The trailer includes the traditional game styles, but also details the new Predator technology used in the game to make it a more realistic experience. New features include a 40 man Royal Rumble, new Create A Wrestler sets, and something fans have been clambering for years, the Create An Arena mode. Finally, you can have a grapple in surroundings you feel comfortable in, simply because you decorated it so beautifully.

Also there’s a glimpse of the downloadable wrestlers you’ll be able to add to your rosters over the coming months including Randy Savage, Mick Foley, Vader, Batista and Brock Lesnar. No sign of Chris Jericho though…HMMMM.

Click here to view the embedded video.

WWE Brawl is said to be leading down the same path WWE All-Stars did; with an over-the-top take on professional wrestling with exaggerated moves and moments. Though, THQ claim that WWE Brawl will take it one step further by incorporating the game’s roster with a superhero theme, WWE Brawl will be giving the likes of John Cena and the Undertaker  ”super powers, impossible moves, [and] exotic back stories,”  who will clash not only in the ring – but through melee combat in fully destructible environments.

There are also plans for the WWE Brawl brand to extend well beyond the gaming ring, with a Mattel toy line, licensed clothing, and even an animated series.

The announcement of WWE Brawl and a teaser trailer for the game are available at the 72-minute mark of the video, although the promo clip recently surfaced by itself on YouTube.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Now we know WWE Brawl Release Date, we just need to find out what to expect.

From the first second the game loads up a bombardment of colour and noise is projected through the screen along with one of the many familiar entrances tracks from past and present superstars.  It sets the feel for the game quite well and is oddly reminiscent of an old arcade cabinet stuck at the end of a grotty chip shop. All Stars offers up the chance to create match up’s using WWE legends such as Macho Man Randy Savage, Stone Cold Steve Austin and current WWE Superstars such as Undertaker, Triple H and Rey Mysterio. The selection of wrestlers will (for the most part) satisfy fans of past and present with a number of much loved and recognised faces that being said there is some questionable inclusions and indeed exclusions. The roster is slightly limited to start with due to the amount of unlockables earned via WWE All Stars game modes. There’s no denying it that perhaps people will discuss and question the roster (almost certainly with the ‘Hardcore’ wrestling fans) but overall it’s a solid selection of modern stars and past legends.

The visual style of All Stars is something to behold, the over exaggerated look of the wrestlers works perfectly given the games themes. The character models all mange to look oddly like their real life counter parts with a slight cartoon like twist which results in some truly fantastic looking character models. The character models are not perfect however with animation sometimes looking slightly disjointed (this mainly applies to the larger character models such as Andre the giant). During the matches it’s a common occurrence for the game to slow down to show case the wrestlers signature move or finisher which adds a little something extra to the games overall presentation while adding an excuse to sit back and enjoy the carnage.   There isn’t many issues that stem from the visuals but there are a few niggles mainly appearing during a wrestlers entrance, in some cases (The Rock and his eye brow ) a wrestlers face will look almost frozen like they enjoyed too many Botox injections. The frozen faces may offer something of a cheeky giggle at first but it does look out of place. A other very minor issue is perhaps almost bite sized entrances each wrestler has, instead of the full versions (you would expect) used in the Smackdown v.s Raw franchise WWE All Stars instead opts for extremely cut versions which last no longer than a minute and in some cases even change the entrances to what they would be in real life, it’s a minor issue but a nagging one never the less.

The fast paced gameplay is enjoyable and stands up to many popular fighters on the market today, resulting in it bringing something new to the squared circle.

Gameplay wise WWE All Stars is fast and aggressive. The speed in which the gameplay is played could be a tad over whelming for an unsuspecting player. At the core of the game is a class system with each class offering a unique gameplay experience. The Acrobat class consists of high-fliers such as Rey Mysterio Rick ‘’The Dragon’’ Steamboat and Eddie Guerrero, the acrobat offers the most frantic combat with wrestlers flying all over the ring performing ludicrous moves. While acrobat’s posse high flying skill and extreme agility they hit the weakest and take the least damage unlike the powerful Big Men class. The big men are the powerhouses of WWE All Stars with their powerful attacks and ability to take high amount of damage, they are however very slow and a little boring to play as and lack any interesting or impressive looking moves.  The most technical and perhaps hardest the master class is the Grappler who have the unique ability to chain grapple attacks together which result in massive damage to the target.  The most accessible class is that of the Brawler which also offers to most grounded play style. Combining elements of Acrobat and The Big Men   and the Grappler the Brawler is indeed the best class for starters. Their increased striking range and ability to pin targets in a number of ways allow the Brawler to be a tough enemy and a solid choice of class. WWE All Stars also has a focus on combo based play be it combos from the ground or the air, slamming a opponent into the mat often sends them flying into the air allowing for air combos to be pulled off (which for the record look just as good as the finishers and signatures) which in some cases can lead to further combos being pulled off. The combo system is surprisingly effective and fluent as well as technical and wouldn’t look out of place in more recognised fighter franchises.  WWE All Stars a quite simplistic reversal system which maps both of the bumper buttons allowing for gameplay to flow and also remain accessible.

