Pro Wrestling X: Early Access Available Now - $10

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Pro Wrestling X: Early Access Available Now - $10

Postby BZ on Wed Apr 25, 2007 6:39 am

Brief introduction to the beginnings of Pro Wrestling X...

The roots of Pro Wrestling X go back to the spring of 2002. Fans of the wrestling game genre, eagerly anticipating the continued evolution of gameplay promised by the top developers, were left bitterly disappointed. The massive publishing houses had rushed through their production cycles, producing glitchy, lackluster titles.

Thanks to the Internet, dissatisifed gamers managed to developed a collective voice, Wrestling Gamers United. Founded by Dave Wishnowski, WGU’s goal was simple: to let the developers know what the true gaming fans wanted.

While there may have been a voice, there cerainly wasn’t an audience. Calls and petitions were ignored by all the major developers. Giving up would have been easy. Dave decide to take another approach: he was going to make his own game.

Without any experience in programming or animation, without even so much as a foot in the door of the industry at large, Dave announced that it was his intention to make a wrestling game. A game that was built by the people, for the people.

For three years, Dave, a small crew of developers and the fans have poured their heart and souls into making the dream a reality. The goal of making a game built on the shoulders of fan support isn’t just the stuff of pipe dreams… it’s a reality. It’s happening.

And when all’s said and done, the gaming industry is going to see what a real wrestling game looks like. The fans have demanded it. Our business is making your game.

—Abridged from Mel Hauser’s History of Wrestling Gamers United

Rest of the history of PWX

Pro Wrestling X
Release Date: Q4 2007
Platforms: PC

Sites of Interest:
Pro Wrestling X Official Site
Pro Wrestling X Discussion Board
Pro Wrestling X Q&A Article at Gamespot(Quite dated, but good read nonetheless)

I've been following this game for quite a while. Ever since I purchased WWF Raw for the PC, I decided to search for other PC Wrestling games, and came upon Pro Wrestling X. The game looks great on paper, but I have no idea at all how it will pan out upon it's release. The game is going to closely emulate No Mercy, with the grappling system being a more updated and faster, better flowing system than No Mercy originally was. Pro Wrestling X basically tries to take the best of all the best wrestling games and combine it into one enjoyable wrestling game for the PC (In Depth CAW system like Smackdown, No Mercy's realistic wrestling simulation, Fire Pro's huge library of wrestling moves, Create-A-Arena, WWE Raw's in depth Create-an-Entrance.. and more). I decided to pre-order the game a while back and dropped by their studio in Canada to check on the game in development and see it firsthand. The game will be mod friendly, with the wrestler skins being quite similar to NBA Live's. The initial release at this point is going to be a basic version of the game(exhibition, touring (season) mode, various create modes, and pretty much most of the matches found in Smackdown), and they'll subsequently release expansion packs that adds even more to the game. I'm personally ecstatic at the fact that this game is on the verge of release near the end of 2007, finally there's a second option to Smackdown vs Raw 2008. Yuke's and THQ has been half-assing the Smackdown game recently, and with the TNA Impact! game being in development as well, North American fans will finally escape the tyranical grip held by THQ on the wrestling genre here in NA. (Smackdown series is the only wrestling game available in North America). Finally there will be some competition in the wrestling market in North America, which hopefully means top quality wrestling games.

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Postby JaoSming on Wed Apr 25, 2007 7:56 am

I've been getting this newsletter for as long as I can remember. I am def going to be picking this up and supporting it when it finally drops.
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Postby BigKaboom2 on Wed Apr 25, 2007 10:55 am

Same for me. I always check the new animations but I don't really like them all that much. this thread explains why mostly.

They just don't look very human - on the Vertebreaker/Cop Killah there's no pause once he gets in position for it, where Homicide and whoever else uses it always pause for a moment and look around at the crowd before dropping them. The animations just look like very simple templates of the moves, rather than what they would look like in real life.

That said. I'll still buy it just for an alternative, but I don't have my hopes up yet.

