Sunny Posted August 18, 2011 Posted August 18, 2011 Pictures<hr noshade="noshade"><br> Pics:<br> <br> <a target="_blank" href="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/294228_238226279548859_152926141412207_625059_7147981_n.jpg"><img'>http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/294228_238226279548859_152926141412207_625059_7147981_n.jpg"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/294228_238226279548859_152926141412207_625059_7147981_n.jpg" style="margin: 5px; height: auto; min-height: 25px; max-height: 120px; width: auto; max-width: 500px;"></a><br> <b>Group Shot</b><br> <br> <a target="_blank" href="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0079.jpg"><img'>http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0079.jpg"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0079.jpg" style="margin: 5px; height: auto; min-height: 25px; max-height: 120px; width: auto; max-width: 500px;"></a> <a target="_blank" href="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0080.jpg"><img'>http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0080.jpg"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0080.jpg" style="margin: 5px; height: auto; min-height: 25px; max-height: 120px; width: auto; max-width: 500px;"></a> --- <a target="_blank" href="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0081.jpg"><img'>http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0081.jpg"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0081.jpg" style="margin: 5px; height: auto; min-height: 25px; max-height: 120px; width: auto; max-width: 500px;"></a><br> <b>Big Wang's</b> Wings & Nachos --- My room mate ordered a Long Island Iced Tea in a giant stein (and predictably didn't even come close to finishing it, lol.)<br> <br> <a target="_blank" href="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0131.jpg"><img'>http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0131.jpg"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0131.jpg" style="margin: 5px; height: auto; min-height: 25px; max-height: 120px; width: auto; max-width: 500px;"></a> <a target="_blank" href="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0133.jpg"><img'>http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0133.jpg"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0133.jpg" style="margin: 5px; height: auto; min-height: 25px; max-height: 120px; width: auto; max-width: 500px;"></a> <a target="_blank" href="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0197.jpg"><img'>http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0197.jpg"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0197.jpg" style="margin: 5px; height: auto; min-height: 25px; max-height: 120px; width: auto; max-width: 500px;"></a> <a target="_blank" href="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0205.jpg"><img'>http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0205.jpg"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0205.jpg" style="margin: 5px; height: auto; min-height: 25px; max-height: 120px; width: auto; max-width: 500px;"></a> <a target="_blank" href="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0206.jpg"><img'>http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0206.jpg"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0206.jpg" style="margin: 5px; height: auto; min-height: 25px; max-height: 120px; width: auto; max-width: 500px;"></a> <a target="_blank" href="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0216.jpg"><img'>http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0216.jpg"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0216.jpg" style="margin: 5px; height: auto; min-height: 25px; max-height: 120px; width: auto; max-width: 500px;"></a> <a target="_blank" href="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0220.jpg"><img'>http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0220.jpg"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0220.jpg" style="margin: 5px; height: auto; min-height: 25px; max-height: 120px; width: auto; max-width: 500px;"></a> <a target="_blank" href="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0229.jpg"><img'>http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0229.jpg"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0229.jpg" style="margin: 5px; height: auto; min-height: 25px; max-height: 120px; width: auto; max-width: 500px;"></a> <a target="_blank" href="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0192.jpg"><img'>http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0192.jpg"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0192.jpg" style="margin: 5px; height: auto; min-height: 25px; max-height: 120px; width: auto; max-width: 500px;"></a><br> <b>SummerSlam Axxess</b> (I'm in the second pic)<br> <br> <a target="_blank" href="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/291662_250024141685234_100000329509926_831433_33719_o.jpg"><img'>http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/291662_250024141685234_100000329509926_831433_33719_o.jpg"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/291662_250024141685234_100000329509926_831433_33719_o.jpg" style="margin: 