TheKing

I decided to start a thread on this game since the official roster reveal happens later today (4PM Pacific Time to be exact).

Overall, I'm really excited about the game this year. The improvements that have been shown look to be substantial. TLC matches will be awesome and Cell matches will be epic. Over the last few days some of the negatives have begun to show up in various forums and outlets, but I think they're minor compared to the improvements.

Anyway, here's information I've collected about the game so far, both good and bad.

Highlights for 2011:

Over 70 wrestlers/divas will be in the game.

New Physics System for weapons. Tables, ladders, chairs and other weapons can now be used with much more realism. You can do finishers from a ladder and put people through a table. You can lean ladders all over the place (on the ropes, against the side of the ring, etc.), set up a ladder outside the ring and jump onto a ladder inside the ring. You can throw weapons, do finishers onto weapons, etc. Also, you can sit your opponent on the top turnbuckle to set up another move.

Hell In A Cell Match revamped. Cell area made larger to make it closer to actual cell. Weapons are now under the ring like every other match. The Cell door was removed, so now if you want to escape the cell, you have to break out one of the walls instead.

WWE Universe Mode: The game defaults into this mode, which is basically a GM mode that can run without any input from you, or with as much input as you want to add. This mode creates matches, cards, PPVs, etc. Sets up rivalries, and evolves as you play. You can change the matches or just let it do its thing. Basically this is the replacement for exhibition mode, but you can easily bypass it if you want.

Road To WrestleMania mode revamped: RTWM mode now takes a more active form as you get to roam freely backstage, getting into conversations and confrontations with people and taking different paths down the road. There is also an unlockable Time Machine which will allow you to jump around in the RTWM to replay the branching points of the story in order to get unlockables.

Downloadable Create-A-Wrestlers: This feature returns from 2010, but allows you to edit the ones you download. Last year you were stuck with whatever the creator put in for moves, entrances, music, etc. This year you'll be able to change things, making it infinitely better and more useful.

Create-A-Finisher: Many more moves added here, along with the ability to create finishers with your opponent in the corner (i.e. The Pepsi Plunge)

Multiple titles: You can now enter with two belts, so if you're the WWE and World Heavyweight Champion, you can carry both to the ring. Nameplates on the belts also accurately reflect the champion (and can actually be read).

Money In The Bank: You can win the Briefcase and cash it in for a title match.

Blood is still in game: Blood will be turned off by default, but you can turn it back on.

Divas: Divas can compete in just about any match type (Royal Rumble and First Blood excluded). Women still can't bleed, and still can't fight against men. But you can have Divas TLC or Elimination Chamber.

Entrance Nag Screen Killed: The screen asking if you want turn off entrances because you skip them has been removed (Finally!)

There will be 20 Total Arenas in the game & 2 more via DLC.

Tribute To The Troops Arena returns (Wal*Mart buyers get the code)

Undertaker will have his Wrestlemania XV Ministry Attire as an alternate (Toys R Us will give you the code if you pre-order from them)

Bret Hart (Classic not current) will be available on XBOX 360 and PS3 (If you get it at Best Buy, most likely will be DLC later on like Stone Cold last year)

Randy Orton has 3 alternate attires (Suit, Ref Shirt, Orton T-Shirt) (Amazon.com has the Code)

Some negatives:
Michael Cole and Jerry "The King" Lawler are the only commentators this year, as the other announce teams weren't finalized in time to record them (at least that's the excuse THQ has given).

Tag Belts are Unified: You can't separate the tag belts this year, which wouldn't be too bad, but they didn't have a chance to animate entrances for tag teams carrying two belts, so if you are the unified tag champs your ring entrances will be separated (i.e. if DX are the champs you can't enter as DX, but Triple H and Shawn Michaels will enter separately each with 2 belts).

