Ledesma Talks WWE ’13, How It Will Revolutionize Wrestling Games

– WWE’s website recently spoke with THQ’s Corey Ledesma, the creative director for WWE, about the new WWE ’13 video game. Here are some highlights:

 


 

WWE.COM: What is “WWE Live”? How does it enhance “WWE ’13”?

LEDESMA: “WWE Live” is a complete audio and presentation experience that we are creating in “WWE ’13.” It’s an experience fans have never seen or heard before in a WWE game. Our new “Spectacular Moments” allows gamers to recreate some of the most awe-inspiring moments ever seen in a WWE ring, such as when Big Show superplexed Mark Henry at WWE Vengeance last year, causing the entire ring to collapse. Other examples are when Mark Henry slammed Sheamus right through the crowd barrier at SummerSlam — also last year — and even when The Undertaker famously sent Mankind flying off the top of the Hell in a Cell cage and through the announcer table back in 1998. All these “Spectacular Moments” are also backed up with a new audio experience that makes you feel as if you are at a raucous, live WWE event — hence the name “WWE Live”!

WWE.COM: How about “Catching Finishers”? What are they, and who can perform them?

LEDESMA: As any WWE Superstar knows, you never want to leave yourself in a vulnerable position, and flying through the air is one of the most vulnerable positions in WWE. In “WWE ’13,” if you’re not careful, and you jump off the top rope or perform a springboard attack when your opponent has a finisher move stored, you could end up being caught in a devastating “Catching Finisher.” Just the other day, I was playing as “WWE ’13” cover Superstar CM Punk in the game, and I went up to the top turnbuckle to perform his diving elbow signature move. I wasn’t paying attention, though, and I failed to notice that The Undertaker had a finisher move stored. It was too late! I had already hit my signature move, and as I was flying through the air, I knew I was a dead man. Sure enough, Undertaker caught Punk in mid-air, then put him in perfect position to execute the Tombstone Piledriver and finish the match. That was a very tough lesson to learn, and one of the most exciting moments I’ve experienced thus far in “WWE ’13.”

WWE.COM: How is “WWE ’13” going to revolutionize sports-entertainment video games?

LEDESMA: Just like the game’s cover Superstar, CM Punk, we’re ready to drop a “pipe bomb” on WWE video games. We are revolutionizing sports-entertainment video games in so many different ways, I don’t know where to begin, but I’ll give it a shot. First, we have one of the largest rosters of WWE Superstars, Divas and Legends ever assembled in a WWE game. Second, we completely overhauled and lengthened our Story Mode this year. We are bringing back the Attitude Era, which gives players the amazing opportunity to relive some of the greatest moments in WWE history. The new Attitude Era Mode is 40 percent larger than our Story Mode last year. We are introducing new match types, such as “Special Referee,” championship titles, game modes, options, unlockable content and much more. We haven’t even announced the new features yet for our existing, fan-favorite game modes, such as WWE Universe and Create-a-Superstar. “WWE ’13” is poised to take the video game world by storm and deliver the largest WWE game to date.

WWE.COM: How will you convey the feel of the Attitude Era in the game?

LEDESMA: With such a beloved era, it’s critical we stay as authentic as possible. We worked closely with the great production team at WWE to create more than 20 exclusive Attitude Era video packages that players will be able to watch as they play throughout Attitude Era Mode. We recreated all of the classic WWE arenas, television graphics and entrances from the time period. We have more than 60 Attitude Era cutscenes that play out throughout the course of the mode, each telling the story as you play the matches. The Attitude Era roster has more than 30 Superstars and Divas from the time period, with lots of unlockable alternate attire options. We also have more than 100 unlockables in the mode, as well as cool bonus features, such as WWE Attitude Era photos, videos and more. As you can see, our goal was to create the most authentic Attitude Era experience possible.

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