Shadowlocked got cosy with THQ in an exclusive preview of their upcoming release, WWE: All Stars. However, did we smell a classic or was this the Stone Cold ending for the WWE franchise?

Setting off from Leeds at midnight - with the kind of determination you have come to expect from the Shadowlocked team - we headed to London to catch an exclusive preview of THQ’s latest wrestling title, WWE: All Stars. After a hectic journey, venturing across all aspects of public transport in our pursuit, it was a great relief to finally sit down and simply play the game; a game that we had travelled halfway across England to enjoy. Getting into the spirit of the hypothetical ‘Legends vs Superstars’ world at our fingertips, out came Seamus and Andre the Giant to kick off roughly a five hour fighting marathon in the very fancy Home House.

The day was exactly what we were hoping for - plenty of screens and helpful information about the game, and a lot of tasty little sausage rolls and sandwiches. But more importantly the ability to sit down and get stuck into the game and see what was on offer. Wrestling fans will have argued about some of these conundrums for years and, while it has been a long time coming, we can finally answer some of the age old questions that have festered in their brains. Who was stronger, The Big Show or Andre the Giant? Who was faster, Guerrero or Mysterio? And does anyone have worse style than the Ultimate Warrior? Featuring one of the finest rosters we’ve ever seen, WWE: All Stars is the game for answering these questions.

Triple H, The Rock, Hulk Hogan, Eddie Guerrero, Bret Hart, Undertaker and even Randy Savage are back and in their prime, bringing together some of the greatest names in wrestling, and making for some historic matches. Throw them in a cage or simply give them a garbage can full of weapons and watch them roll back the years with some legendary carnage. The gameplay has reached out to the old school, having more in common with old fashioned arcade beat-'em-ups than the more recent Smackdown titles, and is all the better for it. The fiddly combat and steep learning curve have been replaced with fast-paced, over-the-top action; and sharp, simple controls.

The whole game has a lighthearted feel, with characters puffed-up to a comical level, and surprisingly the combat follows suit. The wrestlers look like their muscles have been jacked up to 11, leaping effortlessly through the air and hurling each other around like paper dolls. It all works together to create some truly entertaining matches, providing a game that will satisfy wrestling and arcade fans alike; many of whom will ultimately find a lot to enjoy about the retro style and controls.

To compliment the game's style and feel, Mad Catz have also released two arcade controlers, The BrawlStick and BrawlPad. The BrawlStick is a great way to play the game, and brings home the arcade feel in a satisfying and responsive way. You can really give them a good old fashioned button-bash, adding a frantic edge to the game which isn’t quite there with the regular controllers. However, it does suffer from its lack of a second stick, and selecting from multiple opponents is difficult, if not totally impossible.

WWE: All Stars looks set to be one of the most enjoyable wrestling games yet and, with its memorable style and near flawless roster, it could prove to be as timeless as the Legends themselves.

See also:

WWE All Stars: videogame review

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