not sure how much stock youse guys put into a review for a game that has been out one whole day but here we go
looks good, plays good. not all scans are created equal though (samoa joe, andré, i’m so sorry they did u like this)
controls are kind of a mash up of battlegrounds and 2k20, but it actually works pretty well and the action and flow of each match feel very good
finished the showcase mode too, which is a great introductory course to playing the game, but i wish they chose better matches to really showcase the star power of rey mysterio.
overall, i feel like fans that were strongly disappointed by 2k20 will be able to find at least a few things to love here.
looks good, plays good. not all scans are created equal though (samoa joe, andré, i’m so sorry they did u like this)
controls are kind of a mash up of battlegrounds and 2k20, but it actually works pretty well and the action and flow of each match feel very good
finished the showcase mode too, which is a great introductory course to playing the game, but i wish they chose better matches to really showcase the star power of rey mysterio.
overall, i feel like fans that were strongly disappointed by 2k20 will be able to find at least a few things to love here.
I never played 2K20, and I'm glad I didn't. So taking a year and a half long break is something the series needed for a long time. And after the build up, 2K22 is...pretty much the same as the past games (you know, without the crazy glitches of course).
I've always been a sucker for the earlier SvR games, but even then the series started to lose its momentum since 2009? 2010? Around there. I never played a lot of the newer WWE games, the closest being 2K16 from my knowledge. They weren't bad, just...different compared to the earlier PS2 games. 2K22 was supposed to "Hit Different" and, in a way, they didn't.
Like the past WWE games, we have your usual modes. Your MyRise, Showcase and Universe mode. But we also have the return of GM Mode! My favorite mode in the SvR series...and they ruined it.
The return of GM mode is the most disappointing of the bunch, only having two champions at your disposal as opposed to all champions on a show. It's super weak compared to its SvR counterpart. Here's hoping they'll release an update later down the road fixing this, or improve this in the next game.
2K22 isn't the next new SvR 2007, but it is a massive improvement over 2K20 (duh). The new control scheme, while weird at first, feels fine and graphically the game looks fine enough. And there is enough content here to keep you entertained. WWE fans will enjoy this game, even if some of the modes lack the same charm compared to its original counterparts.
I've always been a sucker for the earlier SvR games, but even then the series started to lose its momentum since 2009? 2010? Around there. I never played a lot of the newer WWE games, the closest being 2K16 from my knowledge. They weren't bad, just...different compared to the earlier PS2 games. 2K22 was supposed to "Hit Different" and, in a way, they didn't.
Like the past WWE games, we have your usual modes. Your MyRise, Showcase and Universe mode. But we also have the return of GM Mode! My favorite mode in the SvR series...and they ruined it.
The return of GM mode is the most disappointing of the bunch, only having two champions at your disposal as opposed to all champions on a show. It's super weak compared to its SvR counterpart. Here's hoping they'll release an update later down the road fixing this, or improve this in the next game.
2K22 isn't the next new SvR 2007, but it is a massive improvement over 2K20 (duh). The new control scheme, while weird at first, feels fine and graphically the game looks fine enough. And there is enough content here to keep you entertained. WWE fans will enjoy this game, even if some of the modes lack the same charm compared to its original counterparts.
WWE 2K22 definitely lives up to it's tagline: It Hits Different!
After nearly 3 years it is totally worth the wait. The gameplay is 10 times better, controls are a lot better with them paying homage to the PS2 era of WWE Games (GOLDEN DAYS!) and the graphics are the best they ever have been.
Online is broken right now due to the overwhelming servers that I can hardly go on Community Creations to look at custom wrestlers and arenas but hopefully they get fixed very soon.
GM Mode rocks! It is so good to see it back after 15 years and even though it doesn't have everything we wanted, being able to have your custom wrestler as a General Manager is so much fun!
Showcase is awesome! Rey Mysterio was the best choice for this year's showcase. A good variety of matches but I do wish they added his match from WrestleMania 22. (Where the hell is Kurt Angle?!)
MyRise? Honestly. Best MyCareer they have done so far. It's so good! They actually got it right this time. Looking forward to playing more of it.
Overall, this game is epic! The best 2K game in a very long time. They finally came out of autopilot and are steering this ship in the right path now. Hopefully now they just keep getting better every year. Go on, 2K! You can do it.
THQ would be so proud. 'sniff'.
