Examiner.com: WWE ’12 Fall Preview: Universe 2.0

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Universe 2.0: With Great Booking…

Smackdown Vs. Raw 2011’s Universe mode, which is the equivalent of a dynasty mode, sounded like a dream come true for fans. It gives them a blank check with what to do with their favorite characters and all the while maintaining some sort of balance in making sure the superstars that do deserve to be champions are the ones that get title shots. WWE ’12 brings back Universe mode with even more ways to build your own ideal wrestling organization.

During our preview of the game over the summer, one of the biggest additions to the creation suite is the ability to design arenas. From the obvious choices - like color blocking of the rings and ropes – to the even most minute of details – such as the text on the arena graphics – being able to create an arena will allow for the imaginations of fans to go wild. Thanks to WWE owning the rights to just about every significant North American wrestling organization, you can also recreate classic arenas of the past, such as the AWA and WCW sets of the 70s and 80s. In Universe mode, you have total booking power, so if you wanted to, you could technically create a WWE that is filled not with Raw and Smackdown, but Nitro and Thunder. Belts that you win or unlock can be used in Universe and replaced as you see fit as well.

All of the matches that you set up or allow the game to simulate in Universe mode will be taken into account by the game’s momentum feature. Each superstar will have a momentum bar on the screen and it takes into account how well they are performing on a weekly basis. A superstar with extremely high or low momentum will see changes in their attributes as the season goes along. Conceivably, if you keep booking Zack Ryder on television, you might actually get him to a decent enough rating that he won’t get killed by just about every other superstar.

As unpredictable as you can make Universe mode, THQ did add a few more bits to really drive home the dynasty mode feel. Injuries can take out major superstars for months and that will force you to make changes to your booking, and having certain superstars competing or teaming up with each other often will build up their rivalry or partnership. A few unlockables can also be found in Universe mode, one of which is a character that most people already know thanks to a reveal last week.

Can WWE ’12 really be the game that replaces No Mercy?

It’s such a ridiculous question, but it does beg to be asked. For some people, a game that is more than a decade old is still the wrestling game of choice. Those are the same people who cling to the Attitude Era for dear life and spend all day complaining about current WWE product and conveniently forget there was a lot about the 90s and early 2000s that should never be spoken of again (hand baby, anybody?).

We live in the Reality Era of the WWE now and much like the current conspiracy storyline playing out in television, the big reveal – in this case, when we get final review code – will be when we can definitively say if WWE ’12 was worth it for THQ to blow everything up and start over fresh. From online to DLC to unlockables, there is still a lot that needs to play out leading up to the game’s November 22nd release.

Source: Examiner

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