Another year - another WWE game - this time though it’s NEXT GEN - so it must be something special, right?
Well not really. The graphics have certainly been given a next gen make over - it actually looks better than the screenshots give it credit for. The previous games have done well in depicting accurate representations of the WWE cast but this version really does take it to another level. The detail on each wrestler is fantastic - they look and behave just like the real world counterparts. When your chosen superstar makes his entrance it really is that - in high def it’s probably as close as you can get to being one of these guys without dressing in tights, rehearsing moves and cutting yourself with a discreetly hidden razor blade.
The problem is though that looks are not everything. At its heart this is the SAME game that has been trotted out year in year out. The playing mechanic, whilst tweaked and enhanced in places are still those I wrote about almost 3 years to the day. Each year Yuke’s adds a few things and removes a few things but the game essentially remains the same (yes I know at its heart it’s wrestling but it still feels the same wrestling game that you could have had from santa 3 years ago) the problem seems to be though is that they often take out what worked well, tweak things that worked brilliantly and add things which feel wrong.
Firstly the campaign mode. Back in November 2003 I wrote about how good it was - how the storylines all felt different and how much it added to the game. This year though it’s another story. The campaign mode only seems to have a couple of "scripts" and I have yet to work out how the game decides which one to give you. My first play through saw me take control of one of the WWE's biggest stars and get placed in a feud with "The Big Show" - I beat him easily but at the end of the match the game made out it was a hard win and some blokes I never heard of had to help me. This feud was carried on over a few more matches but never did the outcome feel as if it made the story move along. I know it’s probably ironic to complain about in a game based on WWE but the campaign mode is just too< scripted. You never feel as if you have a say in the next match and the game can not adapt to your actions. It also gives exactly the same story even if you choose a wrestler of your own creation rather than set you up against similar no-hopers and allow you to work your way up through the ranks (as previous games did well).
The meat of the game is obviously the wrestling and when it works it works well. Moves feel heavy and blows look as if they would hurt - the problem is though it plays like a bog standard beat ‘em up as apposed to a wresting game. Try as you might moves do not string together well and you soon find yourself just using the one or two moves that are quickest and easiest to pull off. Many opponents can be beaten using only a handful of the moves available. Other downers for me are (1) Even after all these games and years there are still very few moves which allow you to actually throw an opponent out of the ring (the likes of the Undertaker have them) and most wrestlers have to resort to just hammering an opponent against the ropes and knocking him over that way; and (2) The reversal system is rubbish. Even on the easiest of levels they are far too hard to pull off and a successful reversal never feels skilfully done, instead it always feels like luck. This is made a bigger problem by the fact the game never seems to want to let your wrestler get off the canvas after a successful attack. You are supposed to tap a button as fast as you can, but it never seems to make a difference and you can often find yourself losing a match and NEVER having an option to attack back. Not fun at all.
Ok some of the wrestling controls have been "improved" (I use that term loosely) you now use the right thumbstick to pull off one of four types of grapples and a click of the thumbstick allows you to pull off a few extra special moves - but they still all feel too scripted and I was often left feeling like I was playing one of those old laserdisc games where all my actions were doing was to start up a new animation sequence on the screen. For example, having dropped an opponent to the canvas next to one of the turnbuckles and face down I initiated a ground attack - this attack saw me run off the ropes and drop an elbow onto his face - however before doing this the game moves my opponent into the centre of the ring and face up just so the animation for the attack will work. It’s shoddy - surely the game should make amends for the positions and allow for a different move or (and bearing in mind this is supposed to be “next gen”) have enough animations to make the move work no matter where the opponent is positioned.
The game still has tons of options and playable characters (although I’m not sure any wrestling game needs this many incarnations of Mick Foley) - all those different types of matches are available to choose from, be it cage, cell or ladder you are definitely spoiled for choice. It also plays surprisingly well in multiplayer - be it on live or on the same machine. Live performance is good - the matches I have played have been lag-free and good fun but it has to be said that it betrays its PS2 roots in terms of implementation - the menus seem a direct port, and consequently not as easy to use or navigate as they could have been had they been designed primarily for the 360 and Xbox Live.
Actually it’s the multiplayer side of things that I have ended up having the most fun with and I have now pretty much given up with the flawed and annoying single player side. Ill even give it an extra point for this…
To be honest the game made me angry - how can a game which three years ago worked brilliantly now be so flawed - especially when it has all that extra power to use. Yuke’s need to try harder next year or just not bother. They need to go out and get a copy of Def Jam Vendetta to see how the fighting can be made to work in an arena environment, and stop relying on the licence to sell the game. As it stands this feels like a good 3 year old game ruined - remember looks are not everything.
|
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
