''WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011'' (also shortened to ''WWE SvR 2011'' or ''SVR 11'') is a

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

video game developed by

Yuke's Yuke's Co. Ltd. is a Japanese video game developer based in Osaka. It was established on 26 February 1993 by Yukinori Taniguchi. The company is best known for developing the ''WWE 2K, WWE'' video game series, based on the professional wrestling ...

and published by

THQ THQ Inc. was an American video game company based in Agoura Hills, California. It was founded in April 1990 by Jack Friedman, originally in Calabasas, and became a public company the following year through a reverse merger takeover. Initial ...

for

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...

(PS2),

PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on Novemb ...

(PS3),

PlayStation Portable The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PAL regions on September 1, 2005, ...

(PSP),

Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation ...

, and

Wii The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America and in December 2006 for most other Regional lockout, regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major ho ...

systems. It was released on October 26, 2010 in North America, October 28 in Australia, October 29 in Europe, and February 3, 2011 in Japan for the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions. A demo version of the game was released in Japan for Xbox 360 in early February 2011. The game is the twelfth overall installment in the series, the successor to '' SmackDown vs. Raw 2010'', as well as the seventh and last game to be released under the '' SmackDown vs. Raw'' name; which is based on the

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...

professional wrestling promotion A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling that has little relationship to the rules of the amateur olympic form. "Promotion" also describes a role which entails man ...

and its

Raw Raw is an adjective usually describing: * Raw materials, basic materials from which products are manufactured or made * Raw food, uncooked food Raw or RAW may also refer to: Computing and electronics * .RAW, a proprietary mass spectrometry dat ...

and

SmackDown ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that as of currently airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Fox Deportes simulc ...

brands A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...

. ''SmackDown vs. Raw 2011'' would be succeeded by ''

WWE '12 ''WWE '12'' is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by THQ for PlayStation 3, Wii and Xbox 360. It was released on November 22, 2011, in North America, November 25 in Europe, and on January 26, 2012, in Japan. ...

'' in 2011.

Gameplay

One of the main changes in the game is the incorporation of a new physics system that allows objects to be used more realistically, such as objects involved in the Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match. Tables now break differently depending on the impact placed upon them. Inside and outside the ring, ladders can now be rested onto the ring ropes and be broken in half. For the first time since the original ''

WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw ''WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw'' (subtitled ''Exciting Pro Wrestling 6'' in Japan) is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by THQ for the PlayStation 2 on November 2, 2004 in North America. It is the sixth installment ...

'' game, chairs can be thrown at the player's opponents. The

Hell in a Cell Hell in a Cell is a professional wrestling steel cage-based match which originated in 1997 in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It features a large cell structure, a five-sided cuboid made from open-weave steel mesh chain-link fenci ...

match was revamped with expanded cell walls, weapons underneath the ring, steel steps near the poles, and the removal of the cell door. In addition, new ways to exit the cell were introduced, such as barreling through the cage wall. This game was also the last to feature

Batista Batista is a Spanish language, Spanish or Portuguese language, Portuguese surname. Notable persons with the name include: * Batista (footballer, born 1955), Brazilian football player * Dave Bautista, American actor and professional wrestler, also ...

and

Shawn Michaels Michael Shawn Hickenbottom (born July 22, 1965), better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE as Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative. Widely regarded as one of ...

as non-legends or unlockables until the release of later installments of the game.

WWE Universe

The game's new "WWE Universe" builds storylines, and integrates cut scenes and rivalries between wrestlers based on the matches that are wrestled. These cut scenes appear randomly before, during, and after the match. The game features more than 100 cutscenes to push storylines, which can revolve around alliances, rivalries and titles, forward. The game reacts to the players actions and depending on the goal of the player's superstar, original or created, puts them in one of, or several, the top ten contenders lists for a specific title. However, one can only get into the contendership list depending on their rivalries, alliances, match types and most importantly, win–loss ratio.

Road to WrestleMania

Road to WrestleMania mode has been modified to include new features such as backstage roaming, mini-quests, and further interaction with other Superstars. Playable storylines involve

Rey Mysterio Óscar Gutiérrez (born December 11, 1974), better known by his ring name Rey Mysterio, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand. Widely regarded as one of the greatest profes ...

John Cena John Felix Anthony Cena ( ; born April 23, 1977) is an American part-time professional wrestler, actor, and former rapper. He is currently signed to WWE. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he is tied w ...

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

, and

Chris Jericho Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler and singer. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the leader of the Jeri ...

. Along with that is the new storyline in which players choose

Kofi Kingston Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah (born August 14, 1981) is a Ghanaian-born American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Kofi Kingston. He appeared on WWE's NXT brand as one-hal ...

, John Morrison,

Dolph Ziggler Nicholas Theodore Nemeth (born July 27, 1980) is an American professional wrestler and stand-up comedian. He is currently signed to WWE under the ring name Dolph Ziggler, where he performs on the Raw brand. After a prolific career in amateur ...

R-Truth Ronnie Aaron Killings (born January 19, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and rapper. He is currently signed to WWE, performing on the Raw brand under the ring name R-Truth. Killings worked for World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WW ...

