WWE 12 (PS3/Wii/360) 2011
If counting as a Smackdown game it would have been the 14th in the series but the name was dropped for the much more simple WWE 12. It wasn't just a change in name as gameplay was also overhauled along with a whole new game engine. The new engine allowed for even better looking character models and animations than before. A new control system made strikes and grapples easier with one-button presses that changed depending on what way you were approaching your opponent. Attacking options were fine but defensively was where the game is somewhat let down. Reversals were reworked to make them even more difficult with the window of opportunity being smaller than ever. It did however offer more varied reversals though the chance to execute them was a lot less while computer AI were reversal geniuses. In fairness a small gripe. New, was a Dynamic Comeback that gave you the chance to come back if you could hit a combination of buttons and store yourself some finishers. It also added "Wake Up" taunts which you could use to automatically get in the right position for a finisher when using certain wrestlers. These included Randy Orton's RKO Stance, Edge's Spear set up and Shawn Michael's foot stomping Sweet Chin Music. Also was a new Breaking Point submission system. WWE Universe returned from before, now letting you change existing shows and add new ones branded under any logo you could create in game. The mode was improved to better draw the line between exhibition and Universe mode with universe mode no longer affecting what happens in exhibition. Road to Wrestlemania was back but was not as good as previous incarnations. Instead of multiple shorter storylines it now only featured one story taking place over 18 months. It was broken down into three different parts first as Sheamus then HHH and finally a created superstar called Jacob Cass (voiced by Austin Aries.) In fairness some of it was good. Sheamus starting his "United Kingdom" stable with William Regal, Wade Barrett and Drew McIntyre was a storyline that I'd welcome on real WWE TV. The variety was a let down though. If you weren't a particularly big fan of Triple H or Sheamus, your luck was out this year. WWE 12 was an attempt to revamp the series and while it did mix things up, it took a few annoying steps back. And again the online was terrible.