The New Gaming Review - WWE '12

The New Review
"WWE '12"
From THQ
Out now for Playstation 3, XBox 360, and Wii


Concept: This is the newest edition of the yearly WWE video game. No longer called "Smackdown vs Raw" or even just "Smackdown" as the series has been titled since the original back on the PSX, it promises an upgrade in quality on so many different levels. Did it deliver?

The Meat: What's missing? The Ultimate Control moves from the past few years are gone. What's different? The control scheme overall has been tweaked. What's better? Almost everything... The new "Predator Technology" replaces those control moves by focusing more on the limbs of an opponent instead of the outcome of the move. The Struggle Submission system from the SvR series has been renamed the "Breaking Point" system, and when activated, the words "BreakingPoint" appear on the screen, shows you how close you are to tapping, how much damage has been done to a limb(by where the meter starts and how easy it is to move), and if you are on the receiving end, you can crawl to the ropes. The Comeback concept is pretty cool in that just like in WWE, you can get 2 finishers store after hit a certain combination of moves at the right time.......... I could go on, but I'd rather start the ratings...

Execution:

Visual: This is by far the greatest looking wrestling game EVER made. The matches are almost seamless, the crowd lively, the Superstars look human, the move animations look real(instead of robotic), presentation is as close to watching Raw live on USA Network every week.
Score: 10/10

Sound: Regular moans, groans, crash, bangs, & smashes all here. The biggest thing about a WWE Game is the commentary. I think it sucks that we are stuck with just King and Cole again(where's Booker T. on commentary?), but at least it's more diverse this year... definitely an upgrade on that. Bonus: Ricardo is a package deal with Alberto Del Rio
Score: 8.5/10

Control: I'll admit, it would've been much better if they included the Training Checklist, but after you get used to it, it is the most complete, easiest system this series has ever had. There is a level of spamming and overusing moves until you get use to it, but same every year. Interrupting move animations and Royal Rumble eliminations now including(thank you THQ). Not prefect, but can't get closer...
Score: 9.5/10

Roster: The best roster in the series! quite a few Superstars and Legends. The number of Divas could be better, but there is DLC coming for that. And more DLC for more Legends! I'm quite impressed!
Score: 10/10

Balance: Now that we have the Roster, how do they match up? Do ratings matter? Consider how close to real life presentation THQ wanted to get, does it work? The answer is yes. A match between CM Punk & Alberto Del Rio feels as epic and even as you would think. A match between CM Punk & a powerful Kevin Nash feels different, and as different as you would think, different strategy to take Nash down(he beat me the first time cause I had no gameplan). Best match I've done so far? Rey Mysterio vs Sin Cara! So evenly matched in game, it was difficult to get any upperhand, but if I feed Sin Cara to Vader, the Mastodon will destroy him, but Vader is gonna have to catch him first.
Score: 9.5/10

Modes: Play(Exhibition) no longer interferes with your Universe mode. Universe mode is SO MUCH BETTER(more on this later). I haven't messed around with Road to Wrestlemania yet, but I'm impressed with how much better it is now that it's a branching storyline, and not just a specific story per playthrough. Not much more passed that, but it's a wrestling game. By the way, the PLETHORA of championship belts in the game, the ones for "Play" mode do NOT coincide with the Universe Mode ones. If you want to have your champions for when your friends are over, they won't interfere with your Universe storyline champions & rankings.
Score: 9.5/10

Extras: Plenty of Championships to unlock, Superstars to acquire, arenas to visit... and is that's not enough, make you own arenas, and lots of upcoming DLC to obtain to expand your WWE experience... WWE games never slack on Extras
Score: 10/10

Hype: After the announcement of the name change to just WWE '12, the buzz was all over social media(namely Twitter)... Bigger. Badder. Better. was the slogan... is it true?...... Yes, I agree...... I think it needed alittle more attention from WWE the Company as a whole, but with the upcoming WWE Network, I understand...
Score: 9.5/10

Presentation: what makes Presentation different than Visual? Visual is HOW it looks, Presentation is HOW it's used. And Presentation is near TV/PPV quality. Each show in WWE Universe feels like an actual show, more storyline elements in Universe, some to shock you. No HUD, no blue bar under your feet, and the best thing Presentation wise: if you are playing in a Major Championship, the announcer gives formal Main Event feel introductions...
Score: 10/10

Replay: This game is designed to do the one thing it NEVER could do before: make each match feel different, an element that has made THQ's UFC series so amazing...... it may be the wrestling fan in me, but I think this is the most replayable WWE game of all time... it won't get old by March like the others have.
Score: 10/10

Final Score: 96.5/100

Notes: I'll get every WWE game each year, but I'm damn glad I traded my older ones(including SvR2011) for this one... it's WELL worth it...

Conclusion: THQ got what they wanted: the best WWE Gaming experience to ever grace the presence of my PS3. Near perfection...

Favorite Feature(s): the customization capabilities make this YOUR experience. Your CAWs. Your moves. Your Titles. Your Arenas. And that is made even more apparent by WWE Universe. You can set what championships you have for each show. Wants to change your programming, for example turning Smackdown into Raw, and Raw into WCW Monday Nitro? You can do that. Hate a PPV coming up? Change it... turn that TLC PPV into Starrcade... Turn that Night of Champions PPV into Clash of the Champions. Want to trade Cody's IC Championship in for the Classic version(black of what he brought back himself)? You can do that on the Smackdown show, and it will be what the rankings are for... Don't like the Spinner Belt? Change it for the Undisputed Championship... Are you gonna change Raw to Nitro? What about a WWE Spinner Belt with WCW spray painted on it?... awesomeness..........

Pros: Presentation, feel, look, gameplay, and customization...
Cons: small glitches

It's all a matter of opinion: I cannot stress enough that THIS is my opinion, you can either agree with me or not... I don't have to justify my opinion, because *clear throat* that's what this blog is about. Whether I like it or not doesn't mean you have to or not...... it's just my justification for giving you all MY recommendation...... which leads me to my FINAL JUDGMENT

FINAL JUDGMENT: If you are a wrestling fan, or used to be, but own a 360 or PS3, what are you waiting for? Make this game, your game...
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There it is folks: a 96.5... best I've EVER given to a wrestling game. This one makes me not miss No Mercy anymore... yes, I'm serious...

Here is my review of "WWE '12"... not sure what will be next, but rest assured, you'll see it...

When it's over, come back and thank me...

~The Master is Out