Unless you’re a die-hard wrestling fan, it’s unlikely you would have ever bemoaned the sport/panto for being too serious.
But, wrestling fan or not, WWE All Stars is such a silly, irreverent and cartoony departure from its franchise brethren, it’s something casual gamers may well find a surprise.
Billed as housing ‘the greatest WWE roster of all time’, it’s certainly hard to argue otherwise. Thirty classic and current WWE-ers make up the character set, with everyone from Hulk Hogan and Eddie Guerrerro to Randy Savage and Triple H. This fanboy wet-dream aims to bring players the ultimate fantasy matches, as you pit what are now geriatrics up against their modern rivals.
The thing that really stands out though? The hyper-arcadey gameplay and exaggerated, cartoony graphics, with each wrestler instantly recognisable but beefed up to Johnny Bravo levels of muscliness, and the actual fighting reduced to a relatively simple, button mashing, combo-led control mechanic with slow-mo special moves aplenty.
While advocates of the Smackdown/Raw series may convulse at the sight of the OTT-ness of it all, it’s probably the most instantly pick-up-and-playable Wrestling game I’ve played in a while, while reversals, blocking and pinpoint timing offer a certain level of depth.
If anything, THQ has certainly gone to town with the fantasy element of it, allowing players to partake in almost every variety of match, with any combination of characters. You can choose between Tornado Tag, Fatal 4 Way, 1-on-1, Elimination, Steel Cage, and weapons-led Extreme Rules matches, all housed within a number of arenas from across wrestling history.
In regards to longevity, there’s a simple but effective Create Your Own Meathead mode (although don’t expect bonkers levels of customisation), numerous Path of Champions storylines (10 various matches, tied into a storyline), and the best of the lot, Fantasy Warefare mode, which teams up the oldies with the newbies as they fight off all and sundry for the title of Greatest/Biggest/Best/Beefiest Warrior/Superstar/Fighter/Wrestler etc.
Simply put, WWE All Stars is unadulterated fun that doesn’t strive to pander to the supposed realism of its predecessors, and while the controls are decidedly wonky (occasionally infuriatingly so), if you’re looking for a simple, entertaining and utterly stupid wrestler, you can’t go wrong with this.
And really, isn’t that what the sport’s about in the first place?
[Rating:3.5/5]
WWE All Stars is on General Release from Friday April 1st, and available on Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, and PSP.
