WWE All Stars

WWE All Stars may not be the modern-day hardcore fan's dream game, but it comes pretty close to accomplishing that for casual and ex-fans, especially those who watched the Hulk and The Ultimate Warrior take each other on two decades ago.

A great wrestling game that delivers a unique spin on a time-tested sport.

WWE All-Stars is a highly-polished and tremendously fun game.

WWE All Stars offers the most identical gameplay to the actual sport out of any wrestling game available thus far.

The roster is a dream come true for most fans and the testosterone-fueled, simplistic and at the same time extremely exaggerated action makes this one easy to recommend to both the fans and non-fans alike, especially for those who have been looking for a more arcade-like experience.

We could happily recommend this game to those who have been away from the THQ wrestling series for a few releases now or to those that loved the classic WWE franchise. With great gaming mechanics and controls that range from newbie to gaming veteran plus some exceptional graphics, WWE All Stars has some great replay value with some awesome fun to be had online as you make your way up the leaderboards.

For those of you who keep the N64 hanging around for some wrestling action, feel free to retire your old buddy. This game is a must-buy for wrestling fans and fans of fighting games should give it a second look even if they're not interested in the sport.

WWE All Stars offers straightforward fun for everyone.

The best wrestling game in years that falls slightly short simply due to a lack of content. [Issue#204, p.80]

Good old wrestling times with all the classics we love. The game offers a lot of wrestling fun but all the game modes are a little too short.

Make no mistake: These stars shine, but not as bright as we might have liked. [May 2011, p.78]

WWE All Stars is an arcade-y alternative to other wrestling games like Smackdown vs. RAW. The game is most fun when played together with other players.

WWE All Stars is best at capturing the flamboyance and nostalgia that fans of professional wrestling have long embraced.

WWE-All Stars is an all-star beginning for this arcade wrestling series. It's almost as fun as Aki's N64 wrestling games and it features a roster of legends and superstars that aren't available in Smackdown vs. Raw.

Wrestling should be about speed, entertainment, colorful outfits and spectacular attacks. And that happens to be exactly what we get in WWE All Stars, even more than anyone could ever ask for.

Despite being a barebones product with many flaws, the gameplay is top notch. With all the crazy over the top moves that defy the laws of logic, every match is a spectacle. This is easily the best WWE game THQ has produced in a very long time.

It's an exciting game that's entertaining in a way that no wrestling game has been for a generation or more. And it's all backed up by a great roster of current and past WWE performers, letting you relive a few classic moments while also letting you put together matches that wouldn't be possible today.

While not as deep or replayable as SmackDown! vs. RAW, it carves its own niche into the WWE videogame universe. Any wrestling fan will enjoy it.

It's limited, sure, but this absurd wrestling parody is more WWE than the actual WWE itself. [May 2011, p.93]

It's a lot of fun, but its over-the-top nature makes it something that I wouldn't want to experience over and over again.

If you fancy yourself any kind of a wrestling fan, do not let the flaws present here dissuade you from playing what is easily the most enjoyable wrestling game in years. Let the hardcore fans have their intense simulation. At its core, the WWE has always been about entertainment value, and wrestling games do not come much more entertaining than this. Just bear in mind that there's definitely some room for expansion and improvement in the inevitable sequel.

All Stars is an excellent WWE game for casual and fans of the series looking for a more arcade-like experience.

Whether you're an oldschool vet of the Hulkamania era or a devout follow of Stone Cold's gospel, you're bound to have fun having both sides smack each other over the head with chairs.

There might not quite be enough to warrant picking up the game if you're not going to be playing with friends, though if you were, it'd probably be a blast. For the solo player interested in the past of the WWE, it's still worth a look, even if it's not quite worth dropping $60 on at the moment.

Overall, I think WWE All Stars is definitely worth checking out, but I'd highly suggest avoiding the PS3 version until they get this whole data cache thing worked out.

WWE All Stars is all about giving the impression that the stars of WWE are god-like. From the overblown caricatures to the over-the-top physics and dazzling lighting effects, the game does a good job of making its case. More importantly, All-Stars proves that a wrestling game that does not have the word "SmackDown" in its title can be successful.

WWE All-Stars is not going to set the world on fire with any of its features, but it still manages to be fun, thanks to nostalgia.

A competent re-imagining of an outrageous spectacle that has been entertaining fans for more than half a century. Gladiatorial machismo is the source material of the game, as it should be; it doesn't need to be more than that.

