Magazine Archive: Off the Beaten Path: Revisiting “WWE All Stars”

By Rob Sutter for FightfulMag.com Issue 4, still available

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If there’s anything that can be gleaned from the impending release of WWE 2K22, it’s that the tried-and-true blueprint is here to stay. This isn’t to dismiss the series as a whole; despite the largely negative backlash WWE 2K20received years ago, World Wrestling Entertainment hit upon a formula that works. The largest wrestling company in the world experimented with its gaming projects, though. Time and time again, it went off the beaten path, producing unique results of varying qualities. These ranged from the combat vehicle-focused WWE Crush Hourto the collectible trading card app WWE SuperCard. When it comes to offshoot titles that matter, THQ’s WWE All Starsis in a class all its own.

Looking back, WWE All Stars hit store shelves at an interesting point in the company’s video game history. The game was originally released on March 29, 2011, in North America; the October prior, the final title in the SmackDown vs. Rawlineage, WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011, had come out. This would be succeeded by WWE ‘12, which saw a November 22, 2011 release. Despite the change in lineage, WWE’s core games maintained similar gameplay and presentation philosophies. WWE All Starswas as much of a departure from said core games as one could get without changing genres. To put this into perspective, the main WWE series was the collective apple to the orange of WWE All Stars.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the game’s presentation. Simply put, the wrestlers look less like their real-life counterparts and more like action figures that would have populated toy stores in the 1980s and early ‘90s. Though their body proportions are highly exaggerated, they are still able to pull off great feats of strength, agility, and physical prowess alike. From the jump, it’s evident that WWE All Starswas designed as an alternative to the company’s core series of wrestling games. From a cosmetic standpoint, WWE All Starscan best be described as the 1991 arcade game, WWF WrestleFest, brought into the third dimension.

Upon loading WWE All Stars, however, the player may be surprised by the lack of match options. Today, it’s fair to expect that key match types, such as Hell in a Cell and Elimination Chamber, be included in games. However, this isn’t the case for WWE All Stars,as match offerings are fairly basic on the surface. Singles and multi-man matches, as well as Extreme Rules and steel cage stipulations, are on tap. The inability to fight in the iconic Hell in a Cell or wage war in a Casket Match, to name a few examples, may seem limiting. However, once a match properly kicks off, the appeal of WWE All Starsbecomes apparent.

The roster of WWE All Starsis a meeting of the company’s present – for 2011, specifically – and its past. “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, “Macho Man” Randy Savage, and Hulk Hoganbuoy the game’s cast of legends. More than ten years since the game’s release, it’s interesting to look back and see how the game’s modern stars have evolved. Drew McIntyre, for example, became one of the top names in WWE following an odyssey of an independent run. Cody Rhodes,Chris Jericho, and CM Punkare top stars in rival company All Elite Wrestling. WWE stalwarts including The Miz, Kofi Kingston, and Randy Orton remained with the company. While this information has no bearing on the WWE All Starsgameplay, revisiting this title one final time, the collective roster is nothing short of a time capsule.

WWE All Stars is very much an arcade game at its core, easy to pick up and play yet requiring time and effort to truly master. Compared to WWE ‘12, which is more along the lines of a deep, demanding simulation game, All Starsis a more welcoming experience. This doesn’t mean it lacks depth, however. Take, for example, the distinct wrestling styles across the game’s roster of over 40 wrestlers. These styles are broken down into a class system consisting of Acrobats, Big Men, Brawlers, and Grapplers. Each one has a distinct set of pros and cons. While an Acrobat, such as Rey Mysterioor Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, specializes in top rope maneuvers but has weaker standard attacks, a Brawler, such as John Cenaor “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, is better able to chain attacks but has less powerful quick and strong grabs. Each wrestler feels unique, and there’s no doubt that if you never picked up WWE All Stars, there is a fighter that best fits your play style.

Speaking of chain attacks, these are among the core attributes of WWE All Stars’ gameplay. By linking attacks, the player can build momentum so that they can pull off stronger moves and, ultimately, finishing maneuvers. Reversals are also different here than they are in more contemporary WWE games. Specifically, players can reverse one another’s reversals. In other words, if a player attempts to reverse a move, their opponent can counter it, rendering the countermeasure null and void. This adds another layer of strategy to an already surprisingly complex game. More importantly, it makes every match feel more exciting.

WWE All Stars is a solid multiplayer experience, but for those that lack others to play with or cannot access the now inactive servers, there are two main single-player campaigns. The first, Path of Champions, is a series of three 10-match gauntlets. Two gauntlets consist of singles matches, one focused on The Undertakerand the other on Randy Orton, while the third gauntlet is tag team endurance en route to D-Generation X’s Shawn Michaelsand Triple H. Each Path of Champions mode features fully-voiced cutscenes. Path of Champions is in line with traditional fighting games, tasking the player with overcoming multiple opponents before reaching the final opponent.

The second single-player mode, Fantasy Warfare, features a series of 15 “dream matches” pitting legends against modern stars. The match-ups are logical, too. To name a few examples, “Superior Lifestyle” pits Austin against Punk, “Greatest Big Man” features a showdown between Andre the Giantand Big Show, and “Coldest Snake” has Jake “The Snake” Roberts go against “The Viper,”Orton. By completing these matches, wrestlers can be unlocked in-game. While one’s mileage may vary concerning “dream matches,” it’s difficult to deny that the contests available in Fantasy Warfare are sensible ones.

Though it may have been a one-shot, WWE All Starsprovided a unique alternative to the company’s standard gaming offerings. Furthermore, it was among the most accessible games upon its release. WWE All Stars found its way on a litany of platforms, including the PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Nintendo Wii. No matter your preferred platform, it’s safe to assume that you could experience WWE All Stars. In my opinion, however, the best way to play it today is on the Nintendo 3DS. This version was released the following November and, despite the technical limitations of the 3DS compared to home consoles, THQ successfully recreated the experience on the portable system.

WWE All Starsfor 3DS provided the most bang for the player’s buck, too, offering all the downloadable content from the other platforms. Due to the inactive servers, as mentioned earlier, the 3DS version’s lack of online play is a moot point today. What’s also worth noting about this version is a peculiar bug. If the player completes the final match of The Undertaker’s Path of Champions and immediately turns the 3D effect on, the game will lock up. Granted, this is an incredibly situational bug, but one to keep an eye on if you fancy the 3D that the 3DS originally used as a selling point.

Nonetheless, for its nearly seamless transition to the portable system, all the while including all DLC from its console counterparts, the 3DS version of WWE All Starsis the one to go with. No matter your preferred platform, this is a title that went off the beaten path with underrated results.

Rob Sutteris the current Editor and Department Manager at Last Word on Pro Wrestling and a contributor for Last Word on Gaming. He has extensive knowledge about the wrestling world as a fan for over 20 years.

Twitter: @KHsNotebook