, or a created superstar in a quest to end

The Undertaker Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1965), better known by the ring name The Undertaker, is an American retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Calaway spent the vast majority ...

's undefeated WrestleMania Streak. Like previous iterations, the game features several storylines starting during the card leading to the

Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after the Royal Rumble match, a modified battle roya ...

, a time period dubbed the Road to WrestleMania (

WrestleMania XXVI WrestleMania XXVI (also written as WrestleMania 26) was the 26th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown ...

Create modes

The Create A Superstar mode now includes pre-loaded attribute points for created superstars, while in Create A Finisher mode, a new finisher position is the "Corner", in which finishers can be created in corner position (Cannot be used during the

Royal Rumble match The Royal Rumble match is a professional wrestling match based on the classic Battle Royal match in which a number of wrestlers (traditionally 30) aim at eliminating their competitors by tossing them over the top rope, with both feet touching the ...

). Also attributes such as speed and trajectory can now be modified by single increments rather than 25% increments. The number of available created finishers has been expanded to 130 as well. Online mode also returns – each new copy of the game contains an Online Pass allowing one user to play the game online for free. Players who rent or purchase the game used will obtain a trial of Online Pass. A new feature called "Match Creator" allows players to create new match types. In addition, Story Designer mode now has new

cutscene A cutscene or event scene (sometimes in-game cinematic or in-game movie) is a sequence in a video game that is not interactive, interrupting the gameplay. Such scenes are used to show conversations between characters, set the mood, reward the ...

s, usable sound clips from

announcers An announcer is a voice artist who relays information to the audience of a broadcast media programme or live event. Television and other media Some announcers work in television production, radio or filmmaking, usually providing narrations, ...

and wrestler

entrance music Entrance music (also known as an entry theme or walk-on music) is a musical piece or song that is played for athletes or entertainers when they first appear in front of the spectators before beginning a performance. Popular music acts may have rec ...

, support for up to fifteen created superstars, ' branching' story paths depending on which character won the match and the ability to include championship belts in cutscenes and event triggers based on a wrestler reaching a certain state.

Development

''WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011'' was first announced along with ''

WWE All Stars ''WWE All Stars'' is a professional wrestling video game published by THQ and developed by THQ San Diego for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 systems and Subdued Software for the PlayStation Portable, Wii, Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation 2 systems. ...

'' at E3 in June 2010 by THQ. A playable demo was featured at E3 with

Randy Orton Randal Keith Orton (born April 1, 1980) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and actor who is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw brand but is currently out of action due to a back injury. H ...

, and

The Miz Michael Gregory Mizanin (born October 8, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, actor, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name The Miz. Mizanin first gained fame a ...

as playable characters. Special editions of the game featuring The Undertaker, Bret Hart and Randy Orton were released in PAL regions, each offering exclusive in-game content, an art book and DVD relating to each wrestler. Various retailers offered in-game bonuses include a playable

Bret Hart Bret Hart (born July 2, 1957) is a Canadian-American retired professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE under a legend's contract. A member of the Hart wrestling family and a second-generation wrestler, he has an amateur wrestling backgr ...

, The Undertaker's alternate

Ministry of Darkness The Ministry of Darkness was a villainous professional wrestling stable in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1999. Led by The Undertaker, the Ministry was a controversial group with pseudo-witchcraft-themed storylines that included rituals ...

attire, three alternate outfits for Randy Orton and the

WWE Tribute to the Troops ''WWE Tribute to the Troops'' is an American annual professional wrestling event held by WWE and Armed Forces Entertainment. Since 2003, the show airs as a television special during the month of December (specifically during the holiday season), ...

arena. Three

downloadable content Downloadable content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can either be added for no extra cost or it can be a form of video game monetization, enablin ...

packs have been confirmed. The first pack, "Online Axxess" was available at release and adds playable character

Chris Masters Christopher Todd Mordetzky (born January 8, 1983) is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) under the ring name Chris Adonis as a member of Strictly Business. He is a former two-time National ...

, Halloween-themed attires for

Kelly Kelly Barbara Blank Coba (born Barbara Jean Blank; January 15, 1987), known professionally as Barbie Blank and by her ring name Kelly Kelly, is an American professional wrestler and model. Blank has a background in gymnastics and cheerleading, an ...

and

and online multiplayer mode. The second pack was released in North America and United Kingdom on December 21, 2010. This pack contains the playable characters British Bulldog,

Lex Luger Lawrence Wendell Pfohl (born June 2, 1958), better known by the ring name Lex Luger, is an American retired professional wrestler, bodybuilder, and football player. In 2011 he began working with WWE on its wellness policy. He is best known for ...

Layla "Layla" is a song written by Eric Clapton and Jim Gordon, originally recorded by Derek and the Dominos, as the thirteenth track from their only studio album, ''Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs'' (1970). Its contrasting movements were compose ...

and

Nexus NEXUS is a joint Canada Border Services Agency and U.S. Customs and Border Protection-operated Trusted Traveler and Border control#Expedited border controls, expedited border control program designed for pre-approved, low-risk travelers. Members ...

members

Wade Barrett Stuart Alexander Bennett (born 10 August 1980) is an English-American professional wrestling commentator, actor, and former professional wrestler who holds both British and American citizenship. He is currently signed to WWE, where he is a colo ...

