A – Excellent.
B – Good.
C – Mediocre.
D – Buy as a last resort.
E – Avoid.
Format Reviewed: Xbox 360
Prior to the release of WWE 13 in 2012, we’d already had a wealth of wrestling games throughout the years to get to grips with. Some, like the notorious and celebrated Smackdown vs Raw series (which is a predecessor of the now yearly updated WWE title) hadn’t been groundbreaking since ‘Here Comes the Pain’ on Playstation and Xbox. The epic ‘WWF No Mercy’ and ‘WCW vs NWO’ on Nintendo 64 which were the standard bearer for what wrestling games could accomplish. The imports from abroad such as ‘Fire Pro Wrestling’ and ‘New Japan Pro Wrestling’ games, which went down a storm. The overhyped and all round dire ‘TNA Impact’ game. The middling WCW games of which only ‘WCW Mayhem’ was worth a look and of course the countless other titles across the broad spectrum of consoles such as ‘WWF Royal Rumble’ and ‘WWE Monday Night Raw’ on Super Nintendo, ‘WWF In Your House’ on Playstation and all the arcade and Game Boy games that came before.
The hardcore wrestling fans have played them all and hark back to the glory days of ‘WWF No Mercy’ which was truly groundbreaking upon release. 2011’s offering, ‘WWE 12’ was a poor excuse for a wrestling game, basically taking the platform from the year previous and just cleaning it up a little. It may have looked good on the surface but the glitches and the stagnant controls and game play that have held wrestling games back for years doomed ‘WWE 12’ and made it hard work for any game that was to follow.
It’s fair to say that ‘WWE 13’ didn’t have a lot to live up to. With the announcement of ‘WWE Attitude Mode’ 2012’s offering looked to be aimed towards the hardcore fans. The question was, could WWE games developer THQ banish the controls of yesteryear and the glitches that held back ‘WWE 12’, to make ‘WWE 13’ a must play game?
Strengths
WWE Attitude Mode is a glorious romp through the past and a time which made WWE so successful. Played out against the backdrop of the Monday Night Wars between WWE and WCW, THQ have gone above and beyond to bring us an as authentic piece of work as possible. With commentary and promos taken from the period and the chance to play through years worth of material in several different and engaging stories, despite some glaringly obvious mistakes, WWE Attitude Mode is truly a pleasure to play...
Improved game play from ‘WWE 12’ means that the whole game looks and feels like you could be watching what’s transpiring on television. Of course the presence of your controller in hand puts that feeling to bed...
Each wrestler feels, looks and handles like their real life counter part...
OMG moments add yet another feel of authenticity as ‘WWE 13’ allows you to spear your opponents through the ringside barricade and activate a ring collapse when playing with the more rotund and heavier of superstars such as Big Show and Mark Henry. Although one would question the authenticity of these moves when they happen once in a while on T.V yet you can do it three time per match if you have enough finishing moves stored...
The overall presentation of the game has been cleaned and once again the product is aimed at the fans being able to take control of the WWE Universe and make it their own. Almost everything you see is customisable and as long as you don’t set your sights too high then the options in ‘WWE 13’ will please even the hardest of critics...
Create an arena mode is one of the highlights of this year’s titles. With the mode expanded beyond just last year’s edit the ring, you can now choose from one of a number of old entrance sets, titan tron’s, stage designs and customise it to your own taste and likeness. Want the Wrestlemania 9 arena? No problem. ‘WWE 13’ has a wealth of old logos and show signs along with an outdoor arena. Those logos that are not included can be made in the ‘Create a logo’ feature which takes precious time but is well worth it for those who are willing to put in the hours...
The option to once again create your own story is back. Even those it’s almost the exact same choice of scenes and motions as the previous two years, those players who create for others to download and play online will find hours of their life evaporated into thin air...
WWE and THQ promised one of the biggest and most comprehensive rosters yet on any wrestling game. Whilst they failed to deliver on that front, the present wrestlers that are included are perfect in every way...
The cream of the crop though is the unlockable attitude arenas. Hand picked pay per view arenas from WWE’s Attitude Arena include ‘Royal Rumble 1998’, ‘King of the Ring 1998’, ‘Over the Limit 1998’ and ‘Survivor Series 1998’. Other arenas from different years are included such as the ‘One Night Stand’ arena and ‘In Your House: Bad Blood’ both from 1997 and ‘Wrestlemania 15’ arena from 1999, plus a wealth of others...
