http://cube.ign.com/articles/529/529080p1.html
IGN: What play style does the game employ? How does the grappling system work?
Kendall Boyd: This is a simulation wrestling experience. Smackdown vs. Raw is the quicker paced game, while we are trying to capture the feel of the N64 days. I've heard so many people pick this up and say, "This is like a modern day No Mercy or WrestleMania 2000."
We've added a lot of new strategy elements to this year's game that are exclusive to GameCube. The first would be the "Momentum Shift." This is basically when you have been beaten to the point of being knocked out or pinned. You will have a small window in which you can execute a shift of momentum against your opponent. When you see the "Danger" icon flash on screen, you must quickly hit your "A" and "B" buttons simultaneously. If you can pull it off, you will steal all of your opponent's momentum and spirit as well as any specials he has acquired. Now, people may think this is unfair to the guy who has worked up his spirit meter, but it actually teaches the player to use more strategy. The "Danger" meter only comes up on screen if you continually pummel your opponent. The trick is to catch your opponent when his spirit meter is in the blue, but not quite at the danger level. Another little mini-game we've included is the "Momentum Lift." This allows smaller wrestlers to pick up the big boys like Big Show via a slider meter that is similar to the Bra and Panties meter.
IGN: What licensed music is in the game?
Kendall Boyd: We are licensing music for the first time in this year's GameCube product, but I can't go into the specific details as of yet. We are still finalizing contracts. But, we have some big names that everyone will recognize as well as some cool old school songs. The genre of music will range from hip hop, metal and alternative.
IGN: How deep is the create-a-wrestler mode? Can you give us a few examples?
Kendall Boyd: Yuke's is truly amazing when it comes to their create-a-wrestler feature. This is a feature that I think the whole industry has followed our lead on. We've been doing create a Superstars since the PSOne and N64 days and each year we add even more detail. You can control everything from appearance, entrance music, movies and taunts to the style of grappler you want your Superstar to be. You will also build your Superstar from the ground up throughout the season mode.
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