The number of match types on offer is a little thin on the ground. Singles, Tornado Tag, Extreme Rules, Steel Cage and Elimination are on offer with singles and extreme rules feeling very much the same with the only difference being the odd crutch and plank of wood to batter your opponent with. Steel Cage matches tend to be a little repetitive mostly due to the new mini game that is prompted when trying to escape the cage. Tornado Tag allows for tag team grapples to be used which add a extra spin on gameplay however the ring can become a little bit cluttered with four characters on screen as the same time as too can the targeting system which seems to have a mind of its own. Elimination offers the basic experience as a singles match just once an opponent is defeated new one enters the fray.

Though the basic match types are a little thin on the ground the game modes do a good job of remedying the situation. First up is Path of Champions which challenges players to a number of matches which results in capturing a WWE title, the best example of this game mode is the Tag Team path of champions which pits the players choice of tag team against WWE legends Triple H and Shaun Michaels also known as Degeneration X. With the ten matches leading up to the meeting with Degeneration X players will take on tag teams of past and present, in between matches players are treated to trash talk from both Triple H and Michaels (both supply the voice over’s)  which is often funny in the classic Degeneration X style. The mode does offer decent length and a fun time to be had as well as the chances to unlock a number of extra costumes for the roster, at the same time the lack of match types does take effect on this game mode allowing for a sense of repetition to creep in.

WWE All Stars offers an online experience which works well for the most part and at the time of this review didn’t suffer any technical issues or matchmaking issues - Result!

The Fantasy Warfare mode is quite simply one of the best modes put into a WWE game.   Fantasy Warfare lets you represent WWE’s legends or superstars in a series of past-versus-present fantasy matches to determine the greatest of all time, the matches are built upon the two wrestler’s gimmicks for example Perfectly Awesome (Mr.Perfect Vs The Miz) and Superior Lifestyle (Stone Cold Steve Austin Vs CM Punk). Each match begins with a brief overview of the superstar and legend involved in the match and shows footage of said wrestler, the footage is spliced in such a manner that it is carried off as real promo footage of a match between the two which works extremely well. The promo’s look and sound realistic and even mange to splice footage together like the two wrestlers are engaging in trash talk, it may be a minor feature but it’s a feature that truly adds a sense of occasion to the game mode. The game mode plays pretty much like a normal match but results in unlockable characters (depending on who you chose to play as out of the two given options. While the game mode isn’t anything new in terms of gameplay the promo’s make it a worthwhile mode, WWE fans will eat up the promos while non WWE fans will sit back and take interest, the promos are a feature that deserve to find their way into the Smackdown Vs Raw series.

All Stars welcomes back create a superstar which has been a strong feature of the Smackdown Vs Raw series however All Stars version of the mode is a little limited. Players are forced to select a move set of other wrestlers instead of creating their own. There is no create a finisher option nor is there any option to create your own entrance. The choice of in ring gear feels a little bit lacking and there doesn’t appear to be anything new to choose from. It’s a little underwhelming that the mode feels so restricting.

WWE All Stars offers an online experience which works well for the most part and at the time of this review didn’t suffer any technical issues or matchmaking issues. The online offers all of the offline match types with the only customization coming from choice of venue and if you wish to allow created content or not.  The online experience is solid and what is enjoyable playing offline is equally enjoyable playing online.

Overall WWE All Stars manages to give a decent arcade experience, the fast paced gameplay is enjoyable and stands up to many popular fighters on the market today and at the same time brings something new to the table. The over the top look adds to the games feel and themes allowing WWE All Stars to stand out on its own away from the Smackdown vs Raw series. The match types and game modes may be a little limited but the overall gameplay overrides the issue and the nice little touches such as the slow motion and the pre match promos on Fantasy Warfare mode add that little extra enjoyment to the package. WWE fans will highly enjoy All Stars and even non WWE fans can appreciate the solid and fluent gameplay featured in WWE All Stars. Over the top and highly enjoyable is often used to describe WWE as a product overall and this can be perfectly applied to WWE All Stars.

