WWE Smackdown Vs Raw 2011 is the latest title in the long running franchise, which brings both new features and an updated roster. Based on the WWE Universe and its two brands Smackdown and Raw, this time around the game brings a brand new physics engine focusing on weapon interaction. Will Smackdown Vs Raw 2011 win the title for best wrestling game or get pinned for the 1,2,3?
Lets ring the bell and kick off the HOTs and NOTs.
HOTs
A Career mode That Finally Works
The career mode has been a hot topic for years surrounding WWE titles and it seems THQ has taken the right turn this time around. There are two main modes for story the first is based loosely around WWE Universe it merges both the career mode and the old exhibition mode together.
In Smackdown Vs Raw 2011 there are five different Road To Wrestlemania storylines to play. Four have chosen superstars; who are John Cena, Rey Mysterio, Chris Jericho and Christian. The last Road To Wrestlemania story is “Vs. Undertaker”. This lets player choose between their own created superstar and Kofi Kingston, John Morrison, Dolph Ziggler and R-Truth. Each story does start slow but just like with WWE in real life once a rivalry is in full swing its enjoyable to see how it all unfolds. They even all have twists just like many storylines in the WWE have. The Vs Undertaker storyline is a very strange storyline but it is even more bizarrely interesting and different making it a fresh change from the others.
Loading times
Over the last few titles the loading times have been getting progressively faster and it is nice to once again load up the title and find that the 5 minute long loading screens have been left long in the dust. From the start up to just loading a match the time taken is seconds certainly a great touch when you just want to play that one last match and it isn’t hours away.
Online and Multiplayer
The game can be thoroughly satisfying playing the singleplayer stories or just playing in the WWE universe mode but it truly comes alive when you play with friends or take the game online. The competitive nature of the WWE is fully felt when instead of battling AI players you take on friends or even other plays from all around the world.
Once again the online gives the game a massive boost to the life span of the game, letting you play as created superstar or anyone from the full roster. This year THQ has added an online Royal Rumble mode, for the first time online it allows 12 players to battle it out to be the final winner. Online does have occasional lag but it is not a common occurrence which lets players enjoy the online experience frustration free, unless their opponent is completely owning them.
Fun Factor
Like its predecessors Smackdown Vs Raw 2011 does not fail to be entertaining. The sheer scope of the title is almost daunting with over 70 pre-created superstars and plenty of match types and content. The game offers so many different types of matches players are spoilt for choice; Not only are there so many to chose from but they are all extremely fun in their own right from elimination matches to inferno matches. This range means the game can always offer something fun to do if players are getting bored with one match type the rest are bound to entertain them meaning a lot of replayability.
Tutorial
Smackdown Vs Raw 2011 features a very clear tutorial which simply gives players a step by step move introduction. The game opens up onto this tutorial mode every time it is loaded while this may seem odd, it is quite like the arena loading screen in FIFA titles. The tutorial allows players to not only learn the basics within seconds but can help them find more advanced moves that can make matches truly exhilarating; it’s due to the simple and clear layout that this tutorial works as impressively as it is making it a very neat feature in Smackdown Vs Raw 2011.
Clear Menus
The game features very easy to navigate menus in every section of the game. When selecting what mode or match to play, selecting an option will instantly open up a host of further options. Picking Play from the main menu then brings up the usual match types from one vs. one, all the way to Royal Rumble. Players can then further pick choices about the type of match and even down to what weapons will be available under the ring. When it comes to Road To Wrestlemania the menu changes to a phone app layout allowing players to receive updates save and change the games settings. They are all laid out in a clear and simple way, like the main menu, allowing anyone to just jump in and play or completely custom most parts of a match up.
NOTs
Creation Limits
Creating your own Superstar has got to be one of the best parts of Smackdown Vs Raw 2011 as there is plenty to customise. It would be even better though if there weren’t half the limitations. The game restricts players to a set number of points when creating their superstar these points are quickly used up as soon as even a coat is added to the superstar meaning players will have to decide whether to have either X or Y when realistically there is no reason they are unable to have both.
Other limitations come when picking names for Moves or Created Superstars the list hasn’t improved much in the last few years as they are either just a regular name which is too bland or it is plain and uninteresting. All it needs is a longer list of choices and players will finally get a better ring announcer name that ‘Icon’.
Glitches
Smackdown Vs Raw 2011’s rather slick animations are unfortunately let down by the fact players don’t always attack from straight on. This is most evident when a player leaps from the top rope as the superstar will magically completely change angle to pull off the animation; this at its worse means they dive straight but end up pulling of a move at a right angle. It may be fun to pull of moves that are almost impossible but pulling off a literally impossible move lets down the realistic side of the title.
The new physics engine for weapons also comes with its own problem. While it might be patched, currently if a ladder is pushed slightly under the rope by a player it bounces up and down at an extreme rate until it is either knocked or picked up, and the constant noise of a bouncing ladder can occasionally become irritating.
Presentation Problems
While overall Smackdown Vs Raw 2011’s presentation is okay it just hasn’t been upgraded enough even from a few titles back. Taken as a whole it is reasonable alas the presentation slips up on many occasions which drags the title down. Of course in a wrestling game the cut scenes aren’t the biggest focus but Smackdown Vs Raw 2011 has some of the worst lip syncing I’ve seen in years. The superstars mouths move just as much when the character isn’t speak as when they are which ruins the talking sections of the story.
Smackdown Vs Raw 2011 doesn’t help itself when it comes to textures and other less detailed items. When the game comes to the crowd it hasn’t improved seemingly at all. Don’t get me wrong the crowd is a minor part compared to the superstars but with the emphasis WWE Smackdown Vs Raw 2011 puts on them, especially when it comes to entrances, it seems odd they don’t look anywhere near as good as the rest of the title. It may be because the game zooms in and highlights the crowd, in the entrances and winning celebrations, which they stick out so much. Not only do they look awkward and lacking in animation but almost look like a 2.5D attempt at 3D. Also I never saw the sign they were holding once they had put it down, it seemingly disappeared.
The announcers suffer the same problem as last year which in turn makes the players suffer listening to stiff and relatively boring commentaries. Although there is an improvement on previous titles it still feels a long way from the great live commentary teams on the TV series. Often the commentary team is behind the gameplay while this does happen with many sport titles it could be a little quicker at keeping up with the on-going action.
VERDICT
Although the game does come with its fair share of problems none are game breaking, and don’t even make a dent on the fun factor. If you are a fan of the WWE and even if you’re only half interested you’ll easily sink hours and hours into this title. If you owned 2010 and want to know whether to buy Smackdown Vs Raw 2011, the WWE Universe and the five Road To Wrestlemania storylines alongside all the other smaller features Yuke’s have added means it is an improvement but if it is a big enough improvement to warrant a purchase truly lies with how much of a fan you are.
kegham
July 16, 2012 at 12:02 PMhi my name is kegham please i would to download smackdown vs raw 2011