Fun.
If I was to review THQ's new WWE All Stars in just one word (and God
do I wish I could get away with that!), I would use the word fun!
THQ has been making WWE games for as long as I can remember (well, WWE
and WCW before that I suppose). Each game in the series has become more
realistic, more graphic. Each has had more and more options, more
customisation and more match types. And do you know what? Each has lost a
little something as it has become bigger. Until I played WWE All Stars I
never realised this. Each iteration of the WWE games has lost a little
bit of its fun.
If you look back at the old WWE / WWF games in the arcade or on the
home consoles like the SNES, they were arcadey, had special moves and
were just a blast to play.
But I am getting ahead of myself. What is WWE All Stars. Basically it
is a game that asks the question "What If?". What if Ricky "The Dragon"
Steamboat in his prime took on Rey Mysterio Jr. What if The Ultimate
Warrior had gone head to head with Shamus. What if Hulk Hogan had... oh
wait he has literally wrestled everyone.... But you get the idea!
Old School Michaels Off CageThe first thing that strikes you about
WWE All Stars is the graphical style. Gone are the ultra realistic models
of the Smackdown vs. Raw games. What we have here are big, brash and
bright caricatures of the wrestlers. Even larger than life than they
already are in real life!
They same can be said for the move sets. Bigger is better here. No
ultra realistic animations for your wrestlers signature moves. Oh no.
These moves are huge. With people flying into the air and huge colourful
explosions as you hit the move. The simple Leg Drop becomes immense!
Elbow drops from the turnbuckle turn into glorious displays of anti
gravity acrobatics. I could go on forever.
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As for game modes, there are a couple of ways to play. The first way
is through your standard exhibition matches. Here you can set up several
match types (1-on-1. Triple Threat, Fatal 4-Way, Tornado Tag, Steel Cage,
Elimination, Extreme Rules, Handicap) with legends and current
wrestlers.
turns it all up to 11Next is the Path of Champions. Here you can play
through 3 story lines. Take on the path of the WWE Champion by defeating
Randy Orton. Become the Heavy Weight Champion by taking down the
Undertaker (complete with annoying Paul Bearer voice acting!) or try your
hand at the tag team championship by beating D-Generation X. All of these
are contained storylines, but really are just a series of legend vs. you
style matches. All great fun though and are voiced by the actual
superstars.
Finally there is the Fantasy Warfare. This mode pits legends against
today's most comparable wrestlers. So Rey Mysterio against Eddie
Guerrero. Andre the Giant vs. Big Show. Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. CM
Punk. This is a great bit of what if and also has some brilliant
highlight reels to watch before each match. I only wish there were more
than the 15 included.
Controls are very cut back. The face buttons handle hard and light
punches, strong and weak grapples. Moves are simple to pull off and are
almost without exception hugely satisfying! The simplistic play mechanics
actually disguise a pretty deep combat system, but once you get into it
you will fall in love! Everything just feels so right, from the way a
punch connects to the way your fighter can pretty much fly around the
ring by bouncing off the ropes or leaping up on to the turnbuckle!
As with all wrestling games, there is a Create A Wrestler mode here.
Now some will be very disappointed with this. It does not allow for much
customisation at all other than appearance. You can choose from a list of
move sets and specials and that's it. For me, this is not an issue. This
game is not about creating your perfect wrestler. It is about taking a
Legendary Superstar and kicking the ass of one of these young upstarts in
the WWE today!
D-Generation XIf you want to face off against real players, there
is an online mode. Take your favourite superstar (or your created
superstar) and battle online in ranked or unranked battles. Each match
type has leader boards for you to try and conquer. Online was a nice
surprise after the laggy mess of SvR. Whilst there is still some lag, it
never seemed to ruin the flow of the game.
My wife will attest to this fact as the whole time I played WWE All
Stars I was laughing, or cheering or shouting at the telly with joy.
Sounds daft, but it made me feel good playing this game. It takes
everything that was great about wrestling in the 80s and early 90s and
turns it all up to 11!! If you were a fan of wrestling when the Ultimate
Warrior was still pumped full of steroids, then this game will put a huge
smile on your face! If it doesn't, I will come to your house and tickle
you!
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