After nearly 3 years it is totally worth the wait. The gameplay is 10 times better, controls are a lot better with them paying homage to the PS2 era of WWE Games (GOLDEN DAYS!) and the graphics are the best they ever have been.
Online is broken right now due to the overwhelming servers that I can hardly go on Community Creations to look at custom wrestlers and arenas but hopefully they get fixed very soon.
GM Mode rocks! It is so good to see it back after 15 years and even though it doesn't have everything we wanted, being able to have your custom wrestler as a General Manager is so much fun!
Showcase is awesome! Rey Mysterio was the best choice for this year's showcase. A good variety of matches but I do wish they added his match from WrestleMania 22. (Where the hell is Kurt Angle?!)
MyRise? Honestly. Best MyCareer they have done so far. It's so good! They actually got it right this time. Looking forward to playing more of it.
Overall, this game is epic! The best 2K game in a very long time. They finally came out of autopilot and are steering this ship in the right path now. Hopefully now they just keep getting better every year. Go on, 2K! You can do it.
THQ would be so proud. 'sniff'.
People are going to be mad when they find out I gave this game a much higher score than Elden Ring
Banger, While not as good as the THQ games its a step in that direction. The new gameplay mechanics are fantastic, the Showcase for Rey was amazing, MyRise stories were fun (Aside from the poor acting), and MyGM returning is hopeful but with lackluster options in it its disappointing.
Great Work 2K, don't get lazy again guys.
Great Work 2K, don't get lazy again guys.
MUCHO TEXTO
WWE 2K22 es la nueva entrega de la saga de simulación de lucha de WWE 2K. Tras el desastroso 2K20 la desarrolladora se veía con la tarea de rehacer el concepto y endulzar el sabor amargo de la entrega pasada.
Afortunadamente WWE 2K22 cumple con su cometido y nos trae un juego fresco con una jugabilidad dinámica y entretenida. En cuanto a modos de juego nos entregan el modo Showcase de rey mysterio, un modo carrera renovado de nombre My Rise, modo universo con una nueva modalidad de superestrella en solitario, el modo My Faction y algunas otras novedades.
La presentación, entradas, diseños de los luchadores, de títulos se ven increíbles y son un gran atractivo a la hora de jugar y crear tus propios combates. Las arenas se ven muy bien, son bastantes eso sí, y también tienes la posibilidad de poner el público virtual que había en la programación en 2020.
La jugabilidad es más frenética y divertida, la inteligencia artificial apuesta más por hacerte daño, hacer momentos extremos, sacar objetos del ring y demás. Mi problema parte con el sistema de sumisión, no hay oportunidad de salirte cuando tu resistencia es muy baja. En anteriores entregas (WWE 2k19) podías tener la resistencia muy baja pero había una pequeñísima posibilidad de salirte de la sumisión con un poco de habilidad y paciencia. Aquí no, por más que aprietes los botones no hay oportunidad de salirte ni para ti ni para el rival.
En cuanto a los modos de juegos me parecieron bien en general, creo que algunos estuvieron limitados pero abre puerta a que mejoren y los llenen de más novedades en futuras entregas.
El modo Showcase a pesar de no ser fan de este modo lo disfrute. Las recompensas que te dan valen mucho la pena y la historia me pareció entretenida. Algunos de los combates me parecieron algo repetitivos pero el juego te da muchas opciones de combos y movimientos para usar con Rey Mysterio quien es el protagonista de este Showcase. Es muy útil para adaptarte a la nueva jugabilidad, también el juego incluye un tutorial que es muy práctico.
El modo universo cuenta con el modo clásico de siempre y agrega una variante que es poder jugar el modo con una sola superestrella. El modo clásico está bien pero si siento que no está del todo pulido pero está bien dentro de lo que ofrece. El modo superestrella es una variante interesante del modo, permite elegir el camino de tu superestrella ya sea cambiar de marca, ir por un título, formar un tag team, iniciar una rivalidad. Sin embargo mi único problema es que no puedes simular combates, forzosamente tienes que jugar o espectar el combate lo cual hace que sea muy poco atractivo de jugar después de 2 o 3 combates.
Modo My Gm nos pone en los zapatos de un gerente general de un show de la WWE. Tendremos que montar el mejor show posible durante 15 a 52 semanas en contra del show rival. Para mi este modo fue una decepción, me faltaron muchas características del modo GM de la saga Smackdown vs Raw. Pero he de decir que aun así es entretenido de jugar pero para ocasiones muy contadas.
