choir who sang genuine Russian
lyrics, saying things like, "People are as sheep grazing in the world in the hope that they will once find their path.
The Soviet Union, like a gigantic bear, reigns on all people as their shepherd."
It's all meant to be a little tongue in cheek, much like the game
itself, Nick explained, "I think the game is pretty big in Russia, actually," he said.
"So hopefully, if anybody in Russia is playing the game, it will make them laugh because
the lyrics are pretty over the top." So you end up with the
dark-sounding Russian choir in the Soviet Union or a Jazz and
Hip-Hop fusion in New York City. "The game's all about character,
really" Nick Told us. "One of the real driving forces behind the music in this game is that we really wanted to give everything loads of character, almost like caricature if you like."
But it's not as easy as throwing different themes into different
locations. The music has to build upon an environment or situation
without overtaking it or becoming irritating, like a commercial
jingle you can't get out of your head. Nick told us they avoid that by saving the big melodic pieces for very
specific moments of the game. You'll hear the major themes when you
enter a map or launch a super weapon, but you'll hear a more subtle
warning tune when a skirmish is about to break out, for example. And
if an opponent launches a super weapon at you, you may hear a
mocking bit of music that Nick and his team affectionately refer to
as the "Up Yours" moment.
"The real trick of it is choosing what to play and what not to play,
especially in this kind of game where you’ve got so much stuff going
on onscreen. So you’re kind of second guessing what the player is
wanting to hear," Nick explained.
So check out the video
about the music of Red Alert 3 on our
GameStop Cinema page,
and please come back next week for more
Red Wednesday news. |
| Friday
Night Smackdown: Choose Your Destiny |
| October 17, 2008 at 2:20pm |
You can keep up with your stats in
Career Mode. Click the picture to see Career Mode in action.
Follow the confetti-laden Road to WrestleMania. Click on the picture to see the video.
The poet Robert Frost once wrote:
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
We don't know what that means, but we do know that if you'll memorize
that, sew some leather patches on the elbows of your Members Only™ jacket,
and carry a pipe around, you'll be a hit with the ladies. We think
it has something to do with regret about not knowing the "what ifs"
in life. You won't have regrets with
WWE Smackdown vs. RAW 2009
because, not only will you have the choice of playing in either
Career Mode or Road to WrestleMania Mode, you can always go back and
try the other one to see which you like better.
Career Mode is open to all playable characters, including created Superstars, Divas and hidden
characters. So you can choose your character and crush the
competition as you fight your way to a shot in a Pay-Per-View Event.
Not only will you have to win, but you'll have to win in style
because each match is rated, and you'll have to collect good ratings
to continue to the next level. Your selected Superstar will also
gain experience in eight different areas, including speed, technical attributes, charisma and more. As you gain expertise in these
areas, you'll unlock Superstar abilities, like Submission Specialist or Move Theft. As your career progress, you'll have a ton of
stats at your fingertips, such as wins and losses, finisher-per-match average, successful reversal percentage, time spent out of the ring,
and more.
Road to WrestleMania Mode concentrates on the rich storylines that
we all love about pro wrestling. You'll be able to choose from several Superstars
and follow each one's unique storyline, tailored to that Superstar's personality.
Each story has multiple paths and multiple endings. You'll never know for certain when a fight may erupt backstage or
when one of your mortal enemies may interrupt a match, or when
someone you thought was an ally will suddenly turn on you. The
developers have gone all-out to make everything look, sound and feel like you're a part of WWE programming.
For example, you'll get more than two-and-a-half hours of motion-captured cut scenes, fully voiced by the Superstars.
Plus, you'll be able to unlock hidden characters, new environments bonus matches and more along the way.
And as we've been doing the last few weeks, we have some unlocking
of our own to do, in terms of more talent roster revelations. You
can add MVP, Victoria, Carlito and Big Show from Smackdown, RAW star
Chuck Palumbo, and Big Daddy V from ECW to the list for the Xbox 360,
PS3,
Wii,
PS2 and
PSP
versions. You'll get MVP, Carlito and Big Daddy V in the
DS version.
Also, don't forget to check out the
Collector's Edition for PS3,
featuring collectible Steel Cage packaging and an exclusive WWE Blu-Ray disc with over
two hours of
additional content, including Best of Raw and Smackdown Matches, plus a BONUS
Smackdown vs. Raw 2009
video game behind-the-scenes documentary.
So whether you want to win every belt, experience the drama of
wrestling, or both, you'll have
your chance in WWE Smackdown vs. RAW. Check out both modes on
GameStop Cinema,
and we'll bring you more news next Friday. |
| Red Wednesday #9:
Ackerman for President! |
| October 15, 2008 at 11:17am |
A tough man for tough times: Howard Ackerman. Click the picture above to see his campaign video.
