Wrestling Games

[DrVenkman PhD]

So it's the first Smackdown vs Raw?

 

[Baby Shoes]

I hadn't realized it was coming out so soon until I saw the Achievement list pop up on a game site. The achievements look super basic which indicates to me its probably going to be something that can be completed in a one-day rental.

 

[Just Call Me Dan]

Torch says Lesnar will be in the game. Sounds fun.

 

[Mattdotcom]

A WWF Winged Eagle championship belt is featured pretty prominently in the commercial for Hulk Hogan's Main Event Wrestling.

 

[daileyxplanet]

Torch says Lesnar will be in the game. Sounds fun.

WWE '12 Brock Lesnar Revealed

 

[Big Papa Paegan]

Looks like I wasn't too far off with my initial assessment of it being based off of his (current) UFC model. I'd almost prefer they give him the Deathclutch trunks, though.

 

[A Happy Medium]

I really thought he had one of the best themes, too. Unfortunately, when I think of Lesnar, I think of him shooting prairie dogs while plugging a new brand of bullet.

 

[Big Papa Paegan]

I think of him winking at Shane Carwin, making him tap to arm triangle, and then punching himself in the jaw to prove how tough he is.

...only to lose wholeheartedly a couple months later...

 

[Master Thrasher]

They should have went retro with him. I'm not a fan of the chest tattoo.

 

[DrVenkman PhD]

The odd thing is the original "leaked" report said Brock could only be in the game if no affiliation to his UFC look / persona was included. I figured that meant no penis tattoo, cage matches, or ability to make people submit / get knocked out.

 

[Sabre]

The penis tattoo existed before his UFC shiz so it isnt really a problem.

 

[DrVenkman PhD]

I would pay 120 MSP to get a model with it removed.

 

[Angle-plex]

That commerical isnt very good.

 

[Angle-plex]

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/120/1200905p1.html

New article about story mode, sounds different than last year. Not too big on the 3 guys you plays as though.

 

[DrVenkman PhD]

 

[fazzle]

I wasn't aware they were making a PSX version of WWE 12

 

[Big Papa Paegan]

Yep. Expect a Genesis version to be released in the spring.

 

[DrVenkman PhD]

Spoiler

EXCLUSIVE Road To Wrestlemania GAMEPLAY!!! MUST SEE! - WWE12

 

[Big Papa Paegan]

Spoiler

European title. Left shoulder. YEAH-UH!!!!

 

[LPM]

That bit with Cena being beaten up by three legends will probably make a lot of people happy.

Big Show launching Rey was great.

Hahaha Miz's entrance. I like this game.

 

[Haws Bah Gawd]

Spoiler

Being able to make my entrance with multiple titles. Something that was promised for No Mercy over 11 years ago finally happens!

 

[FLAM]

Sheamus ended Wade's life with that one. Holy shit. Pretty cool.

 

[DrVenkman PhD]

http://www.examiner.com/sports-video-games-in-cincinnati/wwe-12-universe-mode-details-revealed

THQ, publishers of the ever popular WWE Smackdown vs. Raw video game series have lifted the embargo on talking about the franchise mode of their upcoming WWE ’12 game. The mode, which was known as WWE Universe mode in Smackdown vs. Raw 2011 has been dubbed Universe 2.0 this year. As with most yearly sports or sports entertainment titles, the franchise mode is the heart of this year’s offering in the series.

Most of the mode largely remains the same, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Last year’s Universe mode was a great freshman effort for a completely new mode. For those who didn’t play Universe mode last year, it is essentially a virtual WWE simulation. The game will create the three main WWE television shows and all of the pay-per-views for the entire year. The game will generate a match card for each show and it will use what happens during those matches to generate rivalries, friendships, tag teams and almost anything else you see on real WWE programming. You can change any match if you don’t like what the game has chosen to do.

Last year’s mode had some annoying limitations. You could not make a match for a championship belt whenever you wanted. Title matches could only be made on pay-per-view cards and only by the CPU. If you tried to change a title match, the game would make the match a nontitle match automatically. Even if you did something as minor as add a manager to the match, it would no longer be a title match. You also could not set up title matches on regular weekly programs, even though belts are defended all the time on real WWE television.

Not having control of the title matches was probably the most frustrating issue for most gamers, there were some other minor annoyances. Tag teams would be broken up by the CPU much too often. There were also far too many instances of being attacked before a match started or matches being interfered with. It felt almost impossible to have just a normal one on one match. There was also a ranking system for the major championships, but they were often nonsensical. For instance, you would see a superstar who was a world champion as the number one contender for a much less prestigious belt. The CPU would also make a lot of matches which are very rare to see in the WWE on a regular basis.

