THQ Expect much more fluid gameplay in "WWE 12" thanks to the new animation system. Expect much more fluid gameplay in "WWE 12" thanks to the new animation system.

It's tough to keep Little Jimmy happy. As a WWE fan/gamer, he's been playing the "WWE Smackdown" series for over a decade now, and even though the game has made some great strides in terms of fan creation and finally delivering on an online Royal Rumble, the engine that was driving the franchise was still too clunky for Little Jimmy to ever really feel like he was a virtual Fruity Pebble version of his hero, John Cena.

But all the Little Jimmy's of the WWE Universe can rise and cheer, as WWE video game publisher THQ has not only rebranded their game "WWE 12," but they've completely gutted the engine in favor of a faster, more responsive, smoother experience that was already noticeable on the E3 show floor.

A perfect example is a cyber match between Alberto Del Rio and The Miz. When Del Rio clobbered Miz and "The Awesome One" fell towards the ropes, his limbs didn't just warp right through the Sisal. Instead, you saw Miz's head and arms bounce off the bottom rope after a rough landing.

"That was something that always took you out of the experience in years past, but our collision system has been greatly improved," explained "WWE 12's" creative director, Cory Ledesma as he demoed the game for me at the E3 video game convention in Los Angeles. "We have actual rope and ring physics now, so the ring bounces, the ropes shake, and now when a character falls, the new animation and collision systems take over and when they hit something, you'll actually see them hit it. Little things like this really help make everything feel so much more alive."

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