Forget those other candidates. We're
endorsing President Howard Ackerman from Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3
as our choice for the 2008 election. Sure he's a fictional character
from an alternate reality, but we think once you see our exclusive
interview with him, you'll agree that Ackerman is the man for the
job. We were able sit down with him for a short Q & A.
GameStop: What’s great about this country, and how would you protect that?
Ackerman: It’s the freedom we Americans have to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and
make something out of ourselves. Anyone in the country can do anything they want if they have the
gumption and the guts and a can do attitude. This is a country where a simple farm boy from Iowa
can grow up to be the President of the United States. That’s right. That’s me. How would I protect
that? With our courage, our compassion, our Athena Cannons and our Century Bombers.
GameStop: What’s wrong with this country, and how would you fix it?
Ackerman: There’s nothing wrong with it. It’s perfect just the way it is. Except for those pessimistic anti-patriotic naysayers who hate everything we stand for. They call this constructive criticism. I call it treason. They think this country needs to be fixed. I think the only thing that needs to be fixed is them so they don’t produce anymore pinko, commie offspring.
GameStop: What traits should American voters look for in a President, and which are your strongest?
Ackerman: Voters should look for someone who knows what they’re doing and isn’t afraid to say so. Someone who doesn’t waste time weighing every possibility, hemming and hawing, looking at both sides of everything. A President has to be decisive. It’s about choosing a course, right or wrong, and sticking to it to the bitter, miserable end. He’s the President of United States. What he says goes. What was the second part of that question?
GameStop: Do you consider yourself a “maverick?”
Ackerman: Yes, I am. I’ve never been one to go along to get along. That’s why I’m for innovation. That’s why I’m for spending trillions more on defense technology. Some people are afraid of that kind of advanced weaponry. Afraid we may open up Pandora’s box and accidentally blow up the planet. Well, hell, you can’t make an omelet if you don’t break a few eggs. Frightened little men with tiny little minds have always been afraid of progress. Hell, if they had their way we’d still be talking on tin cans connected with strings
GameStop: Can you sum up your foreign policy for us?
Ackerman: Do it to them before they do it to us.
GameStop: Is America still a superpower?
Ackerman: I should kick you where it counts, asking me a question like that. America is the greatest nation on Earth! The most powerful force for good in the history of humankind. We have the most powerful military machine ever seen. The finest war technology on the planet, thanks to the good people at FutureTech Incorporated. So I would say…yeah.
GameStop: What must America do to ensure a strong defense?
Ackerman: The best defense is clearly a good offense. If our enemies believe we’re a little trigger happy, well that’s just fine and dandy. If they know that I won’t hesitate to wipe them off the face of the Earth, they’ll think twice before they attack us. In this day and age, you need to be a little bit bad a**.
GameStop: What’s America’s biggest threat globally?
Ackerman: The scourge of Godless communism. Those whiny bast**ds want to take from the rich and give to the poor. They want everyone to be equal and no one to have any more money than anybody else. Well, hell…where’s the fun in that?
GameStop: What’s America’s biggest threat domestically?
Ackerman: Reality TV.
GameStop: Do you believe man is responsible for global warming?
Ackerman: Yes, I do and you know what? Big whoop. If the polar
ice caps melt and the oceans rise and the East and West Coast end up underwater, it’s no skin off my nose. I didn’t win those states anyway.
So there you have it — a man who knows what he wants and isn't afraid
to say it. See more of his political rhetoric in his campaign video
on our GameStop Cinema page. When you hit the polls this November, you may want to
consider Howard Ackerman as a write-in for president. We read somewhere that Mr. Potato
Head
is the most frequently written-in candidate, and we think Ackerman
deserves his shot. Check back next week for more
Red Wednesday news. |
| What's Hot This Week: October 14 |
| October 14, 2008 at 10:46am |
Is that you, Scooby? Terror-inducing
Dead Space begins
shipping today for Xbox 360 and PS3.
Although he's a fictional character, we are officially endorsing Howard
Ackerman for president.
With Halloween just around the corner, a
creepy science fiction thriller begins shipping today to lead off
our What's Scary and What's Hot this week.
It's what might be there that's scary:
Dead Space is now
shipping for Xbox 360
and PS3.
The
PC
version will follow next week.
