WWE 12 Retail Early Impressions

[Streets]

It has been confirmed that a few people already have WWE 12. Please post your impressions here.

[jrider99]

Re: **WWE 12 (360/PS3) Impressions Thread**

OK, I just got home and WWE 12 is installing on my HDD as I write this. I thought I'd throw out a couple things while I wait to help keep my impressions in perspective....

First, I generally have not liked the Smackdown vs. Raw series. They have gotten better in recent years, but I always felt that important aspects of the game were lacking, like the AI and how guys consistently no-sold moves. Adding sliders to help fix that was one of the biggest additions SvR ever made, as far as I'm concerned.

Second, I absolutely loved WWE All Stars. I haven't had that much fun with a wrestling game since the N64 days. My boys and I still play it on a regular basis and it's always a blast.

Finally, I know as much about WWE 12 as you guys do. Shoot, some of you probably know more. So if I mark out like a 10-year-old girl who just met John Cena, please cut me some slack. I really, really want this game to be awesome.

OK, so the game has installed and I'm going to jump into an exhibition match to get the feel for things. If you guys have any questions, fire away and I'll do my best to answer.

[jrider99]

Re: **WWE 12 (360/PS3) Impressions Thread**

OK, first order of business -- download Shawn Michaels, all unlockables and the attribute editor..done

[jrider99]

Re: **WWE 12 (360/PS3) Impressions Thread**

First match -- CM Punk (me) vs. Heath Slater (CPU)

And it's a win for Punk. The new control scheme is going to take some getting used to, that's for sure. I managed to pull out a win with the GTS, but only after barely kicking out of Slater's finisher. He also hit his finisher once on the outside but I managed to slide back into the ring before the 10 count.

I saw plenty of reversals and I liked how guys stayed down after taking a big bump. I like what I see so far, but I really need to get a handle on the controls.

[jrider99]

Re: **WWE 12 (360/PS3) Impressions Thread**

So I decided to check out the creation options. Pretty cool that you can edit everybody's attires and save multiple outfits. You can't add or take away any items, but you can adjust the colors. Not sure if this was in last year, but I like it.

It's great for guys like Punk or Mysterio who wear multiple versions of the same tights. Also great if you want to coordinate a tag team's look, ala Air Boom.

[jrider99]

Re: **WWE 12 (360/PS3) Impressions Thread**

Second match -- Kofi (me) vs. Big Show (CPU)

This was actually a hell of a match. Kofi was able to keep Show off balance with his speed, but Show got the upper hand whenever the action slowed down. Show picked up the win after countering my comeback moment and catching me with a spear.

Another fun match and I noticed a difference in how Kofi felt in the ring as compared to CM Punk. Kofi was a lot quicker, both in how he moved around the ring and how he executed his strikes and grapples.

Also, a cool moment was when I countered a kick from the Big Show into the SOS. Yes, I know it's unrealistic but it looked sweet!

That's it from me tonight. I'll be around tomorrow if anybody has any questions.

[Redacted01]

Re: **WWE 12 (360/PS3) Impressions Thread**

So I decided to check out the creation options. Pretty cool that you can edit everybody's attires and save multiple outfits. You can't add or take away any items, but you can adjust the colors. Not sure if this was in last year, but I like it.

It's great for guys like Punk or Mysterio who wear multiple versions of the same tights. Also great if you want to coordinate a tag team's look, ala Air Boom.

Pretty sure editing the attires was in 2010 because I've been playing it again lately and gave Triple H red trunks.

What I would like to know in terms of creating wrestlers is if they finally unlinked height and weight. May have done it in 2011 and I missed it, but it so lame when you try to make a guy like Rikishi and he can't be 400 lbs unless he's a giant.

[jrider99]

Re: **WWE 12 (360/PS3) Impressions Thread**

Pretty sure editing the attires was in 2010 because I've been playing it again lately and gave Triple H red trunks.

What I would like to know in terms of creating wrestlers is if they finally unlinked height and weight. May have done it in 2011 and I missed it, but it so lame when you try to make a guy like Rikishi and he can't be 400 lbs unless he's a giant.

It's still the same this year. You only have a slider that adjusts your height and weight in tandem.

[Redacted01]

Re: **WWE 12 (360/PS3) Impressions Thread**

It's still the same this year. You only have a slider that adjusts your height and weight in tandem.

My god that is horrible. Rikishi and Ric Flair are both 6'1 and I guess they are going to be about the same weight. Thankfully the rest of the game should greatly overshadow that lame form of programming.

