Anyone who has played a WWE title before (especially the more recent ones) will pretty much know what to expect as the fairly in depth move lists return along with reversals, comebacks, signature moves and limb targeting. For newcomers the game does have a fairly complex learning curve to get the best out of proceedings but thankfully this is where my previous experience with the games stood me in good stead as I could jump in pretty quickly and have an understanding of how best to approach proceedings.

 

 

One gameplay area which I have had mixed feelings about is in the AI of computer controlled characters and often matches could be over pretty quickly. It seems this year that the developers have tightened this area as matches are now lengthier, back and forth affairs giving the gameplay a much more realistic feel and this is very pleasing indeed and makes WWE 13 the best in the series for many years.

 

Admittedly it is still far from perfect as sometimes the player can jump back to button bashing particularly if you miss time the spilt second reversal commands and this can ultimately lead to some incredibly frustrating moments. As I have previously stated however the player really needs to practice long and hard to overcome such frustrations in order to get the best out of the game as it really is one that rewards patience and skill.

 

 

Another impressive area in the game is in its multiplayer with the vast array of match types and game modes standing out as being very impressive indeed.

 

As expected with the global popularity of WWE the game is incredibly popular online with no problems connecting to matches all of which have played pretty smoothly so far even if there are some very skilled players online who have obviously dedicated an awful lot of time to honing their skills in order to hand out the inevitable ass kicking’s which I hate to admit have happened to me all too regularly.

 

 

This is only a minor criticism as there are some very well balanced matches online and once these are found then these do provide some excellent enjoyment. It is just a shame however that there is no real way of telling who can play at a similar level as you when joining or creating matches meaning that it is simply a case of pot luck as to whether you have a competitive encounter or a one sided affair.

 

 

I will openly admit that I had lost a lot of love for the WWE video game franchise in recent years and wondered whether the latest in the series "WWE 13" could rekindle any enjoyment I had with the games throughout their history. It is fair to say that the new inclusions of game modes and gameplay tweaks have certainly improved proceedings making this year’s release the best in recent times.

 

There are still several areas which are far from perfect and lead to some incredibly frustrating moments but if you are willing to overlook these then I am sure that you will find some enjoyment from this well put together package which has lead me to think that the WWE video game franchise is not ready to give up the ghost just yet.

 

 

 

  

 

 

+ Excellent presentation