Video package links between stories in Attitude Mode are very good and worth every minute it takes to watch them.
Weaknesses
Even though the main roster of present WWE Superstars is comprehensive, THQ and WWE dropped the ball big time when they promised us the biggest roster yet. Names such as Ryback and Drew McIntyre are missing from the main game and can only be accessed via download from Xbox live along with Damien Sandow, the Usos, Layla, Antonio Cesaro, Yoshi Tatsu, A.J lee, Tensai and Natalya. WWE and THQ should have thought ahead because as Drew McIntyre and Layla were included in last year’s outing and considering their standing in WWE in 2013, I can’t think of anyone who would be willing to pay for the pair. The same goes for the rest of the downloadable wrestlers. THQ could have easily included these wrestlers and more in the game...
WWE’s Attitude Era Mode is horribly incomplete as THQ have also seen fit to charge us for the rest of their Attitude Roster as downloadable characters. Val Venis, Too Cool, Rikishi, Goldust, Gangrel, DDP (why?), Brian Pillman and Chainsaw Charlie are going to cost if you want that extra authenticity. For those not in the know, DDP was a part of WCW during the WWE Attitude Era. A fact overlooked by THQ...
WWE’s Attitude Era Mode is horribly incomplete as THQ have also seen fit to charge us for the rest of their Attitude Roster as downloadable characters. Val Venis, Too Cool, Rikishi, Goldust, Gangrel, DDP (why?), Brian Pillman and Chainsaw Charlie are going to cost if you want that extra authenticity. For those not in the know, DDP was a part of WCW during the WWE Attitude Era. A fact overlooked by THQ...
There are a limited number of Attitude Era tag teams to pit the likes of New Age Outlaws and APA against, seeing as Too Cool are only downloadable. THQ could have given us the Godwins, the Headbangers and Nation of Domination. Why do we get Stephanie and Shane McMahon free yet not Too Cool or Rikishi? THQ could have given us all the attitude era wrestlers for free and kept superstars such as Jinder Mahal and Heath Slater back for download...
Once again the graphics glitch at any given moment meaning that one minute you could be running the ropes and the next your wrestler’s arm and the rope have merged and the arm is being stretched across the arena. Things like this are unacceptable in 2013 and should be ironed out...
Too often in triple threat matches is your wrestler denied beating on an already injured opponent, thanks to the graphics glitch. You’ll find it pathetic the amount of times all three are in the ring yet you can’t get hold of an injured opponent. Instead you just walk around the ring looking like a giant crab...
CPU beats you down far too easily without you being able to respond until the damage has been done...
Not a game that newcomers can just pick up and play, without having played at least one wrestling game before hand, as advertised...
The same referee is present in every match. Looking suspiciously like Charles Robinson, the referee is never more noticeable than in Attitude Mode. For a mode which is hailed as being authentic, THQ should have realised that Charles Robinson was a WCW referee during the WWE Attitude Era. This brings down the authenticity somewhat. There are at least two more WWE referees who are present today who were also present in 1997 – 1999...
Some Attitude Era wrestlers’ likenesses are way off. Hunter Hearst Helmsley has the wrong coloured hair and physique. Paul Levesque was never that ripped or buff as the upper class Helmsley in 1997. The face and body are preset day Triple H with a blonde wig thrown on top. The character should have been made to look younger and less built. Also Hunter Hearst Helmsley’s entrance jacket is also the wrong colour which is an awful mistake by THQ seeing that his actual jacket is seen numerous times in the neat video packages in Attitude Mode. In truth Hunter Hearst Helmsley looks more like Legolas from Lord of the Rings...
Shawn Michaels is also a very poor likeness. With the wrong hair do for the time. THQ could have taken a Shawn Michaels model from any of the other Smackdown vs Raw games and cleaned it up to look younger. This is pure laziness...
Whilst we’re on the poor likeness subject, I will lastly draw your attention to Bret Hart. So far off of the mark it’s laughable. Can someone please tell me how THQ can get the likenesses of some of those who are alive so wrong yet those who have passed on such as British Bulldog are spot on?...
