MSXboxWorld.com: WWE '12 Event: Hands On Preview

[Sunny]

Recently, I took a trip down to Tampa, Florida to have some hands on time with THQ's revamp of their annual WWE game, and let me tell you, fans of the series will be very impressed with the changes. This year, THQ has decided to revamp everything, including the extremely long title, Smackdown vs Raw, to just WWE 12. Using their new Predator engine, the game just plays damn better.

The very first thing I did with the hands on time I received was go into a match with my favorite superstar, Randy Orton, and tried to crush my opponent. That didn't end very well, as the gameplay has been changed, and I wasn't ready for that at all. It might sound terrifying at first, but it is a very rewarding system when you grasp it. Some of the main changes include a slower pace, much like the pace of the WCW or WWE games that were great on the N64. The greatest addition in my view, had to be the inclusion of stamina, limiting the amount of melee spamming and running around the ring like a 10 year old. Included this year are also come-back moves, which are quick time events that allow a beat down wrestler to do a flurry of moves and be set up for a finisher at the end of a successfully completed comeback, which helps the gameplay feel even more like watching a WWE broadcast. With a roster of over 70 superstars, everyone will have someone to play as.

For all the aspiring GM's the universe mode has been dubbed Universe 2.0, and for good reason. Everything is fair game this year, including creating your own show. Want a show for Tuesdays, you got it! On your Tuesday show, do you want to have a draft selection show, where the winner of his match wins a draft pick for his brand, oh its there. Everything is fair game, from the titles to be awarded, to making a custom arena including the ring aprons to the entrance ramp is open to complete customization.The part of Universe 2.0 I had the most fun with was now players have the ability to interfere with any match, and boy oh boy is it sure fun to run into the ring, hit a finisher, and then wake the ref to cause your rival to lose a match.

What was really pushed at the event was the new refined Road to Wrestlemania (RtW), with a deeper story, and length. In this year's title, the RtW mode consists of an eighteen month time-span, with three different superstars being used in it. Players will start off doing the "Villain Story, where they will control Sheamus. I wont go into details of the story, but will say Sheamus himself was there at the event, and told everyone present that the storyline was one that was developed by him and a few other superstars from the actual television programs. At the end of the Sheamus story, the game flows into the next chapter, the "Outsiders story", starring Triple H. Following the conclusion on that, The final chapter is the "Hero Story" for a created superstar. The storytelling in this year's RtW mode is on par with real life TV productions, and left this fan eager for the game's release.

After an all day event, I am very excited to get my hands on the retail version of WWE12, as THQ has really seemed to put their blood, sweat, and tears into this year's revamp. The passion shown by the team will be evident to any fan of the WWE, and even newcomers to the series. While I do not believe in scoring a game in a preview, I will say that fans of the series or the WWE will be very, very pleased. And that's the bottom line, simply because I say so!

Source: MSXboxWorld