Xbox Gaming in South Africa

If there is one thing watching years of professional wrestling has taught us, it’s that a new costume and a shorter name can do wonders for a career. Some of the greatest wrestlers of our time started out with lesser known labels and quickly rose to stardom under fresher pseudonyms. Rocky Maivia became The Rock, Hunter Hearst Helmsley became HHH, the list goes on and on. Now THQ are trying to apply the same logic to their WWE Smackdown vs RAW series, stripping away the long and encumbering Smackdown vs RAW title accompanied by what would have been 2012 and replacing it with the catchier title of WWE ’12.

A shiny new wrestler also needs some big, new moves (yes, I’m sticking with the wrestler analogy) and such is also the case with WWE ’12 as Danny Bilson, Executive VP, Core Game, THQ explains:

"With vital changes to core gameplay, innovative feature support and an incredibly striking presentation, the WWE simulation experience is back with WWE ’12," stated Bilson, "this is the definitive WWE videogame experience you do not want to miss."

Apparently THQ has been listening to what the fans want and developed a brand new Predator Technology dynamic gameplay system which promises to deliver the “most fluid, dynamic, authentic and action-packed WWE simulation experience to date.” This means a new Breaking Point submission system, new improved control layout and all round improvements on the Momentum and Stamina gameplay systems.

The WWE Universe Mode is also getting an upgrade with the intended purpose of letting player decisions impact events in a more meaningful way whilst still keeping it unpredictable. You can also expect the usual packed roster, fully customizable characters and Road to Wrestlemania.

WWE ’12 is set to debut at E3 next week, with a North American release date set for 22 November. A European and SA release date is still to be confirmed, but will likely be on that Friday, 25 November.

Check out the debut trailer below for a sneak peak at what to expect from WWE '12: