The inclusion of two “special” or “super” meters not only adds to the already ridiculously over exaggerated trademark action but also gives players the opportunity to explore the various signature moves associated with the many Superstars. These signature moves are absolutely spectacular and involve powerful ground shaking and airborne moves that are highlighted by the fact that everything besides the wrestlers reverts to grayscale. Alternatively players can also use a finisher, which provided you get the timing right without being hit before execution, will have you character doing some amazing flippy, twirly things before smashing down on your opponent in a vibrant golden glow and finishing the match in a K.O. (that’s right, you can also win by K.O in this game.)

While most of the basic character movements are similar, the game’s 30 playable characters are classed by body type, size and ability.  For the most part characters that fall into the same categories have similar move sets and often the most perceptible difference between these wrestlers are the signature moves.

6

Even though I felt that there were a lot of good aspects to the game-play there is definitely room for improvement. I was however very taken aback by the game’s presentation. Like much of the game, the character models are completely blown out of proportion and animated in a stylized fashion. The end result looks something like an over exaggerated animated action figure on gummy berry juice, something I thoroughly enjoyed. The entrance and cut-scenes are interesting, vibrant and colourful for the most part and are accompanied by good sound effects, voice acting, and tracks that a relative to each character. Ultimately a collection of tracks, that most hardcore music lovers would appreciate.

Multiplayer is definitely the way to go in WWE All Stars if you really want to get the most out of your game, as I mentioned before the CPU has a tendency to be rather cheap, which makes playing with a friend, or 3 other friends for that matter all that more enjoyable. Unfortunately, the online play can be a bit choppy, and a laggy game when timing is imperative can be somewhat problematic. Provided you can nail down the timing, this game is decent fun to play online and like the single-player game modes, online also offers various game types that can be played by up to 4 players at a time.

5

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Conclusion:

While I’m sure many would prefer the more simulator like approach to these games, I personally found this particular game to be a breath of fresh air. Although I feel that the game was way too short in terms of content and that there was much room for improvement when it came to game-play, the idea is great and to be honest the fantasy like element is possibly the only thing that kept me interested in the game past the 5 hour mark.

Game play: 7.0

WWE All Stars is good fun despite its shortcomings. My biggest gripe with the game in terms of game-play is that it feels as if THQ were not entirely committed to one side or the other. The control scheme is simple enough to be an awesome arcade styled game but at the same time there are complexities to the game-play that contradict the idea. Staying true to the fantasy like tone of the game, I really liked the fact that juggles and special moves were incorporated-great fun.

Presentation: 8.0

I love they way this game looks. Its stylized representation of the WWF/ WWE superstars are fun and suit the “over the top” tone of the game-play perfectly.

Sound: 7.5

Good sound overall. The sound effects both in and out of the ring are decent, with the addition of an energetic soundtrack.

Value: 6.0

Moderate value at best, while I do believe there is a lot of potential here for something great, in a personal capacity I felt that the novelty of this game wore off far too easily with me, mainly due to the fact that although there are many modes and what not, they all play more or less the same. However I’m sure that fans of the franchise will enjoy it for a while longer than I did.

Overall: 7.2 (not an average)

[Reviewed on PS3]

Last Updated: May 24, 2011

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WWE All Stars
7.2

One Comment

  1. Leroy

    November 24, 2013 at 19:50

    They should definitely bring out another wwe All star game it just gives you a sense of awe when ever you play it’s like combining mortal combat with wwe which is pretty awesome I hope they do I love wwe all star #bestgame ever!!!

    Reply

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