Also check out http://www.homebrewwrestling.com/

It's not a masterpiece by any means but it's fun to mess around with. (Y)
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Postby BZ on Thu Apr 26, 2007 9:27 am

They just don't look very human - on the Vertebreaker/Cop Killah there's no pause once he gets in position for it, where Homicide and whoever else uses it always pause for a moment and look around at the crowd before dropping them. The animations just look like very simple templates of the moves, rather than what they would look like in real life.

That said. I'll still buy it just for an alternative, but I don't have my hopes up yet.

Also check out http://www.homebrewwrestling.com/

It's not a masterpiece by any means but it's fun to mess around with.


At least they're taking the constructive criticism and striving to have better animations. Homebrew wrestling is a good effort no doubt, but it's much too slow and choppy for my tastes.
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Postby BZ on Sun May 13, 2007 12:28 pm

Is it just me, or are the developers starting to chicken out..? Ever since a good number of posters slammed the animations (and it is for the better after all), they've posted screenshots after screenshots. No more animation vids. From what was stated as a prospective Q4 2007 release, now Q4 2008 wouldn't be enough time for them to finish the game. Anyone else starting get doubts as well?
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Postby JaoSming on Sun May 13, 2007 1:06 pm

i dont think these guys who started this project will be the ones finishing it. I think some company, maybe Take Two or someone will pick it up if they quit out.
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Postby BZ on Wed May 23, 2007 9:36 am

New interview on PWX
http://gamingring.com/grdesign/displaynewshere.php?subaction=showfull&id=1177995270&archive=&start_from=&ucat=1&

Pretty interesting read for people that are interested in Pro Wrestling X
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Postby Andrew on Wed May 23, 2007 10:20 am

Sounds quite promising though I have to admit I'm still a little skeptical about the project given that it won't have the attraction of the WWE license, just as a basketball game without an NBA license would be fighting an uphill battle.
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Postby BZ on Wed May 23, 2007 1:19 pm

Andrew wrote:Sounds quite promising though I have to admit I'm still a little skeptical about the project given that it won't have the attraction of the WWE license, just as a basketball game without an NBA license would be fighting an uphill battle.


The fact that the game doesn't license any brand works to the developer's advantage actually. Not only do the developers save TONS of money, but it makes the game totally free of any restrictions that, (in the case that they use a licencse) they'd avoid many legal problems from violations of the licensing agreements. Wrestling is entirely different from the licensing/gaming perspective you brought up since fans of wrestling only root for individuals, rather than teams (like the NBA). But I've been following this project for so long, bared with the dev team's ups and downs and to see them come this far... I just can't help but believing in this game, although I do get skeptical sometimes.

See, unlike the NBA games... fans of basketball in North America have many many options. NBA Live, 2k Sports, the College hoops games made by EA and Sega... it's a good number of options. In terms of wrestling... North America has no options whatsoever. It's either Smackdown vs Raw 2007 or.. Smackdown vs Raw 2006 and previous titles before that. In PWX's case, it's a PC game, modding can take the game as it is and make it even better (just look at NBA Live 07). The fact that it's made by the fans for the fans and attempting to have the game cater to fans who want what they want in a wrestling game, just the fact that there's actually an alternative to Yuke's/THQ's mixed bag of an excuse for a wrestling game called the Smackdown vs Raw series, PWX already won half the uphill battle in terms of getting rid of any skeptical doubts.
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Postby dizzle on Wed May 23, 2007 1:40 pm

im pretty sure once released..someones going to find a way to mod it with some textures anyway
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Postby Andrew on Thu May 24, 2007 12:25 pm

BZ wrote:The fact that the game doesn't license any brand works to the developer's advantage actually. Not only do the developers save TONS of money, but it makes the game totally free of any restrictions that, (in the case that they use a licencse) they'd avoid many legal problems from violations of the licensing agreements. Wrestling is entirely different from the licensing/gaming perspective you brought up since fans of wrestling only root for individuals, rather than teams (like the NBA). But I've been following this project for so long, bared with the dev team's ups and downs and to see them come this far... I just can't help but believing in this game, although I do get skeptical sometimes.

