WWE '13

WWE '13 is the second game in the WWE series and the fifteenth overall in the combined series. It is the sequel to WWE '12, and will be released on October 30, 2012 in North America and November 2, 2012 in United Kingdom.

The game focuses on the Attitude Era of the WWE, replacing its Road to WrestleMania Mode with an Attitude Era Mode where the player plays through the Attitude Era. The game gives such characters as Stone Cold Steve Austin and elements as the Monday Night Wars a more important role in the game than in any previous WWE game.

Gameplay
WWE '13 will run on the game engine called, "Predator Technology 2.0," which succeeds the first version from WWE '12. The Predator Technology 2.0 game engine has been updated from the previous WWE games to allow for more fluid animations, with odd collisions and transitions having been fixed and updated, it also allows for over 300 new moves. Past problems have been fixed with a better weight detection system, contextual animations and automatic attack homing, to ensure that the character always strikes towards the enemy. The contextual animation system has been refined to ensure that it dynamically swaps out moves to make sure that the game is using the appropriate move animations at any given time and state. The weight detection system makes it so that small superstars such as Rey Mysterio are unable to lift larger wrestlers such as the Big Show. Thus, the contextual animations ensure that more appropriate attacks are put in the superstar's normal moveset. The game's new homing system is designed that when doing high flying moves, a player will hit the intended target with better precision. The homing system also tracks tables so that they will be better detected when doing grapples on a ladder in TLC and Ladder matches.

The game is the first to feature Spectacular Moments, also known as "OMG! Moments." This feature allows players to perform ring breaks, barricade breaks, announce table breaks, and catching (mid-air) finishers. The Predator Technology engine has been further updated to include an enhanced audio engine, dubbed WWE Live. Instead of chanting pre-recorded in a warehouse as done in previous WWE games, WWE Live features chanting recorded from live WWE events. To make the audio more authentic, WWE Live features more crowd participation, with the crowd's chants, cheering and booing being dependent on the situation occuring in the match. Divas matches have also been updated, with up to six Divas, created and original, being able to compete simultaneously in the ring, a feature absent for many years. WWE '13 will also feature WWE Universe 3.0, which was also further updated to allow the player to edit schedules, television shows, rosters, as well as creating alliances or feuds between several wrestlers.

Attitude Era Mode
New to the series and replacing the Road to Wrestlemania Mode is the game's Attitude Era Mode, which acts as a season mode of sorts for the game. Although the Monday Night Wars will be present, World Championship Wrestling will be minimally present. To ensure that players get the full experience of the Attitude Era, they are given 35 of the Attitude Era's top superstars and over 60 cutscenes detailing aspects of the Era. To fill in the gaps and storylines necessary to understand a feud or match's context, THQ worked with WWE editors to produce 20 video packages. Other major elements, like WCW, will be given a few nods and mentions through the way of a ratings chart that follows the player through the mode as they progress and shows them the changing ratings. Due to this, during the Monday Night Wars, players will play through only the WWE's side of the Wars when the brand was losing to WCW in ratings and display how the WWE forced it's way back up in ratings to become the sole juggernaut in wrestling entertainment. Smaller details, such as entrances, arenas and television graphics from the Attitude Era too have been recreated.

In addition to this, playing through the mode and its bonus options allows the players to unlock over 100 unlockable items. Commentary from the Attitude Era, which featured Jerry Lawler alongside Jim Ross, too will be present, with the Attitude Era Mode being the only mode in the entire game to feature Ross' commentary, though Lawler is present in Exhibition and Universe modes alongside Michael Cole.

Through a season of 65 matches spread out over a 2 year season, the Attitude Era Mode allows players to play through a variety of storylines, in turn, the player will switch superstars as they complete storylines, hence the mode is divided into chapters of varying lengths. Within the chapters, players are given a chance to play through the eight different characters or entities of The Rock, Steve Austin, Mick Foley, D-Generation-X, Kane, The Undertaker and Bret Hart. These chapters have been given the titles, the Rise of DX, Austin 3:16, the Brothers of Destruction, The Great One, Mankind and WrestleMania XV. In sync with the game's video packages, the player will not play through every match in the Austin-Rock feud, but will understand why the two fought against each other.

Create Modes
The game once again features Create Modes, in which the player can create their own superstar or diva, finisher, storyline and moveset. Returning from WWE '12 is the ability for the player to be able to create his or her own arena. This mode has been expanded, allowing the player to create his or her own stadium. Players can change the ramps, entrance platforms and Titantrons with designs featured in WWE from its past and present, featuring the original Smackdown Logo as well as the Raw is War logo, all of which, are customizable.

Austin 3:16 Collector's Edition
On July 16, 2012, THQ announced that there would be an "Austin 3:16" Collector's Edition of WWE '13, which is only available by pre-order for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in North America. Also, pre-orders for the PlayStation 3 in North America will include Disc 3 of "Stone Cold Steve Austin: The Bottom Line on the Most Popular Superstar of All Time." In contrast, pre-orders for the Xbox 360 in North America will include Disc 4, as well as for pre-orders for both systems in Europe and Australia.