Final TNA Game News

[rodriguez]

Source: Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com

This past weekend in Orlando, Midway Games held a media event previewing the upcoming TNA iMPACT! videogame, which is due out in June. Here is the latest information:

Roster: There will be 25 playable TNA stars in the game. So far, the following names are confirmed: Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, Jay Lethal, Booker T, Sting, Kurt Angle, Christian Cage, Homicide, Hernandez, Rhino, Scott Steiner, Eric Young, Alex Shelley, Chris Sabin, Shark Boy, Christopher Daniels, and Tomko.

Match Types: Ultimate X, Full Metal Mayhem (weapons match), Monster's Ball (multiple players with weapons), Free For All (four players against each other), Submission Match, Falls Count Anywhere, traditional singles and tag team matches. There will also be a career/storyline mode.

Online Play: XBOX Live users will be able to play online in any of the above match types.

Arenas: The Impact Zone and venues in Japan, Great Britain, Las Vegas and Mexico as well as a "national armory" to give players that "indy" feeling

[The Creep]

Noice!!

Cant wait for this game to come out

[rodriguez]

Media Quotes about upcoming TNA "iMPACT!" video game:

"The game strikes a very satisfying balance between gameplay, graphics and animation that I’ve not witnessed in the genre for quite some time."
Mike Fahey –Kotaku.com

"For the first time perhaps since WWE chairman Vince McMahon bought WCW in 2001 and effectively killed the competition and its licensed games, there is a new challenger."
Sterling McGarvey – Gamespy.com

"After over two dozen match-ups, it definitely appears TNA Impact! is shaping up nicely. The action is quick and responsive, with very few dull moments in the action, and should find its place among gamers looking for fast paced gameplay."
Nick Chester – Destructoid.com

"After finally having the controllers ripped out of our hands by Midway security, we came away very optimistic. When you combine a team experienced in developing wild sports titles with the TNA brand, you end up with a game that has a big opportunity to mix up the wrestling genre, which has become set in its ways in recent years."
Bob McTague – 1up.com

"After having seen actual gameplay--and tried the game for ourselves--we're happy to report that, yes, the game's pace is nice and quick, and, yes, those character models look just as good as the trailer indicates."
Brian Ekberg – Gamespot.com

“Pretty damn good for a game that’s only a little more than half finished”
Matt Griffin - UGO.com

[Hi Octane]

Fire Pro!

[Commissioner Warrior™]

FIRE PRO!



.....KEEENNNNEEEDDDYYY!!!

[rodriguez]

UK, June 19, 2008 - "As far as AJ Styles goes, he still hates my shotgun." It's not what we were expecting wrestler Samoa Joe to say when we sat down with him at a recent TNA Impact event in London and, bearing in mind his biceps were bigger than our waist, it wasn't something we were particular keen to push further.

Thankfully, Samoa Joe hasn't embarked on some serious pro-wrestling rule breaking - he's talking about TNA in-house COD4 tournaments. These guys are hardcore and, boy, do they know their games. Gathered for this UK showing of TNA iMPACT!, Total Non-stop Action stars Samoa Joe, AJ Styles and Petey Williams took the opportunity to flex their gaming knowledge alongside their improbably large muscles. Discussing Japanese illegal import gaming and Rock Band, us journos were suitably impressed to learn that Midway hadn't simply rolled out another bunch of famous but clueless faces.

Still, iMPACT! was the main focus of the day and, with the game set for release this September, we made the most of the chance to settle down with the near-final code on display. First up, we grappled controllers with fellow reporters for some Ultimate X action. Your goal is to grab the belt or X suspended above the ring – by any means necessary. It's utterly chaotic and, as with all the best competitive fighting games, managed to elicit unadulterated bellows of phantom pain as things progressed. During our hands-on time, we elected to play as the impregnably hardcore AJ Styles and, thanks to some seriously ham-fisted wrestling skills, spent most of the time flying out of the ring and onto our faces.

Shonky skills aside though, Ultimate X matches are certainly one of the most entertaining aspects of any wrestling game we've ever played. You've really got to work to firstly get on then stay on those ropes, which is far from easy with your opponent kicking seven shades out of you. Even when you've made it though, there's more to contend with. To grab the X (or belt) itself, you need to line up the bars in a tiny timing-based mini-game which is surprisingly well integrated into the main match and merely serves to crank up the tension further.

It helps that matches flow superbly too, with collision detection that's really spot-on. What's more, every one of your motion-captured moves can be executed with satisfying responsiveness. There's no hitting the punch button and watching your wrestler struggle into the correct fighting animation. It's immediate and, whether you're kicking or punching, the whole game feels faster and smoother as a result. The range of moves in iMPACT! is fantastic too, with Samoa Joe quoting the number of individual moves at around 200, meaning you won't get bored churning out the same stock grapple again and again.

It's a prime example of the attention to detail that's gone into the game, reflected in other areas such as the commentary and, of course, Styles system. In a nutshell, you're awarded points for attacks that damage your opponent and these can be spent on new moves to prime your potential champion in single-player Create-A-Wrestler mode. It's an interesting idea, with the game engine proving surprisingly robust at calculating how well you're doing with each move and rewarding you justly, all making landing a good hit so much more satisfying.

Admittedly, we've a few qualms based on what we've seen so far. Firstly, for a title so keen on replicating reality, there are the usual wrestling game issues when matches tumble out of the ring. The surrounding arena is far from interactive, with iMPACT! often intent on repositioning players when they stray too far – say, up the stairs. Considering how frequently fights leave the confines of centre stage, it feels odd that bounding boxes are so clumsily implemented – we're sure there's a more elegant solution to the age-old problem than having your character shoved unceremoniously skyward, only to tumble to the ground with a distinct lack of athletic grace.

We're also not entirely sold on some iMPACT!'s visual aspects. In particular, arenas are surprisingly ugly, with a distinct lack of detail – right down to the poorly-rendered crowd, seemingly constructed of the same seven character models repeated over and over again. It's especially jarring when you consider the amazing work that's been done on the wrestlers themselves.

Still, iMPACT! definitely looks promising right now and, it turns out, there's more to come. According to Petey Williams, there's plenty to look forward to once the final game ships: "Once it's out you'll get downloadable content, and you'll be able to download more of us, so you'll get people like the Canadian Stray." Even without the extras though, iMPACT! plays so smoothly you'd think you're back in the No Mercy days, where you could pick up a controller, and really just have fun from the word 'go' without poring over a manual for fifteen minutes. September should be a month of roaring crowds, humiliating pain, and online monkey bar-esque action. See you in the ring.

[king]

I still think this game will not be that good. SmackDown! vs. RAW won't be anything special either.