5px; height: auto; min-height: 25px; max-height: 120px; width: auto; max-width: 500px;"></a><br> <b>Lucky Strike Bowling</b><br> <br> <a target="_blank" href="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0092.jpg"><img'>http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0092.jpg"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0092.jpg" style="margin: 5px; height: auto; min-height: 25px; max-height: 120px; width: auto; max-width: 500px;"></a> --- <a target="_blank" href="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0241.jpg"><img'>http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0241.jpg"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0241.jpg" style="margin: 5px; height: auto; min-height: 25px; max-height: 120px; width: auto; max-width: 500px;"></a> --- <a target="_blank" href="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0244.jpg"><img'>http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0244.jpg"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0244.jpg" style="margin: 5px; height: auto; min-height: 25px; max-height: 120px; width: auto; max-width: 500px;"></a><br> The winner of the WWE '12 tournament got this shiny spinner belt I'm holding up! --- Tourney final --- Tourney winner Matt Black<br> <br> <a target="_blank" href="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0231.jpg"><img'>http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0231.jpg"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0231.jpg" style="margin: 5px; height: auto; min-height: 25px; max-height: 120px; width: auto; max-width: 500px;"></a><br> A stare-down between <b>Cory Ledesma</b> (WWE Games Creative Director) and myself. I laugh in the face of all my opponents! <img src="http://media.ign.com/boardfaces/13.gif" alt="mischief" class="BoardFace"><br> <br> <a target="_blank" href="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0232.jpg"><img'>http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0232.jpg"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0232.jpg" style="margin: 5px; height: auto; min-height: 25px; max-height: 120px; width: auto; max-width: 500px;"></a> <a target="_blank" href="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0234.jpg"><img'>http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0234.jpg"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0234.jpg" style="margin: 5px; height: auto; min-height: 25px; max-height: 120px; width: auto; max-width: 500px;"></a> <a target="_blank" href="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0236.jpg"><img'>http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0236.jpg"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0236.jpg" style="margin: 5px; height: auto; min-height: 25px; max-height: 120px; width: auto; max-width: 500px;"></a> <a target="_blank" href="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0239.jpg"><img'>http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0239.jpg"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0239.jpg" style="margin: 5px; height: auto; min-height: 25px; max-height: 120px; width: auto; max-width: 500px;"></a> <a target="_blank" href="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/290405_10150274089918355_110431863354_7971246_4635269_o.jpg"><img'>http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/290405_10150274089918355_110431863354_7971246_4635269_o.jpg"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/290405_10150274089918355_110431863354_7971246_4635269_o.jpg" style="margin: 5px; height: auto; min-height: 25px; max-height: 120px; width: auto; max-width: 500px;"></a><br> THQ surprised us with many guests... including the guy we were all wearing shirts of - <b>Zack Ryder</b>.<br> <br> <a target="_blank" href="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0245.jpg"><img'>http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0245.jpg"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0245.jpg" style="margin: 5px; height: auto; min-height: 25px; max-height: 120px; width: auto; max-width: 500px;"></a> <a target="_blank" href="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0247.jpg"><img'>http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0247.jpg"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0247.jpg" style="margin: 5px; height: auto; min-height: 25px; max-height: 120px; width: auto; max-width: 500px;"></a> <a target="_blank" href="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0249.jpg"><img'>http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0249.jpg"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0249.jpg" style="margin: 5px; height: auto; min-height: 25px; max-height: 120px; width: auto; max-width: 500px;"></a> <a target="_blank" href="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0246.jpg"><img'>http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0246.jpg"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0246.jpg" style="margin: 5px; height: auto; min-height: 25px; max-height: 120px; width: auto; max-width: 500px;"></a><br> The best guest surprise? WWE champion and WWE '12 cover star <b>Randy Orton</b>!