El modo My Faction no hablare mucho de él ya no que no estoy interesado en jugarlo pero consiste en formar tu equipo de luchadores tanto femeninos como masculinos para conseguir más y mejores cartas para tu equipo. Me dio aires del Ultimate Team de Fifa.
El modo My Rise considero que es el mejor modo de juego de esta entrega. Durante la promoción de 2k22 había mucho hype alrededor de novedades como el MyGM, My Faction, la jugabilidad entre otras. Afortunadamente My Rise resulto una sorpresa muy grata y para bien. El modo consiste en crear a tu propia superestrella de WWE y llevarla por las tres marcas de la empresa NXT, Smack Down y Raw. Tú eliges las historias, el background de tu personaje y si el rumbo que tomara será el de Un Heel o un Face.
Este modo me recordó mucho al Smackdown vs Raw cuando usaban al roster de luchadores para hacer sus propias historias ficticias que normalmente no estamos muy acostumbrados en televisión, sin hacer combates porque si como en WWE 2k15, ni tampoco todos la misma historia lineal como en WWE 2k19. No me malinterpreten el modo carrera de WWE 2k19 es muy bueno. Lo que quiero llegar con esto es que este modo te permite elegir tu propio rumbo y será difícil que sea exactamente el mismo que el de otro jugador.
En conclusión WWE 2k 22 es una gran adición a la saga 2k, muy recomendado para aquellos que nunca han probado un juego de WWE y para aquellos quienes han dejado estos juegos por un tiempo. Tiene aspectos por mejorar como un par de bugs que han solucionado, un par de modos de juego limitados pero un general una experiencia de juego divertida.
WWE 2K22 es la nueva entrega de la saga de simulación de lucha de WWE 2K. Tras el desastroso 2K20 la desarrolladora se veía con la tarea de rehacer el concepto y endulzar el sabor amargo de la entrega pasada.
Afortunadamente WWE 2K22 cumple con su cometido y nos trae un juego fresco con una jugabilidad dinámica y entretenida. En cuanto a modos de juego nos entregan el modo Showcase de rey mysterio, un modo carrera renovado de nombre My Rise, modo universo con una nueva modalidad de superestrella en solitario, el modo My Faction y algunas otras novedades.
La presentación, entradas, diseños de los luchadores, de títulos se ven increíbles y son un gran atractivo a la hora de jugar y crear tus propios combates. Las arenas se ven muy bien, son bastantes eso sí, y también tienes la posibilidad de poner el público virtual que había en la programación en 2020.
La jugabilidad es más frenética y divertida, la inteligencia artificial apuesta más por hacerte daño, hacer momentos extremos, sacar objetos del ring y demás. Mi problema parte con el sistema de sumisión, no hay oportunidad de salirte cuando tu resistencia es muy baja. En anteriores entregas (WWE 2k19) podías tener la resistencia muy baja pero había una pequeñísima posibilidad de salirte de la sumisión con un poco de habilidad y paciencia. Aquí no, por más que aprietes los botones no hay oportunidad de salirte ni para ti ni para el rival.
En cuanto a los modos de juegos me parecieron bien en general, creo que algunos estuvieron limitados pero abre puerta a que mejoren y los llenen de más novedades en futuras entregas.
El modo Showcase a pesar de no ser fan de este modo lo disfrute. Las recompensas que te dan valen mucho la pena y la historia me pareció entretenida. Algunos de los combates me parecieron algo repetitivos pero el juego te da muchas opciones de combos y movimientos para usar con Rey Mysterio quien es el protagonista de este Showcase. Es muy útil para adaptarte a la nueva jugabilidad, también el juego incluye un tutorial que es muy práctico.
El modo universo cuenta con el modo clásico de siempre y agrega una variante que es poder jugar el modo con una sola superestrella. El modo clásico está bien pero si siento que no está del todo pulido pero está bien dentro de lo que ofrece. El modo superestrella es una variante interesante del modo, permite elegir el camino de tu superestrella ya sea cambiar de marca, ir por un título, formar un tag team, iniciar una rivalidad. Sin embargo mi único problema es que no puedes simular combates, forzosamente tienes que jugar o espectar el combate lo cual hace que sea muy poco atractivo de jugar después de 2 o 3 combates.
Modo My Gm nos pone en los zapatos de un gerente general de un show de la WWE. Tendremos que montar el mejor show posible durante 15 a 52 semanas en contra del show rival. Para mi este modo fue una decepción, me faltaron muchas características del modo GM de la saga Smackdown vs Raw. Pero he de decir que aun así es entretenido de jugar pero para ocasiones muy contadas.
