5 Things to Improve on in WWE '12

Most WWE fans will agree that WWE Smackdown Vs. Raw 2011 was a tremendous leap forward from the games in previous years. We saw "WWE Universe Mode" for the first time, stronger online gameplay, the online portal for uploading and downloading user created material, as well as many smaller additions.

Though this game was a major improvement (not that I didn't enjoy the previous Smackdown vs. Raw games) from past games, it was still very flawed. This year, we will see a brand new game, WWE 12'. WWE has promised many new features for this game.

Here is what I believe will make the game an improvement from Smackdown vs. Raw 2011.

5. Road to WrestleMania

For the first time last year, we were able to venture backstage in "Road To WrestleMania" mode. I was extremely excited about this, but was let down after playing the game.It was their first attempt at this, so I know it will take some time to perfect, but backstage was very one-dimensional.

Instead of it being pleasurable, I found myself just wanting to skip to the matches and scenes. I'm sure next year this problem will be corrected, adding more depth to "Road to WrestleMania." A few more storylines wouldn't hurt, either...

4. Difficulty (Or Lack There Of)

I'm sure many other players experienced the same problem that I did. Even on legendary, after only a few days, you were able to win in a matter of seconds. Yoshi Tatsu could pin John Cena seconds after the match began!

This problem was especially noticeable with prematch attacks. You would randomly attack your opponent before the match, then all you had to do is press one button and you would have the match won.

For those people who say, "then don't pin them right away, if it's that easy." I say why play the game if you're not going to play completely. WWE should give us a challenge in WWE 12' for a change.

3. Story Designer

I know not many people have ventured into the WWE Story Designer mode, but it is actually full of potential. The only problem is, it's too complicated and time consuming.

Creating storylines using branches becomes extremely messy, and prevents this mode from truly taking off. The commentary option and mid-match interruptions are genius, but like most things in this game, it's flawed.

I'm not sure if the WWE will improve this mode in WWE 12', as they seem to not care for it after it's minimal attention in SVR 2011. If they do improve it, it will just add to what should already be a major success.

2. Online Play

Not that last year's online gameplay wasn't improved, it just wasn't improved enough. The lag was extremely annoying, and it made winning matches very difficult.

Also, it was hard to enter larger matches, such as Elimination Chambers and Royal Rumbles. I hope the WWE fixes this problem with WWE 12', a problem that caused WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2011 to be less of a triumph.

1. WWE Universe Mode

In my opinion, the greatest addition to last year's game was "WWE Universe Mode." "WWE Universe Mode" provided us with an addictive, deep, creative mode. The only problem was it wasn't deep enough. After a while, you began seeing the same cut scenes over again, playing in the same types of matches and replaying PPVs that haven't even been active since 2009.

The WWE promises us more depth in this years game, and I hope they keep their promise. A mode where the PPVs are up to date, the types of matches change and you don't see the same scene every six matches. I'm confident that the WWE will give us what we're asking for, and provide us with another exciting game.