Category: Musings

GameFAQS user Jason Hart Maivia has posted a rather comprehensive list of items regarding the Wii version of WWE 12. From what I understand, it’s more like an incremental update to last year’s WWE Smackdown vs RAW 2011 game than a re-invention of the wheel like the more powerful console versions. I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised all things considered. I may still pick this one up because I’ve got all the other ones… so why not.

The full (mostly unformatted) list can be seen after the break.

A LOT of info, personally tested.
Played on the Legends difficutly, because the other difficulties are too easy, and the CPU don’t do as much.

-Graphics are the same as 2011 on the Wii.

-There are NO graphical “enhancements” whatsoever, which is more proof that I am correct about incorrect info on Nintendo-specific websites and magazines.

-The same ugly audience as 2011.

-Some wrestlers have the same character models as 2011 on Wii (like Mark Henry…by the way, he’s still not the right size)

-There is no weight detection that affects gameplay. So, someone, like Christian or Cody Rhodes can still lift and suplex the Big Show just any other superstar, but it does show you “struggling” by having the move executed a tiny bit slower. It looks like another idea that was left incomplete that could be used more effectively in WWE ’13 probably.

-Commentators still says a lot of the same stuff from 2011, but there are new bits thrown in, which is nice.

-No Create an Arena

-No Superstar Threads

-No ring rope physics (they don’t move when someone gets slammed, etc.)

-Only a handful of wrestlers have the Comeback ability and are the only ones featured on the short list in Create A Move-Set mode

-“Updated” Titantrons and MiniTrons are in, but they’re really pixlated and ugly, like 2011 on Wii

-Wrestlers do fight a bit more aggressively, but only because they don’t stay on the ground as long. The game is still easy as pie on Legendary difficulty mode.

-Wake Up taunts are in, but only work when you have a Finisher. You can choose your Wake up Taunt in Create a Move-Set.

-Not every move can be interrupted, like the majority of the top rope/turnbuckle moves.

-No Highlight Reel replays

-No custom trons

-It has the same Create A Wrestler mode that’s been present since SvR 2008 (same parts). I really don’t understand why they won’t update this. You can pretty much recreate your 2011 Wii CAW. There are no new parts added.

-There’s new crowd signs to choose from when creating your wrestler.

-You can now choose 4 parts for your announced name during your entrance. So, if you choose “Cloud”, “Sofia, “X”, “14”, then that’s what the announcer will say, but it’s pretty bad… “CLOUD!!…SOFIA!!..X!!..14!!”

-Commentators can also call you by a few new names, but it’s mostly just some new ones added to the 2011 list.

-Layla also looks pretty bad. Did they not try to match her face to the real thing??

-No Online modes of any kind

-No Superstar Threads

-Cody Rhodes does have his mask

-You only need to press the A button on Classic Controller to do pins when your opponent is lying on the ground.

-Sadly, top rope and springboard flying moves do not pin

-A few new moves and animations added (FINALLY, a decent Brainbuster), but it’s mostly the same as 2011. For some reason, they’ve added a lot of newly animated Spinebusters. Some of these were probably just DLC moves from Xbox360 and PS3. Some of the new animations still look kinda bad.

-Alberto del Rio looks nothing like him in real life. He looks and moves like a wacky cartoon character.

-Weapons (chairs, ladders, tables, etc.) still doesn’t have physics applied, so it’s the same as 2011 on Wii.

-Titles still aren’t the correct sizes

-You can change shows brands and the arena that’s used for every week, but you have to do it on the Edit Brand and Edit Schedule screens. It will save, so you only need to do this once. (For example: You can change Raw’s Logo to WCW, set roster and championships, set the name of the brand and the show, choose the Nitro arena…now every week on Mondays, it will be WCW (the new brand) at the Nitro arena (the new weekly show).

-In Universe Mode, after a match, you have the option to rematch, quit, or jump straight into the next match on the card.

-C.M. Punk does have his new tron and music. He has no alternate attire – just his Black and Yellow trunks. No shirt.

-Gamecube support is in.

-There’s a glitch where sometimes the reversal icons (R Button) don’t pop up, so a lot of the time, you’ll just be guessing when to press the R button.

-A lot of wrestlers still have moves that they should have, and you will still see a lot of running spinning DDTs.

-Created Moves are sometimes really glitchy. They will sometimes warp your character into position. For some moves,you’ll sometimes see your opponent clipping through the mat or your wrestler. Needs to be fixed for WWE ’13

-The sound effects sounds a bit downsampled and of lower quality, especially the audience and announcer, but nothing major, though it may also be the same on Xbox360 and PS3.

-Even though you can break some moves, a lot of times, it will not work and you’ll just go right through them. You’ll still hear the sound effect of you connecting a strike, but the move will sometimes still continue as if nothing happened. It’s nothing at all like the Day of Reckoning games on Gamecube.

-Sometimes, weapon strikes will go through your opponent.

-Most of the time, the CPU just stands there and stares when you do a Custom Finisher in a match with more than 2 wrestlers, but they can be broken with a human player.

-You no longer trip and fall when low on stamina. Instead, your wrestler simply walks instead of run. You can still trip and fall if your legs are critically injured.

-If your head is in a critically injured state, there’s a chance that you may stand up groggy.

-AI is still dumb at times. They’ll irish whip you into the turnbuckles, put you in the tree of woe, or set you on the top rope, and just stand there… They be also irish whip you into the ropes, but do nothing on the rebound and let you run past them.

-Everyone seems to have a Side Russian Legsweep. I mean EVERYONE. It’s probably the most used move in the game along with the Running Spinning DDT

Overall, this game is just a minor upgrade to 2011 with a roster update. There’s still a bunch of problems present, and the missing modes and graphics makes it feel like it’s only half the game that it should have been. I don’t expect to see the Wii version getting any 9s.