Well, I was completly wrong about that Revolution trailer. Here's what it was proven to be...

It's the trailer for WWE '13.

And the red X, and the "revolution" motif is because CM Punk is the spokesperson for it, like Randy Orton was last years.

The trailer has been posted, and I saw it. Unfortunately it was taken down only minutes later by THQ, after being leaked wherever it gets uploaded. I got lucky and saw one, it will probably be deleted by THQ's lawyers in a few minutes like the other 6 that were deleted by the time I saw them.

It's obviously not fake as it shows and reveals too many things. Destructible environments like breakable barricades, fighting in the crowd, and breaking the ring as Mark Henry and Big Show did, is part of the game this year. CM Punk is hosting, and the "face" of WWE '13, and Mankind and Austin are in the game.

I'm not sure how long this will stay up, but... here.

Managed to find it on YouTube. Nice. Fighting in the crowd is good, Austin and Mankind are good, but I'm willing to bet that the bustable ring is a one-time storyline event.

Probably something for a new "what would you like to see in WWE13" string, but something I would like to see is a properly interactive stage. I want to ram people into the set and choke slam them off the stage.

New feature confirmed:

Micheal Cole actually gives a shit when recording dialogue, for once. That "Oh my lord!!" line was great. He needs to care more, when doing game commentary.

Still not bought the WWE12 and, to be fair, haven't been close to. Whenever it's crossed my mind I get tempted by other stuff.

If they are going to do yearly games then they need to make big improvements each time. Otherwise there's no point - you may as well do one every other year and really put some welly into it!

Well, to be honest, WWE 12, in my opinion WAS that HUGE improvement that was needed.

For as much as I bitch on and on and on about the broken, terrible server, I do admit that they really delivered when it came to reinventing the gameplay so that it played vastly better.

Because of that, I'm just fine with the gameplay not changing as much anymore, because they really built the gameplay to near perfection in 12. They can only go so much further with it from this point.


To me, it's all about them fixing and getting the things that DON'T work, up to snuff. And improving those aspects that don't work to work as well as the things that do. It's all they have left to accomplish, I think.

Like the awful awful awful awful awful AWFUL online aspect of the game, the piss-poor Road To Wrestlemania (and figure out what they're doing with it) and fixing up the slightly annoying issues with Universe mode and it's snags.

As long as they get the lesser aspects up to the level of the aspects that I don't think they can improve very much anymore, they'd finally end up with the perfect game.


THAT having been said, the Community Creations and creative aspect to the game, as well as being able to download creations with a working server is VERY important to me, so I am not buying WWE '13 until a WEEK after its already out, and I have read the community's reaction to the server.

If the server works this year, then i'll buy it, because 70% of my experience came down to how easily I can share create works and especially download those of others.

That's fair enough, in terms of WWE12. Now the challenge will be for them to bring something big to the next one.

I really hope they fix the server issues for WWE 13. If they do that, and do some other minor improvements/additions, WWE 13 is going to be a great game.

The server issue is the key thing they HAVE to fix for 13. Online MUST work properly this time or they will be crucified. I actually liked Road to Wrestlemania this year to be honest, so that isn't a big problem as far as I'm concerned. Fix online, tweak a few things, and add a few more options, and I'm happy enough.

Ideally though I'd like a game which gave you real options to shape a career. Something where you can choose heel or face directions, and have it have an impact on the storyline. Universe mode scratches the surface of this, but doesn't go nearly deep enough. I want to basically replicate the twists and turns we write in the Feds.

The server problem is deffo a lesson learned.

I'd be more interested if, like DS said, the story was a little deeper. The storylines in the past have been fun but not really rewarding of playing them a number of times. I obviously can't speak for 12 but it is something I think they need to do.

My thoughts on how often they do the game go for many games. I think it impacts more on sims that story-based games. In the latter you can at least justify that you are moving the story along (although even there there is sometimes a feeling of not doing it enough).

With sims you need to have big pushes forward in the play, I think, to justify a new game. Sure, you have some new wrestlers but a lot of people create them anyway.

I'm not saying WWE13 won't be a push forward and worth coming out. Just that it's my general feeling about sims.

In the meantime I'm nearing the end of the main story for Skyrim. Level 56 already, will be higher by the end. I will still play it from time to time after, as it allows that while still keeping relatively interesting. But it will be on the back burner until later in the summer when the DLC comes out (rumoured to bring crossbows, something for vamps and the return of big bad in the shape of the Snow Elf Prince).

In the meantime I got a sweet deal on Zavvi last night on Kingdom of Amular, another open world fantasy game which falls somehwre between the sheer size of Skyrim and the more contained story of Dragon Age. With design by Todd 'Spawn' McFarlane, a story by RA 'Drizzt the Dark Elf' Salvatore and leads from the Elder Scrolls working on it, plus two flavours of elf, I'll be a happy camper!

That's partly becoming the problem now with the new games. CAW makers are that good that the updated roster is less attractive than perhaps it once was. So now the customisation is really as good as it needs to be, they really should be thinking about depth of story.

I bought Dirt:Showdown today. That will keep me busy for a while, along with the new Porsche update for Forza 4.

Well, honestly, you would think THQ would have seen this server issue as a lesson learned.

But this is something that has been bad since SvR 2009 and they've had 4 games to get it right.

They've gotten slammed with criticism (and rightly so) for 4 years for not having a single good online experience yet, and each time they promise "trust us guys, we know what we're doing this time, and it will all be great this time", and each one of the 3 times for 3 years they've said this, they've failed at having a decent working server.


So I remain extremely pessimistic that they'll do a good job with the server for 13.