On both the included roster and downloadable one, Owen Hart and Jim Neidhart are absent. I know Martha Hart has put a block on WWE using Owen in any of their products but this needs to be sorted out and Martha needs to let Owen’s name and likeness be used once again. She’s just denying the fans his presence. Owen wouldn’t have wanted that. You can’t have an attitude era without Owen, who was such a part of the time as a member of the Hart Foundation...
Constant blocking and blurring of the WWF name and logo in speech and the video packages in Attitude Mode is both an irritation and distraction. Speeches taken from the time and used in cut scenes are constantly edited so the speech doesn’t refer to WWF. Instead of the actual speeches from the era, we get a constant stream of speech stating things such as ‘We’ve run out of opponents in WW’ and ‘This match is for the WW Intercontinental Championship’ constantly leaving out the ‘F’. With wrestlers who are no longer part of WWE or have passed on this is somewhat excusable but with wrestlers who are still employed by the company or have an affiliation with Vince, such as Bret Hart, Billy Gunn, Road Dogg, Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin, J.R and Vince himself, it is lackadaisical that THQ didn’t have them redub the script...
New Age Outlaws theme tune has been edited to remove the word ‘Ass’. The song now sings ‘You didn’t know, you better call somebody’. Also THQ blur Austin’s middle fingers even though they come from the character in the game and could have easily been taken out before the release of the game. WWE’s PG rating is running rife again even in a game based on the time when there were no such restrictions. This is even more ridiculous when you realise the word ‘Ass’ can be seen on placards in the crowd and the game contains massive blood loss if a character is hit in the head a few times with a chair. If WWE wanted to preserve their PG rating in this game then they should have edited out everything that breached the rules and not a choice pick here and there. Also if WWE wanted to do this then they should have removed all content that made this a ‘16’ rating...
Reversals in matches are inconsistent and mistimed leading to infuriating exchanges when you know you clearly hit the reversal button yet none are executed...
Some of the realism of WWE should have been left out such as Cena’s Superman comeback and the underdog taking a pasting when the CPU reverses almost everything when given Cena or someone of that standing to pit against you...
The WWE Divas roster is worse than reality. Kharma, Beth Phoenix, Kelly Kelly, the Bella Twins, Lita and Trish Stratus had all departed WWE either years before the release of the game or weeks prior to. The only current divas on the game are Layla, A.J Lee, Natalya, Eve and Alicia Fox. And only two of these come with the main game...
WWE Universe Mode is constantly incensing. Creating whole shows and then pressing the save button is no guarantee that they won’t totally disappear to be replaced by the default show. Should you choose to edit teams or championships then the show you’ve set up will disappear...
Conclusion
It’s obvious that THQ have gone to a lot of trouble to source all of the Attitude Era material and should be commended heavily for it. It’s not every day a game goes to this much trouble to give the fans back a time which was truly special and one we shall never get again. However there are too many weaknesses to this game which is why I can’t give it a complete thumbs up. Some of the stuff that is wrong could have been easily remedied and the rest is a hangover from years now gone, which should have been erased totally.
Thoughts that WWE and THQ should take a year out of making any wrestling games at all would be a welcome commodity at the present moment. It would give both parties time to come up with something truly great for a wrestling game and not just another repackage of something we brought a year previously. THQ would have time to work on the awful glitches and completely makeover the in ring controls which are getting very, very repetitive. Maybe next time instead of just an Attitude Mode, THQ and WWE could come to an agreement to produce a ‘WWE vs WCW: Monday Night Wars’ game. Judging on what the company have done with this year’s Attitude Mode then it would be something that could have the potential to be groundbreaking assuming WWE gave the go ahead for THQ to use every WWE and WCW wrestler they could possibly fit on one disc. Playing through both WWE and WCW, complete with all the correct television show and pay per view sets and storylines would be a refreshing alternative to the identical annual offering we currently get.
Through all the bad though the Attitude Mode is worth the price of admission alone and the only reason this game doesn’t get a ‘C’ rating. As long as that price isn’t the full £40.00 which some shops seem to believe the game is worth. If you can acquire ‘WWE 13’ for half that price then you’re getting a good deal on a game that both entertains and brings back some of the happier memories we have of wrestling’s biggest contributor.
Rating: B
Onwards and upwards...
