Written by: Joseph

 

 

 

"WWE All Stars" is a mish-mash of wrestling superstars past and present. Rather than mushing them together into a horrific quote-spilling monster, each rippled warrior is splayed out neatly into a collection of the franchise’s most memorable names.

 

This motley crew is enough to placate fans of every era. The likes of Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan sit along side current A-listers John Cena and CM Punk, nestled between the attitude era mega-legends of my childhood, including The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin.

 

 

THQ have been making wrestling games for a long time. After almost 15 years of sweaty men in Lycra, rarely have they bettered their original offering, WCW vs. nWo: World Tour.

 

While there have been highlights since then, slowly but surely THQ’s games have tended towards the more technical end of the spectrum, whether it be in the ring or during the backstage storylines. Something needed to change, before the series disappeared up its own suplex.

 

 

Enter THQ San Diego, the crew responsible for the TNA iMPACT! series, pilfered from the Midway collapse. The combination of their arcade aesthetics and well polished THQ wrestling system has resulted in a real winner that should draw back a lot of nostalgic N64 owners.

 

 

All Stars takes some queues from the success of Street Fighter IV. The combatants are rendered in stylised cell shading, with impossible triceps and exaggerated expressions. Striking also becomes faster and more fluid. There are only strong and light strikes to choose between, but the right combinations can execute damaging combos. This is, mercifully, not a game concerned with realism, but it does capture the spirit of the WWE in a way that’s brisk and fun.

 

The other primary attack is the grapple. THQ have pared this right down to its essentials, and I couldn’t be happier. Every wrestler can execute either a weak or strong grapple. The latter allows you to execute more powerful smashes, but the extended grabbing animation can be interrupted with a quick jab. Once successfully landed, each of the four face buttons correspond to a different move.

 

 

The damage done by grappling attacks is somewhat normalised across every fighter, but there are a few nuances available depending on what All Star you choose. Grapplers, for example, are able to chain multiple moves together with a well timed button press. Brawlers can execute a super powerful punch and Acrobats have access to a roster of high flying attacks. Finally, Big Men is an exclusive club of behemoths who can launch their opponents into the air for juggling combos.

 

 

Almost all of these moves can be reversed by slamming RB, including some of the reversals themselves. The timing on these gets progressively more difficult, but linking together a chain of counters looks incredibly awesome. Especially when your friend is sitting within face-shouting range.

 

 

The only attacks which can’t be countered are the signature moves and finishers. It’s here that we really get to see All Stars’ over-the-top action come to the fore. Executing any of these moves transitions the match into slow motion, as your fighters leap 10 feet into the air before slamming their opponent down onto the mat.