November 17, 2000. WWF No Mercy was released into the world for all die hard wrestling fans and casual gamers alike to enjoy. No Mercy was hailed as the best wrestling game for many years. A game great enough to receive a 9/10 from IGN. Skip to November 14, 2005. WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006, the new crown jewel of wrestling games was released. Critically hailed and becoming one of the best selling sports games, innovative and seemingly took over the number one spot from No Mercy, IGN giving it a 9.2/10. 11 years, 5 days, a company name change(WWF->WWE) and 2 franchise names from the release of WWF No Mercy, we will have WWE ’12.
A game that THQ promises to be Bigger, Badder, and Better. WWE ’12 looks to be a beautiful yet far from perfect mix of the past and the present. Gone are the days of Career mode and In-Game buying credits. Universe Mode and Superstar Threads now run the games. THQ promises this game is “All because of the fans!” How true is this? I can say, after watching the Roster Reveal and the gameplay, I believe that promise.
Returning to the franchise after an almost 5 game hiatus is the Finisher Storage System. Now instead of having a finisher go to waste by waiting too long or because of constant AI reversing, you get to keep the Finisher. But, it comes with a new surprise. At some point during the match, you get what THQ calls a Super Finisher. I have yet to see what this is, but it seems like a super-powered version of the normal Finisher. With this return, comes another. The Grappling system has gone back to basics. Gone is the need for the joystick....heh, joystick. That’s right, the square button(PS3) gets love again. And like the Finisher system, it gets a surprise as well. In comes the Body Select system. After you hit Square, it brings up a body schematic with the X, O, Triangle, and Square on parts of the body. Lets say... you want to destroy the legs, after you set up the Body Select hit X and then you can use moves that affect the legs. Same with the other buttons. Fun stuff!
The 3 newest features in matches are the Comeback, Stalking, and Momentum Change systems. The Comeback system is exactly how it sounds. Hit Triangle and your Superstar get a rush of momentum and hits a series of moves and button presses to get the upper hand. Prime example, John Cena. Yes, John Cena does get to do his 5 Moves of Doom without missing a step. That is, as long as you don’t miss the right button.
The Stalking feature(right), named after Randy Orton’s predatory stance, is far overdue. It was sampled in WWE Here Comes the Pain as moves, but in WWE ’12 its full on automatic. Orton’s Predator pose, The Rock’s Rock Bottom Setup and many other’s are in.This new feature seems to feed off of your Finisher, so make sure you have one in stock or ready to use. The Momentum of the match is one of the biggest changes this year. The tide of a match is ever changing. Prime example: Lesnar/Angle Wrestlemania XIX. WWE ’12 takes that and puts it into the virtual ring. Combined with the new AI and the slightest slip up, you could lose a match. Or if you get your bearings back, you could win after a grueling match. Not much is know about the Momentum change, but we can assume it will make the matches that much realistic and overall more fun to play.
New game, new visual features. This year, the camera angles become less annoying and more realistic. This year we get a few crowd camera angles and the impressive ringside camera, which seems to pop up whenever you or your opponent are in a submission. This, is a plus in my book. But, with the good comes the bad. Remember that annoying feature that came out a few games back, that makes you extra groggy with the smallest amount of damage and all you can do is hit X(PS3)? Well, that returns with an annoying looking blurred effect. Apparently, it gives the match more tension or something. I don’t buy it.
Too add to the visual upgrade the franchise is getting, the crowd doesn’t get left out. The crowd now has a life of its own, in some ways. They now have depth and aren’t blurry. You can clearly see Little Jimmy in the 7th row wearing his John Cena shirt. The Belts have gotten fixed, as well. The kiddie sized belts are gone, and the full sized belts are in. The WWE Champ belt is now visibly amazing and is layered instead of looking like a sticker. The physical design of the belt is more fluid, instead of being composed of 3 rectangles.
With the addition of the new Predator Technology™, this new system delivers gameplay experience that looks better than ever before. The grappling and reversing systems got overhauled by the PredTech, giving WWE ’12 the most fluid WWE action and realistic animations that I have ever seen, even on a demo show. Reversals are more realistic than they have ever been, whereas in the past you end up behind the person even though you reversed from the front. In addition to allowing players to interrupt moves(WWE Day of Reckoning), animations such as John Cena's 5 Knuckle Shuffle no longer have players warped to the center of ring. More realistic ring rope physics have been added, with ropes moving as Superstars are slammed to the mat. As opposed to bouncing wildly with the simplest hit to the chest.