See, unlike the NBA games... fans of basketball in North America have many many options. NBA Live, 2k Sports, the College hoops games made by EA and Sega... it's a good number of options. In terms of wrestling... North America has no options whatsoever. It's either Smackdown vs Raw 2007 or.. Smackdown vs Raw 2006 and previous titles before that. In PWX's case, it's a PC game, modding can take the game as it is and make it even better (just look at NBA Live 07). The fact that it's made by the fans for the fans and attempting to have the game cater to fans who want what they want in a wrestling game, just the fact that there's actually an alternative to Yuke's/THQ's mixed bag of an excuse for a wrestling game called the Smackdown vs Raw series, PWX already won half the uphill battle in terms of getting rid of any skeptical doubts.


I understand that and I don't disagree, however I still see it as somewhat of a disadvantage as well. Obviously the gameplay experience is important to the consumer but part of the appeal also lies with the WWE license; the fact that the user can take control of their favourite character, take on other WWE wrestlers and basically experience an emulation of WWE programming. It's something that the audience wants which Pro Wrestling X won't be able to deliver.

Don't get me wrong, I don't want to downplay the importance of having an alternative, the work the PWX team is doing and what they can achieve. However, I do wonder how successful it can be without the appeal of the WWE license.
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Postby BZ on Thu May 24, 2007 1:45 pm

I understand that and I don't disagree, however I still see it as somewhat of a disadvantage as well. Obviously the gameplay experience is important to the consumer but part of the appeal also lies with the WWE license; the fact that the user can take control of their favourite character, take on other WWE wrestlers and basically experience an emulation of WWE programming. It's something that the audience wants which Pro Wrestling X won't be able to deliver.

Don't get me wrong, I don't want to downplay the importance of having an alternative, the work the PWX team is doing and what they can achieve. However, I do wonder how successful it can be without the appeal of the WWE license.


I actually think that would play to PWX's advantage. The last WWE game was WWF No Mercy that allowed users to edit the appearance of the WWE roster without resorting to creating them. That's one of the features that makes game without a license great imo, the fans can basically have the fantasy roster they've always wanted, and how they want it. When was the last time you've used all of the WWE characters in the Smackdown games as a favorite (by which means you use regularly, heck, even once, not counting the Superstar challenges, but out of your own personal choice)? Smackdown vs Raw 2007, I steered clear of Trevor Murdoch, the Divas, Viscera, Shawn Michaels, John Cena, all of the Foleys, heck, pretty much the whole roster. Most of the time, it was just CAW's, CAW's, and some Undertaker/Kane/Edge. PWX in my eyes is definitely made for the "smarks" of pro wrestling, fans who enjoy the sports entertainment mostly for the "sport" aspect, rather than the other side who clearly enjoys the entertainment aspect. And the developers intend to deliver to fulfill both. How can one not like a "Create-A-Season" Mode? Combine that with online distribution of mods, imagine the possibilities. :wink:
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Postby Andrew on Thu May 24, 2007 2:02 pm

True, but the entire wrestling video game audience probably isn't interested in doing that. The abiltiy to mod the game either through in-game editors or external skin editing similar to NBA Live will obviously allow the game to be tailored to suit most people needs to a certain extent. However, I think the wider audience - the people who want to use WWE wrestlers, fight WWE wrestlers and play through WWE themed storylines with real voices and whatnot - might not find a game without those features as appealing.
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Postby BZ on Thu May 24, 2007 4:28 pm

Andrew wrote:True, but the entire wrestling video game audience probably isn't interested in doing that. The abiltiy to mod the game either through in-game editors or external skin editing similar to NBA Live will obviously allow the game to be tailored to suit most people needs to a certain extent. However, I think the wider audience - the people who want to use WWE wrestlers, fight WWE wrestlers and play through WWE themed storylines with real voices and whatnot - might not find a game without those features as appealing.


With the WWE Product these days, it'd be difficult to find someone that enjoys the storylines :wink: . But that's what makes a wrestling game on the PC that's mod friendly appealing. It's possible to make everything WWE. The only WWE missing is the wrestler voices. Just like how NBA Live is, you can make a Euroleage mod, Street Mod, National Teams Mod, anything. To indirectly quote Bruce Lee, PWX at this point is ideally like water. A person can make it whatever they want basically, and I think that's definitely a marketable factor that can be used to PWX's advantage. With the WWE's popularity, there'd be no doubt within weeks of it's release there will be mods released that can transform all aspects of the game into the WWE. I see this game as the complete opposite of THQ's Smackdown vs Raw.

