WWE is certainly no stranger to reinvention. From reinventing characters, brands, shows and even their own name, change is the one constant in the continually evolving world of professional wrestling.

+ Solid new gameplay engine; + Ton of customization options; + Slick presentation

AI is lacking; Some general glitchyness; Rope physics are strange and unrealistic

WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2011 was emblematic of how THQ's wrestling franchise (and the WWE organization itself) had become a bit stale and unapproachable. While diehards may have enjoyed the complex controls and Road to Wrestlemania's wide range of options, the game was as unappealing to the masses as...

+ Intuitive and deep control scheme is much better than; + Deep roster; match menu; and variety of modes make for incredible replay value

? Why have mixed tag matches if cross-gender fighting leads to DQs

Professional wrestling has some of the craziest fans. The WWE made an effort to be more family friendly. What about their video games? I took WWE 12 for a spin around the squared circle to see. As you can see from my score WWE 12 is an abysmal failure. Why though?

If you look at all the major franchise games that are coming out on a yearly release cycle, you'll notice that innovation from one year to the next can be particularly difficult. Series like Madden , Call of Duty , and even Assassin's Creed have gotten flak for not changing enough from one game to...

The WWE (Formally WWF) has been popular worldwide for around thirty years and in this time we have seen numerous video games based upon our favourite real life grappling stars. Mostly the games have been pretty decent although there has been a couple of duffers thrown in to the mix.

Since the start of the SmackDown series in 1999, THQ, Yuke's and WWE have been slowly gaining a monopoly over the professional wrestling genre. Now after a second name change, they have released the 13th installment of the series, WWE ‘12.

On a gameplay aspect, the changes to the controls make the game more accessible and fun. I have a blast wrestling matches and it's even better with friends locally. I think the reversal system could use some tweaking but you can adjust the A.I. so it's not too bad.

There is something satisfying about punching an annoying someone in the ribs, kidney, groin and face, aiming a well-placed kick to the kneecap, groin or face, raking you nails over their eyes, applying an agonising belly to belly suplex and then moving into a submission hold until they cry like a...

The WWE SmackDown vs. Raw series has been on a decline for a number of years, and the last three years I have rated each annual game a 6/10. It's just felt too dated and robotic for a modern day game, and you just know something is wrong when older wrestling games felt more fluid.

This game however does have a couple of draw backs. For example if you are new and adjust the slidders to the easiest level, you're opponent can still reverse moves. Also, this is not a good game to play for long periods of time. It it is fun for a while, but not a game for all day play.