Might this be the most fun sports entertainment game ever?

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When I think of fun sports entertainment video games, WWF Wrestlefest, NBA Jam and NFL blitz come to mind as being some of the best. I think of WWE Allstars to be a game that can belong in the same company. WWE Allstars is a fighting, grappler action title that features an Allstar cast of WWE Superstars and WWE Legends. The allure of this game is the roster featuring some of greatest stars like Triple H, The Undertaker, for the first time in over 10 years “The Macho Man” Randy Savage, attitude era veterans Steve Austin and The Rock and larger then live stars like John Cena and Hulk Hogan.  When I saw that I would be able to take this great roster of stars and square them off in a arena that resembles Mortal Kombat, NBA Jam, NFL Blitz and Wrestlefest I was very excited.

We all know what matters the most in these arcade brawlers and that is how well the game plays, this was something that I was very leary about heading into this title. As many of you know the expectations for both arcade games and grappler video games are very very high. So first off i am going to lay out what my expectations were and what was delivered. I wanted a game that if I wanted to strike with combos it felt easy to pickup and relatively easy to master. Granted the audience for the game is not the hardcore audience that would be found with Street Fighter or Blaz Blue. From a grappling point of view I wanted the ability to enjoy the system with 1 or 2 button presses to perform grapples. However not needed but nice to have would be certain things that would set the different kind of styles apart. So did THQ live up to my expectations lets take a look.

The gameplay of WWE Allstars is something that I am very happy with. The striking system is done by hitting the X / Square for weak strikes and Y / Triangle for stroke strikes. With repeated strikes and variation of weak and strong strikes you will find yourself doing juggles and combos that resemble those in Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat. The grappling system is done by A / X for weak grapples + abxy or x, triangle , square , circle and B / circle + abxy or x, triangle , square , circle . While you can do the 4 grapples per classes, when you mix up strikes both weak and strong you will unlock combo grapples that you would not normally see by hitting for example circle + triangle. The combo system features many branches that can be found in the WWE Allstars strategy guide available from Prima games. While the combos are not required to enjoy the game, if you are able to master a certain superstar or legends combos the experience you will have will be more enjoyable in my opinion. The game has vibes of DOR2 at times as there is elements like interrupting moves and the idea of strong and quick grapples with buttons.

While combos are a part of the game WWE Allstars has other levels of depth that make who you are playing feel different and unique. The game features fighting and grappling styles that set them apart . The first one is the acrobat, the acrobat is able to do springboard attacks like lucha ddts, moonsaults and high crossbody’s. The acrobat is also able to run and jump off the chest of their adversary directly to the top of the turnbuckle as well which keeps the tempo of their matches always fast and furious. While that is one way to reach the turnbuckle the speed of the acrobat is increased when making it to the turnbuckle, as well as overall movement speed. One thing that has always been the bread and butter of high flyers is that its a risk vs reward concept, while the high flyer is faster and can hit their oponnent with different attacks , they are not quite as durable as other stars in the game.

What would Wrestlemania be without the large and in charge athletes of the squared circle. They are represented in WWE Allstars with the ability to do charged strikes, juggle opponents of the ropes. They also posses certain grabs that have more damage then even strong grapples. From a durability point of view they are the polar opposite of the acrobat. While they can throw their weight around it comes with the territory that they are not as fast and cannot perform diving maneuvers.  The brawler is the most neutral type of character in the game. The brawler is able to do unblock able charged strikes, special combo attacks and inflict greater damage with strong attacks. If your a fan of technical wrestling, this class is for you the grappler is able to do hard to block grapples, super awesome charged grabs and can pin in variety of positions such as from the feet with a roll up, standing with a small package and running with a grapple back cradle.

Lets Talk movesets. While the game features all of the signature and finishers with a super cool over the top post effect that really shows the strengths of the finishers that you would expect the stars to be known for. The movesets are a bit to be desired, while I do not require an arcade game or does it need to have a move set creation option move by move. I would like movesets not to just have random moves thrown in to stars move sets like the Canadian destroyer, 8 second ride and Olympic slam.

This also leads me to some gripes with the create a superstar mode, where do I start first off while I love the moves that the superstars and legends of the WWE do, I would like a few other moves that you would come to expect from other stars from the past and other promotions. It is obvious that moves from TNA Impact! are lingering in the game as regular moves, why not allow me to use certain ones as finishers , or at least have more then just the finishers from the stars of WWE. With having only the finishers of the stars of the game, it makes it hard to make stars of the past. I also would love to have generic movesets based on the different styles because I don’t want my Papa Shango caw do a tombstone or my Wade Barrett caw doing moves that are obviously from WWE stars, it kind of breaks the idea of making your own created star.

Talking about the creation mode for the stars while I appreciate the morphing options, I am really disappointed in how tights designs are handled, the only way to have designs not go on skin is to create superstars with full body suits. It was also weird to see that we could not edit entrance attires, and having only the ultimate warrior shirt as a shirt for someone to wear for a t-shirt was weird. The entrance editing was a little dissapointing too as on the back of the box it clearly says custom soundtracks are supported, so one would think it would be for your superstar, not just audible background music. While I can create pretty decent replicas of WWE superstars and legends, the end product of my creation is not what I would like. Definitely room for improvement in a future game.

