Another issue became prominent during just about every match with weapons. Ladders and large items are now a bit more accessible this time around and feel a bit easier to control, but if you lay the item too close to the edge of the ring, it can literally become impossible to pick up unless your Superstar forcefully pushes it out and brings it back in. This sounds like a nitpick, but when you are playing a Ladder match and keep having to push a ladder and run in and out of the ring while praying that the foe doesn’t regain consciousness, the fun will suddenly disappear and be replaced with sheer frustration. I also had one occasion where my foot had a chair imbedded inside of it and it remained there for the remainder of the match. Again, funny, but definitely a reminder of the lack of polish applied to the finished product. On a more positive note, it still feels awesome to put someone through a table or powerbomb an opponent into stairs. The ability to turn while executing a technique that was added in last year performs even better this time around and definitely broadens the amount of moves that can be mixed with the destructible objects.
Both pinning and submissions have also been re-tooled to provide a more television like appearance. Gone are the days of tapping to get out of a pin as a new meter has the player hold the button and release it at the appropriate time. This method takes a lot of getting used to, but it isn’t impossible to master. Submissions however now require a lot more work, which is a good or bad thing depending on your personal preference. When a submission maneuver is applied, the player must tap like a mad-man to make the meter fill up. The meter I’m speaking of is actually a bit different than what we would normally see in this case as the words BREAKING POINT are displayed in the old bar’s place, with the letters slowly becoming red as the player taps. The more damage you have done on a particular limb, the less work you have to do in a hold. This whole mechanic is meant to add more strategy to submissions, but I had many moments where I would need every limb on the opponent to be completely red in damage before they would tap out. I can definitely see the effort that went into refining the process, but the BREAKING POINT submissions felt like a complete chore and kept me away from wanting to finish a match via tap out.
I know my words are making it hard to believe that there is a still solid scheme underneath all of the clunky additions, but standard matches still play out decently for the most part. If there wasn’t any freezing, sticky weapons, or bugs, I would even say that THQ were on the right track with making the in-ring experience more enjoyable. Sadly, the bad elements of gameplay overshadow what’s working and makes capturing a classic “Mania” moment a daunting task. Taking out a Diva’s ability to fight a Superstar is yet another questionable move this time around and those wanting to test Kelly Kelly or Eve’s skills will only have a handful of opponents to pick from at first with only 4 other female performers to choose from. The in-game roster in WWE ’12 also might be the biggest yet, but many techniques and taunts have been completely eradicated this time around which makes creating that classic favorite almost impossible. This trend of taking away moves is nothing really new though, so if you dealt with this well during the past few releases, you probably will pass this issue off without much problem.
Creation
As you would expect, players are still able to create their own wrestler to compete in the many match-types within the game. Not a whole lot has changed with Create a Superstar, but nothing was really needed for this mode as this series still knows how to put on a spectacle in terms of all the customization options. Logos, entrances, and even moves can be customized as well as the new addition of arenas. Create an Arena lets the player dream up any kind of setting they would want to see, and then mold it to their liking by changing up the stage, ring, and nearly every piece of the stadium. Yes, this new area of customization is a hefty one as the player can spend hours just flipping through the many templates and options at hand. Other than the aforementioned aspects of creation, players also also create their very own storyline for the WWE Universe mode and form feuds and watch them unfold as they take 15 Superstars through a weekly show. This mode wasn’t too deep, but it certainly was a refreshing sight to see compared to Road to Wrestlemania.
Online
Since 2004, we have been able to take both our created and real Superstars online to battle it out with players all over the world. Nothing is really too different on that front here as the same options are available where players can participate in a wealthy amount of match types and aim to reach the top of the leaderboards. As well as duking it out, creations play a large role in this mode as a separate server has been assigned to handle uploads and downloads of community content. As much as I want to say that I’ve spent hours upon hours battling my way through the servers, I really can’t. When you can access the online mode, there is usually (not always, but a good portion of the time) a ton of lag that makes playing a match a game of frustration. The online Royal Rumbles are a ton of fun, but the online hiccups can make it hard to get the most out of what is offered overall. As I am writing this, I have only seen the Community Creations up and running a handful of times. THQ have since stepped in and promised a patch, but the game should have been COMPLETELY polished before even putting in a case.
Visuals
From a visual standpoint of the Superstars and Divas in the game, not much has changed. Each model is detailed enough to capture their appropriate look and personality, but it seems that many performers were treated a bit better than others graphically. For instance, when I was having a match with Undertaker and I was playing as Drew McIntyre, it was almost as if the two were from separate consoles entirely as Drew’s model looked a bit stale and bland in comparison. Animations are in a world of their own this time around as well. A good number of the moves look solid and perform as they should, but as I mentioned earlier, there is a lot of clipping between Superstars and when the action becomes too chaotic, the framerate can take a dive and bring the speed down to a crawl. During my good time spent with the game, I have had several occasions where a Superstar would run right through the ropes or cage, and then completely out of the arena…only to “float” back in sometime later.
The arenas are also a bit hit and miss. The new screens on the ramp look great and definitely help capture the look of the show and weapons and objects look more realistic this time around. In a good number of battles I had though, the ring became a glaring eyesore. Many times you can very visibly see a pixelated black line running right through the mat, and due to how many times it happened, it makes you wonder just how much time was spent on beta testing the entire game.
Audio
Whenever a Superstar’s music hits, fans always get up and show their love or hate. It happens every week on television and THQ have incorporated those same reactions in WWE ’12. The entrance music itself now has a more arena styled sound that takes this a step further. The only problem however is that when the fans are cheering to the drowned out music, it can be hard to even tell just who is coming out during Royal Rumble matches or even in the main entrances throughout the game. As far as voice acting goes, the talent has did well in bringing their larger than life personalities to consoles yet again and this time, it seems every participant tried to give their all to the dialogue provided. Commentary is sort of like this as it’s spoken well, but the bizarre timing makes it feel like Michael Cole and King are watching a completely different match. Maybe one day we will get some more fluid commentary, but after 11 years of seeing both nothing and mediocre calls, it’s kind of disappointing that this glaring issue is still yet to be addressed.
Overall
No matter how it was marketed, WWE ’12 is not a reboot. This release is simply Yuke’s throwing in a different control scheme with a few added gimmicks and then keeping everything else from the SvR series in tact. The saddest part about the game however is that it isn’t even polished or that enjoyable to play as it’s own product. This year’s Road to Wrestlemania is a huge misstep for the series and strips every bit of satisfaction out of the season experience as the objective based finishes yank away the player’s moment of victory and replace it with a tedious story that’s already hard enough to follow. Yes, there are a ton of other things to keep you busy, but the newly introduced Predator Technology actually gives matches an unnatural and clunky feel, making the whole core experience just feel like a shell of it’s former self.
We have had some spectacular titles come out of THQ in the past, but over the years the quality has taken a slight downturn and a ton of working and enjoyable aspects have been taken completely out of the picture. WWE ’12 marks the 11th year of the series and this isn’t just a stumble, but a complete cliff dive into the wrong direction as the true Superstars of this game are glitches, headaches, and heartbreaks. If your looking for an enjoyable wrestling experience on a console, you’d do better to follow the same trend WWE ’12 has taken. Go backwards.