Smackdown vs. Raw 2011 comes offering a roster boasting a collection of over 70 superstars, legends, and divas, along with a collection of game modes and match types. The familiar match types make a return with some of them being slightly altered to match their real world counter parts, a key example of this being the Hell in a Cell match type which now allows players the crash their opponents through the cage to gain access to the top. For most part the match types haven’t been drastically altered but the changes will be noticeable to veterans of the franchise.

The biggest addition in terms of game modes is the WWE Universe mode which combines the career modes of past instalments and exhibition mode into one tidy package. WWE Universe mode consists of an expanding WWE calendar packed with shows and pay-per views to play through at your leisure. The shows and pay-per views matches are filled with feuds and rankings generated by the game and players have the option to drop into any match they wish or simulate any matches they have no desire to play, which is useful as it’s not a rare occurrence to be placed into a match with the same opponent in quick succession.

I the Miz - declare this game - AWESOME!

WWE Universe also allows users to launch their created superstar/diva into the quest for any of the WWE titles (including the much desired return of the Hardcore title), however, to earn a title shot, you must take on a multitude of opponents to climb the rankings. When busy manoeuvring the ranks of the WWE, don’t act surprised when you’re caught up in a feud. Feuds often begin when a random wrestler tries to interfere with your match. Inference does add an element of surprise to proceedings as well as capturing some of the elements of the real life WWE. Rivals and Allies can be selected by a user for their created Superstar/Diva with the outcome normally resulting in Allies appearing at ring side to district an opponent or the referee and vice versa if a Rival comes to ring side. Overall, WWE Universe mode is a nice addition which offers an enjoyable experience and plenty of replay value and often spontaneous events which capture the essence of WWE shows. The only real issues with the mode is the tendency to repeat fixtures over a period of time but this is only a minor issue thanks to the ability to skip any match you do not wish to play.

The now familiar Road to Wrestlemania mode makes a return but this time with some new features and a bit more of a focus on, you know, story rather than a bunch of loosely strung together matches. A minor addition, players now have the ability to explore the backstage area from a third person perspective. Exploring grants the player the ability to select opponents and trash talk them backstage, often breaking out into impromptu matches. Talking to other wrestlers during Road to Wrestlemania does highlight some of the not-so-great voice acting and outlines some of genuinely bizarre facial animations. At times, facial movements will fall out of sync with the voice overs which, while probably unintentional, does come over as a little lazy on the developer’s part.

Side quests are everywhere these days, so it’s no surprise that somebody spilled some in your Smackdown. You earn attributes for completing side quests and, naturally, bulk up one of the five Road to Wrestlemania wrestlers with those hard earned attributes. It does feel at times that roaming around the backstage is a little restricted and some of the areas look a little desolate which does put a bit of a downer on the experience, but nevertheless, the addition of roaming and side quests does flesh out the game a little bit and results in a much more satisfying experience.

Running up a ladder prompt against a table - Jericho truly is the best in the world at what he does.

The main muscle of any wrestling game is of course the action in the ring and, visually, Smackdown Vs Raw 2011 is pretty stacked. For the most part the popular wrestlers are well detailed and share plenty of similarities with their real life counterparts. Facial detail is top notch in the likes of Chris Jericho and John Cena however, as you delve deeper into the roster, you will find the less popular wrestlers that tend to look less detailed and often kind of odd, for example; Ted Dibiase and his trout pout. Other visual issues mainly centre on the crowd as they come off looking like cardboard cut outs with little animation and little detail. It may be a small issue and/or nitpick-ish, but it does degrade the feeling of each match by a slight margin. Some areas of the game seem to be lacking the visual polish of other department of the game, mostly notable in backstage matches as the environment tends to lack detail and, at times, looks rather lifeless.

The gameplay of Smackdown Vs Raw 2011 flows much more naturally than its predecessor with each move being simple to pull off and very tight controls. Veterans of last year’s offering will be familiar with the controls found in Smackdown Vs Raw 2011, with only minor changes to the control scheme stemming in a few grapple techniques and pinning. A new addition to the core gameplay is the ability to pull off moves that allow a player to carry out an attack and pin straight after in a combo style manner. This allows a naturalistic look as well as feel to it. The only real issue with gameplay is the reverse mechanic. Reversing attacks has been simplified this time around and, while this doesn’t really cause any problems playing against the AI, when the game is taken online players will frequently find themselves in an overly long trade-off of reversals which can become quite frustrating, not to mention breaking up the pace of a match. Surprisingly the new physics system incorporated into Smackdown Vs Raw 2011 has quite a strong influence in matches involving weapons. A prime example of the physics system coming into play is the ability to leave any weapon (for example a steel chair) in the middle of the ring and suplexing your opponent onto the weapon, thus causing extra damage. Having said that, this new physics engine does present the odd bug every now and then, such as items sticking to wrestler’s bodies in a disturbing manner and, at times, wrestlers’ limbs landing in unearthly positions but, thankfully, these bugs are a rare occurrence.