When communications break down on a mining ship in deep space, engineer
Isaac Clarke is sent in to find out what the problem is. Turns out it's much,
much worse than someone leaving the phone off the hook. The picture on the right
of necromorphing aliens lurking behind Isaac reminds us of one of those
Scooby Doo episodes,
where Shaggy thinks it's Scooby behind him, but it's really some guy in a mummy costume
who is trying to scare off tourists, and he would have gotten away
with it if it weren't for those meddling kids. It's up to meddling
Isaac to survive the alien bloodbath with some tricking, treating
and "strategic dismemberment."
More great titles available this week: Get ready to reclaim your throne to your hood with
Saints Row 2,
which hits the mean streets, and GameStop stores, today. Lead an elite fighting special forces unit with
SOCOM: Confrontation
for PS3, also shipping today. If dismembering aliens, gang warfare or fighting terrorism
does not fit your style, you might try
Boogie Superstar or
Sam and Max: Season One,
both shipping for Wii today,
or Smart Girl's Party Games
for DS, terrifying for reasons of its own.
Tomorrow we get political: We know it's unusual for us to
endorse any particular presidential candidate, but one stands out so
far above the rest that we simply must throw our support behind him.
We're talking, of course, about that great patriot Howard Ackerman,
from Command & Conquer Red Alert 3.
Come back tomorrow for Red
Wednesday to see our exclusive interview with Howard Ackerman, where we ask hard-hitting
questions and he fires back hard-hitting answers. And check back
next week for more of What's Hot. |
| Friday
Night Smackdown: Bust a Finishing Move |
| October 10, 2008 at 10:50am |
Select moves from the menu to create
your own finisher. Click the picture to see it in action.
After you've saved your finisher, you
can put it into action. Click on the picture to see the video.
Suppose you've beaten your opponent into
submission in
WWE Smackdown vs. RAW 2009, and you want to finish him off with a flair.
The new Create-A-Finisher Mode will allow you to select a series of
moves that you can customize to make your own signature finisher.
So, for example, you could stun your opponent with a poison-fog attack,
which is what the guy in the cubicle next to us does on half-price
chili day, then you could kick him in the gut, strike him in the
head, cinch his neck with a choke-slam clutch, taunt him with a
cutthroat gesture, and then lift him up and slam him to the mat with
a bone-jarring spine crusher. In fact, the wide variety of moves
available in the Create-A-Finisher menu will allow you virtually
endless possibilities in creating your ultimate finisher. We don't
know if our favorite made the list, where you tell your opponent he
has something on his shirt, and then you flick his nose when he
looks down.
Not only will you be able to create and save up to 30 unique finishers
by combining strikes, taunts, clutches and slams, but you'll also be
able to increase or decrease the animation speed of each step. Once
you've created a finisher, you'll be able to preview either the
entire finisher or individual moves before you save it. You'll also
be able to control the camera angles at which you preview your
finisher. Once you've finalized it, you'll be able to name your finisher
by choosing from 30 pre-set commentary-supported names, or you can
create your own original name.
Speaking of finishers, we're not quite finished announcing the superstars
on the WWE Smackdown
vs. RAW 2009 talent roster, and we have a few more to add to the
list. You'll be able to play as Ashley or
the Great Khali from Smackdown, RAW stars Melina, Trevor Murdoch or
Lance Cade, or Tommy Dreamer from ECW in the Xbox 360,
PS3,
Wii,
PS2 and
PSP
versions. You'll get The Great Khali and Tommy Dreamer in the
DS version.
So start thinking about what you want your finishing moves to look
like and whether you want to perform them as a WWE Superstar, Diva
or a custom Superstar of your own creation. See how the
Create-A-Finisher Mode works on
GameStop Cinema, and
check out the screenshots on
our
Xbox 360
and
PS3 product pages.
Look for more feature news and talent announcements next Friday. |
| Red Wednesday #8:
GameStop-Exclusive Skirmish Map |
| October 8, 2008 at 9:48am |
Take over your own GameStop Store in
Red Alert 3 in the Exclusive Dreadnaught Alley Skirmish
Map.
Having a GameStop store in Red
Alert 3 can give you an income boost, but it's hard to
defend.
If you've ever wanted to have your own GameStop location, you'll get your chance when you reserve
either the regular or
Premier Edition
of Command & Conquer Red
Alert 3 for PC. One of the bonus items you'll get is a
GameStop-Exclusive Dreadnaught Alley Skirmish Map, featuring a
GameStop store that you can capture with an engineer for an economy
boost.
In addition to your GameStop store, you'll find a number of
buildings suitable for setting up garrisons if you should choose to
attack from the land. If you attack from the sea, you might capture
one or both of the two islands, each with a dry dock for healing
your naval units. You'll also find an oil derrick for added income
and 2 land-ore nodes for, umm, all of your land-ore noding needs.
