WWE 13 – The Verdict

WWE 13 – The Verdict

One of my long standing memories of my childhood is watching the Royal Rumble in 2000 which featured amazing moments with groups like DX and wrestlers like The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin. I didn’t have Sky during the legendary Attitude era of the WWE, but I caught Sunday Night Heat whenever I could and I loved what I saw. While there are some great performers in the company these days, nothing will ever quite match the glory days of Attitude. The best way to relive some of these great moments lies in WWE 13.

The Attitude mode is what defines WWE 13 and helps it stand head and shoulders above previous titles in the series. It isn’t without some of the usual problems that have been found in the games for a few years now, namely some poor AI. The computer controlled opponents are vastly improved on last year, but too often matches can break down with clunky interruptions of moves and seemingly random comebacks which shouldn’t be possible after the damage that has been inflicted. I haven’t had any moments which have totally thrown my enjoyment of the game off like previous titles have done, but don’t expect all of the same old problems to be resolved.

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As is to be expected from a WWE game, character creation and everything surrounding it such as entrances and moves are present and correct, as is the ability to create your own new shows or PPVs in Universe mode. If you want to spend plenty of time in the editors, you could very easily recreate the current WWE with all the TV shows and wrestlers, including those in NXT. I’ll be honest that it is a bit disappointing not to see the current NXT arena present along with a whole host of stars from that show. I guess you can’t have everything. The Universe mode remains nice and slick, you are presented with an automatically generated card for the TV shows and PPVs which you can edit as you wish. I tend to leave things run as they are, waiting for my created wrestler to have matches. What I did find frustrating was not getting a US Title shot at a PPV even though I was ranked as the number one contender. It is highly enjoyable, but a bit sloppy at times.

In reality though, WWE 13 is all about the fantastic Attitude Era mode. This mode charts the WWE’s fight back in the TV ratings war against WCW with chapters charting the rise of DX, Stone Cold, The Rock and others over about 65 different matches. Each match has a general objective along with historical ones which are true to the events of the matches back in the 90s. While you can progress through the chapters by simply completing the main objectives, in order to see the full potential of the mode and unlock the many items on offer, you will want to ensure you meet the historical goals.

It isn’t just a sequence of matches though, all the stars present are in their classic attire with old school RAW sets, including metal crowd barriers and Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler on commentary. There are in-game cutscenes with promos taken straight out of the archives and brilliant video packages to highlight the more important moments such as the Montreal Screwjob. Some might consider the Attitude mode to simply be a case of pandering to the older fans, but it stands up by itself as a great storied campaign mode. I would have loved to see things from the WCW side, or even ECW, but that would be diluting the WWE brand.

The wrestling is better than ever (although still a bit weak at times) while the Attitude mode delivers a sense of nostalgia and brilliantly charts the rise of some of the biggest stars of the business. You could spend your entire time in the Attitude mode without looking at the Universe mode and you would probably feel you have got your monies worth. Add in the creation modes and Universe mode and you have one of the strongest WWE titles for many a year.

Verdict – Headshot

Platforms Available – 360, PS3, Wii
Platform Reviewed – 360

Review based on a retail purchased copy. Check out this post for more on our scoring policy.<

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