While all of these issues were minor irritations, the mode was solid and fun to play. It allowed you to assume the role of Vince McMahon and run your very own virtual wrestling company. It told stories via simple animated cut scenes that gave you an idea why this superstar doesn’t like that superstar. It was easy enough to fill in the rest with your imagination. So what is new for WWE ’12?

The biggest change is the ability to customize each of the three weekly shows. Every week in Universe, there are three shows: Raw on Mondays, Superstars on Thursdays and Smackdown on Fridays. You can now completely customize any or all of those three shows. You can change the name, roster and even the championships each show will compete for. Using the new Create-an-Arena mode, you can make an entirely new brand with its own custom arena and logos. You can use one of the more than 20 belts included in the game as your championships. You can assign any of the superstars or the ones that you created on that show. You can choose to keep that show separate from the other shows or allow cross branding between all three shows. The only thing you cannot change is what day of the week the show is on the calendar.

This gives you the complete flexibility to make WWE Universe mode into anything you want it to be. If you want to roll the calendar back to the days when WCW, ECW and WWE were competing against each other, you can do that. If you want to create a show just for created versions of your friends and family, you can do that too. This truly is your Universe.

You can now make a title match any time you want in Universe mode. This is a welcomed change from last year. Also, the person you give the title match to doesn’t have to be the number one contender anymore. You can make the match between the champion and anyone else you want. You are in control.

Another change this year is the addition of a momentum meter. This functions similarly to the popularity meter in GM mode of the past. Each superstar’s meter will rise and fall based on his actions in Universe mode. It isn’t clear just how this affects superstars in the game, but I have been told it will change ratings. If you are like me, you go out of your way to make realistic ratings for every superstar in your game. I don’t like the idea of the game deciding how my superstar should be rated. The decision to add this feature seems counterintuitive to the other features added that give you more control.

There are a number of other features added this year as well. Stream lined interface, a draft, and injuries are all new additions. Most of the new features added to Universe mode will be welcomed additions for any gamer. The one thing I am left wondering is if enough changes were made to make the mode seem fresh. Will we see the same handful of cut scenes that we saw all last year? My biggest issue with the cut scenes last year was their lack of branching diversity. If I saw a cut scene at the end of a match where one superstar attempts to shake the other superstar’s hand, I knew I could skip that scene because he was going to slap his hand away. In a year of playing the game, the two superstars never actually shake hands. This leaves no incentive to actually want to watch the full scene to see how it turns out. This was true for almost every cut scene in the game. It doesn’t appear as though this has been addressed in Universe 2.0.

Another perplexing thing, is that there is still no online component to Universe mode. Making Universe playable online between friends is the next logical evolution of the mode.

Will Universe mode in WWE ’12 keep you entertained for another year? You can answer that for yourself on November 22, when the game hits stores everywhere in the United States. Having enjoyed the mode last year, I think I will enjoy it even more this year even if I do skip a lot of the cut scenes.

 

[Danville_Wrestling]

Spoiler

Being able to make my entrance with multiple titles. Something that was promised for No Mercy over 11 years ago finally happens!

Yeah, I still remember the IGN preview that said we were going to be able to do that and being very irritated when it didn't exist.

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

Last year’s mode had some annoying limitations. You could not make a match for a championship belt whenever you wanted. Title matches could only be made on pay-per-view cards and only by the CPU. If you tried to change a title match, the game would make the match a nontitle match automatically. Even if you did something as minor as add a manager to the match, it would no longer be a title match. You also could not set up title matches on regular weekly programs, even though belts are defended all the time on real WWE television.

There is a workaround for this.

 

[KingPK]

All of this sounds peachy, but if the actual game plays as badly as last year's, I'm not biting. Any news of a demo coming soon?

 

[DrVenkman PhD]

If it plays as badly as last year I'll be happy since I had fun.

 

[MillenniumMan831]

I wish they'd sneak The Model Rick Martel and/or Tito Santana as a legend in the game one of these years.

 

[Dobbs3K]

If it plays as badly as last year I'll be happy since I had fun.

I just never understood why they downgraded the gameplay so much from the previous version of the game. Less moves, less interactivity with tables, etc. It's like they dumbed down the game for no real reason at all.

 

[DrVenkman PhD]

I will say cage matches were really stupid last year.