Let me start by saying I've been playing wrestling games since I was about 6 years old, beginning with the NES games like WWF Wrestlemania and Steel Cage Challenge. I've owned nearly every console since then and have also purchased almost every WWF/WWE game ever released (exceptions being WWF In Your House, King of the Ring, Crush Hour, and the Game Boy Advance titles). Like many other fans, I felt that THQ's N64 wrestling games (WCW vs NWO, Wrestlemania 2000, No Mercy) were the most fun to play overall, and will always be considered classics.
I enjoy Smackdown vs Raw for what it is, and I think they've made a decent amount of progress since the PSOne Smackdown games, but the recent titles just haven't been that much FUN to play. The moves are mostly accurate, but many feel weak and lack hard-hitting impact. There are STILL things, over 10 years later, that the N64 titles did better (including submissions, location-specific damage, weight detection, momentum shifts, and overall pacing), and I honestly feel that SvR has become more of a yearly roster update and cheap cash-in, similar to what EA does with their annual sports titles. Remember the amount of progress made between Smackdown: Just Bring It and SD: Shut Your Mouth? And the equal amount of progress made with Here Comes the Pain? We never see that anymore. Yeah, we have more match types, features, and modes than ever before, but the in-ring gameplay has become an afterthought.
Enter WWE All-Stars. Gameplay is the focal point of this title. Sal Divita, formerly of Midway Studios and creative mind behind titles like NBA Jam, NFL Blitz, and WWF Wrestlemania: The Arcade Game, has given us something completely new and fresh. Yes, the character models look like action figures on steroids, but they're some of the most beautiful graphics I've ever seen. Yes, many of the moves are completely over the top and ridiculous, but they're also so much fun to watch. There aren't very many game modes or match types (1 vs 1, 2 vs 2, Handicap, Elimination, Extreme Rules, Steel Cage), but this type of game doesn't necassarily need them. I rarely even leave the ring to grab weapons or climb the turnbuckles, because I'm too busy pulling off crazy combos and defending myself from my opponents attacks. Yes, the entrances are very short, but this is an arcade-style game and isn't trying to be a simulation.
Beneath the cartoony style and crazy moves is a surprisingly complex and VERY responsive grappling engine. If you played TNA Impact, they based this game on the same engine, but seriously tweaked and expanded on it. You have 2 buttons for weak and strong strikes, and various combos that can be performed by entering different sequences. You also have weak and strong grapples, then each face button will perform a different move. You can also tap the right analog stick while in a weak or strong grapple transition into a headlock, go-behind, or other positions and perform alternate moves w/ the face buttons. Also, you can irish whip by holding the right trigger after you lock up, then perform a number of moves out of the irish whip position. There are a number of turnbuckle moves, flying moves, springboard moves, and so much more. I was shocked by the hidden depth, and it reminded me of Day of Reckoning with much better animations and a great reversal system.
Each character class (acrobats, brawlers, etc) plays differently, but the thing I was most impressed with was the difference between individual wrestlers. I expected more generic movesets and repeated moves (similar to TNA Impact) and was pleasantly surprised by THQ San Diego's attention to detail. For example, when you play as Rey Mysterio, he does a lot of his signature lucha-libre style moves. Although John Morrison is also in the "acrobat" class, his moveset is much different and includes moves that you'd expect Morrison to perform. Randy Savage has his signature punches and taunts, Randy Orton has his signature stomps, kneedrop, and other moves. Each wrestler has a number of signature moves than can be performed from various positions (Orton has his punt as a ground signature, his neckbreaker as a standing signature, etc), and of course one finisher, which has to be activated and then performed. Many times you'll activate it, then get attacked and have to rebuild your momentum. This makes for some amazing back and forth endings to matches. The best thing is that most wretlers have moves that they don't use anymore. HBK has his old side suplex finisher as a signature move. Sheamus has the Fiery Red Hand, which he hasn't used since his days on the independent circuit. Orton has his old standing neck-drop move that I haven't seen him use in at least 5 years. The developers paid very close attention to the wrestlers movesets and mannerisms, and clearly are passionate about their product.
The steel cage match is my favorite match type, by a long shot. During this match, your signature moves include crazy slams and throws into the cage wall, and you can perform multiple diving moves from the cage wall and the top. I can't describe in words how awesome this is. There's also a challenging mini-game for escaping the cage (similar to TNA Impact's Ultimate X mini-game), but it's not frustrating and makes sense for this particular match.
In future All-Stars games (if they continue this series), I think they have the potential to really expand on what they've done here. The grappling engine, while deep, could be much deeper. They could have twice as many grapples if they would assign different moves to different directions on the analog stick. Right now, if I grapple and press A, for example, I'll do the exact same move if I press a direction + A. I remember the old wrestling games had different moves for Up + A, Down + A, etc, etc. This could really open up the moveset and make the game feel less repetitive. They also need to place more emphasis on submissions and have the wrestlers stay down longer and sell the moves a little more. They could give us tables and ladders, and definitely Hell in a Cell. I'm sure they could find a way to make those match types insanely fun. The surrounding environments could be more interactive (i.e. announcer tables, ringside barricades, backstage areas, parking lot brawls, the stage itself could be used to toss opponents off of, etc). I'm sure THQ SD is one step ahead of me, and they're probably working on implementing new match types.
Even if the gameplay was garbage, the roster is clearly the game's best feature. When I began watching WWF programming in 1990, Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior, and Randy Savage were the biggest stars. Then came Bret Hart, Undertaker, and HBK, followed by Rock and Austin, and now Cena, Edge, Orton and The Miz are the top guys. So I basically get all my favorites in one game, and it's actually a GOOD game. I do have a few gripes about the roster (Drew McIntyre?), particularly the upcoming DLC. Mark Henry? R-Truth? Michael Hayes?? Where's Batista, Evan Bourne, and Rick Rude? Why do we have to wait for guys like Chris Jericho, Big Boss Man, Road Warriors, and "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase??
Bottom line - This game is the polar opposite of Smackdown vs Raw, and that's a very good thing for fans who are growing tired of the same old thing. Don't expect a wrestling simulation, and don't expect the huge number of wrestlers, modes, and match types that you would get from SvR. If you're simply looking for a fun, solid WWE game that doesn't take itself too seriously, pick this one up.