WWE '13

Wrestling has certainly grown over the years. There have been dozens of organizations, thousands of wrestlers, and an innumerable number of epic moments. What the studio Yukes did with WWE ‘13 was try to give you a history lesson on the era of wrestling that really kicked things off, while also keeping the gameplay elements of what made previous game such a success. But does it pay off?

The Attitude Era

Ah, the Attitude Era. It was a time in wrestling when it was cool to be edgy and to rebel against the norm. You had Degeneration X and NWO, Kane and Undertaker, Mick Foley and all his alter egos, and we had the emergence of some of the biggest superstars there have ever been. It was quite a time to be alive if you were a wrestling fan.

Yukes decided that it was important that wrestling fans know of the era, so they created WWE ‘13 with a campaign that takes you through this its biggest fights. You’ll get to take part in these fights, along with watching tons of old WWE footage along the way. Even as a fan of the era already, I still leaned quite a bit about it. After all, there was only so much wrestling my parents would let me watch.

One big change for the franchise was that it reversed course on its Road to WrestleMania mode it had introduced last year. You won’t see it in this game. While it wasn’t a popular mode in WWE 12, it still had potential and would have been cool to see it added as an additional mode. However, that’s understandable considered time and budget restraints.

From the Top Rope!

If you have played WWE ‘12 prior to this game, then you’ll feel right at home. In fact, you’ll feel even more at home. The Predator Combat system returns with its 2.0 version. There are obvious improvements to the system such as the feedback that is now given when countering a move, but there are also subtle differences that make a difference. There isn’t as much clipping into objects (although there is still some) and the moving between moves seems more fluid.

One nice addition to the game this year is the Spectacular Moments. Also known as OMG moments, these are moves that are easily performed and start a sequence of events that look straight out of the TV shows. These really add to the immersion and that’s something WWE ‘13 definitely nails.

The popular Universe mode returns to WWE ‘13 as well. However, this time around it was designed with assistance from Paul Heyman - an executive within WWE itself. In this mode, you’re tasked with running the WWE, which means creating shows and managing its success. The big changes in this mode are centered around the customization. The options have been increased greatly and you can even create and use your custom arenas in the mode. We’re talking custom everything, from the ring to the entrance. It’s great to see that all the effort wasn’t put into the Attitude Era mode.

From the TV to Your Living Room

One big change to the game that Yukes toted prior to release was the new audio design they dubbed WWE Live. They used real sound recordings of the crowd from WWE events, and then placed them in the game. This leads to more realistic reactions from the crowd while playing. Overall, it’s noticeable and does add to the already great immersion.

Once change to the presentation that I disliked was the abruptness of the camera changes. This is on purpose and meant to make the game seem more like watching Monday Night Raw, but it doesn’t always work. If it was every so often, then sure. However, we don’t need to be cutting away to a new camera every time a move is performed.

The graphics look pretty similar to what WWE ‘12 offered us. The superstars look just as you’d expect them to look. One thing I must say is that they do look a bit like plastic. The lighting sort of shines off them oddly, but it doesn’t really pull from the overall experience.

Pros:

• Great roster of classic and current superstars
• Immersion had never been higher
• Attitude Era mode is a fun, educational game mode for old and new fans alike
• Universe mode has been expanded with much more custom content

Cons:

• Camera angles can get a bit jittery
• Road to WrestleMania was removed, which I felt like could have been easily kept in