The problem in reviewing a title such as ‘WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2011’ is the glaring reality that it’s intended primarily for hardcore fans…and those alone. As the Series evolved over the years, primary emphases shifted in tandem toward maximizing licenses, audio-visual components and character models to feed the insatiable beast of recreating one’s favorite matches and/or syndicated WWE TV runs. (This sucker is bursting with goodies, mind you, including a slew of online features and character downloads. )

Of course, Smackdown is anything but alone in this regard. Even the highly regarded – and currently bestselling – NBA 2K series, one might argue, differs little over the past 3 years other than some updated branding and playable character selections.There is something to be said about, "if it ‘aint broke, don’t fix it."

Still, static core elements can only go so far. While I grew up a Hulk-a-Maniac, I approached this review now a rasslin’ outsider, wondering if there’s some substantive twist to the 2011 iteration capable of stoking whims of the non-WWE obsessed.

Unfortunately…the answer is ‘no.’ Smackdown vs. Raw 2011 goes out of its way to recreate the TV experience, with fantastic introductions, signature moves, and lots of blasts to the past. Several hours in, however, I found that sans this caveat, there was little draw to inspire a quest for wrestling belt bliss. Watching Triple H dramatically enter a Royal Rumble was simply not enough.

Controls were sluggish, the Havok physics engine unresponsive, and reversals more button mash than strategy. Mastering the game was eerily quick, as I pulled off a conventional match and Royal Rumble victory almost from the get-go. Lots of square button strikes, right stick combos, and circle-driven Irish whips, and victory was a bit too easy to come by. More exotic match options – fighting with Divas, ladder matches, inferno modes – did little to stand out nor change outcomes.

While I hate to compare apples to kumquats, it’s inevitable to pair Smackdown vs. Raw 2011 with THQ’s other fighting franchise, that being the UFC. Likewise coming to that series a genre newbie, I instead discovered a very robust engine and complex gameplay dynamic. Sure, I had no idea who the hell ‘The Iceman’ was nor what a ¾ mount entailed, but UFC Undisputed still emerged as one solid next-gen title. Yes, yes: I know full well the expectations and limitations of a WWE versus UFC license. Still, the gap in playability between two is chasm wide.

One standout of Smackdown vs. Raw 2011, however, was its new ‘WWE Universe’ dynamic, a clever live engine which responds to player progress via alliance updates, plot developments and related soap operas that are the WWE world. Perhaps the greatest aspect of this mode is in its ingenuity. Watching an entire single player gameplay experience intelligently adapt to interactive elements definitely opened eyes. Smackdown vs. Raw 2011 does this quite well, an almost domino effect which impacts nearly every other fighter in the roster database. One can only hope THQ adapts this system to other franchises under its title belt.

Outside of Universe mode, expect lots of Smackdown regulars including Wrestlemania and/or Championship tournaments, group fighting events, steel cage matches, and other series mainstays. Not much has changed here…but again…series veterans and/or WWE obsessives probably prefer it that way.

Simply put, WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2011 is not a bad title, but one definitely intended for those to whom walk-up music and/or very precise finishing moves dictates to a legitimate wrestling experience. Outsiders (cough cough) will probably enjoy button mashing with their John Cena-loving friends, but find little else to draw them into the Series’ 12^th title. 3 stars for newbs, 3.5-4 for series/WWE vets.