WWE 12 has earned kudos for its gameplay, but THQ finds itself plagued with a long running problem: online play. Despite its purchase of dedicated servers, getting online still proves problematic. The Community Creations portion of the game, which allows users to add wrestlers, arenas and other things they’ve designed has been working sporadically as well.

Lucha libre tradition is the stuff of legend in pro wrestling and WWE embraces it with superstars including Rey Mysterio, Jr.

One of the company’s hottest properties right now is CMLL star Mistico, who wrestles for WWE as the masked man Sin Cara. He’s currently embroiled in a staple storyline of wrestling: Battling an impostor. THQ has confirmed that retailers in Mexico will get a special WWE 12 cover featuring Sin Cara.

Don’t panic if you want the cover and are nowhere near Mexico, you do not have to plan a road trip. THQ will make the cover downloadable for those who want to support their favorite high-flying man of mystery.

Though he hasn’t competed in WWE for several years, Brock Lesnar will always be identified with wrestling to some extent. It’s a connection he doesn’t mind, and as proof he will return to the virtual ring in THQ’s WWE 12. Lesnar joins a roster including current superstars such as John Cena and Randy Orton, as well as legends including The Rock. Lesnar told ESPN’s Jon Robinson there’s still mutual respect between him and the WWE. By approaching him, WWE acknowledges his still large popularity among wrestling faithful. By agreeing to appear in the game, Lesnar shows that while he’s a UFC star, he hasn’t forgotten his roots. It’s also a great way for him to keep his name in the public eye. After a couple of bouts with diverticulitis, he hasn’t been able to stay very active on the mixed martial arts circuit.

THQ and the WWE took a different approach to its traditional wrestling games by releasing WWE All Stars earlier this year. WWE All Stars was completely different from the more realistic approach of Smackdown vs. Raw. For the most part, fans responded to All Stars positively due to its stylized animations and (literally) larger than life characters. In 2012, THQ and the WWE will continue with the same over-the-top wrestling style with WWE Brawl.

Wrestling fans are incredibly passionate about their love for the show. The same is true of gamers. Combine the two and THQ staff knows the pressure they are under to create compelling product.

The publisher’s revamp of its long running Smackdown vs Raw series isn’t just marketing but an admission that the wrestling sim needed to upgrade. THQ is taking the message straight to the WWE Universe and hosted a demo on Justin.tv THQ is taking player feedback into account because they are the toughest and most observant critics around. For example, it was player feedback that reminded THQ Randy Orton performs his “punt kick” signature move with his right foot. His in-game counterpart switched feet depending on his ring position.

THQ is doing an overhaul of its long-running wrestling game series, dropping the Smackdown vs Raw name. The game has carried that branding since 2004, when the battle between the WWE’s two most popular shows was a major part of storylines. Both shows have their own separate rosters and sets of champions, WWE superstars (particularly the more popular ones) seem to go between shows as they please. The two brands are discussed and promoted by the commentators, but don’t factor into as many stories these days.

PlayStation Network’s problems will have many far-reaching effects but the timing couldn’t have been worse for THQ as two of its big experiments were caught right in the middle of the PSN outage.

MX vs ATV Alive was the first THQ game to try a $39.99 price point, about $20 cheaper than more new PS3 and Xbox 360 games. THQ execs reasoned that if the game itself were cheaper, players might be more likely to spend money on downloadable content. Thanks to the PSN outage, it will be hard for THQ to get accurate data from the PS3 side.

The lengthy outage left consumers unable to download content or play the game online. Things are getting back to normal but THQ has no way to know what its early PS3 online environment would have been like. THQ wasn’t the only company looking to that data. The publisher attracted a lot of attention and both insiders to gamers want to see what will happen. If MX vs ATV Alive doesn’t do well for reasons that aren’t THQ’s fault, it could end a price structure customers would love to see take hold.

WWE superstars are famous for elaborate entrances, even if they sometimes make you wait a bit to see them. The long-awaited downloadable content for the Xbox 360 version of WWE All-Stars went live April 28, 2011. This included the Million Dollar Pack containing “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase and Ted DiBiase Jr. That DLC was a pre-order for those who bought the latest WWE brawler from GameStop, but was delayed due to some technical issues. WWE Legend The Honky Tonk Man is also available as a free download.

THQ has encountered serious delays with its Xbox 360 downloadable content for wrestling game WWE All-Stars. Customers who pre-ordered at GameStop received a code to download WWE Hall of Famer The “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase and his son, current WWE superstar Ted DiBiase. Receipts for those pre-orders came with a message that the DLC had been delayed until April 19, 2011. Pre-order bonuses used to consist of things such as in-game weapons or new character skins. As retailers jockey to get more business, pre-order DLC has evolved into things such as special missions or secret characters. Because the bonuses are getting bigger and better, players are getting more upset when there are problems.

WWE All-Stars is an arcade sports entertainment title in the style of NBA Jam or NFL Blitz. So it only makes sense that there would be some hidden Easter Egg inside there, waiting for truly dedicated players to unlock it.

In an interview with XboxAddict, All-Stars lead designer Sal DiVita confirmed the existence of a secret character he said hasn’t been revealed or unlocked by anyone. He wouldn’t give further details.