Developers: Visual Concepts Publisher: 2K games
Platforms: Xbox series X, PS5, Windows
With Cody Rhodes finally finishing his story and WWE seeing a resurgence in popularity, 2K keeps the momentum going with another Slammy award worthy classic
They couldn’t do it again could they? A studio who, at least when it comes to sports games, is notorious for phoning it in (I’m looking at YOU NBA 2K) have pulled another very good wrassling game out of the hat.
Not unlike 2k23, this game does have its issues. However, 2K and Visual Concepts have managed to capitalize on the resurgence in the popularity of the WWE post TKO merger and given fans another stellar entry into the ever improving series.
The graphics are fantastic and gameplay loop satisfying enough to keep you coming back to do your daily grind in my faction or take on your friends in GM mode. Like any WWE game bugs are present but at the same time add to the games charm: refs slap your opponent’s face while counting the pin, hilarious animations when weapons are thrown against the ropes, and just overall chaos when more than 2 wrestlers are in the ring. None of these are game breaking though and often lead to more laughs than frustration.
Speaking of modes, the creation corner, as always is where this game truly shines. You can create any kind of wrestler imaginable, using clothes and props from all your old favourites. You can craft your own stable, make your own theme song, direct your own entrance and even choose the signs fans are waving. Creations by the community leave no stone unturned allowing you to download identical copies of your favourite superstars who have left the company: Edge, Jon Moxley, Jeff Hardy, Adam Cole, the list goes on. There is also plenty of non-wrestling pop culture legends to add a little spice to matches, you want a grudge match between Freddie and Jason, you can do it here. Want the whole crowd throwing up the bemused Kurt Angle meme, we have you covered.
The usual game modes have also made a return with: My G.M, My Universe, My Rise, Showcase and or course My Faction all returning.
G.M mode has staggering depth, allowing you to manage a weekly show and PLEs against up to three friends or a challenging CPU. You draft your initial superstars with your chosen budget, craft shows every week making sure to match correct styles as well as heels and babyfaces, upgrade production value and even make trades and sign free agents throughout the season. It is truly fantasy football for wrestling fans, only it allows you to mix older superstars and new, allowing you to make your dream show.
Universe mode is a lot simpler, allowing you to pick your favourite superstar, past or present, and simply play their role on the roster, perhaps better suited to players who simply want to fight without micro managing every aspect.
My Rise once again gives you the option to choose between a male and female superstar. Last year, the male story seemed more compelling (despite the horrendous nickname: The Lock) as you rose from the indies to the top of the card in WWE. This is perhaps why the female story grabbed my interest more this year, as it sort of mimicked this. You start on your own indie promotion in Las Vegas before working your way up. That’s not to say the men’s undisputed story was bad (apart from another horrendous nickname: The Dark Horse) but it just feels like you get too much too quick, as you go from NXT to the champion in literally 4 matches. It is an interesting play on finishing your story with cover star Cody being your end game much like Roman Reigns was his.
Both versions have a genuinely impressive contribution from the superstars like: Regal to Rhodes to The Miz to Finn Balor, everyone shows up and despite their lack of experience, the voice work is (mostly) passable, adding a real layer of immersion.
Showcase mode lacks the focus of last year but it allows for a real fleshing out of some of wrestling’s most iconic moments with Cory Graves doing a great job telling the story of each match with the help of some of the actual participants, which was a nice touch. I thought it may have been hard to have the same impact as John Cena giving you a play by play but this just emphasised that you could alternate between the two each year. If anything this mode will serve as a history lesson to some younger fans to give them some context behind some of the business’ biggest names, and help them understand why I loved The Rock so much…
Last up is My Faction, which unlike other modes has seen some regression along with progression. The new faction wars board game style mode is great, allowing you to unlock some of your favourite superstars early on. Weekly towers and Proving grounds both return and although both offer good rewards, Proving Ground is a massive grind to even get emerald players which you can attain elsewhere easily. Online play has added a ranked mode but I looked for a game maybe five times with no success, just as well I prefer single player. Live events are also brilliant to get quick packs, wrestlers and MT but it is also the most frustrating part of this mode. NO AUCTION HOUSE. Like NBA, it has been replaced with a player market where you can buy cards with earned MT or purchased VC. At first glance this may seem fair, however, one look at player odds in packs shows that this is done to urge the player to spend on VC. Promo packs often don’t even contain a player from said promo, and a good majority of Live events objectives REQUIRE promo players. With a pool of up to 30 players in each promo, packing the specific one you need becomes almost impossible, and buying them on the player market can cost up to five times the cost of a pack when bought with MT. You can easily survive and thrive with the cards earned playing but it is frustrating when a wrestler you love is in the Live Events section and you need to grind the game for a week to get enough MT or spend £30 to buy them with VC. A real downside to what is definitely my favourite game mode. You allow for superstars like Jade Cargill and CM Punk being hidden behind DLC paywalls as it is par for the course with sports games but this added layer of costs seems a little much.
Overall, WWE 2K24 is another step, albeit a small one, in the right direction for the franchise as 2K manages to give us consecutive very good to great wrestling games, something we haven’t seen since the Smackdown vs Raw heydays. A must have for any wrestling fan.
RM RECOMMENDS
Pros: Customisation on another level, engaging My Rise story, plenty of Live content to keep you coming back to My Faction, Impressively in depth GM mode
Cons: Occasional bugs, Key roster members as DLC, My Faction Live Events too reliant on spending money to acquire VC
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