<br> <br> <a target="_blank" href="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0253.jpg"><img'>http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0253.jpg"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0253.jpg" style="margin: 5px; height: auto; min-height: 25px; max-height: 120px; width: auto; max-width: 500px;"></a> <a target="_blank" href="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0254.jpg"><img'>http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0254.jpg"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0254.jpg" style="margin: 5px; height: auto; min-height: 25px; max-height: 120px; width: auto; max-width: 500px;"></a>--- <a target="_blank" href="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0255.jpg"><img'>http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0255.jpg"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0255.jpg" style="margin: 5px; height: auto; min-height: 25px; max-height: 120px; width: auto; max-width: 500px;"></a><br> A-Ry / <b>Alex Riley</b>'s reaction to being asked if he plays with himself (yeah, someone slipped that one up!) --- Me getting caught off guard with a pic. I know I look funny in the pic.<br> <br> <a target="_blank" href="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0256.jpg"><img'>http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0256.jpg"><img src="http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y58/jim784m/THQ%20WWE%2012%20SummerSlam%202011%20Summit/IMG_0256.jpg" style="margin: 5px; height: auto; min-height: 25px; max-height: 120px; width: auto; max-width: 500px;"></a><br> Myself with <b>Teddy Long</b> (SmackDown! GM) Have a question about WWE '12? I'll try my best to answer it under a few conditions: If I know the answer and if I'm allowed to answer. For instance, please don't ask anything about the DLC roster or the new addition to a current create mode if it hasn't already been announced yet. SummerSlam Build Impressions: There's no need for me to re-cover things that haven't changed much, so this write-up might not be as informative as my last one. The three big focuses of this event were: the roster, Create-A-Superstar & THQ's latest in a long line of create modes: the long awaited Create-An-Arena! Therefore, I'll mostly cover those three areas as well as some gameplay changes! 1. Roster -Roster Analysis- Unfortunately for all fans of The Usos, Trent Baretta, The Great Khali, The Bella Twins and Alicia Fox, it doesn't seem that any of them will be on the WWE '12 disc as playable characters. Your only hope at this point and time is for them to be DLC, which will add 14 new characters to the already impressive 62 superstars. Of the 62 announced superstars, there are 55 male superstars and 7 divas. Diva fans might be disappointed by that low number, but on the plus side there will be Divas in the DLC. Plus there's one more mystery superstar to be revealed in September. All-in-all, WWE '12 will feature a whopping total of 77 playable characters after DLC is released! No complaints here, especially when that includes a great legends roster and a mostly up-to-date current roster. I'm particularly fond of the Tag Team division found in WWE '12! The complete announced roster so far can be found here: http://wwe.thq.com/go/view/roster -Movesets- This is one area of the game that has really improved, overall. I don't remember seeing many (if any) repeated moves for the superstars and divas I used. John Cena, Randy Orton, CM Punk, Undertaker, and Edge especially felt great... although they changed Orton's running strike from a great looking clothesline from the last time to a running cross body that didn't really fit him well this time. Punk was also given Evan Bourne's running Hurricanrana for some reason. There were still some issues with the move sets in terms of moves not being in the game, as well. I did find Booker T to not be as fun as he has been in the past, due to him not having some of his proper moves in (spinning heel kick, side crescent kick, etc.) It's kind of like RVD's inclusion in SmackDown! vs. RAW 2011... he has some of his moves, but not all of them. Diva fans should be happy to know that they are now given the male gut kick by default. In all honestly, I'm still confused whether or not there are two running strikes in again. I was told there was, but I don't remember seeing a second one for anyone with the exception of Undertaker (whom I thought I saw do both a normal lariat and his jumping version.) -New Moves- Cena, Orton, Punk, Undertaker and Edge have a ton of basic strikes added for them: unique looking punches for most as well as a new gut kick for both Edge & Orton. Punk has his real striking combo which consists of new slaps, a backfist and ending in a great looking roundhouse kick w/ knockdown. He also has a new mongolian chop to the chest. Edge has a new spinning wheel kick w/ knockdown, which looks great but I'm not sure