[Seymour Scagnetti]

Re: **WWE 12 (360/PS3) Impressions Thread**

Just playing exhibition immediately address 2 of my main concerns.

1. How was the flow of the match? Did it feel like a wrestling game or just another fighting game like it always has? How did the comeback moment work in the flow of the match? No weight detection again this year I assume.

2. What skill level were you playing and how long were the matches? I don't know how good you are at these games but if you were playing at the highest skill level and won the 1st match and it lasted 5 minutes then I don't care if universe mode is the greatest video game innovation since Pong I'm still not gonna buy it because nothing makes a wrestling game more boring than subpar gameplay and AI no matter how many bells and whistles it has.

Thanx in advance.

[Basketball GURU]

Re: **WWE 12 (360/PS3) Impressions Thread**

Found some cool gameplay, didn't want open a new thread so I'll post here:
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/XmFlb63to3Y?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[jrider99]

Re: **WWE 12 (360/PS3) Impressions Thread**

Got in a few matches this morning, including a Royal Rumble and a ladder match. Still haven't touched Universe Mode or the Road to Wrestlemania...

Playing on Normal difficulty, I'm getting good matches that are lasting anywhere from 4-8 minutes. I'm liking the back-and-forth flow of the matches, too. It's a small sample size, but the momentum seems to be very well done. It's easy to get on a roll and pull off several moves in a row, yet one timely counter can stop your momentum cold.

I haven't quite figured out the Comeback Moments. I've executed one successfully, but had 3 or 4 that I couldn't get started. I'm not sure if I have to grapple to begin the moment or strike or what the circumstances may be. I'm thinking of going through the tutorial tonight to get a crash course in all that's new here. On a side note, I have had the AI counter my Comeback Moment attempt.

The new kickout meter definitely takes some getting used to. It's hard enough to stop the sliding bar in the colored area under normal circumstances, but when you hear the ref counting and you know you only have one chance, it really adds to the pressure of the moment.

Also, the same meter is used to get up in a Last Man Standing match. As the Miz, I lost to Alex Riley in a LMS match that ended when A-Ry reversed a clothesline into a back-body drop that sent me through the announce table. Before that, we had traded finishers with both of us getting to our feet at the count of 9.

I think I've said this before, but I'm really impressed with how both moves and mistakes are sold in WWE 12. I missed an elbow drop off the top and it was agonizing waiting to see which competitor would get to their feet first. And the new limb targeting system works really well, too, and the results are tangible.

I have seen a few graphical glitches/clipping. Most of the glitches involved the turnbuckle area, with guys sort of floating in mid-air away from the corner instead of actually being on the top rope. It hasn't happened often, but it definitely sticks with you when you see it.

I'm back at the office now so I don't have the game in front of me, but if anyone has questions I will try to answer what I can.

At this early stage, I have to say I'm impressed with WWE 12. It's a lot of fun, and that's what matters most to me. I'm looking forward to becoming more comfortable with the controls, though, and diving into Universe Mode. I think the gameplay is solid, and if there are no weird issues with Universe Mode this could be a really special game.

[goh]

Re: **WWE 12 (360/PS3) Impressions Thread**

You should be able to switch to the button mashing control scheme.

I've got 2 questions.

1. Can silver members download creations?

2. Can you please test out knocking everyone's ratings down by 10-20 to see if you can get longer than 4-8 minute matches?

[Redacted01]

Re: **WWE 12 (360/PS3) Impressions Thread**

You should be able to switch to the button mashing control scheme.

I've got 2 questions.

1. Can silver members download creations?

2. Can you please test out knocking everyone's ratings down by 10-20 to see if you can get longer than 4-8 minute matches?

Aren't you likely to end up with the same results? If you knock everyone down, then you are essentially matching the same offense against the same defense again in terms of abilities.

[jrider99]

Re: **WWE 12 (360/PS3) Impressions Thread**

You should be able to switch to the button mashing control scheme.

I've got 2 questions.

1. Can silver members download creations?

2. Can you please test out knocking everyone's ratings down by 10-20 to see if you can get longer than 4-8 minute matches?

Yeah, I didn't even think to check if the button-mashing option was there. I thought I saw a slider for adjusting the speed of the bar, but I'll check on that.

I'll also check about the downloads and adjusting ratings when I get home tonight. For the record, my estimate of 4-8 minute matches was just an estimate. I know I've had matches go longer, but I've also had some end early when I missed the kickout or something unusual like that.