WWE '12 Thread

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http://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/117/1171529p1.html

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WWE '12 will be available in North America on Nov. 22, 2011, and in the U.K. on Nov. 25, 2011.

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Lets talk controls. So one hallmark of a game is that of the controls, while the stick controls worked well enough, most peoples instinct normally is to hit the buttons. The control scheme feels very good. Let me break it down.

LStick – Move
Dpad Up – Wake Up Taunt
RStick – Change Grapple Position
A/X – Grapple
B – Pin/Run
Y – Sigs/Finishers/Dramatic Comeback
X – Strike (weak/strong)
LB – Action
RB- Limb Modifier
RT – Counter
LT – Run / check adrenaline

When striking like WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2011, you have the option to do 4 different directional weak strikes and two different strong strikes. As far as grappling goes you get 4 groggy grapples that are you trademark moves that lead up to your signatures and finishing moves. The groggy grapples can be performed from pickups, brawler combos, certain weak grapples, and clothesline to the corner. You get 4 weak strikes by hitting the a / x button + leftstick. Overall the controls felt really good and as a huge AKI games gamer, this system made me quite happy. Also if you want to use the right stick to grapple, you can do so all day. I was unable to take a look at how the right stick operated as the options in the E3 demo was pretty limited.

There is also a great addition this year called limb targeting. Limb targeting works by doing a catched grapple by press A / X then holding the RB / R1 button press the different face buttons, for the 360 for example X is one arm, B is the other arm, Y is the head and A button is the legs. However I would expect it to not be changed too much. Another huge addition and very welcome addition is the inclusion of a new submission system.

So basically how this works is you put on the submission by doing the ground grapple move or the finisher and a logo from the Breaking Point ppv will pop up and it is a tug of war battle between you and your opponent, what happens basically is as you damage your oponnent more and more it will become easier to make your oponnent tap out. So instead of using the right stick to shine to a tap out, you will just simply mash the buttons. It worked great in past games like Here Comes the Pain and it works great here! The Tiger Woods style kick out meter returns and is just as good as ever, this time you are in a pinfall situation the section that you need to get the meter into changes every time, as well it pops up now shortly before the second count, instead of as soon as the pinfall starts.



Animation, this has been a soar spot for the series for quite a long time. The main issue in past games was the warping of moves from pins warping to signatures warping like the five knuckle shuffle or the peoples elbow , to even simply ground grapples. Granted over the years it got better and better, but this year it is completely gone. It makes the game feel less like its ancestors and more deserving of its new name WWE 12. In the past certain moves would not flow or animate into each other properly, this has been remedied with a new animation blending technology in which it will take one animation and another animation and it will blend them so there will be no more awkwardness and robotic looking moves. Breaking up animations and moves has been something the fans has asked about for many years and this year pretty much every move, signature and finisher can now be broken up and it pushes the game closely to being a more authentic replica of the WWE experience. Speaking of animation the title intro has been updated to reflect WWE’s boxing style introductions in which the champion has the belt and jumps around , raises the belt as Justin Roberts introduces.

Attributes have been retooled this year, with now totaling to 12. Here is the list

Total 7 new this year
Strike Power
Grapple Power
Submission
Strike Defense
Grapple Defense
Speed
Agility
Adrenaline
Recovery
Toughness
Charisma
Tag Team

So now you guys can start speculating what each attribute means for the superstars that you are playing as. As well as the kip up ability has now been replaced with something called a dramatic comeback in which when you reach a certain damage level, lets say orange from previous Smackdown games, you will have a prompt pop up and while you are on the ground you hit the Y button which activates a flashing bar that is integrated into your momentum bar and then when you hit your dramatic comeback this is done by running and press Y button. For example John Cena has his two running shoulder blocks and his spin out power bomb and you instantly earn a signature for the Five Knuckle Shuffle and then a finisher for the Attitude Adjustment. While all of this happens prompts pop up and its a war between who can time it the best, it works very much like tag team hot tag.

Which leads me to the match progression, the most telling thing of all about WWE 12 is how the match progresses from a WWE point of view. So basically you start the match both of you cannot tap each other out, neither one of you can make a comeback, both of you can walk without holding a body part , you can run freely around the ring and you cannot do any signatures / finishers. Now when you progress further into the match with moves like limb damage moves, groggy grapples you will see the Breaking Point meter moving down to one side or the other, one side of the coin will be able to mount a comeback , the superstars will hold body parts, it will make it harder and harder to run around as your adrenaline will be drained, and you will get to the point where you can do signatures and finishers to end the match. The point I am trying to make that WWE 12 finally has captured what all of the trademarks and hallmarks of WWE style matches and it feels fun at the same time.





Here we are going to talk about the superstars that will be playable at E3.

John Cena


Attire : Red persevere attire, darker jean shorts, red arm band, red wristbands, black hightops
Entrance : Same as you see on tv
Moveset : New Five Knuckle Shuffle of the top rope, new diving leg drop,
Dramatic comeback – Two shoulder blocks, spin out powerbomb

Alberto Del Rio


Attire : Gold attire with scarf, has the birds on side of trunks
Entrance: Comes out in a Bentley looking car on the ramp, Ricardo Rodriquez introduces him.
Moveset : Cross Arm Bar looks great as well does the running enziguri

Randy Orton (Note Randy Orton is the best overall in the demo – Movesets, entrance, comeback)


Attire : Black tights with olive viper green outline
Entrance: Orton with the belt holds up just like on TV, regular has Orton does evolution taunt.
Moveset : Olympic Slam, signature clothesline, new jumping knee drop
Dramatic comeback – Two running clotheslines , snap power slam

The Miz


Attire : Blue tights with Miz logo on the back
Entrance: New Miz entrance with Miz being cocky as ever.
Moveset : Nothing new.

Note: Nothing on the stars are final in the E3 build.

The movesets have had a huge upgrade not only are two running strikes coming but also the movesets are accurate, the moves themselves feel personal and there is nothing that there shouldn’t be. A little over 60 new moves has been added to this years game, as well as there is a some cool reanimated moves and not a single move has been removed from the 2011 game. In past years moves have been removed because they were not the quality of newly animated moves and just did not fit with the tech of the game. So I can assure you, removal of moves was not done to spite the fans, that request a billion moves. The AI has also been improved this year with more challenging difficulties, and varied attacks and more agressive AI.

The audio in the game while just as good as past years, has not changed that much aside from the inclusion of lets go Cena Cena sucks chants and grunts of the in game superstars.

The camera angles has had a very noticeable upgrade, as there is never a time when the action is not caught just as it is on WWE TV. From John Cena hitting the top rope five knuckle shuffle to when the Mexican Aristocat hits the dashing enziguri. Also for added drama, a special effect with a brown /tan tinge wher time is slowed down. Of all the effects we’ve gone through this probably the best implication so far of Yukes games.

There is a new rendering technology in place in this years game, as well as the lighting has been revamped. The screenshots really do not do this game justice. The models between 2011 and WWE 12 is very noticeable, the detail on the face , as well as any text or images on the supestars attires are more detailed then ever. The details on every superstar and arena look as authentic as ever and you will notice things like when you walk up the ramp the superstars will be illuminated and when you are in the ring you will see the ropes bouncing, as well as a shadow underneath the superstars.

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Win