Custom Soundtracks? PWX is for the PC, easily edited. SvR's case? THQ thinks that the fans enjoy their soundtrack so much, there'll be no need for a custom soudntrack. (They have mentioned that before, I just didn't paraphrase it, but I'm serious that they've used that as an excuse for the custom soundtrack, as well as maintaining balance of fairness between the systems)

Editing all aspects of existing wrestler? Done. Just like No Mercy, every character is built from the CAW system. Modding to have high-def textures with realistic sweat, easily done.

A storyline that can be customized, pretty much like choose-your-own-adventure style? Not seen since HCTP (Barring the customization part).

The WWE Smackdown product is a popular product no doubt, since it's the only option available to NA gamers. WWE is huge around the world, and the only country that has wrestling gaming alternatives not labelled WWE is in Japan. Anywhere else, THQ's Smackdown is the only option, and the series is getting stale. With the modding potential of a PC wrestling game like PWX is the fact that they can make a second WWE product all together, the only differences noticeable would be the gameplay and the cosmetics (including the audio voice-over aspect) of both games. The only hump is the legal issues, which I'm sure would be brought up, but hey, it's difficult to stop modders. :lol:
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Postby Dean on Thu May 24, 2007 5:09 pm

I think what Andrew is saying is kind of like Fifa vs Pro Evolution.. Now i enjoy gameplay over graphics and stuff as much as the next guy, but i've hardly played P.E compared to how much i've played Fifa 07.. Playing as Manchester United is alot more fun then playing as the Mersyville Red version of them.

That being said, pity PWX isnt for X360, i'd buy it in a heartbeat, just based on how much i loved No Mercy.. They should also make the CAW mode so that it doesnt take a thousand years to create a face that is different from all the rest, and actually looks normal.. Thats the one thing i hate about 2k7.. No matter how much i try, my CAPs keep turning out like an Osama Bin Laden love child, and i seem to have the same luck with CAW modes (although just plain retarded as opposed to terrorist looking).

They should put in a sim engine in the same style as Extreme Warfare Revenge (the latest version, before Ryland sold out :twisted: )
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Postby BZ on Fri May 25, 2007 4:34 am

Dean wrote:I think what Andrew is saying is kind of like Fifa vs Pro Evolution.. Now i enjoy gameplay over graphics and stuff as much as the next guy, but i've hardly played P.E compared to how much i've played Fifa 07.. Playing as Manchester United is alot more fun then playing as the Mersyville Red version of them.

That being said, pity PWX isnt for X360, i'd buy it in a heartbeat, just based on how much i loved No Mercy.. They should also make the CAW mode so that it doesnt take a thousand years to create a face that is different from all the rest, and actually looks normal.. Thats the one thing i hate about 2k7.. No matter how much i try, my CAPs keep turning out like an Osama Bin Laden love child, and i seem to have the same luck with CAW modes (although just plain retarded as opposed to terrorist looking).

They should put in a sim engine in the same style as Extreme Warfare Revenge (the latest version, before Ryland sold out :twisted: )


PWX is PC only at this point, but the engine is designed for the PC/360, so a port would be a painless process for the development crew, which makes it a possibility. Not only that, but in the Gamingring interview, DaveWish mentioned that they might release it on the XBox Live Arcade just to test the game's success on the consoles. As for CAW? They did mention that you can painlessly create the wrestler you want in a matter of 12-15 minutes. With the option of modding since it's for the PC, Photoshop can make it a whole lot easier compared to playing around with sliders and going through lists of accessories and designs just to make one character.
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Postby Andrew on Fri May 25, 2007 10:19 pm

I don't disagree that PWX is a great project and that not having the WWE license does open up some possibilities. The fact that it can be modded is fantastic. I'm not saying it needs to be a WWE licensed product to be great.

However, what I'm looking at is the appeal to the wider audience and perhaps ultimately competition with THQ's series. It's all well and good to say that it's customisable and that it can become a makeshift WWE wrestling game with CAWs taking no more than 12-15 minutes, but not everyone is going to want to go the trouble. A lot of people are going to want the things that a WWE license affords THQ that PWX cannot provide, even with time spent modding the game.