El modo My Faction no hablare mucho de él ya no que no estoy interesado en jugarlo pero consiste en formar tu equipo de luchadores tanto femeninos como masculinos para conseguir más y mejores cartas para tu equipo. Me dio aires del Ultimate Team de Fifa.
El modo My Rise considero que es el mejor modo de juego de esta entrega. Durante la promoción de 2k22 había mucho hype alrededor de novedades como el MyGM, My Faction, la jugabilidad entre otras. Afortunadamente My Rise resulto una sorpresa muy grata y para bien. El modo consiste en crear a tu propia superestrella de WWE y llevarla por las tres marcas de la empresa NXT, Smack Down y Raw. Tú eliges las historias, el background de tu personaje y si el rumbo que tomara será el de Un Heel o un Face.
Este modo me recordó mucho al Smackdown vs Raw cuando usaban al roster de luchadores para hacer sus propias historias ficticias que normalmente no estamos muy acostumbrados en televisión, sin hacer combates porque si como en WWE 2k15, ni tampoco todos la misma historia lineal como en WWE 2k19. No me malinterpreten el modo carrera de WWE 2k19 es muy bueno. Lo que quiero llegar con esto es que este modo te permite elegir tu propio rumbo y será difícil que sea exactamente el mismo que el de otro jugador.
En conclusión WWE 2k 22 es una gran adición a la saga 2k, muy recomendado para aquellos que nunca han probado un juego de WWE y para aquellos quienes han dejado estos juegos por un tiempo. Tiene aspectos por mejorar como un par de bugs que han solucionado, un par de modos de juego limitados pero un general una experiencia de juego divertida.
I've abstained from WWE games since SDVR 2011 due to seeing how much the 2K Era leaned into overcomplicated game play mechanics for the sake of "realism." So I'm very happy to say 2K22 feels very much like the arcade-y days of Smackdown vs. Raw 2007: Easy to play, tough to master.
Everything I could personally want from a WWE game is featured...just not ENOUGH of it. Rey Mysterio's career mode is really interesting, and the way the matches unfold through a blend of objective-based gameplay mixed with documentary style presentations is really cool. That said, a number of big moments in Rey's career are missing due to wrestlers that WWE don't have the rights to feature. It's a true shame Rey's Mania 22 match against Orton and Angle isn't playable, among other examples.
MyGM is back and I was SO HAPPY to be able to book fantasy shows again and play them out. However, there's a brutal lack of variety here. No secondary championships to book, no multi-man match types. It's just singles and tags until you finish.
MyRISE is a fun choose-your-own path story mode and I mostly enjoyed taking my created wrestler through several big career milestones. That said, the story options are not as open ended as presented. I went in desiring to be a career-long bad guy, but several story paths are locked behind a wall unless you accept an option to turn face. The story missions also lock you into mandatory match outcomes. SDVR 07 had enough story content to give you on-the-fly variations based on whatever choices you made 16 whole years ago, yet 2K22 feels stiff and restrictive in comparison.
These criticisms aside, the bulk of the game is still enjoyable enough that I never felt bored. Plentiful game modes, an impressive creation suite, and some hilariously cool community creation showcases make this the best WWE game in ages. It gets the job done, but it needs to improve going forward.
Everything I could personally want from a WWE game is featured...just not ENOUGH of it. Rey Mysterio's career mode is really interesting, and the way the matches unfold through a blend of objective-based gameplay mixed with documentary style presentations is really cool. That said, a number of big moments in Rey's career are missing due to wrestlers that WWE don't have the rights to feature. It's a true shame Rey's Mania 22 match against Orton and Angle isn't playable, among other examples.
MyGM is back and I was SO HAPPY to be able to book fantasy shows again and play them out. However, there's a brutal lack of variety here. No secondary championships to book, no multi-man match types. It's just singles and tags until you finish.
MyRISE is a fun choose-your-own path story mode and I mostly enjoyed taking my created wrestler through several big career milestones. That said, the story options are not as open ended as presented. I went in desiring to be a career-long bad guy, but several story paths are locked behind a wall unless you accept an option to turn face. The story missions also lock you into mandatory match outcomes. SDVR 07 had enough story content to give you on-the-fly variations based on whatever choices you made 16 whole years ago, yet 2K22 feels stiff and restrictive in comparison.
