WWE All-Stars is a professional wrestling video game published by THQ and developed by THQ San Diego for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and Pc systems and Subdued Software for the PlayStation Portable, Wii, Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation 2 systems.[3][4][5] The game features current and former WWE wrestlers competing in fast-paced wrestling matches.[2][6] It was released on March 29, 2011 in North America and April 1, 2011 in Europe.
Gameplay:
In contrast to the simulation-based WWE SmackDown vs. Raw series, WWE All Stars features arcade-style gameplay along with over-the-top animation and wrestlers bearing a more exaggerated look. The game is a combination of a fighting game and a wrestling game, with combos playing a major factor in gameplay, both on the ground and mid-air. Characters perform exaggerated moves, such as John Cena's Attitude Adjustment, in which he leaps high into the air and Triple H's Pedigree with shock waves running across the ring.[6] The game features contemporary WWE wrestlers such as Kofi Kingston, Randy Orton, Triple H, The Undertaker, Rey Mysterio, Big Show, John Morrison and John Cena and past wrestlers such as The Ultimate Warrior, André the Giant, Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, Jake the Snake, Eddie Guerrero and the "Macho Man" Randy Savage, as well as commentary from Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler, who is also a playable character.
It also features a Path Of Champions mode where players choose a WWE Legend or Superstar to either become the WWE Champion (Randy Orton's Path), the World Heavyweight Champion (Undertaker's Path) or the WWE Tag Team Champions (D-Generation-X's Path)[3][7] The game also has options for using alternate attires for the WWE superstars from the past and present.
Development:
The first official announcement for both WWE All Stars and WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011 was made at E3 in June 2010 by THQ, shortly followed by an interview with gaming website GameSpot.[3]
WWE All Stars is the first WWE game to be produced by THQ San Diego. Many of the team's employees had worked at Midway San Diego, the studio that developed the first TNA Impact! professional wrestling video game.[8] It is the second WWE game produced by video game designer, Sal Divita, the first being WWF WrestleMania: The Arcade Game.[9]
Many DLC characters were confirmed. Honky Tonk Man, Dusty Rhodes and Cody Rhodes were released in March and April 2011. Million Dollar Man and Ted DiBiase Jr. were included in preordered versions of the game and were released to the public in June. On June 27 THQ announced the release date of the next DLC packs. On July 6, 2011, R-Truth was released for free and the "All-Time Greats" Pack including Chris Jericho, The Road Warriors and Jerry Lawler were also released. On August 2, 2011, the "Southern Charisma" Pack was released, which included Big Boss Man, Michael Hayes and Mark Henry.
On August 30, 2011, THQ announced that the game would be released for the Nintendo 3DS on November 22, 2011 in North America and November 25, 2011 in Europe.[10] The game features two new game modes and all the DLC characters. The new game modes are Score Scramble and Gauntlet; in Score Scramble players can either fight until one person gets 50,000 points or do a timed battle. In Gauntlet, players fight against the entire WWE All Stars roster excluding created characters. Also, the ability to choose finishers different from the moveset has been removed. For example, if a player were to choose Triple H's moveset for a created character, the finisher would automatically be the Pedigree.
Reception:
The game has received generally favorable reviews. Both the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions have an average score of 75 on Metacritic.[11][12] Many critics were particularly fond of the art design and fast-paced gameplay, with Giant Bomb's Jeff Gerstmann calling it "an exciting game that's entertaining in a way that no wrestling game has been for a generation or more."[13]
GameZone gave the game a 7.5/10, stating "A fresh branch of World Wrestling Entertainment video games, THQ has done a fantastic job of cherry-picking the best elements of wrestling with some of the most recognizable characters and stars in a visually fantastic package."[14]
XBoxAddict gave the game 86%, stating "This game works to recapture some of that (arcade) magic...and if any game would have ever dethroned Wrestlefest as king of the arcade mountain, this would have stomped a Steve Austin-esque mudhole into that title.[15]
WWE All Stars was nominated for the title of Best Fighting Game at the 2011 Spike Video Game Awards, but lost to Mortal Kombat.
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