WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2011

[RSS]

Hardcore wrestling fans are surprisingly patient people. It's hard to imagine another fanbase so insistent on following a product that they often hate, if only for the possibility that it could one day be great again. Fans of wrestling video games are much the same, though in their case, it's more about returning to the AKI-era than one of Attitude. For all the people that want to say nostalgia clouds our judgment, there's a reason No Mercy (a relatively bare-bones and ugly game) is still talked about, while THQ's Smackdown series, with all the glitz and glamour of the modern era, still sputters along from a critical standpoint.

The above is from: http://www.earth-2.net/reviews/v/smackdown-2011

[James D.]

Good stuff, Dubs. I can't say I'm surprised that this series continues to trudge through the mud.

[SuaveStar]

Looking elsewhere for dynamic storylines or feuds will inevitably lead you to the Road to Wrestlemania mode, which has been revamped this year, and not for the better. In previous years, it was a fun but short distraction that really only served as a way to unlock various hidden costumes and characters. Now it's much more focused on backstage roaming and minigames. And by minigames, I mean "steal the Undertaker's urn and collect souls hanging around in locker rooms" and "pick fights with everyone." Since superstar attributes can be freely adjusted (if you pay for the DLC, of course), Road to Wrestlemania has it's own self-contained stat building feature that essentially forces you to get in brawls with every single person you run into, which is time consuming, and more importantly, not fun.

This entire paragraph is on the fucking money. I fucking hate the road to wrestlemania shit this year.

Good review Dubs, I would say the only thing making this game not shite in my opinion is how fun it is with actual other people in the room with you, as the controls feel more fun than other iterations of the series, and it seems to flow from move to move better, and finishers easier to be countered.

Sorry I couldn't get online in time for your review.

[Guest]

Sorry I couldn't get online in time for your review.

I fell into the "prepay for the DLC" trap, so I'll still be on in the coming weeks in an attempt to get my money's worth.

[SuaveStar]

After playing the three matches with you online Dubs, I decided to take another look at your review here.

You're right, it is a step back, in the single player. The enemies are either too easy to beat, or too hard, you don't really get any enjoyment from facing the computer. You just feel like you are trudging through the shit to unlock people like William Regal (Who I had to unlock earlier. Which was bullshit, he's a part of the main fucking roster. Legends I get, but not fucking current wrestlers.) It just isn't fun facing the computer in any matches. It isn't even good practice for facing other people online, in a tag team match, your partner doesn't wait patiently in the corner only running in to break pins, and waiting for you to go for the submission, they go in early and take out their opposites. It is a fucking joke.

However, I still stand by what I said before, the game is fun when played with other REAL people. They do things like set up tables, and ladders and do tactical moves, and don't constantly come at you, and change things up. The games animations for reversals is a lot better than before, instead of knowing you've hit a reversal right away, you are halfway through the move, which makes the game feel more real and fun.

The online, well, the game we played was flawless from my side all three times, it almost felt like we were playing in the same room, which I can't say for old smackdown games. However, you do have the chances of cheats online for the game, people who create made up people, or try to use glitches to their advantage, which is true for all games. But doesn't stop it being fucking annoying.

The story mode isn't just annoying. Like I said, it's a fucking chore. I still haven't completed the RTW as I don't want to, so I still have half the roster locked. However THQ were nice and offered for 80 points to unlock everything for me.

The table and ladder physics are fun, and different, as is the new cell, and being able to tip over a ladder with one person on it has made ladder matches a lot more fun, so I can't fault the new additions there.

Your review is still solid and very well written, however I feel the game should get two scores:

5 out of 10 for the single player as it is just a bloody chore. And for the actual multiplayer 8 out of 10. As I said it is a lot better in MP, but unless you have people online you can play and know they won't cheat, or are actually playing with people in the same room, MP will be, like the rest of the game, a giant fucking chore.

[Guest]

By sheer proxy of playing with other people, any game is more fun, so I don't feel it necessary to give the multiplayer a separate score.

Zombie Revenge for the Dreamcast is a fucking terrible game, but it's still fun if you have someone else to fuck around with. It doesn't mean the game is better.

And our matches had a shocking lack of lag, considering how bad the servers for the game are. I think we hit a good time since it was right after RAW and most people weren't playing, but most every other online experience I've had was completely unplayable, either due to glitches, cheating, or lag.

[SuaveStar]

By sheer proxy of playing with other people, any game is more fun, so I don't feel it necessary to give the multiplayer a separate score.

Zombie Revenge for the Dreamcast is a fucking terrible game, but it's still fun if you have someone else to fuck around with. It doesn't mean the game is better.

And our matches had a shocking lack of lag, considering how bad the servers for the game are. I think we hit a good time since it was right after RAW and most people weren't playing, but most every other online experience I've had was completely unplayable, either due to glitches, cheating, or lag.

The Darkness was fun in single player, but the MP was so fucking shite, I couldn't play it more than once. I enjoy Smackdown and playing it with other people, however I got sick of the game and playing it by myself about three hours after first playing it.

And the online, I've got to be honest, unless I play you again, I will not be playing the game online again. I don't want to play people who will create CAW's which are near unbeatable, or cheating throughout the match. There are good people who play the game just for fun, and to have a good match, but they are sometimes few and far between.

I stand by my point that the game is a fucking joke in single player, and the story is shit, but for MP, it is a lot of fun. And the game is a lot easier to reverse, and not have to button bash.