The weak/strong grapple system from the past games has been removed. Characters now perform different moves based on their opponent's current physical state. Players now have an opportunity to attack while still in a downed state and can also interrupt moves and Royal Rumble eliminations with attacks. The game's AI has also been adjusted to prevent players from using the same move over and over. The pinning meter from the past games has also been reworked to make it harder to kick out as a Superstar takes more damage.
With improved AI, you will hide and cower in fear from the Legend difficulty. The new AI is the hardest its ever been, even on easy. And the all-new Breaking Point submission system gives matches more realism(except for the big BreakingPoint logo that pops up) and more interactiveness. The Breaking Point logo becomes a large meter that seems to fill/empty with however much you mash the buttons on the control. To go along with the new submission system, the ability to crawl closer to the ropes during a submission returns to add to an already drama filled match. What’s more fun than putting John Cena in a Figure Four Leg Lock and watching him crawl to the ropes while trying not to tap out? The Universe Mode returns with the gonna be annoyingly overused over the next few months tagline, bigger, badder, better. Not much is known about the mode. Chances are, like THQ has shown us over the years, that it will be the same as the last year with a few new features. 2011’s version was disappointing at a lot of moments. There was very random run-ins, rivalries starting whenever someone has a match, and pointless cutscenes. This mode has you fighting for months in pointless matches, just to get a chance at a title. And when you get to the #1 Contender’s spot, 90% of the time you will be the one who challenges the champion. The other 10% falls to the 2nd or 3rd seed. Championship matches were now part of Universe Mode, meaning you couldn’t do your own title matches. This mode could have been something. Hopefully in WWE ’12, they bring back manual championship matches, make the Mode have more fluid gameplay, and more customizable options.
For the first time since the time of N64 and PSOne, the Create-An-Arena feature is back! How far will this feature let you go? Hopefully, very far. From the ring posts to the stage to the ring apron. But, like Create-a-Belt and Create-a-Taunt this might be a waste if not done correctly. Full customization is needed for this to work, more LittleBigPlanet-ness, less WWE-ness. Have it so you have to make the stage and ring area yourself, from the ground up. Who doesn’t wanna say they built the Starrcade Arena or the Wrestlemania X8 Arena? I know I do. So far, it is said that you can create up to 50 cuztom arenas. The Road to Wrestlemania returns...... That’s it. It returns, but which incarnation? 2011 or 2010? 2011 had the Shut Your Mouth privilege of roaming around backstage and getting into random fisticuffs. 2009 and 2010 had nothing......except for Jericho’s Road to Wrestlemania. The only thing I hope for this is that its the same as 2011, but with less running around to accomplish things.
The one thing that bothers me the most about the game so far isn’t a mode or a feature. It’s The Rock. Why would someone who has been in the games since the first one be a Pre-Order Bonus? Besides the fact that he is headlining Wrestlemania 28, I see no reason for him to be a bonus. I feel like this is the one thing the are doing to make a quick buck with this game. The sequel to 2011’s Fan Axxess pack.
With 61 Superstars, Divas, and Legends and 1 DLC character already revealed, I can honestly say WWE ’12 will be a force to be reckoned with. With Legends like “Double A” Arn Anderson, Legion of Doom, and the late Eddie Guerrero you have to wonder, will THQ do the right thing and add the one guy every one fan wants, “The Macho Man” Randy Savage? Did any deserving Superstars get left out? Will we see Kharma lead the Divas Division? With 14 slots left, WWE ’12 promises to have the biggest roster in recent memory. And, who will be the Mystery Star? New rumors out of THQ hint at UFC star Brock Lesnar being the Mystery Star. Here’s to hoping that the latest rumor is true.
The release date is set for November 22, 2011. Right at the beginning of the holiday season, and a perfect addition to any WWF/E games library. WWE ‘12 promises to be Bigger, Badder, Better. Will it deliver?
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