THQ Online Code: THQ is taking the same path as EA Sports and are including a code with the game that will be required to play online. If you buy the game used you'll have to pay $10 to get a new code. You do get the first DLC pack with this code (Includes Chris Masters, and alternate attires for Rey Mysterio and Kelly Kelly).

chuckd21

Does it still have the cool "download user created storylines" thing?

Daryl

i suppose this will be the game that gets my two boys to finally stop playing SvR 2010.

Maxflier

I lost interest in wrestling years ago, but I enjoyed the last wrestling game I had (SvsR Shut Your Mouth for PS2). This game sounds pretty awesome, do you think RVD will be in the game? If I could play as him then I will probably get this.

WMAangel

No chance in hell....RVD is currently with TNA....
Don't look for Hulk Hogan, Mick Foley, Jeff Hardy, etc. etc. either......

Maxflier

Oh that sucks. I might still end up getting it, I just don't know of any other people I would enjoy using on the game since I am so far removed from the sport.

dx23

Have they improved the controls? They made it so complicated after 2008, that I really stopped caring about this series.

DeanoBKN

I'm really not digging all these different retailer exclusive codes, but hopefully like in years past, they will just be codes all of us can enter rather then dlc 1-time use codes. This sounds to be the case for Bret Hart though.

Kedrix

I loved last year's game. Best one I've played since Smackdown 2 on the PS1. However, I'm not too happy that they are removing a bunch of titles, hopefully there is some sort of Create-A-Title to help fill the void. I am glad blood was left in, after all of the bs going on in WWE currently, I was half-convinced it was going to be removed. The physics should be awesome but the whole code bs for online play might shrink the community (which is one of the reasons I was so happy with 2010). I did buy my game new last time but there have been plenty of times when I've bought my wrestling games 2nd hand.

We'll see. I also want to see how the Lucha Libre AAA game is. It is possible that I just lay off the WWE game for this year and keep playing 2010.

Robot Rock

I'm excited to get this game simply for the new mechanics in the TLC matches.

boredsilly

Yeah, their retailer exclusives are crazy. Nothing too imperative though. I've never cared for the Smackdown games, but I'm sort of in the mode for a wrestling game (it has been years since I've played one), that I might give this a shot.

TheKing

Definitely no chance for RVD, at least officially. However, his moveset and entrance have been in last 3 games. With the much improved Create-A-Wrestler, you'll probably be able to download a really great looking RVD that does his actual moves, find an MP3 of his Entrance music and use that, and as you play you can collect replay clips from matches and use them to make a custom entrance video. About all that would be missing would be the announcers mentioning him by name.

EDIT: And of course this all ended up being wrong as RVD is in the game.

nodeerforamonth

Sounds like a winner to me! I just hope you can change the attributes for the downloaded CAWs without having to play 1,000 bullshit matches with them.

TheKing

Here's the up to date roster (As Of October 18th):

RAW (25)

Batista
Chris Jericho
CM Punk
David Hart Smith (New For 2011)
Evan Bourne
Ezekiel Jackson*
Goldust*
John Cena
John Morrison
Mark Henry
The Miz
Mr. McMahon*
Primo
R-Truth
Randy Orton
Santino Marella
"The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels
Sheamus (New For 2011)
Ted DiBiase
Triple H
Tyson Kidd (New For 2011)
Vladimir Kozlov*
William Regal*
Yoshi Tatsu (New For 2011)*
Zack Ryder*


SmackDown (24)

The Big Show
Chavo Guerrero
Christian
Cody Rhodes
Dolph Ziggler
Drew McIntyre (New For 2011)
Edge
Finlay*
J.T.G.
Jack Swagger
Kane
Kofi Kingston
Luke Gallows (New For 2011)
M.V.P.
Matt Hardy
Mike Knox*
Rey Mysterio
Shad Gaspard
Shelton Benjamin*
The Undertaker
Undertaker's Druid*
Vance Archer (New For 2011)
Paul Bearer (Manager Only)*
Hornswoggle (Manager Only)


Divas (12)