David Otunga David Daniel Otunga''Lawyer ' (born April 7, 1980) is an American actor and former professional wrestler. Otunga is best known for his time working with WWE. He was the runner-up on the first season of ''NXT''. He is also an original member of ...

, and

Justin Gabriel Phillip Paul Lloyd (born 3 March 1981) is a South African-American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE, under the ring name Justin Gabriel. He is currently wrestling under the ring name P. J. Black. A second-generation ...

along with alternate attires for

Shad Gaspard Shad Javier Gaspard (January 13, 1981 – May 17, 2020) was an American professional wrestler and actor. He was best known for his time with WWE, where he performed under his real name, or mononymously as Shad. Gaspard signed with World Wrestli ...

and

and the

NXT NXT may refer to: Professional wrestling * ''WWE NXT'', a professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that began in 2010 ** NXT (WWE brand), WWE's Florida-based brand and former developmental territory * ''NXT UK'', the British spin- ...

Arena. The third pack includes alternate attires for John Cena, The Undertaker,

Sheamus Stephen Farrelly (born 28 January 1978) is an Irish professional wrestler and actor. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Sheamus. Prior to joining WWE, he wrestled on the European indep ...

and

CM Punk Phillip Jack Brooks (born October 26, 1978), better known by the ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler, sports commentator, actor, and retired mixed martial artist currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Best known for ...

as well as the

WCW World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of Nationa ...

Nitro Nitro may refer to: Chemistry *Nitrogen, a chemical element and a gas except at very low temperatures, with which many compounds are formed: **Nitro compound, an organic compound containing one or more nitro functional groups, -NO2 **Nitroalkene, ...

Arena. THQ has offered players a package deal called "Fan Axxess" to purchase the last two content packs beforehand. On January 25, 2011,

was made available as a downloadable character for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions. He had previously been excluded from THQ's "Fan Axxess" package.

Reception

The game was met with positive to mixed reception upon release.

GameRankings GameRankings was a video gaming review aggregator that was founded in 1999 and owned by CBS Interactive. It indexed over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 video games. GameRankings was discontinued in December 2019, with its staff bei ...

and

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

gave it a score of 80% and 80 out of 100 for the PlayStation 2 version; 77.47% and 74 out of 100 for the PlayStation 3 version; 76.84% and 75 out of 100 for the Xbox 360 version; 74% and 72 out of 100 for the Wii version; and 60% and 62 out of 100 for the PSP version. Greg Miller of

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

gave the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game an eight out of ten. He praised the game's Universe Mode and the wrestler animations, but criticized the limitations of Road to WrestleMania mode and the inaccurate commentary. In addition, he stated that the grappling system could be "frustrating at times." Miller gave the Wii version of the game a 7.5 out of ten, however. He mentioned the same criticisms from the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions, but also criticized the graphics.

GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...

's Chris Watters rated the PS3 and X360 versions seven out of ten, lauding the game's customization options, while finding fault with the game's

collision detection Collision detection is the computational problem of detecting the intersection (Euclidean geometry), intersection of two or more objects. Collision detection is a classic issue of computational geometry and has applications in various computing ...

and the

lag Lag, or similar, may refer to: Lag * Łąg, Poland * Lag (company), a French guitar maker * Lag (cue sports), a brief pre-game competition to determine which player will go first * Latency (engineering), a slower response time in computing, commu ...

during online multiplayer games. He also claimed that the series was starting to "show its age." GameZone's William Haley criticized the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions for not progressing much beyond their predecessors, claiming that the game targeted the "

lowest common denominator In mathematics, the lowest common denominator or least common denominator (abbreviated LCD) is the lowest common multiple of the denominators of a set of fractions. It simplifies adding, subtracting, and comparing fractions. Description The low ...

." He called the WWE Universe feature, online multiplayer mode and creation tools "compelling", but also wrote that "the foundation upon which they are built is so decrepit that it completely invalidates the meager value this game has to offer." By September 2012, the game had sold 3.5 million copies.

References

External links

* {{Authority control PlayStation 2 games PlayStation 3 games PlayStation Portable games Xbox 360 games Wii games WWE Raw video games WWE SmackDown video games WWE video games 2010 video games THQ games Yuke's games Video games developed in Japan Video games with custom soundtrack support Multiplayer and single-player video games Professional wrestling games category:Video games set in Rhode Island category:Video games set in Chicago category:Video games set in New Orleans Video games set in California category:video games set in Philadelphia category:video games set in Los Angeles category:video games set in Montreal Video games set in New Jersey category:video games set in Pittsburgh Video games set in Washington, D.C. Video games set in Texas Video games set in Atlanta Video games set in St. Louis Video games set in Arizona

Gameplay

WWE Universe

Road to WrestleMania

Create modes

Development

Reception

See also

References

External links