Five Ways To Make WWE’13 More Awesome

By Rob Boggan

I’ll be the first to admit that WWE ’12 was one of my favorite video games last year. It marked a return to form of sorts for the floundering WWE video game franchise, and actually made several key improvements to ensure an addicting experience. Among all the big changes made, there were still some fundamental flaws that kept the experience from being the absolute best that it could be. Here are five things I would change to WWE ’13 to make it a smash hit.

Graphics Overhaul:
One of the biggest things that I noticed almost instantly, was the fact that a lot of the character models looked exactly the same as their counterparts from the previous year. It seemed as if Yukes and THQ literally super imposed the entire Smackdown vs. Raw 2011 characters into WWE ’12 with a massive copy and paste job. With systems as powerful as the PS3 and Xbox 360, there is absolutely no reason for this. There should be graphical updates with every year that passes as does every other sports franchise does. It doesn’t just stop with the in game wrestlers though, as a lot of non character items seemingly got neglected as well. Every TLC match I played would result in multiple ladder glitches, tables fold like cardboard boxes instead of breaking apart when certain moves are performed, and the ring ropes had an awkward “spaghetti” effect anytime they were touched. What the heck is up with that guys?

Create A PPV:
One of my favorite features on a wrestling game ever was the Create-A-PPV mode on the first Smackdown game. Here, players could create a PPV from start to finish, select how many matches would run, what titles were on the line and of course match stipulations. Once finished, you could simulate the matches outcome, watch CPU controlled players go at it, or control the action yourself. The biggest reward? At the end of your PPV you would be rewarded with a certain satisfaction rating, complete with tracking of your most popular custom PPVs. My friends and I spent countless hours trying to outdo each others total rankings, and I’d imagine if used correctly bringing back this mode would result in a crazy amount of buzz behind WWE 13. Toss in the fact that you could have players from all over the world share their results online, and you have a sure fire winner.

Deeper Season Mode:
The WWE Universe mode was one of my favorite modes from WWE 12, but it did leave me wanting for more. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason behind certain matches being set-up, and the cut scenes within Universe mode seemed to be even more random. For example, while playing through Universe mode with CM Punk, I had an instance of outside interference from The Undertaker which I thought for sure would start some sort of rivalry between the two. Instead, (after me choosing to interfere in 10 straight matches of the Dead Man) nothing came about until randomly Sheamus interfered in one of my matches, and then completely disappeared from the radar. My point behind that story is this….. THQ please be concise and implement some sort of AI that tracks rivals and rivalries, that could make things a ton more interesting. I would also like the ability to pre-choose the superstar(s) that I want to control so that i don’t have to go through and Sim every match until my guy or gal is ready for action.

More Match Types:
There was no shortage of match types in WWE ’12, but I did actually wish that some of the more prominent matches in the WWE Universe were featured. Here are just a few of the matches I’d love to see added to WWE ’13

• Lumberjack
• 1 or 2 Special Guest Referee
• Classic WCW/ECW Match Types(WW3 Triple Ring, Classic Cage, Barb Wire Rope)
• Attitude Era Hardcore Match
• Falls Count Anywhere (Including backstage area)
• Triple Threat TLC

WWE History Mode:
OK OK OK, I know that technically this mode is already in WWE ’13 under the disguise of Attitude Mode. What would happen if THQ and WWE actually brought our favorite moments back from the past and let relive them or even change the outcome? For example, how would things be different if Jake the Snake had actually beat Stone Cold to win King of The Ring? What if someone from the Hart Foundation prevented the Montreal Screwjob from happening? I grew up with the Attitude Era, and that was arguably the greatest period in WWE history, but how about giving gamers the option to relieve not just those moments, but a solid collection of the most defining moments in WWE history.

This is but a short list of what I would actually add to the upcoming WWE ’13 game based on what I think is missing. Do you agree? Do you hate this list? What would you change? Let us know in the comments!