WWE 12 - PlayStation 3

WWE '12 Review: A Rough Road To Wrestlemania

Dan Ryckert — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 08:01:00 GMT

Like clockwork, every year THQ releases a WWE game, with Smackdown vs. Raw serving as the core franchise since 2004. With so many entries, longtime wrestling fans have started to wonder what new elements can be introduced outside of aesthetic updates and tweaked gameplay mechanics. When THQ announced WWE ‘12, the publisher trumpeted it as a reboot rather than another incremental update. It certainly feels different than the previous games in the series, but most all of these differences are negative. Thanks to a severely downgraded story mode and a lack of substantial improvements, this is the weakest WWE title in years.

Recent titles in the series touted Road to Wrestlemania as the marquee single-player mode, where players choose their superstar and follow their career through a months-long story that culminates at the Wrestlemania pay-per-view. WWE ‘12 instead presents a larger 18-month campaign that features three different stories. Players start with Sheamus and his tumultuous alliance with the new United Kingdom faction, then move on to Triple H’s quest to recapture the WWE championship, and end the Road to Wrestlemania by playing as rookie Jacob Cass (represented by a created character) as he takes on a posse of former WCW stars.

I appreciate the attempt to present a lengthy, ongoing campaign instead of the smaller stories of previous games, but it’s thoroughly unenjoyable. In an attempt to make the game resemble WWE programming more, matches rarely end in a simple pinfall victory. Instead, they are littered with run-ins, disqualifications, and backstage brawls. These may be frequent elements of Raw and Smackdown episodes, but they don’t translate to an entertaining gameplay experience. Most matches boil down to hitting your opponent with strikes and grapples until a prompt appears above their head that triggers the post-match cutscene. Instead of feeling like you won the match, you feel like you’re doing a chore to unlock the inevitable disqualification cutscene.

It would be one thing if these moments were limited to DQs and run-ins, but the method of triggering these events is the worst part. The majority of matches require annoyingly specific actions that detract from the experience. During a triple threat match involving Big Show and Alberto Del Rio, my objective was to finish off Big Show in the ring. Naturally, I tried to beat him up and pin him for a three-count. Confused at why the pin button wasn’t working, after I landed another finisher I realized it was disabled because the scripted outcome required Big Show to pin Alberto Del Rio, making it an unwinnable match.

Frustrations like this occur in most Road to Wrestlemania matches. The game disables basic actions like pins and tags without warning you, you’re forced to trigger cutscenes in poorly explained areas, scenes usually require loading times that take you out of the match, and you often endure ridiculous segments involving getting beaten up in the same backstage area. Throughout all three of the stories, I rarely was allowed to simply wrestle a standard one-on-one match without frustrating requirements.

If you forgo the painful Road to Wrestlemania, there’s less frustration involved in exhibition matches, online play, and the returning WWE Universe mode. At the very least, these allow you to partake in wrestling matches without having to follow a strict script. WWE ‘12’s new control scheme is fairly solid, but the omission of the training arena from the previous two entries is baffling. Practicing controls in an open ring was helpful, but it’s nowhere to be seen in this reboot.

THQ is fond of hyping its new “Predator Technology” animation system, which allows for animations to be interrupted easier. Unfortunately, it also adds a floaty feel to punches and kicks. While it stops players from “warping” to the center of the ring when certain moves are performed, these jarring cuts still happen frequently when Road to Wrestlemania cutscenes are activated.

WWE ‘12 only introduces a few welcome elements. Setting up opponents for finishers with wake-up taunts is fun, the new comeback moments are a nice way of getting back into the match, players can now target specific limbs during grapples, and new creation options (like the new create-an-arena) make the series more customizable than ever before. However, none of these can make up for the awful Road to Wrestlemania. If WWE ‘12 represents THQ and Yuke’s going back to the drawing board, let’s hope they grab some erasers and start from scratch for WWE ‘13.

WWE 12 Launch Trailer Is A Real Slobberknocker

Tim Turi — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 22:23:54 GMT

THQ is celebrating WWE 12's upcoming release with a trailer showing off all the features that are intended to make the most realistic wrestling game to date.