Alicia Fox (New For 2011)
Beth Phoenix
Brie Bella
Eve Torres
Gail Kim
Kelly Kelly
Maryse
Melina
Michelle McCool
Mickie James
Natalya
Nikki Bella

Legends (8):
Bret "Hitman" Hart (Best Buy Exclusive)
Jake "The Snake" Roberts*
Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka*
Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat (New For 2011)*
Rob Van Dam*
The Rock*
Stone Cold Steve Austin*
Terry Funk*

* = Character is Locked when you start the game

Downloadable Content (7)

DLC Pack #1 (Free with game)
Chris Masters

Alt. Attire For:
Kelly Kelly
Rey Mysterio

DLC Pack #2 (Coming in time for holiday season)
The British Bulldog
Lex Luger (New For 2011)
Wade Barrett (New For 2011)
David Otunga (New For 2011)
Justin Gabriel (New For 2011)
Layla

Alt. Attire For:
Shad Gaspard
Shawn Michaels

NXT Arena

DLC Pack #3 (Coming Early 2011)

Alt. Attire For:
The Undertaker
John Cena
CM Punk

WCW Arena

76 Total including managers and DLC Content.

Tiffany, Stephanie McMahon, Teddy Long and The Hurricane are all in, but only as Non-Playable Characters.

TheKing

Attributes can be set however you want. You don't have to build them up this year. I should have put that in the first post as it is a pretty big improvement.

dx23

Besides Khali, I could envision them including some legends like Sgt. Slaughter, Ricky Steamboat, Jerry Lawler, Jake Roberts, etc.

ViewAskewbian

Lex Luger? Really.

chuckd21

My exact response. Will he be The Narcissist?

nickdawgy

My brother-in-law gets this every year. He's a big 'Taker fan, so I might pre-order it at TRU.

Deadman31

they better include this for Luger

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dx23

I'm not surprised, specially with the rumor that Luger is going to be inducted to the WWE Hall of Fame next year in Atlanta. Including him also lets you pair him up the British Bulldog in order to make the Allied Powers.

ViewAskewbian

My only big issue with last years game was that you could NOT alter the music for downloaded CAWS. Being far too lazy to spend hours creating wrestlers to look spot-on like some online it was nice to be able to download them but, urgh, generic music stunk. Nice to see that is going to change this year but not too keen on the whole "code" thing.

TheKing

He's going to be the Made In The USA Luger.

As for Legends, Sgt. Slaughter has been batted around as being in the game, but then he wasn't brought up today so who knows?

Personally I was hoping for Steamboat and Savage. Luger is a nice little surprise.

Kedrix

That's a good thing. In a little way, I did like the idea of building them up, but only when I first get the game so I get to see how somebody changes from each attribute increase. After the 20-25th CAW, you suddenly don't want to do that anymore.

TheKing

Apparently The Great Khali will not be in the game this year at all. A few months ago Khali was supposed to be taken off of TV for several months. This decision came at the same time the roster for the game was being finalized. Since Khali was going to be gone, the decision was made to leave him off the roster.

Of course the layoff for Khali ended up being less than a month, as he was called back in to work Raw when most of the Raw roster was stuck in Europe due to the volcano. But the ship had sailed at THQ and Khali was left out of the game.

Also confirmed as not making the game are:
Jillian Hall
Rosa Mendes
Serena
Trent Baretta & Caylen Croft (The Dudebusters)
Curt Hawkins
Joseph Mercury
The Usos
Tamina
Alberto Del Rio

THQ has the roster up at their community site, where you can take a look at the entrances and finishers for 25 members of the roster. (The rest say coming soon)

Also, The final 14 names not listed yet have been broken down into three areas: 1 From RAW, 6 From SmackDown and 7 Legends. The first 7 are all likely to be recently released talent and possibly Tyler Reks.

The legends list is likely to include The Rock and Stone Cold, possibly Slaughter, then its a crap shoot.