Raw is War IGN Articles - Wrestling - http://maxpages.com/attitude64/Raw_is_War

The following is an article from http://xbox.ign.com pertaining to WWF's new game, Raw is War.
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As part of attending the awesome WWF SummerSlam (if you are fan of either The Undertaker or The Rock, that is) we had the chance to go hands on with an early version of the upcoming Xbox wrestling title, WWF Raw is War. This rev was more polished than the one we saw at E3 as the framerate was smoothed out, but it still has a way to go before being final.

The first thing you'll notice in the game is of course the graphics. Those early screenshots that have been released don't lie; the game actually looks that good and maybe even a little better in spots (when you are actually playing it). The character models are absolutely stunning. They look as if they were ripped out of a pre-rendered FMV intro as you can barely ever see any polygonal joints or texture seams.

Its really hard to express how good this game looks, it is just phenomenal. This is simply the best looking wrestling game ever made. You can't really tell from the screens, but you can actually see the sweat on the wrestlers. That is detail. In addition to the models, the arenas themselves are filled with details. The crowds move excellently, and the floor has a subtle reflection of the banner that surrounds the ring. And yes, there is blood in the game and it will even stain the mat.

On top of the amazing graphics is a very slick presentation that looks just like the weekly Raw broadcasts. The menus feature the metal scaffolding look that you would expect, but the coolest thing is the picture-in-picture replay. Whenever a massive hit is landed, a PnP replay window pops up exactly as it does on Raw. It doesn't obscure the actual gameplay window, and it looks very cool to see.

Of course, you probably want to know how it plays. The build we put our hands on was still pretty early and wrestler-specific moves were not implemented yet, so the wrestlers that were playable had a mix of moves. So we would see strange things such as The Undertaker doing The Rock's taunt and other things such as that. Again, it was still early and just meant as a demo to show how it played.

The controls were set up so that the triggers switch your attention from one person to another, and the face buttons pulled off your various moves. "A" was grapple, "X" was strike and would be a kick or punch depending on what direction you tapped the D-Pad when you hit the button, "Y" was block, and "B" was set to taunt. Overall the control was very tight and responsive, and I had no problem at all pulling off any grappling moves. Running was not yet implemented, but when it is expect it to probably be assigned to one of the black or white buttons.

Once you are in a grapple you pull off moves by pressing a direction on the pad and either X or A. Depending on what direction and button you press you can pull off one of around thirty different moves for the forty or so wrestlers in the game.

Now for the bad news. You knew it was coming, so here it is. The game is not as deep (feature-wise) as the WWF Smackdown series. If all you care about is flashy matches and not gameplay, you can stop reading now. You won't find the bloody hardcore table and ladder matches here that you'll get in Smackdown, but you'll be able to do up to a six-man tag match (three on each side) and other small match types. And even though they originally announced grabbing of clothing back when the game was revealed, it wasn't in this version.

Despite the lack of options, Raw is War does play well. Anchor is a very talented developer and they seem, once again, to be creating a very smooth playing game. If I were to compare it in terms of gameplay to other console wrestling games, the feel of the game is more like the excellent Aki/Asmik N64 wrestlers than the Smackdown series, even down to the way the "status" bar at the bottom of the screen shows how your wrestler is doing in a match.

We'll have more on WWF Raw is War as soon as possible.

-Jeremy Conrad, IGN Xbox
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The following is a 2nd article from the same site pertaining to Raw is War
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Wrestling games have slowly taken the world by storm. Creating as big a fan following as any hardcore fighter in the business, the tight-wearing toughmen of the WWF have invaded our video game collections just as powerfully as they have our Monday nights. Love them (No Mercy, Wrestlemania 2000) or hate them (Royal Rumble), THQ and it's brand of wrestling know-how are here to stay.

That said, Xbox fans will be happy to learn that THQ's first attempt at Microsoft goodness will follow the more wrestling-faithful path of its Nintendo 64 brethren in the form of Raw is War. Heavy on the simulation and light in the arcade department, RiW was drawing some heavy attention in the back rooms of THQ's E3 backroom.

Developed by our boys at Anchor, Inc. (makers of the super-excellent Ultimate Fighting Championship), the infantile burn we got our mitts on was noticeably unfinished. Approximately 40% complete, the brawler was glitchy yes, but not without promise.

Smacking fellow IGN mat-boy Shaun Musgrave in the buttocks with its stunning facial detail, and impressing yours truly with an uncontrollable amount of background depth, the visuals were unavoidably beautiful. Only slightly marred by an unoptimized frame rate, the graphics are as resident bunny farmer Anoop Gantyat would proclaim... "Swifty!".

Exclusive new features include the ability to grab opponent's clothing while they try to escape and force the crowd to flee in panic as the action flows out into the audience. While those features weren't turned on in the version that we played, THQ promises us that the final will pass these off with flying colors. Other bonuses set to be included are an extensive create-a-wrestler option, multiple rings and arenas, and over 35 superstars and hidden wrestlers.

The actual list of wrestlers is being kept top secret, with a majority of the cast hidden in shadows. While we managed to squeeze some info out of our THQ buddies (like the fact that popular legends from yesteryear WON'T be in it), the complete rogues gallery is still in question. Fret not if you're a fan of the big names however, as we can confirm that The Rock, Chyna, Stone Cold, Jericho, Angle, Kane, Triple H, and the Undertaker will all make the cut.

Speaking of cut, there's going to be a heavy flow of blood. With all manner of ways to destroy your opponent readily available, you can smash them in the ring, out of the ring, and even backstage. Even cooler is that the backstage areas will be randomly generated from a set of 10 different environments, ranging anywhere from boiler rooms and parking lots, to the entrance ramp and waiting room venues. And for those of you who are curious about what kind of specialty matches are in store for the final, the unfinalized list includes cage matches, Survivor Series, and Royal Rumbles. WWF fans... rejoice!

Still a long way from taking shape, WWF Raw is War is far too early on the chopping block to form any definitive gameplay opinions. But if the folks at Anchor can keep the same effort of excellence they gave to UFC, and the animation and character models can continue their juicy path of digital goodness, then Xbox gamers the world over are in for a real treat come launch day. Expect more... soon!

-- Jeremy Dunham, IGN Games
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