We caught up with Command & Conquer Red Alert 3 game designer Jeremy Feasel
for a few minutes to ask him what goes into making a good skirmish/multiplayer
map, and he told us it all starts with players like you. He said
they are
very interested in what players are feeling about a game, and they
rely heavily on feedback from players in the community, which helps
them to shape future
iterations and also to tweak what is currently being used as they
try to tread that delicate line balance between those who like a quick,
fast-paced battle and those who prefer a more strategic, drawn-out campaign.
So with that in mind, Jeremy and his team begin "measuring out
what's fun" to get to the final map. They start with an idea
of what scenario they want and create a rough layout. After the
layout phase, they ask themselves if placement of items on the map
makes sense to ensure that it feels right. Then they begin to flesh
out the map with terrain, buildings, etc., all the while keeping in
mind the fact that the theme has to work with the gameplay, and the
setting should accurately reflect what it’s portraying. This is especially true
in Red Alert 3, where artists and designers factor in themes from around the world for realism.
To get a look at one of the finished products, check out the video
of the GameStop-Exclusive Map on our
GameStop Cinema page.
In addition to the skirmish
map, you'll also get a free copy of Red Alert
2
when you reserve
Command & Conquer Red Alert 3 for PC, as well as a bonus DVD containing a sneak peek at some of the content in the Premier Edition, a making of the cinematics documentary and strategy videos from the developers themselves. Plus, each first-run edition of Red Alert 3 will contain the in-game Kossar's Helm
for
Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, which transforms the wearer into a ferocious bear. We'd also
like to remind you'll see plenty of well-designed maps in the
Command & Conquer 3 Deluxe Edition, featuring
the immensely popular Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars and the expansion pack Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath.
Visit your local GameStop to pick up a copy, and visit us next week
for more of Red Wednesday. |
| What's Hot This Week: October 7 |
| October 7, 2008 at 10:20am |
Decisions, decisions, decisions. NBA 2K9,
NBA 2009: The Inside and NBA Live
09 all ship today.
What to wear? Here are three
additional choices you'll get when you reserve
LittleBigPlanet.
From deciding which NBA game to play
this year, to picking out what you'll wear in LittleBigPlanet,
triple threats are the subject at hand this week.
Would you like NBA, NBA or NBA? Summer leagues are done,
exhibition games are being played, and the first official tip-off is
only days away. As the weather cools and the autumn leaves start to
turn, an NBA fan's thoughts turn to which NBA video game to get
this year. Three different NBA games begin shipping today, and
choosing one can be as hard as deciding whether to wear the home, away
or throwback jersey of your favorite team. The titles shipping today include
NBA 2K9
for
Xbox 360,
PS3,
PS2 and
PC;
NBA 09: The Inside
for
PS3,
PS2 and
PSP; and
NBA Live 09
for
Xbox 360,
PS3,
Wii,
PS2 and
PSP.
Check out our product pages to decide which one is right for
you.
What the best-dressed Sackboys will be wearing this fall: As
Halloween approaches, we're sure many of you are trying to decide
what to wear. As
if picking a Halloween costume isn't hard enough, you'll also be
faced with the daunting task of choosing a costume for your Sackboy
when
LittleBigPlanet
releases October 21. To make that task even more daunting,
assuming that it's even possible to have degrees of daunting-ness, we've added
two more costumes to our GameStop-Exclusive God of War sticker and costume pack,
which you'll receive for reserving LittleBigPlanet. You probably
already knew about Kratos, but we were able to add Medusa and
Minotaur costumes to the wardobe. The pack also includes some God of
War in-game "stickers," which are graphics you can slap all over
LittleBigPlanet's customizable environment.
So flip your special three-sided coin to decide what to play or what
to wear. We're sure there will be more decisions to be made next
week, when we bring you more hot news. |
| Friday
Night Smackdown: A Brawl Breaks Out at the Fights |
| October 3, 2008 at 12:50pm |
Ring your opponent's bell… umm… trash
can. Click on the picture to go to GameStop
Cinema.
Torture your opponent with really hard
math. Click on the picture to go to GameStop
Cinema.
Due to overwhelming demand from fans, or
perhaps from the developers watching too many episodes of Tom and
Jerry,
WWE Smackdown vs. RAW 2009
will feature backstage and locker-room brawls.
Be creative, and pick up something lying around backstage, like a
metal trash can, a ladder, a fire extinguisher, a ring bell or a 2x4 wrapped
with barbed wire, and use it as a weapon to teach your opponent a
lesson. By the way, why is a barbed-wire-wrapped 2x4 just lying
around backstage? That has to be an OSHA violation.