why they added it when there's already similar looking ones. There's also a new Goldust/Christian-like slap to the face. I covered new moves for Miz, Alberto Del Rio, John Cena and Randy Orton in more detail in my June post. Some of the other new moves I spotted and can mention: - Justin Gabriel's 450 (no hesitation but it looks great) - Cody Rhodes' Alabama Slam - A new Breaking Point Sleeper Hold (with falling down animation) for Dolph Ziggler - A new ground grapple Elbow Drop w/ hair taunt for Dolph Ziggler - A new (but weird) looking Super Kick-like running strike (Dolph has it) - A re-animated GTS for CM Punk - Sin Cara's Avalanche Back Flip Bottom - Sin Cara's La Mistica Armbar - A new Cena-like Belly-to-Belly - A new Book End for Booker T - A new Brain Buster for Arn Anderson - A new Double Axe Handle combination signature for Demolition - Demolition Decapitation for Demolition - Doomsday Device for L.O.D. - A new jumping Brogue Kick for Sheamus (looks great) - A new Double Axe Handle running strike for Sheamus - A new jumping Clothesline running strike for Kofi Kingston - A new running hesitation jumping Knee Strike for Evan Bourne - A new Shooting Star Press for Evan Bourne - The Regal-Plex w/ pin option - Two new Dropkick to Knee weak strikes - A new 619 for Rey Mysterio (had trouble pulling it off -- it's in a new position) - A new Future Shock DDT for Drew McIntyre (much better) - Zack Ryder's corner sitting Broski Boot w/ L.I. taunt - Zack Ryder's Rough Ryder - Daniel Bryan's LeBell Lock - Daniel Bryan's Cattle Mutilation - Wade Barrett's side kick to the gut (strong strike w/ knockdown) - A new Butterfly Suplex - A new ground grapple Jumping Leg Drop (no running off the ropes but it can be a finisher) - A new Showstopper-like Chokeslam - Undertaker's Jumping Lariat running strike - Miz's Snap DDT to a kneeling opponent - A new Battering Ram Headbutt strong strike w/ knockdown for Vladimir Kozlov - A new ground running Senton for Husky Harris - New basic punches for Kane - R-Truth's Suplex Stunner (signature move) - A new strong strike Haymaker (basic punch w/ knockdown, but looks good) - House of Pain (Mason Ryan's finisher / Uranage slam) - McGillicutter for Michael McGillicutty 2. Create A Superstar -What's Changed?- The good news is that nothing (or just about nothing) seems to have been removed from this mode... but aside from a new feature within it - unfortunately there's not really been added to it compared to other years. That includes face templates... some of which seemingly have been the same since SmackDown! vs. RAW 2010. Also, there seems to be no new morphing options for any part of the face or body. Another disappointing piece of news: there's still only the same set of preset skin colors to choose from. You won't be making that overly tanned Hulk Hogan this year. One small positive change is a simplified background for when you're creating your character. Say good-bye to the locker-room background and hello to a new dark area with a spotlight on your created character. It's actually a nice little touch! Any good CAW maker should be pleased to know that transparency should be in the final build from what I was told... but I don't remember seeing it in the build I played. My fingers are crossed on that one! -New CAW Mode Parts- Hair: With 82 male hair types and 20 females hair types, there are a total of 102 hairstyles (plus a few more when you factor in those with style options.) I spotted only three new additions. Not to say there aren't any other new additions, but the three new ones I remember seeing were: a new shoulder length hair w/ bangs to the side, DJ Pauly D from Jersey Shore's hair and one that looked like Jeff Hardy's shorter slicked back TNA hair. It's dark with a blonde streaked area on the right side. Head Parts: Under the "Other" category, you'll find a cool looking alien head that's sure to be popular this year. I also spotted one new hat which tightly covers most of the head while leaving much of the face exposed. Under the piercing section, you'll find a new spike chin labret. Finally, one of the most unique additions to the CAW mode in recent memory is a new "plain face" mask that completely gets rid of any orifices on the face (no eyes, nostrils or mouth openings.) This also blends nicely into the skin around the neck. While some people will never use this mask, I loved it since it's the type of addition that will allow new types of CAWs to be made. I thought I saw some new face paints as well, including Jeff Hardy's. Upper Body: There's a new Nexus arm band, which is probably debuting a year too late (not that it was difficult to create anyways.) Another new addition is a bandolier (AKA a bullet belt) that drapes over from the right hip to the left shoulder. Finally, there are two new jackets I spotted: a fur coat that would be useful should John Morrison ever be future endeavored as well as a great looking simple black leather jacket. I wasn't able to really look at everything like costumes, bottoms, tights, boots, knee pads, underwear, etc. I don't remember seeing anything new in the tops, elbow pads, wrist bands, or gloves area aside from anything I already mentioned. -Call Names- New to WWE '12 (but not to wrestling games) is a separated Ring Announcer & Commentary name system. The Ring Announcer names are a series of 1-4 names you can combine together for your entrance. Included in this massive list of 599 names are a wide variety of real names ("Mike" and "Adams"), numbers (1-10, 20, 30, etc.), letters, nicknames ("Warlock"), pre-names ("Ultimate") and the ever-useful article - "The". Commentary names are what you've been using in the SvR series for years now and you have 109 of these to choose from. It's pretty similar to last year (not many real names compared to its Ring Announcer counterpart, however.) 