I agree with what you're saying about the game catering to a niche in the market that consists of smarks and gamers who loved the No Mercy engine (and I'd count myself in that group) but at the end of the day, not everyone is going to see it that way and I'm sure that most of THQ's revenue from the sales of the Smackdown series is coming from WWE fans who want the WWE product. As great as PWX can be (or will be), it's going to be difficult to penetrate that market. That's what I'm a bit skeptical about.

Dean's example pretty much sums up my point. It seems a lot of people hail Pro Evolution as the superior game (I can't really comment on that because I don't play soccer games) but FIFA remains popular because it features real teams and real players. No matter how great a sports game might be, if it lacks the real individuals or teams involved - a seemingly superficial element but an important one nevertheless - then it's going to have a difficult time challenging the might of an established series that can deliver in that area.

Having said that, I do hope PWX is a success and makes waves in the gaming industry. Ideally the features and engine it uses, not to mention the simple fact that there's a customisable alternative will force THQ to rethink it's approach, borrow some ideas or get a clear picture of what wrestling video game fans want.
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Postby BZ on Sat May 26, 2007 5:05 am

It all comes down to potential Andrew :lol: I'm just going off on how the game is going to be out of the box in it's ideal form. But I do understand your point of people wanting the WWE Product as opposed to the gameplay. Heck, I'm sure the amount of people that want a Bra-and-Panties match compared to an awesome Cage match is definitely 10:1, but if it was me, I'd get my fix of the pseudo-lesbian stuff elsewhere than a video game.

In the end though, I'm just glad there's finally an alternative as to hoping every year that THQ fixes up some of the stuff in the next series.. and the next series after that. I've been doing that ever since SD! SYM, and it's been a disappointing ride. At this point, if PWX does turn out to be a great game, SvR2008 will be the last WWE video game that I'll get until there's a license change. :wink:
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Postby dizzle on Sat May 26, 2007 7:12 am

also..dont forget that tna is having a game now also..i wanna see how well they'd compete with svr..hopefully they can include the ultimate x match..i think it'd be a fun game..has potential
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Postby BZ on Sat May 26, 2007 7:54 am

dizzle wrote:also..dont forget that tna is having a game now also..i wanna see how well they'd compete with svr..hopefully they can include the ultimate x match..i think it'd be a fun game..has potential


The TNA game looks promising, but I've always been, and always will be used to the traditional 4 sided ring. The Luchadore-inspired hexagon is just too weird for me. I don't even watch TNA wrestling all that much, so chances are, even if it's licensed, I doubt I'll like the game.
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Postby dizzle on Sat May 26, 2007 8:40 am

i think the 6-sided ring will be fun..lots of innovative and cool looking matches..im just wondering how they're going to pull of the special matches they have
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Postby BigKaboom2 on Wed Jun 06, 2007 11:02 pm

http://www.prowrestlingx.com/videos/pwx ... reel_1.mpg

^ A preview was released a few days ago. Doesn't look so great to me - almost reminds me of a PS1 game. I hope all their effort turns out to be worth it in the end.
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Postby BZ on Thu Jun 07, 2007 8:00 am

BigKaboom2 wrote:http://www.prowrestlingx.com/videos/pwx_654_highlight_reel_1.mpg

^ A preview was released a few days ago. Doesn't look so great to me - almost reminds me of a PS1 game. I hope all their effort turns out to be worth it in the end.


I find it funny how, the developers kept on saying they'll let the fans in on the development on the game in terms of insights and criticisms to make the game they want it, hence their motto "Made by the fans, for the fans", and yet, the Go 2 Sleep animation along with a few other animations have been totally bashed on (and it's for the better anyways)... yet they haven't fixed it.
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Re: Pro Wrestling X

Postby JaoSming on Tue Oct 11, 2011 9:07 am

Suddenly, a new video appears

phpBB [video]


4 years and this is where they are at, eh
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Re: Pro Wrestling X

Postby Andrew on Tue Oct 11, 2011 10:26 am

I still respect their efforts and enthusiasm, but for all those who critique a game with the words "I/we could make a much better game than (insert developer here)", let this stand as proof that it's easier said than done.
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