Playing Smackdown Vs Raw 2011 online (in this case, Xbox Live) is a pretty solid affair. Games run smoothly and any fear of a repeat of last year’s delay/lag is quickly squashed with responsive gameplay in the same manner as the offline game. All the match types can be played online including the Royal Rumble which allows up to 12 players to join in on the action. Surprisingly, the Royal Rumble works pretty close to perfection, bar the odd, bug but the majority of the time it’s as smooth as you could hope and offers hours of fun. The disappointment of last years online effort has well and truly been banished.

Smackdown Vs Raw 2011 is an improvement on everything its predecessor brought to the table.

A strong emphasis has been placed on user generated content since Smackdown Vs Raw 2010 and this year’s offering is no different. The fantastic Create a Superstar makes a return once again with all of the tools that have made it a highlight of the franchise. With a number of added items of clothing and accessories, the creation tool has only grown in depth but, fundamentally, remains the same. Other returning creation tools are the create a finisher tool which now boasts more choice in moves and animations while still remaining as accessible as ever. The ability to create alternative ring attire for any member of the roster is once again present, only this time with much more depth and choice. Although this tool may seem a little unnecessary, it’s still nice to have the option to change the colour of CM Punks pants. Admittedly, watching your creation walk to the ring to be greeted by custom made signs is kind of cool, not a necessary creation tool, by no means, but is a nice touch regardless. Last year’s story design mode makes a return, too, with some minor changes in terms of accessibility. The mode was quite overwhelming last year and gaining an understanding of its inner workings proved difficult, however, this time around, the mode is a lot more accessible and a basic understanding can be gained within a 10-20 minute play through. The story designer has been bulked up with various extra features allowing for longer and more detailed stories to be created and shared via the WWE Community Creations feature. The mode it’s self offers plenty of replay value and crafting your own in depth stories filled with your favourite wrestlers does result in a almost giddy reaction.

Smackdown Vs Raw 2011 is an improvement on everything its predecessor brought to the table. Online runs smoothly, gameplay flows wonderfully, and the new physics engine offers a nice twist on proceedings. The creation tools offer plenty of options to tailor the game to your requirements while allowing your creative mind to thrive. WWE Universe mode is the highlight of this year’s offering and has plenty of replay value at its core which will have fans of WWE and fans of gaming coming back for more. With only a few minor issues to list, it’s hard to argue that Smackdown Vs Raw 2011 is anything less than the pinnacle of the franchise, and with DLC on the cards, the game is set to grow. An essential purchase for wrestling fans and a game certainly worth any gamer’s attention.

Thanks to THQ for providing us with a reviewer copy.

Take a look at the video below as Bryan demonstates the all new features, styles and tweaks present in this years edition of Smackdown vs Raw. Who will be the one thrown off the top of the Cell? Punk, Undertaker? Take a look at the most brutal match type yet.

Click here to view the embedded video.

THQ CEO Brain Farrell has said the following “For fiscal 2011, we plan to deliver another high-quality WWE Smackdown vs. Raw game this fall, building on this billion dollar game franchise,” stated Farrell. “We also plan to go live with WWE Online in Korea later this year. We will be demonstrating both of these games at E3 as well as unveiling a new WWE brand extension at the show.”

All of THQ’s WWE title will be shown at this years E3.

It’s hard to find a reason to recommend Smackdown 2010 if you have already got last years edition. For the most part, they are fundamentally the same game just with the new addition of Storyline Designer. Oh, they have also added a fresh batch of animation clips to your moves, meaning you no longer find yourself elbow dropping your standing opponent. Instead, it will turn into an animation of you elbowing them in the face. A long awaited fix, I’ll admit, but not enough to justify roughly six to eight gigabytes of wrestling.

Wounds begin small, but progessively get bigger and trickle down faces or even pass on to your opponent if they make contact. Sort of like a less violent plague.

