Parent's Guide: Smackdown vs Raw 2011 - Age rating, mature content and difficulty

With an impressively deep creation centre, WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2011 is a great way to let your children test their creativity. From the shape, size, and facial features of their wrestlers, to the clothes they wear, your child can edit everything - even designing their own pattern, or logos to go with their clothing! It really is a great way for kids to experiment with art in a way that's interesting, and, most importantly, fun!

If you're interested in multiplayer, tag team contests are also a great way of developing a child's teamwork, as they need to both share the time in the ring, and be there for their partner if they want to pick up the win.

Sticking true to the popular WWE TV show, pretty much anything you may see on TV can be recreated in the game, from standard wrestling moves and submissions all the way through to throwing your opponent off the top of the giant Hell in a Cell structure, or hitting each other with folded steel chairs, tables, guitars, time-keeping bells, and championship belts, amongst other objects - although they're only allowed and within the rules of a match in a no-disqualification contest. In cage, and hell in a cell matches, you can throw your opponent into the steel mesh, and, in contests like Inferno match, the objective is to throw your opponent into the fire - and both men and women can take part in this. Blood does sometimes feature in matches, and some of the taunts (like slapping your own buttocks, or seductively dancing) could be classed as sexually suggestive, while others are more crass (the Stone Cold standard taunt of "flipping the bird")

As stated in the review, though, women are strictly forbidden from appearing in any match where male on female violence would be allowed - much to the chagrin of any female players who want to tangle with the men!

With WWE Universe mode leading the charge, WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2011 is great for family play. Make your own characters, form an alliance, and lead the charge on the WWE. If you all want to be on the same team, in the same match, you'll be quite limited, as you can only have 3 on 3 tag team contests, but splitting into separate teams, and gunning for different titles is a great way to keep everyone involved - although it would be nice if you could have a singles match, with three or four managers at ringside, ensuring everyone can get involved.

Even if you don't pay all that much attention to the happenings in WWE Universe mode, Smackdown vs Raw 2011 is great in multiplayer, with a range of options, settings, matches, characters, and replay options that'll have you grinning from ear to ear for weeks to come.

Age Ratings

Format Reviewed: Xbox 360