Gameplay Tactics

This section breaks down not only the tactics you can use to tally wins in the ring right away, but also the specifics behind the matches, and how the outcomes of successful moves are formulaically calculated by the game’s software.

WWE ’12 is designed to be host to strategic matches that have interactive environments and vast technical options—each Superstar has a Move-Set of 160 moves!

Fully understanding all you can do in the ring and how to maximize the punishment you dole out will turn you from a button-mashing novice to a WWE Superstar.

Gameplay Tactics

These tactics will help you move and manipulate your character to pull off efficient wins. This section is about understanding tactically what moves to pull off when, offensively and defensively.

Using Run

Running is a great way to catch an opponent off guard offensively and also to take yourself out of striking range defensively.

Running strikes and grapples are easily reversed by experienced players, but using some of the more complex running attacks will keep a human opponent guessing and score damage to specific parts.

Time when your opponent stands up and hit them with a running grapple (Bulldogs and Float Over DDTs are common to damage the head); you’ll take them back down to the mat immediately to maintain control.

Running attacks can be extended to opponents you’ve whipped out of the ring, like this vaulting body press from CM Punk. It’s a bit of a gamble, but with a 1.5× multiplier for out-of-ring attack damage, it’s worth it. Hit ’em while they’re down.

Give ’Em a Pick-Me-Up

When you slam your opponents to the ground or strike them down to the mat, use the right analog stick to pick them up. Even if they start to get up, use this move to put yourself in position to continue the barrage.

Flicking the stick up pulls the opponent up to face you. Flicking down pulls them up with you behind.

If You’re Not Reversing, You’re Not Playing!

Understanding and getting a solid feel for the reversal timing in WWE ’12 is crucial. Even if you take control early against the AI or a human opponent, there are built-in ways for characters to escape and gain some level of advantage on even a dominating opponent.

To combat the out-and-out “perfect” whuppings that have plagued noob players over the years, the WWE franchise has incorporated some fairly straightforward abilities like Comeback and Ring Escape to help level the playing field.

But here, we are going to address improving your skills as a gamer when we talk about reversals. Get a solid grasp on reversals and you can own your opponent.

Reversals are a key component to winning in the ring. Many factors come into play for a successful reversal: Superstar attributes, damage taken, game difficulty settings, and of course your ability to press the button in this timeframe.

Performing a successful reversal is essentially you as the player pressing the reversal button while the reversal timeframe is open. When your opponent strikes at you or attempts a grapple or Irish Whip, you have a certain amount of time to reverse the attack.

The maximum time for a fresh, unhurt Superstar with strong defense attributes is roughly a quarter of a second. As the match clock wears on and you take damage, the time allowed for successful reversals gets shorter.

However, regardless of damage there is always at least a slight opportunity to reverse an attack; the reversal timeframe never slams shut all the way.

We found that some reversals tend to be easier out of the box than others. Often it is easier for human players to visually anticipate a strike or kick from an approaching AI than a chain grapple from a hold that is more about “feel” and experience.

After three reversals go back and forth from the initial strike or grapple, the Superstars push off and revert to a neutral state. Here is a breakdown of the factors that make up the formula for how long you have to reverse when your opponent attacks.

Superstar Attributes

To understand reversing an opponent’s strike or grapple, look at your Superstar’s defense attributes for both grapples and strikes.

Damage Taken

After having taken quite a bit of damage, your timeframe to execute a reversal sees a significant drop. If your forehead starts bleeding, it shortens even more.

Game Difficulty and Sliders

There are four levels of difficulty: Easy, Normal, Hard, and Legend. But for even more control, play with the sliders under the Options menu to adjust the difficulty of each specific reversal. Sliding the bar all the way to right will open up more time for a reversal in that situation.