So above and beyond the gameplay and creation of WWE Allstars, what really makes a grapple fighter is the modes that I can put my character in WWE Allstars brings single, tag team tornado, triple threat, fatal 4 way, elimination, extreme rules and steel cage match. While I love the idea of keeping the action constantly flowing with tag team tornado, I would have loved to be able to do tag matches and having my superstar or legend hop over the rope as he makes the tag. Like SVR series had its tag team mode overhauled in games past, I think there is a large room for improvement for possibilities for this match type. All of these match modes can be played with up to 4 players offline or online. So far matches that I have played have been glitch and lag free and very enjoyable.  That is one thing that has plagued another unreal engine fighter grappler was the only 1 vs 1 online, with the additions of 2 others online, gives this game more legs, especially with leader boards as well.

Don’t get me wrong I was super stoked to play the multiplayer in this game, and I have had a ball playing it against friends, its shining light above all are the two super fun and super fan single player experiences.  First things first this game holds tried and true to arcade games of past, and it does not make excuses for that. Enter the Path of Champions is a mode where you get to choose 1 of 3 paths on your road to your WWE moment.

The paths available are Degeneration X where you have to go through the best of the best tag teams, that DX themselves has put together for you to face before you can take them on at WWE Wrestlemania. The path of the viper, where you will go through a stacked roster of stars before you face “The Viper” and “The Legend Killer” Randy Orton, before you face him at WWE Wrestlemania. The other path is the path of “The Deadman” “The Phenom” The Undertaker. This features both The Undertaker and Paul Bearer and which they are preparing your casket for WWE Summerslam but first you must go through a gauntlet of superstars and legends before you take on The Undertaker at Summerslam.  The jest of the  mode is you go through guys in single , handicap , triple threat, elimination and extreme rules matches and the final boss is either Randy Orton , DX or The Undertaker. The presentation for these modes are over the top and very entertaining.

While the Path of Champions features many hours of entertainment as it is required that you beat the mode with every superstar to unlock costumes, entrances and finishers. There is a really awesome mode called Fantasy Warfare, this mode features match ups such as Mr. Wrestlemania, Perfectly Awesome and Innovative Offense. Whats great about this mode is they created 15 video packages featuring the match ups and they cut them like they are actually talking to each other. Some of the best packages are featuring CM Punk vs Steve Austin and Cena vs Rock. This mode is where you will unlock certain superstars for exhibition and online play. The great part about the mode is not only can you play against the cpu but you can also play against a friend as well.

In comparison to WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2011, more superstars have their entrance attires like Bret Hart has his jacket and shades and Edge has his jacket, which adds to the presentation. Every superstar has at least one alternate costume with some even having up to 3 costumes in total such as John Cena and Hulk Hogan. All of the costumes have been detailed with care and precision and looks authentic and add to the old school experience that WWE Allstars offers. The game uses the Unreal Engine so everything has that HD look seen in games like Gears of War and Splinter Cell Conviction.

The game features the entrance themes of all the stars, however some are edited as entrances are shorter then other WWE games as the shorter entrance gets you into the game faster then ever before.  The commentary features Jerry “The King” Lawler as well as “Good Ol JR” Jim Ross as they call the fast and frenetic action. One thing that I find that adds to the experience is when you run to the corner you hear the turnbuckles bounce up and down. When you strike a weapon you see the weapon damage and you hear a strike sound as you strike your oponnent. The game really excels at adding small details that add to the experience like when your oponnent is dazed they glow red or when you hit a charged grapple or strike you glow orange.

When you boil it down you have the greatest roster in WWE Games history you have the key superstars and legends of not only the 80′s , 90′s , 2000′s and even the key superstars of today’s WWE product. You have a handful of match types to compete with these great superstars and legends. You have over 10 hours of gameplay with all of the unlockables and campaign modes. You have online multiplayer via Xbox Live and Playstation Network, plus 4 player multiplayer offline. While the creation mode for CAS is a bit to be desired, you can make superstars in under 5 minutes and get under way. WWE Allstars goes behind and above the call of duty what most arcade games have had in the past and even today.

There are few arcade games that match WWE Allstars for the amount of content and variety. WWE Allstars while has some faults found in initial franchises, but they are to be expected. To those who feel THQ has set the bar with SVR, this is a brand new series with a brand new development team, who I am sure is already at the drawing board for a sequel. WWE Allstars whether your looking for a game to have some fun with some friends, go back in time and enjoy the WWE days of yesteryear or want to experience the WWE in all its glory WWE Allstars is recommended.

+ Greatest WWE Roster in History
+ Ton to keep you busy
+ Outstanding Presentation
+ 4 player Xbox Live
- Lack Luster CAS
- Dissapointing Movesets

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