Generally, sports games series are always an improvement over the last release. THQ's WWE series has not followed that unwritten rule and the games range from spot on to unfinished mess game by game.
The WWE game franchise has always had one specific draw that lures me in year after year however. The multiplayer aspect.
I'm not talking about the online modes, I have never been a massive online gamer and may never be. I am however, a massive local multiplayer fan. Since Smackdown vs Raw 2007 me and a few of my good friends have gotten together regularly to have wrestling gaming sessions. Moods swing, tempers flare and friendships are pushed to their boundaries after intense matches. Some matches stretch beyond the hour and become endurance tests.
This ritual has continued on to WWE 13, the latest release in the series. Excitement and expectations were higher than ever. The addition of the Attitude Era and it's roster was mouthwatering. A revamped Universe Mode (With assistance from Paul Heyman!) was the icing on the cake. So after all the hype and anticipation, how was the result?
Remarkably good.
After getting over my anguish of not having the WCW Nitro Arena and setting up our universe to our liking, we dove straight in. Instantly the first thing a longtime fan will see is the smoothness of the animations - an all time best for the series. The heavily focused on "chain wrestling" that has been implemented works wonderfully well against a fellow player. With sequences lasting longer than ever, it really makes you feel better than you are at the game and is a great relief from 'spamming the running move' tactic the past games had.
Matches tend to avoid the usual repetitive pattern from previous installments. The kick out system has nearly been perfected and wrestlers get up quicker to help keep the match flowing. The submission system is untouched and bar the difficulty tapping buttons and trying to crawl to the ropes, you really can't complain.
The new match additions are refreshing and having special referee back is great. The joy of having a friend be the referee and not being able to predict if they will play it down the line or screw you keeps you on your toes. Much like how wrestling should be.
WWE 12 suffered from alot of bugs, some which rendered certain match types unplayable in multiplayer games. Thankfully, 13 has ironed out most of these. Occasionally you will see the physics engine freak out, the odd strange animation or a wrong sound bite but nothing that is game breaking.
WWE 13 has my favourite local multiplayer since WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2008 and is a definite high point for the franchise. Having such a large roster full of classic Attitude Era wrestlers is great. After years of making a created version of him, I finally get to go DDP! The new matches, animations and Universe Mode really add value and the immersion is at an all time high.
Ordering a pizza and playing this game with friends is great fun. Only time will tell how long the offline multiplayers lifespan is, there is still a whole world of created superstars (CAW) to play around with. Not to mention the Attitude Era mode and online mode!
K.R.S
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