Can't find anything handy to pick up? Then just throw your opponent
into something, like a metal door, a trash dumpster or a TV monitor.
Or you can always go with the old standby and toss him onto a table
and watch it break underneath him.
The brawl is not limited to backstage. You can get in a little
pre-match warm-up in the locker room by pummeling someone with a
steel chair, crutches or a dumbbell (We mean weights, not a ditzy
person. That would just be weird.) Or listen to your musical muse
and shove a guitar in his gut then send him airborne with a
grand-slam swing of the guitar. Again there will be objects you can
throw your opponents into in the locker room, like big-screen TVs,
wooden lockers, potted plants and dry-erase boards, where you can
inflict pain by diagramming sentences.
As far as superstars who will be able to dish out and take the
household-object pain, you'll see the wrestlers we've mentioned in
our previous Friday Night Smackdown posts, plus Rey Mysterio/
Batista, Candice, Umaga, Cryme Tyme, Kane and Mickie James in the Xbox 360,
PS3,
Wii,
PS2 and
PSP
versions, and Rey Mysterio/ Batista, Umaga and Kane in the
DS version.
We have no word on whether you'll be able to hit someone with a
frying pan and make his face match the shape of the pan, or hit him over the head with a lead pipe
and have the pipe take the shape of his head, but if we hear about it, you'll be the first to know.
Check out the video on
GameStop Cinema and see the screenshots on
our
Xbox 360
and
PS3 product pages. |
| Red Wednesday #7:
Gina Carano as Natasha |
| October 1, 2008 at 9:48am |
Gina Carano as Natasha in Command & Conquer Red
Alert 3. Click the picture for the video.
It's all business once the bell rings.
Click the picture to see Gina Carano in action.
In Command & Conquer Red Alert 3,
it's good to be the Soviet Premiere.
One of the job perks is the protective services of
Commando Natasha Volkova, played by Elite XC fighter Gina Carano, who
serves as the personal bodyguard for Premiere Cherdenko, portrayed
by Tim Curry. Although Natasha is easy one the eyes, chances are
she'll take you out before you get a good look at her because she
happens to be an expert marksman with her ridiculously huge
SV Korshunov Sniper Rifle.
As one of only two characters who appear in live-action cinematic
scenes and who are also playable as in-game characters, Natasha's
sniper skills may be put to use to take out all infantry along a
straight line with a single shot. She takes a while to reload, but
she can move while reloading. She can also take out any pilot of a
vehicle on land or sea, allowing the Soviet Infantry to capture it.
She can even pilot the vehicle if she feels like taking a drive.
Natasha can also use a laser to call in an air strike with pinpoint
accuracy — not bad for someone whose uniform offers absolutely no
midriff protection.
As far as the live-action version of Natasha goes, Gina Carano, with
her girl-next-door good looks and killer right hook, was an obvious
choice to play the femme fatale. Gina is quickly making a name for
herself as an undefeated Elite XC fighter, and you may also
recognize her as Crush on American Gladiators. Natasha is
known as a cold-blooded killer, with rumors of shocking wartime
cruelty surrounding her. Some of us were able to meet Gina at the
Command & Conquer Red Alert 3 booth at the 2008 GameStop
Conference in Las Vegas last month. She signed autographs, chatted
with fans, and stayed well past her allotted time to make sure
everyone in line got an autograph. She hardly struck us as a
cold-blooded killer like the character she plays in Red Alert 3, but
after seeing the
video
on our GameStop Cinema page, we can't help
but wonder. When the bell rings, you can almost hear the top popping
on the can of whoop-butt as she turns off the friendly demeanor and
transforms into a pummeling machine.
After you check out the video, you'll get another chance to see Gina Carano in action
when she fights on CBS this Saturday in the EliteXC: Saturday Night Fights,
which will also feature Kimbo Slice vs. Ken Shamrock. With the way Gina
has been dominating the sport, Saturday is sure to be action-packed.
You can also see Gina on the Red Alert 3 bonus DVD you'll receive when you
reserve either the
regular or
Premier Edition of Command &
Conquer Red Alert 3 for PC. You'll also get a free copy of Red Alert
2, a GameStop-exclusive skirmish map, and the in-game Kossar's Helm
for
Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning,
the magical helm that
transforms the wearer into a ferocious bear, which we mentioned on Red
Wednesday #5. So here are your orders, comrade: watch the Gina
Carano
video on GameStop Cinema, reserve your copy of
Command & Conquer Red Alert 3,
see Gina fight on CBS Saturday night, and come back here for the next Red Wednesday. |
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