These criticisms aside, the bulk of the game is still enjoyable enough that I never felt bored. Plentiful game modes, an impressive creation suite, and some hilariously cool community creation showcases make this the best WWE game in ages. It gets the job done, but it needs to improve going forward.
2K20 really miserably lowered people's expectations. 2K22 is massive step up, but does not deserve anywhere near the amount of high praise it is receiving.
Starting with the good - The actual gameplay itself. No longer a battle of who has more reversals, the gameplay is varied, fast, and the funnest it's been in a long time. It has its issues as always, like quick recoveries being way too frequent. The graphics are easily the best they've ever been, especially for entrances, but they're still behind their time when compared to actual AAA games.
As always though, 2K gets one new thing right then tries to fix what wasn't broken - The great new gameplay is ruined by the button-mashing for kick outs and submissions. Controllers aren't cheap nowadays. Mashing is not only just not fun, it's not indicative of skill. The timed minigame from before was perfect, and it is still exists in this game, but is only available for offline modes - A mind numbing decision.
The game modes might be the worst part. Showcase Mode is still a boring checklist you'll never dream of going back to once you unlock all the different wrestlers/arenas. Universe Mode hasn't changed at all. The career mode is the best it's been in over a decade but that isn't saying much, although it is a step in the right direction with the multiple storylines structure. MyGM is a lackluster novelty that gets boring before you even finish your first playthrough. And now we have the brand new MyFaction - A mode that exists purely for microtransactions and is structured as if it were a mobile card game, given how absolutely unfun it is.
Starting with the good - The actual gameplay itself. No longer a battle of who has more reversals, the gameplay is varied, fast, and the funnest it's been in a long time. It has its issues as always, like quick recoveries being way too frequent. The graphics are easily the best they've ever been, especially for entrances, but they're still behind their time when compared to actual AAA games.
As always though, 2K gets one new thing right then tries to fix what wasn't broken - The great new gameplay is ruined by the button-mashing for kick outs and submissions. Controllers aren't cheap nowadays. Mashing is not only just not fun, it's not indicative of skill. The timed minigame from before was perfect, and it is still exists in this game, but is only available for offline modes - A mind numbing decision.
The game modes might be the worst part. Showcase Mode is still a boring checklist you'll never dream of going back to once you unlock all the different wrestlers/arenas. Universe Mode hasn't changed at all. The career mode is the best it's been in over a decade but that isn't saying much, although it is a step in the right direction with the multiple storylines structure. MyGM is a lackluster novelty that gets boring before you even finish your first playthrough. And now we have the brand new MyFaction - A mode that exists purely for microtransactions and is structured as if it were a mobile card game, given how absolutely unfun it is.
i liked this a lot! i think it's probably the best wwe game ever realistically, i still have nostalgia for the mid 2000s ones (smackdown vs raws especially) but this game has such a solid gameplay system and graphically while facial animations and hair are still pretty rough the models look great and attack animations are generally a lot better. the time off did them very well. rey mysterios showcase was really sweet, myrise is fun but seemingly has no end? (u just swap between brands getting the top title endlessly) but it's fun what is there, i'd just prefer a more definitive end though.
the roster is surprisingly great, everyone made jokes and theorized the roster would be rough with all the cuts but most cut superstars still made it in which makes the roster have a great combination of legends and current wrestlers (even wrestlers not in the WWE anymore!). i wish pat mcafee did commentary for this game, byron/corey/michael cole has been going for a long time in these games and the lines are still very robotic and repeated (especially with custom wrestlers). all in all this is a great wrestling game, i'm worried for the future games (will they keep taking the much needed breaks?) but this is a very good return and even if they kinda start sucking again this one will always be awesome at least!
the roster is surprisingly great, everyone made jokes and theorized the roster would be rough with all the cuts but most cut superstars still made it in which makes the roster have a great combination of legends and current wrestlers (even wrestlers not in the WWE anymore!). i wish pat mcafee did commentary for this game, byron/corey/michael cole has been going for a long time in these games and the lines are still very robotic and repeated (especially with custom wrestlers). all in all this is a great wrestling game, i'm worried for the future games (will they keep taking the much needed breaks?) but this is a very good return and even if they kinda start sucking again this one will always be awesome at least!
Great graphics and fun, improved gameplay, but issues with servers and game crashes really ruin the experience at times.
