I felt I should write this review in the hope that non-wwe fans will read it and consider buying the game. It is, in my opinion, a very good game in it's own right. I'm not a wrestling fan at all, but this game is probably the one that's spent the most time on my screen this year so far.
I bought the game so my partner and I had something to play together. She's really into the whole wwe world. She watches the ppv events, has all the dvds, collects the action figures, etc etc.. I however am not a fan. Never have been. So my expectations were not high.
After 10 minutes of play though, I found myself grinning from ear to ear, and bashing the buttons like an absolute maniac. Lol.
The game itself has a control system that is a doddle to learn, but a little more tricky to master. But you'll have the basics down very quickly, pulling off theatrical moves with ease.
I won't go any further into the plot/theme of the game, you can read the other reviews for that.. I'm trying to make a different point which I will outline below..
It's not just a case of picking a character and playing through a story. Of course, that is part of it, but there is so much more. The whole game is highly tweak-able. Almost every single aspect of game play can be changed. You can design a wrestler from scratch, and tweak everything along the way. Theme music can be added via your ps3's playlists, and you can add your own logos and images to the character's clothing via a simple paint programme (included).
Many people will love all that. It's kinda like the beginning part of any Sims game. Only infinitely more so. Honestly, I spent a good four hours designing a character, backstory, stage costumes, scenes, theme music, tattoos, clothing, everything. And as the game itself is easy to play, this makes the whole thing all the more enjoyable.
Personally, I don't recognise any of the references in the game. Characters' voices, clothing, locations, etc.. But according to my missus they are all spot-on. And she's an uber-fan. So it must be right.
All I know is that if you're looking for a decent fighting game that's a little out of the ordinary, then you could do a lot worse than this game.
It's so much fun, it's easy to play, the sound and graphics are decent, the level of customization is almost infinite, and (apparantly) it's an accurate representation of the real thing.
I'm no bigger a fan of wwe that i was before i bought this game, i've not been converted, lol, but i have learned a lesson - take a gamble and buy a game that you wouldn't ordinarily go anywhere near. You won't regret it.
I'm now wondering if i've been denying myself lots of fun with other games because of my incorrect assumptions about not liking the activity that the game is based on.