All Stars serves up some fun arcade-style play and great mix of Legends and modern-day Superstars. However, the game's slow loading sorely needs to be fixed; and its Create A Superstar mode could definitely use a little more beefing up.

All Stars is a game that could have been much more than it is. Its striking visual style and focus on over-the-top action should have been a perfect fit for the wrestling world, but the lack of variety brings down the overall experience. With no mode feeling like anything more than a glorified series of exhibition matches, it seems like less than a full game. I hope that THQ gives this formula another shot, because it could be a great companion series to Smackdown vs. Raw if it comes back with a more substantial experience.

WWE All Stars is a complete over the top spin-off of the usual WWE Smackdown vs. Raw games. You can play with current legends and also with old legends in the singleplayer and exhibition mode. The gameplay is pretty easy and really fun, a cool title.

Although WWE All Stars offers mild depth with its counter-system, it's mostly an easily accessible fighting-game meant for the nostalgic WWE-fan. One side-note: the WWE-series with oversimplified controls, faster gameplay and a catroony style turned the series around a different corner. The real WWE-fan – excluding the average gamer – might mourn over this. As a nice, quickly satisfying game, WWE All Stars is a fine and refreshing choice.

Comes into its own in multiplayer. [Issue#108, p.113]

Any wrestling fanatic worth his salt will be in as soon as he sees the roster. [May 2011, p.108]

The arcade style gameplay -as well as the few available modes- may alienate some of the franchise's old fans, but that doesn't mean WWE All Stars lacks the quality and enjoyment that define THQ's games.

This is not a game as direct and approachable as it tries to be, but it is still a very fun wrestling experience.

WWE All Stars fills a niche as a few evenings worth of entertainment. It is sort of like a Super Smash Bros. for those who know their Rick Martel's from their Mike 'The Miz' Mizanin's. It is a simple, fun brawler that is best enjoyed with a room full of lifelong wrestling fans. Whether it is worth forty pounds of your money, however, is completely down to how often you find yourself in that situation.

WWE All Stars pumps up the action and the stars of professional wrestling, delivering an entertaining experience in spite of its limitations.

The game's simplicity ends up working against it - both in the sense that it's somewhat lacking in content, and that there's really not that much to learn; after half a day's play you'll have more or less mastered everything the combat has to offer, with the exception of the elusive mechanics for reversing attacks. But despite these shortcomings, this is still the most fun WWE title that THQ has produced in quite some time.

Unquestionably, WWE All Stars features some of the most addicting arcade-style gameplay seen in any wrestling title to date. But the lack of content in some areas will leave you wanting more. And you will want more because of the fun-factor.

If you already have the 2011 edition of Smackdown vs. Raw, there is no logical reason to purchase this title, but if you are a WWE fan, you'll probably do it anyway.

A trip down wrestling's memory lane that ends up being a lot more fun than any of the more serious sims of recent years.

It's far from perfect – held back by how much is missing in far too many places – but WWE All Stars is a very welcome change and if nothing else a very encouraging base for the future, and definitely worth some of your time.

Wrestling fans will have fun when they pick this one up but I don't know how long it'll last as it's a bit shallow. On the flip side, the nuanced combat isn't going to suck in players looking for a simple, arcade experience.

WWE All Stars delivers a worthwhile mash-up of arcade styled fighting mixed with over-exaggerated versions of WWE Superstars from the past and present.

WWE All Stars has a great roster and a good arcade gameplay, the Path of Champion and fantasy battles are two poor modes. Less type of matches and limited creation mode make a good game, but incomplete.

After a few price drops and/or patches, it might be worth a look, even for people who haven't been fans of WWE since it was the World Wrestling Federation. We're hopeful that next year's attempt will be much closer in quality to Legends of Wrestlemania.

WWE All Stars is indeed much more of a caricature than Smackdown vs Raw is, but it's for the better: most of it is fun-oriented, the gameplay is dynamic and the return of old stars of the WWF is most definitely a plus. But if humor and grandeur were the orientation for the game, they could still have done more in that direction, like including crazy game modes, or an even simpler, immediately fun gameplay. It feels a little shy in that respect, compared to our imagination, but its a new franchise that we'll keep an eye on.

Sadly, for non-wrestling fans this game will be very short lived, but I'm sure dedicated fans will find hours of enjoyment if they can look past the horrific loading times. The arcade feel is a nice change from the usual simulation and aside from playing online, which suffers from some lag, local multiplayer would provide the most fun from this over the top edition to the world of wrestling games.