3. Create An Arena Anbody who ever wanted to create their own brand should be especially excited about the latest create mode to make it in THQ's WWE '12! Pretty much, you can change the look of the ring as well as some parts immediately surrounding it to look like almost any promotion or arena you've ever watched or even a fictional one if you really want. As a nice bonus, a large amount old school logos are already included for classic past promotions, TV shows and Pay-Per-View events! I believe they even have the FCW logo in there! It's unbelievably easy to quickly whip up something that looks like a classic arena from AWA, WCW, WWF, etc. I don't want to lie to you... I didn't spend a great amount of time in this mode. The truth is time and available TVs were limited, so I tried to cover other things I knew would be asked about that weren't receiving as much attention. Don't worry though, as this mode was not only being played by most people at some point, it was also very well-received for the most part. Some even went as far as saying it was the "best create mode ever." It is currently known that up to 50 arenas may be created and they should be able to be used in Community Creations portion of online. That includes uploading, downloading and Story Designer! The thing that saddens me though, is that you cannot use created arenas in actual online matches this year. Unfortunately. that kind of defeats the point of the mode for me since I would love nothing more than to show mine off online as I wrestle in them. Disappointing? Yes, but it's still a great mode for offline use! -Create An Arena Options- Below is a list of customizable categories and the sub-categories found within it: Apron: Apron, Mat, Rope, Ring Post, Turnbuckle Pad, Edit Layers Floor Mat: Floor Mat, Barricade, Announce Table, Edit Layers Electronic Billboard: Electronic Billboard, Edit Layers Other: Match-Up Nameplate, Menu Screenshot, Finalize For just about anything that is customizable, you can change colors, add logos (pretty much any design in CAW mode, Highlight Reel, or Paint Tool can be applied) as well as add a pattern which even includes some off the wall types like bricks and grass. The barricade section includes both the padded type that's commonly seen on television today and the old school steel railing type, which should be appreciated by any old school fan! The quality of the created ring -What You Can't Change- To my knowledge, you can not: change the size of the arena, make an outdoor arena, change the positioning of anything, change the shape or size of the ring, make any changes to the stage area (including the titan-tron to my knowledge), or make any changes to the ramp. I'm not sure if you can or can't change the arena lighting. Currently, this mode is pretty much an extended create a ring. The future is what really makes me excited about this mode, though. 4. Gameplay -Comeback Ability- John Cena, Randy Orton, Undertaker, Kofi Kingston and Daniel Bryan are just some of the superstars who have the unique single-use Comeback ability. Pretty much, it chains together three-or-so moves that, if successfully pulled off, will set up a signature. If you hit that signature, you'll now have your super Finisher (it just does more damage and may be harder to block.) This pretty much allows for recreating a series of moves that commonly happens in real WWE matches (such as Cena's Five Moves of Doom.) The comeback ability gets triggered by taking a lot of damage. To activate it, simply hit the "Y" button in the proper position to initiate a QTE mini game in which you must quickly hit whatever random face button pops up on the screen. You need to do this three times in a row to complete your comeback. This feature works much better now than it did in June, thanks largely in part to it having a random button press pop up as opposed to the "Y" button every time. For Cena's comeback, you'll see a series of running shoulder blocks followed by his Protoplex. If you were wondering what Orton's looks like, it's a few clotheslines followed by a Snap Powerslam. Daniel Bryan's sees him performing his corner turnbuckle flip at one point while Undertaker's will have you performing his Snake Eyes combination. -Finisher & Signature System- It seemed to me like it was taking a long time to build momentum during