The lights shine. The signs are held high. The crowds are screaming. You are backstage, pummeling the ever living life out of some random dude. This is WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2011. If you’ve followed the series long enough, you’ll realize that Yuke’s has added a backstage segment to the series in an effort to flesh out the stories along with a plethora of improvements to previous changes. WWE Universe has been added to bring forth the feeling of driving a new wrestler to the top of the ranks. This is done by competing in a variety of shows from Raws to Smackdowns, as well as the occasional PPV show. As you play through Universe, you’ll be able to choose your bouts, but there are plenty of matches to run through as the mode can last forever depending on how long you choose to run the simulation. You can play as much or as little as you’d like during these simulations, as you have the ability to play or simulate any match you choose. If you want to run through stories as five different wrestlers, you have the option to play Road to Wrestlemania. Road to Wrestlemania now features a backstage element that allows you to listen into conversations backstage as well as the ability to piss off someone and start a match behind the scenes. It’s a unique addition, but it becomes quickly worn as lip syncing is a huge deterrent on the overall experience.
The backstage component is totally unique, but it quickly overstays its welcome in a matter of minutes. Having to complete these segments to improve your wrestler is tiring, and often feels broken outside of the ring. Road to Wrestlemania is still an entertaining romp, as you delve into one of five superstars’ stories leading up the title match. The plotlines are intriguing to those who love the series, as you watch the likes of John Cena dealing with competition behind the scenes. If you engage in these backstage, mini-quests, you are rewarded with points that can be applied to your character. So if you’re willing to submit to these segments, there is indeed a reward involved. The overall feel of gameplay is much more solid than 2010, with the change to grapples, which will change, based on the state of your opponent. Gone are the days where a match is over in an instant because you or your opponent pulled the right grapple, now, the weaker your opponent, the stronger the grapple. This element delivers a much more realistic experience (if you can call this experience real in the first place). This applies to other methods of attack, which leans towards frustrating when you can’t pull off a move since your opponent is in decent health. It doesn’t help that the AI whether opponent or teammate, becomes a nuisance. During tag team matches, my partner got in the way plenty, obstructing my planned method of subduing the competition. I have to compliment Yuke’s on the use of the Havoc engine, which delivers a much more realistic physics component.
The interferences can also cause trouble, as key players become distracted, but it wasn’t enough to make a match unplayable. You also have the chance to create your own storylines, which isn’t much different than previously albeit a few new additions. Hell in a Cell also feels better fit to scale, delivering a much improved experience over last year. As if these improvements weren’t enough, the online modes are nearly free from the lag that plagued 2010 as well as the addition of almost very mode imaginable. You can have up to 12 players in a match, with 6 playing at a time while the other 6 observe and take part in mini-games outside of the matches. You can also rate player-created stories which in turn will give you experience points for your online ranking. Outside of design, there are plenty of small changes that can be made such as logos which will be proudly displayed on signs in the ugly crowd. If the polish of the game wasn’t weak enough, the commentary can often dip into idiotic realms as the commentators forget how many dudes are involved in the match. Lines are also often recycled, quickly ripping you out of the experience. WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2011 has a few new additions, most of which are weak yet unique. The main attraction of the game is the outstanding WWE Universe that allows you to play or simulate matches as you see fit. The other major addition, backstage, feels weak especially the horrible lip syncing. 2011 doesn’t come across as much more than an update to 2010, with the few additions feeling particularly weak. However, if wrasslin’ is your thing, WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2011 is worth the cash. Just don’t expect to find a radical difference between this year and last year because you won’t find it here. That being said, you will find a much deeper albeit flawed update to the WWE franchise that seems to only get better with age.
