Black Widow
11-12-2008, 07:36 PM
WWE Superstar Randy Orton has captured numerous championships and knocked out some of wrestling's biggest icons, such as Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair and John Cena. So imagine our surprise to discover that the "Legend Killer" loves channeling his inner Nintendo geek with Mario Kart. With THQ's WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 body slamming its way to stores, Orton, who is recovering from a broken collarbone, spoke to us about creating superstars and his favorite retro games.
You played a lot of Mario Kart during your time off. What else did you enjoy?
Let's see... God of War, Metroid, Conan, LEGO Indiana Jones and Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games. You know what I liked the best? Paper Mario. I really like Paper Mario. I like a lot of Mario games.
Do you play a lot of game on the Nintendo Wii?
Recently, with me traveling and getting back in the ring, I don't have time for video games. But when I was hurt, I played a lot of stuff, mainly Wii and Xbox 360.
Did you find the Wii remote therapeutic?
When I got to the point where I was able to use it, definitely. Any movement I could do with my left arm for my collarbone was great. First I thought I wasn't good enough, because I couldn't lift the controller, but eventually it got to a point where that stuff's really helpful.
How much input do wrestlers have with their theme music?
I wish we could pick our theme music. For the longest time, I had the Burning My Light or whatever the entrance music was that started with "Hey, nothing you can say," and I hated that shit for all four years. I hated it from the first day I heard it. They even tried to tweak it a bit and I still hated it. I told Vince and Kevin Dunn, the producer, that I hated my music, so they said they'd get me something new, but it was four years. Finally, I gave them a CD and said that I wanted this music, so they bought the song and they played it for two weeks until Vince said it didn't fit my character. The following week, CM Punk debuted and they gave him my music.
He has the music you wanted?
Yeah! He has the music I picked and the WWE bought for me. Then a little while goes by and I said listen, I've been champ for six months. Throw me a bone. The joke's over. So for two months, I kept hearing that I'd get it next week. Finally, I heard it and I hated it. The second time I listened to it, the song grew on me and now I like it. I liked the Evolution theme too.
What is your favorite SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 feature?
I've only had the opportunity to play it for 15-20 minutes, but Create-A-Finisher will be interesting. Creating a wrestler is also huge. It's great that kids get to put their own twist on the game by creating a wrestler that no one else has.
What games did you play growing up? Were you a Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat guy?
I was never into Street Fighter. I like all of the Mortal Kombat games. I can also beat Super Mario Bros. in eight minutes. I played that thing so much. I also like Metroid for the original Nintendo. I can beat that with the code, Justin Bailey. Excitebike was also cool.
Have you downloaded the old stuff?
You mean on the Wii? Yeah. It took me a while to realize that the Wii could hook up to the Internet. Then I finally discovered that I had to use the friend code. I put it in and the next thing I know I'm playing this guy from Japan in Mario Kart.
gamedaily.com
You played a lot of Mario Kart during your time off. What else did you enjoy?
Let's see... God of War, Metroid, Conan, LEGO Indiana Jones and Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games. You know what I liked the best? Paper Mario. I really like Paper Mario. I like a lot of Mario games.
Do you play a lot of game on the Nintendo Wii?
Recently, with me traveling and getting back in the ring, I don't have time for video games. But when I was hurt, I played a lot of stuff, mainly Wii and Xbox 360.
Did you find the Wii remote therapeutic?
When I got to the point where I was able to use it, definitely. Any movement I could do with my left arm for my collarbone was great. First I thought I wasn't good enough, because I couldn't lift the controller, but eventually it got to a point where that stuff's really helpful.
How much input do wrestlers have with their theme music?
I wish we could pick our theme music. For the longest time, I had the Burning My Light or whatever the entrance music was that started with "Hey, nothing you can say," and I hated that shit for all four years. I hated it from the first day I heard it. They even tried to tweak it a bit and I still hated it. I told Vince and Kevin Dunn, the producer, that I hated my music, so they said they'd get me something new, but it was four years. Finally, I gave them a CD and said that I wanted this music, so they bought the song and they played it for two weeks until Vince said it didn't fit my character. The following week, CM Punk debuted and they gave him my music.
He has the music you wanted?
Yeah! He has the music I picked and the WWE bought for me. Then a little while goes by and I said listen, I've been champ for six months. Throw me a bone. The joke's over. So for two months, I kept hearing that I'd get it next week. Finally, I heard it and I hated it. The second time I listened to it, the song grew on me and now I like it. I liked the Evolution theme too.
What is your favorite SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 feature?
I've only had the opportunity to play it for 15-20 minutes, but Create-A-Finisher will be interesting. Creating a wrestler is also huge. It's great that kids get to put their own twist on the game by creating a wrestler that no one else has.
What games did you play growing up? Were you a Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat guy?
I was never into Street Fighter. I like all of the Mortal Kombat games. I can also beat Super Mario Bros. in eight minutes. I played that thing so much. I also like Metroid for the original Nintendo. I can beat that with the code, Justin Bailey. Excitebike was also cool.
Have you downloaded the old stuff?
You mean on the Wii? Yeah. It took me a while to realize that the Wii could hook up to the Internet. Then I finally discovered that I had to use the friend code. I put it in and the next thing I know I'm playing this guy from Japan in Mario Kart.
gamedaily.com