WWE SmackDown vs. RAW 2011 is THQ’s latest entry in the wrestling franchise. It follows WWE SmackDown vs. RAW 2010 and is packed with features every fan of the wrestling brands would love. The game is so much more than simply raw brawling as players can immerse themselves in all the action in several ways. The developer Yuke’s has even thrown in a few new modes and features allowing players to get behind their favourite superstars. Through an exciting review, we experienced the title’s ability to customize practically everything from attire to moves, and even banners in the audience. If there’s one thing that WWE SvR 2011 gives you, it is an amazing assortment of match styles to get into.
When it comes to customization, WWE SvR 2011 is simply top notch. You can create your very own superstar and slap on the tiniest of details with the game putting everything in your hands. A deep system is involved which allows players to change facial features, hair styles, wrestling outfits, tattoos, even scars on your wrestler’s face and body, and much more. You can also assign your created superstar entrance costumes ranging from outrageous to downright silly. Abilities, special moves and finishers can all be aggregated and stitched together as per the player’s liking.
The creation however doesn’t stop there! You can even bring out your wrestling genius by setting up special moves sets. The ability to create your own storylines is a huge boost to WWE SvR 2011 and it allows you to integrate new cutscenes as well as music. You may get excited with all the glamour and glitz at your disposal, but it is in fact much trickier a task than you might have initially imagined. It takes a good many hours to fine tune everything just as you want it played out, and the best part is that you can even add somewhat branching storylines. After you’re done, the game gives you the liberty to upload your personal ‘set-ups’ to the online community. And you can also log on to download what others have laid out.
In terms of the match types you can get into, WWE SvR 2011 just explodes. There are so many different categories to choose from, and with the ability to mix and match arenas and rules, it is very hard for the game to get repetitive. Carrying through the freedom given to go crazy, players can even design their own match styles with their combination of rules. So you can make a ‘Hell in a Cell’ match absolutely hellish, and you can put the tender loving care in a TLC match, if you wish. WWE SvR 2011 also gives you the ability to jump into some of the most insane battles you will ever see, one of these being an inferno match, in which you fight an opponent in a ring surrounded by rising flames. You must drag your opponent into the flames and throw him out of the ring in order to win.
Another great thing about this game is that it incorporates more realistic physics effects for object damage. You can clobber an opponent with so many objects available in the game’s environments. Smash your opponent into a vending machine or bash in his skull with a steel chair. Throw him into the TV in the background or over the couch; you can do it all. Objects range from steel chairs to trash cans, crutches to mops, sledge hammers to tables and ladders. Furthermore, the game’s TLC matches have been injected with new vigor. You can ram an opponent into a ladder placed in the corner and even cause it to crack. This is the first time you can break ladders in the WWE video game series, while the ability to break tables looks and feels a lot more realistic.
In a match with DQ disabled or in an extreme rules match, you can get really creative with the objects you pull out from under the canvas. A steel chair can become a make-shift vise of horror for the head and ankles while a guitar over the head should set your opponent’s ears ringing.
The game’s equivalent of a career mode, the WWE Universe is another interesting feature packed into WWE Smackdown vs. RAW 2011. It’s the place where big things go down, and where you work your way up to the belt. You can choose to play matches thrown up by the system or custom make your own, while your superstar climbs the long wrestling ladder to the top. There’s always a big event on the horizon to keep you focused on your goal.
Apart from going up against wrestlers in the ring, the game gives you another way to get into the groove by beating up people in their dressing rooms and as they go about their business behind the scenes. The backstage brawls added to the game’s ‘Road to Wrestlemania’ mode allow you to throw everything at the people who get on your nerves, but what they lack is that element of excitement. Very different from the real life out-of-the-ring brawls, those in the game seem strangely detached. The documentary-style camera element is missing, as is the excessive screaming, which takes this skewed experience down a notch, although there are times when the camera shots do impress.
One more thing observed in WWE SmackDown vs. RAW 2011 that’s sure to put a dent in enjoyable play is the awful commentary included. There just isn’t any bulk carried through with the voices behind wrestling, and excessive repetitiveness becomes transparently evident. The dull lackadaisical commentary is something that the developer must look into, in order to inject atmosphere into the mix, for future iterations to the series.
Final Word: WWE SmackDwn vs. RAW 2011 makes for a great video game experience which any fan of the wrestling franchises would surely lap up. The advanced physics aspects boost the overall look and feel of the game, and totally out-of-this-world customizable moves and move sets make for a full-bodied wrestling extravaganza. The game’s inaccurate commentary takes it down more than a few notches, but the overall excitement quotient it manages to muster is overwhelming.
Graphics: 9.0/10.
Environments: 8.0/10.
Game Sounds: 7.5/10.
Replay value: 8.5/10.
Overall (not an average): 8.0/10.