When the game wants to work with no crashes, frozen screens, or something 2K caused it’s a amazing game, truly it is. From 20 this is a step in the right direction because at some point no one or a very small amount had faith in them to deliver after 20. If we’re talking solely gameplay I’d rate it 4 and 1/2 but between things being broken and online things being easily exploitable I for the most part just play with friends if I do play by myself
Now that all of the DLC has been released and I've put over 100 hours into this game, I am finally going to review it and say that it wasn't worth the wait. Sure, this game is a massive step up from every other 2K title and the gameplay is fantastic, but this game lacks longevity. On launch it almost felt like we were spoiled with how much there was to do, but now that the game has been out for 4 months it feels like the complete opposite.
Let's start with Universe Mode. The game mode that should be the heart and soul of this franchise and continues to be neglected every single year. Nothing here has changed, except the ever so small addition of Superstar Mode, which doesn't really differ from the regular mode outside of controlling one character. The mode is lifeless, match after match with the same small selection of repetitive cutscenes only made bearable by the fact that gameplay is fun. They also took out promos, they were terrible but that doesn’t mean you just delete it, that’s an integral part of wrestling. It’s such a simple fix, allow us to write our own promos like we could in story designer, problem solved.
When we first saw MyRise it looked like it might be the next best thing but that's far from the case. You pick a storyline, have a few matches and that's about it, and don't get me started on how many backstage brawls there are. Oh and the new backstage area suuuuucks, they could have just added it onto the old one as a new area but in typical 2K fashion, they remove the old one and give us this extremely limited new area. Anyway, while some of the storylines are certainly entertaining, none of them merge together and feel random. This is very apparent when you win a title, to advance to another storyline you must vacate it and move brands, it's really stupid.
MyGM is extremely barebones, it was pointless even bringing it back. Only being able to do 1v1 & 2v2 matches with no midcard titles makes no sense and is complete laziness on 2K's part. As for Showcase Mode, well it's the same old thing except with real life clips for cutscenes and a really bad match selection. Why make a showcase on Rey if you can't get Angle, Benoit, Psicosis, Malenko etc. It doesn't even feature his Rumble and World Heavyweight title win, the 2 biggest moments of this career. As for MyFaction, it seemed cool at first but gets old really quickly and being forced to play multiman ladder matches is torture.
Outside of the game modes, custom arenas have awful lighting, the hair options for CAWs are terrible and there isn't even advanced entrances. Their bullshit excuse was that the new camera angles wouldn't allow different entrances to blend together, they could easily cut to the crowd when switching entrance animation like every other year. Patrick Gilmore held a poll asking what we most want to see in 2K22. MyGM was top of that list but high up was new match types, so please tell me why we didn't get ANY.
This all sounds very negative and there's a decent amount of nitpicking in there, but a lot are genuine faults with the game, some of which haven't changed for years. I love a lot of aspects about this game; Custom renders was something I have been asking for since community creations first launched, the community has been killing it again with their creations and the gameplay is so much fun to play that if I was rating this solely on gameplay I'd probably give it a 4.5. I do believe it's a really good wrestling game as a whole but I can't deny that the 2 year wait and all of the hype surrounding the game was met with something fairly lackluster.
Oh and as for the DLC they also managed to butcher that. In pack 1 they took the chanting out of Umaga’s theme, making it an endless loop. Pack 2 gave us WWE Vader instead of WCW. Stacy in Pack 3 had the wrong theme and in Pack 4, Ronda’s theme couldn’t be used anywhere else in the game due to licensing. Also no moves pack DLC, which is probably the most useful pack we get every year. As a little bonus I now can't finish a match as randomly during matches my screen turns black, so I guess that's me done with this game, back to SVR 07 and Fire Pro I go.
Let's start with Universe Mode. The game mode that should be the heart and soul of this franchise and continues to be neglected every single year. Nothing here has changed, except the ever so small addition of Superstar Mode, which doesn't really differ from the regular mode outside of controlling one character. The mode is lifeless, match after match with the same small selection of repetitive cutscenes only made bearable by the fact that gameplay is fun. They also took out promos, they were terrible but that doesn’t mean you just delete it, that’s an integral part of wrestling. It’s such a simple fix, allow us to write our own promos like we could in story designer, problem solved.