While the character models, game modes, and wrestler/arena customization all looks incredible, I got the most entertainment out of seeing the digital version of my old favorite wrestlers. The Undertaker and Mick Foley look appropriately insane, and I expect/hope/request wrestling fans to recreate their famous Hell in a Cell match immediately upon picking up the game.

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Check back next week for our review.

Mick Foley Coming As DLC For WWE '12

Adam Biessener — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 21:45:00 GMT

The legendary wrestler best known as Mankind just returned to WWE, and THQ announced today that Mick Foley will be available as day one DLC for its upcoming wrestling game. Check the video below to see how Foley looks in WWE '12.

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THQ did not announce any pricing information for Mankind/Cactus Jack/Dude Love, but he should be ready to go for the game's November 22 launch. For now, you can satisfy your wrestling needs with a ton of screenshots and a video demonstrating the custom arena and entrance clips you can create in the game.

Create Your Own Arena And Entrance Videos In WWE '12

Dan Ryckert — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 19:47:07 GMT

THQ's WWE games have never been at a lack of customization options, and it looks like it's continuing this trend with the reboot of its flagship rasslin' franchise. In the new trailer (seen below), you'll see glimpses of returning elements like create-a-superstar, create-a-finisher, and create-an-entrance. You'll also see a couple new options, focusing on the creation of custom arenas and Titantron videos.

Arenas can be plastered with a wide variety of logos and graphics, from generic color patterns to old-school WCW logos (or that garish CeNation arena above that I hope we never see on actual WWE programming). Creating an entrance video should help set your grappler apart, as many previous wrestling games kept you confined to the pre-existing Titantron videos. Check out a peek at the new creation suite below.

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WWE 12’s Gameplay Changes Made Apparent In E3 Appearance

Dan Ryckert — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 23:53:34 GMT

As a lifelong fan of wrestling and gaming, I’m always happy when the two worlds collide in a way that works. Sometimes it goes great (the Nintendo 64 WCW and WWF titles by THQ/AKI), and sometimes it fails miserably (Wrestlemania 21, WCW Mayhem, plenty more). In the case of Smackdown vs. Raw, the last couple of years have fallen in between. While the core action was always solid, it felt like each edition offered tiny improvements that weren’t always worth a yearly purchase. With WWE 12, THQ is rebranding the series and making more significant changes than any installment in recent history.

I was able to get some hands-on time with the title, and the streamlined controls proved to be a significant improvement over previous years. Grapples are no longer handled by the right stick, they’re now initiated with the A button. Once the superstars are locked up, a variety of moves can be performed by pressing the A button again in conjunction with a direction on the left analog stick. Modifiers are no longer necessary to differentiate between strong and weak grapples, as the former will automatically be activated later in the match once your opponent is groggy.

The new Breaking Point submission system is great, and it makes going after a tap-out victory easier than ever. No matter what position your opponent is in, all it takes is a short hold of the A button to activate a submission move. While playing as Randy Orton, I was able to put John Cena in a modified sleeper hold while he was standing, but it changes to a camel clutch if he’s on the ground. The words “Breaking Point” appear on the screen, and both players are required to mash face buttons to either wrench the hold on tighter or fight your way out of it. The weaker you are, the harder it’ll be to get out before your superstar decides he can’t take any more punishment.

If you’re taking a beating and near the end of your rope, you can get one more significant shot at victory thanks to the new comeback moves. You get it once per match, and it only appears when you’re just about done for. By hitting Y, it’ll activate a series of three moves that reward you with a full signature meter if performed correctly. John Cena’s comeback move is a series of shoulder checks, and he has to hit Y before his opponent three times in a row in order to pull it off. If done correctly, it’s a great way to come from behind and nail a signature and finisher on your opponent when it seems otherwise unlikely.

Further details regarding the returning Road to Wrestlemania mode were not discussed at E3, but THQ has confirmed to us that it is returning in some form. We’re curious to see what other changes are in store for this rebooted franchise, as they planted the seeds for some interesting new modes in last year’s Smackdown vs. Raw. A full franchise reboot involves more than a name change, a new control scheme, and a new animation system, so we’re excited to hear what else THQ has in store for wrestling fans.