certain matches, but I still love the stored finisher system found in WWE '12. It feels natural and combines the best of two systems. Filling up your meter (which you don't see by default) will give you access to your signature move. At this point, you'll have two options: successfully perform your signature within approximately 20 seconds to get a super finisher, or click in the right analog stick at any point while you have your signature to automatically store your finisher. The super finisher is similar to what's found in SmackDown! vs. RAW 2011 and No Mercy. If you do choose to store your finisher, it won't do as much damage as a super finisher, but it's nice having access to your finisher at any time, just for creating a nice spot. Don't worry if you forget to store your finisher manually... the game will do it automatically if enough time goes by! Up to two finishers can be stored at once. -Grappling System- I'm not very big on the grappling system found in WWE '12, to be honest. It's not that there aren't enough grappling moves or positions... it's just if both opponents are standing, there are no quick grapples once again and it seems that we've also lost the ability to do a toe kick into a groggy grapple. Groggy grapples are still in, however (after a pick up) and it also seemed to randomly happen if I grappled an opponent who tried to strike me. I'm not sure if that was a bug or not. The good news is that chain grapples are in with transitions to different positions again... and mashing the reversal button will no longer be an automatic reversal. You can also perform Breaking Point submissions, Limb Targeting moves and position-dependent strikes while in a chain grapple. Limb Targeting moves seemed a bit more effective this time around, and now when you hold RB (R1) while in a chain grapple, a HUD pops up showing which face button targets which area of the body. -Match Progression- Back when I played in June, the match pace seemed to move too quickly from my opponent seeming fresh to quickly seeming hurt. This is no longer the case, and I'm loving it! Singles matches have never had better pacing in my opinion. Selling a move as you get up makes it very difficult to pull off stuff like ground grapples early in matches. Now, you really must damage your opponent for him to start staying down longer. I'm loving this! -Move Interruption- I love that it's included finally... but it's definitely one of those features I feel needs a few years to really work well. It's easily better and less annoying than the Day of Reckoning series version for a few reasons: it allows for custom double or possibly even triple team combos to be done (have you seen the Cena and Mysterio combo?) and it does limit the points at which moves can be interrupted. However, I'm still concerned about several things with this feature. You can't block an incoming interruption attempt. Therefore, it might be next to impossible to perform certain moves in multi-man matches, such as the People's Elbow or the Five Knuckle Shuffle. But at the same time, just thinking where this mode might go in the future is definitely exciting! Just think about doing a chokeslam with Undertaker, having a third party trying to interrupt the move, reversing the attempt and now turning it into a double chokeslam! Or recreating Cena's double Attitude Adjustment on Big Show and Edge from WrestleMania a couple years back! -New Animations- Running collisions are very... over-done currently. To be honest, it's kind of annoying... almost like how falling down while trying to run was annoying in SvR 2011. In SmackDown! vs. RAW 2011, running collisions were much better since they only happened when two superstars ran at each other. Now in WWE '12, anytime you run into another superstar, you will see the new collision animation. To my knowledge, it can even break up moves. It just happens too much and can ruin spots in the game as-is. I really do hope this can change before the final build comes out. There are some new animations that are better, though. This is especially true for running grapples (no more falling if missed) and running Irish Whips (from behind especially - it looks more like shoving the person into the ropes.) The new running animation is also a nice change! No more wailing arms! -New Positions- There are two new positions that can be found in WWE '12. The first is Corner Ground Grapple finishers, in which you can set up moves like Randy Orton's Punt or Edge's Spear. The second position is Groggy on the Middle Rope (619 position.) This is literally how you must now do the 619... which is much harder to pull off! If you are able to strike your opponent near the rope and get him to become groggy on the rope, simply flick the right analog stick to reposition the opponent onto the middle rope. There probably won't be many moves in either of these positions this year, but it's just nice not having all of those canned animations that plagued the SmackDown! vs. RAW series for years! -Reach Animation (for Finishers)- This is both one of my favorite changes as well as