When we first saw MyRise it looked like it might be the next best thing but that's far from the case. You pick a storyline, have a few matches and that's about it, and don't get me started on how many backstage brawls there are. Oh and the new backstage area suuuuucks, they could have just added it onto the old one as a new area but in typical 2K fashion, they remove the old one and give us this extremely limited new area. Anyway, while some of the storylines are certainly entertaining, none of them merge together and feel random. This is very apparent when you win a title, to advance to another storyline you must vacate it and move brands, it's really stupid.
MyGM is extremely barebones, it was pointless even bringing it back. Only being able to do 1v1 & 2v2 matches with no midcard titles makes no sense and is complete laziness on 2K's part. As for Showcase Mode, well it's the same old thing except with real life clips for cutscenes and a really bad match selection. Why make a showcase on Rey if you can't get Angle, Benoit, Psicosis, Malenko etc. It doesn't even feature his Rumble and World Heavyweight title win, the 2 biggest moments of this career. As for MyFaction, it seemed cool at first but gets old really quickly and being forced to play multiman ladder matches is torture.
Outside of the game modes, custom arenas have awful lighting, the hair options for CAWs are terrible and there isn't even advanced entrances. Their bullshit excuse was that the new camera angles wouldn't allow different entrances to blend together, they could easily cut to the crowd when switching entrance animation like every other year. Patrick Gilmore held a poll asking what we most want to see in 2K22. MyGM was top of that list but high up was new match types, so please tell me why we didn't get ANY.
This all sounds very negative and there's a decent amount of nitpicking in there, but a lot are genuine faults with the game, some of which haven't changed for years. I love a lot of aspects about this game; Custom renders was something I have been asking for since community creations first launched, the community has been killing it again with their creations and the gameplay is so much fun to play that if I was rating this solely on gameplay I'd probably give it a 4.5. I do believe it's a really good wrestling game as a whole but I can't deny that the 2 year wait and all of the hype surrounding the game was met with something fairly lackluster.
Oh and as for the DLC they also managed to butcher that. In pack 1 they took the chanting out of Umaga’s theme, making it an endless loop. Pack 2 gave us WWE Vader instead of WCW. Stacy in Pack 3 had the wrong theme and in Pack 4, Ronda’s theme couldn’t be used anywhere else in the game due to licensing. Also no moves pack DLC, which is probably the most useful pack we get every year. As a little bonus I now can't finish a match as randomly during matches my screen turns black, so I guess that's me done with this game, back to SVR 07 and Fire Pro I go.
I played for about 4 hours in MYRISE mode and encountered so many annoying issues that I quit. Long loading times on the Series X makes switching between menus and matches a slog.
The career mode often traps you in matches you must win to progress rather than having an alternative fail path. The career mode stories/feuds are generally just presented via Twitter posts. There seem to be bugs with the career mode too as in one of the few stories/feuds with cutscenes I won the US Championship after a series of matches. Then the game seemed to forgot that I won it and gave the title to someone else on Twitter. My title win was never recorded and it seemed like the multi part story just didn't happen.
The grappling system has been changed to an old combo system that I haven't seen since the end of the 90s and games like WWF War Zone. The game has a barebones tutorial but doesn't explain many of the control inputs and just expects you to pause the game during a match and look up your moveset and other actions. I preferred the original, more simple but gratifying, Smackdown method of grappling/reversing.
I think it's time to give the licence to someone else.
The career mode often traps you in matches you must win to progress rather than having an alternative fail path. The career mode stories/feuds are generally just presented via Twitter posts. There seem to be bugs with the career mode too as in one of the few stories/feuds with cutscenes I won the US Championship after a series of matches. Then the game seemed to forgot that I won it and gave the title to someone else on Twitter. My title win was never recorded and it seemed like the multi part story just didn't happen.
The grappling system has been changed to an old combo system that I haven't seen since the end of the 90s and games like WWF War Zone. The game has a barebones tutorial but doesn't explain many of the control inputs and just expects you to pause the game during a match and look up your moveset and other actions. I preferred the original, more simple but gratifying, Smackdown method of grappling/reversing.
I think it's time to give the licence to someone else.
Played one of these, you've played 'em all. Can't believe they're still using cutscenes from like 2010. Universe has been the same for a decade now. Showcase has always stunk. These games stink.
Credit where it's due, at least this feels like a wrestling game that mostly functions as intended. It does have a feeling of being a bit too lean, though, some of it likely out of the Dev's control but touting something like GM Mode that's only a lean and robotic experience doesn't do a lot for me. I mean, you ain't gonna make it like TEW but, you know, maybe more than 1-on-1 and 2-on-2 matches, please?