Let us delve deeper. The latest feature in the series is the Storyline Designer, which at its core lets you create all your fantasy story lines from the opening segment of the show to the matches and even the dialogue that each wrestler will spit out in the multiple face-off scenarios. It’s a well thought out feature, as there are so many ways you can take your storyline, from interviews, to mysterious packages, or even a car accident. You plan out each of the weekly episodes of your show and watch as your stories unfold, from a slow build-up to an unexpected (pre-planned) finish, everything is in your control. Make your created wrestler the undisputed champion, or make Batista wear a tutu and dance with the divas, it’s all down to you. While this pushes the series in the right direction, there seems to be unexplainable restrictions which stop it reaching its full potential. On the Xbox 360 and PS3 version, each storyline can feature up to 500 segments including 450 matches and 50 scenarios – not to mention created wrestlers are limited to only ten appearances in this mode. Meaning if on one show you use your created wrestler in an interview segment then a match, that is two of your ten appearances gone.

In contrast to the Storyline Designer mode, you have a seemingly shallow career mode. You pick a wrestler (created if you choose) and wrestle your way through title ranks. You begin by competing for either the US or IC titles, these require you to win a list of matches, just to challenge for the title. This mode seems very bland and uninspired as it has no storyline or even a connection among each match. It is essentially exhibition mode with a few perks.

While the career mode does nothing in terms of portraying a story, that is what we have the Road To Wrestlemania for. This mode is exactly as you remembered it last year, which is what I hoped for. You can take control of superstars such as Shawn Michaels and Edge and play their story which begins a few weeks before the Royal Rumble and play through the upcoming weeks to try to solidify them a place on the grandest stage of them all (WreslteMania, for those who aren’t up to date on WWE catchphrases). I don’t really have any hostile thoughts towards this mode, as it seems to be the most focused part of the game. It has authentic voice overs by WWE Superstars (albeit a little synthetic, voice-over booth sounding) and each story will take you around 2-3 hours each – requiring at least 10-12 hours of game play to plough through.

Christian returns to his peeps after a hiatus from WWE.

Each year the game is introduced with whatever wacky ideas the WWE “Creativity” team has come up with, whoever Vince decided to sign or release, or whatever gimmick matches crossed his mind. This year you see a total of 60 playable characters and the new “Championship Scramble” game type, which consists of six wrestlers competing for the last pinfall as when the counter hits zero, the superstar with the most recent pinfall is the new champion of whatever belt was being defended. This is an entertaining gimmick for television but doesn’t really work as well when translated to the land of video games.

The game play for the most part has not been touched at all from the previous game. You still press the same button to strike and the same to run. But this time around, you do not have control who you are targeting. Subsequently in a game type with a lot of wrestlers on screen at once, it becomes simultaneously aggravating and challenging to avoid going for a finisher and ending up elbow dropping the guy who was just kicked to the mat. Another change has been made to the reversal system, which has been simplified further. Now you control every reversal with one button. Just one button. Arguably a good thing as it allows a lot of less-skilled players to reverse and have more of a fair match, but at the same time dumbing down the experience for those who are accustomed to the old school reversals.

One of the first thing you will notice when firing up this game is that there is no longer a HUD at the top of your screen. Instead, your wrestler now has an oval at his feet (a feature that, for some reason, reminds me of the Threat Ring from MGS4) which informs you of your momentum and finisher building, as well as having to pay attention to your opponents and your own physical appearance to see if you are injured or where your next opening is. I found this to be one of the defining alterations in this game, as it eliminates that clunky old HUD which, in turn, makes the game feel a lot more submersing and makes you take notice of things that you otherwise wouldn’t. At times it feels like you are watching the show opposed to sitting on your couch playing a video game.

In this game the crowd chant "Let's go Cena" then retaliate with "RKO!" chants.

At last, it seems Yuke’s have listened to their players and added a feature that has been needed for quite some time. The ability to download and share your wrestlers, videos, and story-lines with people you know, or people who just happen to have an artistic talent with the in-game creator. While this is a good system, it may (unfortunately) render infamous CAW websites redundant.

As for icing on the cake, you can now go beyond dressing your wrestler and releasing him to the world. Now you can design a logo for him or even create an entrance video based on in-game footage you have saved yourself. This means you no longer have to strut down the isle with somebody else’s face on the screen… now if only they could implement a functioning imported entrance music feature.

With a video game based on professional wrestling, it goes without saying: If you do not like professional wrestling, you will not like this game. I would like to add another thing to that: If you did not like last years instalment of a professional wrestling game, you will not like this one either.

You may have noticed throughout this review I had a lot of criticism about Smackdown 2010. But the complains I had were things that should have been fixed years ago, rather than Yuke’s ignoring the problems and trying to distract us by giving us some flashy new feature each year. Though do not get me wrong – I enjoyed this game, I really did. Nevertheless, there are no excuses for not addressing the imperfections after all this time. This may be the best wrestling game on the market, but does that really say much?