one that also worries me. It looks so much better seeing finishers not having the pre-reaching animation. They come out of nowhere, now. However, you are no longer able to react to a grapple animation. That means this can be extremely difficult to block. If you're ever in a groggy state such as after a pick up or Wake Up taunt... you'll have to be really good at guessing your opponent's timing, since there is no more reacting. -Resiliency Ability- In WWE '12, the Resiliency ability got a nice little make over. If your superstar has this ability, one time during a match you'll be able to greatly increase the size of your blue "stop zone" for the kick out meter when being pinned. This is done by pressing the left bumper on the 360 or L1 on the PS3. It adds a strategic element to the game that makes you have to decide on-the-fly if it's worth using or saving. Sometimes I thought for sure I didn't need to use it... and three seconds later I had my head down in shame. This is greatly welcomed change, in my opinion. -Ring Escape Ability- Another thing I personally wanted to see change... the Ring Escape ability is no longer spam-able. You'll now have three times a match in which you can use this. Again, there's actually strategy involved with deciding when to use this ability now. Ha-Ha at those online n00bs... victory is mine! 5. Other Things That Worry Me -Abilities- I'm not noticing a large amount of abilities in WWE '12. I believe the Kip-Up ability has been replaced with the Comeback ability. Don't get me wrong... I love the Comeback ability, but I don't see why it should have replaced the Kip-Up ability. Anybody who plays consistently online knows the importance of the Kip-Up ability. I also don't remember seeing the Durability ability on anyone either. The only assignable abilities I have seen so far are: Dirty Pin, Move Thief, Hammer Throw, Resiliency, Comeback, Outside Dives, Springboard, Leverage Pin and Ring Escape. I know there are some global ones like Pull Back attacks, Exploder Turnbuckle Attacks, Strike Combos, etc. I just feel like there aren't enough of the assignable ones to choose from. -Balancing- One of my biggest issues with this whole series has been there are always moves that are just too good without having many weaknesses. Spike Dudley's headbutt? Hulk Hogan's Hulk Up strike? Shuffle Side Kick? The old Woman's toe kick? Triple H's running knee? They were all cheap moves that got abused, yet remained in the games for several years. I fear some moves and abilities might still be too good, dominating and spam-able in WWE '12... but only time will tell. Also, even though running moves are really nerfed in WWE '12, I still had moments of getting dominated by them. I don't think pressing the grapple button works effectively as a counter currently if you're being running grabbed from behind or while groggy. -Bugs- I was not playing a final build of the game... therefore I encountered many bugs that could be unfairly detrimental towards my current opinion of the game. If these issues are fixed, then obviously my opinion will go up. Here's some of what I saw: - Grapple attempts at point blank range would not work at times. - Standing strike attempts often resulted in ground strikes coming out instead. (This was also in SvR 2011.) - There were a few instances of getting stuck in a running animation when thrown towards a corner. -Online- Move interruption and the new kick out system will definitely be causes of concern for "fair" online players. -Reversals- It gets very hard to block as the match goes on. I don't understand why. Are we not already being punished with harder kick outs, less damage on our moves, slower speed, less adrenaline, etc.? 6. Other Things I Loved About The SummerSlam Build -Authenticity- Sin Cara's lighting, all the updated themes and trons, match progression and a lot of the wrestler's true-to-life movesets were all nice to see. I'm still in love with the broadcast camera system... but I talked enough about that in June! -Legends- We got a lot of our normal legends this year (Stone Cold, Current Rock Pre-Order DLC) but then there's the guys who don't make it in every game or haven't been in before, including: Arn Anderson, Vader, Booker T, Kevin Nash, Demolition, Eddie Guerrero, L.O.D. and Ricky Steamboat! I'm loving this years legends roster! It's not the best one ever, but it's just a nice and welcome change of pace! -A.I.- There's still a ton of room for improvement with the A.I., but almost everyone agreed that the A.I. felt much more competitive this year without relying on reversals. -The Future- As I'm able to talk about more, you'll start to know why I'm legitimately excited about WWE '12 and future WWE games! 7. Pre-Order Battle If you haven't voted yet, be sure to vote for the cover star of the WWE '12 Collector's Edition version of the game. The interesting thing is the bonus content that comes with the game will be different depending on who wins. If you haven't voted yet, just click "The Rock." If you already voted for Cena, do me a favor: Put your hand in front of your face - "You can't see me" style. Good! Just like that! Now move it to the side of your face, pull it away and proceed to slap yourself as hard as you can on your cheek, you fruity pebble! You can vote here: [url=http://www.facebook.com/WWEgames?sk=app_117361208354897] 8. Community Involvement THQ has managed to do something special that not many companies do. They're both involving the community even more and actually listening to the community. Mini-trons, side-trons, exit themes, no reach animation for finishers, and even Randy Orton's beard are just some of the things the community asked for and received. The entire THQ team that I met and all of the WWE Games community leaders I've met during my two community summits are out to make the best game possible for the fans. Just sitting there and talking with everyone about the future of WWE games has me excited. I might not be able to talk about it, but I did my best to bring up as much as I could regarding some of the stuff you guys bring up on the board. At the very least, just know that there's a good chance someone from THQ is aware of some of your ideas and issues that have been brought up recently. Just know that you have someone who is able to directly bring up your ideas, suggestions, questions, etc. to THQ. As long as I'm going out to these summits, just know I'm here to represent you guys. 9. Final Impressions So Far For a game that focused so heavily on improving gameplay (which WWE '12 greatly does), there's a surprising amount of new content and additions added. I mean how huge is Create-An-Arena? And just knowing that pretty much nothing has been taken out of the create modes is just relieving. I will say this about WWE '12: I don't believe this game will go down as the best in the series. It won't. It won't be perfect, obviously. But it is not going to be a disappointment like Just Bring It, the original SmackDown! vs. RAW or SmackDown! vs. RAW 2008 were. It isn't going to disappoint at all. Unless something unforeseen happens, that I can promise. I don't know how certain things will turn out (online for instance) but if all goes right, WWE '12 will be a great wrestling game. In fact, when it's all said and done, I wouldn't be surprised if it ranks as my 3rd or 4th favorite of the series so far (based on what I've played so far... obviously things can change.) HCTP & SvR 2006, for their time, might edge out WWE '12 for me personally. The gameplay is funner to play than it's been in years. Considering the foundation WWE '12 will lay for what's to come over the next few years, we should be in store for some great wrestling games. With equilibrium comes perfection. Finding that perfect balance of a game that plays great with the crazy amount of content you can expect from the WWE games... It's all starting to come together. WWE '12 is not perfect... but it's on its way. Trip Details: + THQ flew me out from Chicago to LA and gave me a room at the Sheraton Hotel downtown. I was there from Friday, the 12th until Monday, the 15th. + I got to play WWE '12 for about 10-12 more hours and give feedback and suggestions for future titles. I was also able to just talk with a lot of the THQ dev team individually. I'm not sure if I can say what exactly (it might be considered non-disclosure)... but I'm also going to be doing something else for them which is pretty awesome. + They surprised us with some special guests - I got to meet several wrestlers: Randy Orton (photo and autographed 8x10 pic) -- Zack Ryder (group photo + played WWE '12) -- Alex Riley (photo in which I look weird because it caught me off guard, lol) -- R-Truth (he called me "Little Jimmy" in the hotel lobby) -- and Teddy Long (photo) + I attended WWE SummerSlam (awesome seats) as well as the game's live roster reveal at SummerSlam Axxess. + I was spoiled with appetizers and drinks including wings, nachos, mozzarella sticks (just to name a few,) and giant steins of beer at a place called Big Wangs. I did get a turkey burger to kind of reduce calories, lol. The next night we went to a high end bowling place called Lucky Strike where we had our own private section with a seemingly endless supply of pizza, coconut shrimp, burgers, wings, Shock Top beer, etc. They had giant HDTV's at the end of the lanes and a great selection of music playing all night. The waitresses were also unbelievably hot and wore very revealing tops. mischief (I'm the guy who doesn't look, though.) + They gave us a WWE tote bag containing a Zack Ryder t-shirt, a WWE: Greatest Superstars of the 21st Century 3-Disc DVD package, an official WWE '12 insulated mug, an All Stars Slurpee collector's cup and a SummerSlam collector's cup (I actually got that last one at SummerSlam, but still thanks to THQ). + I had a chance to compete for a replica WWE title belt in a WWE '12 tourney (I got beat a skilled German guy named Alex.) + Maybe the best part is that I hung out with some awesome people from around the world who share my passion for wrestling and games! Source: jim784m from IGN Quote
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