WWE 2K22 - The Most Authentic WWE Game In History
It's been a long fuckin' wait for WWE 2K22. So long, I barely even remember the marketing and release of the disastrous WWE 2K20 (Which I enjoyed, but I can fully admit it was...bad)
Two and a half years since the last WWE game release, Visual Concepts returns with an entry in the series that really does "Hit Different" and puts all previous iterations to shame, at least in the authenticity and addiction department.
First off, let's talk about the redesigned engine and gameplay. Everything flows so, so much smoother. Plenty of subtle transition moves and blending has been inserted in this game, as well as a new homing and targeting system to help bring superstars to where they need to
be during a certain move.
The combo system fully integrates these changes, as each combo strings together nearly without issue. No matter how you customize them in Create-A-Moveset, you combo should end up looking quite smooth in the ring.
The fighting game influence is the best injection of fresh air the game has added in years. Once a combo is started, it can only be countered by a breaker. A breaker can only be done by guessing the right string of the opponent's next combo. You may also block and dodge the first hit of a combo, making some moments give me flashbacks to Fight Night Champion.
Grapples are now done by either combo-ing into them (e.g X-X-A-B for a grab combo), or starting with a grab lockup and deciding whether to do a Light, Heavy or Whip Attack.
Everything about the game feels incredibly more smooth, precise and fast paced. The complete overhaul in the way you defend, as reversals are less common and harder to pull off, allows for constant back and forth WrestleMania-quality matches against the AI with the right wrestlers. The game feels like it actually has the seeds of what could become a great emulation of ring chemistry. Some characters work together better than others, and can pull off some amazing matches with the right moves.
Showcase features the legendary luchador Rey Mysterio. Anyone can admit the match choice is incredibly weak, but unfortunately this is on WWE and their restrictions, and not 2K. However, the Showcase boss, Dino, seemed incredibly enthusiastic about making a Rey Mysterio showcase in the Ringside Report, and it shines through in the game.
Each match has authentic arenas, belts, and character models. The attention to detail in some of these is absolutely wild. Halloween Havoc 97, vs Eddie Guerrero, has a fantastic detail that if you lose, Eddie actually unmasks Rey like he would if he won the real match.
During this match as well, after it blends into the video footage of Eddie ripping up Rey's mask, the mask will become ripped in the game as well when we return to it.
Although the objectives haven't felt that much more fun than previous entries, the presentation is far better with Rey Mysterio commentating the matches from his point of view.
Another new addition in the series is MyFaction, a WWE version of Fifa/Madden Ultimate Team. This mode allows you to collect superstar cards, build a faction, and level them up.
However in my opinion, the execution is quite weak. It's just a paid reskin of the 2K Towers mode, and now we can't even use any superstar we want.
When MyFaction was announced, I was under the assumption we would be able to face off against other players' AI teams for a leaderboard, but you can't.
You are able to customize your team logo, banner and name at any time, and have multiple factions. These items come in expensive card packs, as the credit payout is abysmal to promote transactions.
One has to wonder though, if I'm never going to see another players' faction, and they're never going to see mine, why am I even bothering? It's like an offline version of WWE SuperCard, which would get quite boring after a few hours. However, if you enjoy this kind of mode of offline towers with loot, it may be for you.
While I have not completed all of MyRise yet, half way through the Men's storyline, I feel extremely disappointed. I'm going to assume this mode's overall weakness is due to WWE releases over the last two years, but it REALLY shows here.
The positive is that skill trees and everything else over-complicated about MyRise is now removed. Your overall is simply improved by earning skill points in storylines, and using them to upgrade a list of 12 stats, pretty simple.
Social Media page allows you to see tweets from the WWE Universe, your opponents, and DMs offering storyline opportunities. Some of these stories build quite well on the history and canon of WWE 2K characters within the previous MyCareer versions.
The negative part is that all these storylines are isolated, and there is nearly no overarching narrative to this mode, unlike 2K20's which focused on the life and career of Red and Tre. In this, your character has almost no importance to the overall lore of WWE. The Roleplay aspect feels almost non-existent, as title wins mean nothing than just another storyline before you jump to the next one and win the next title over and over again.
Universe returns with Superstar Mode, which allows you to follow the career of a single superstar in your sandbox. It's a toggle that can be changed at any time. You can also edit matches during a show in progress, as well as delete them. There are plenty of nice QoL fixes amongst Universe that we've needed
Graphic wise, WWE 2K22 is stunning, even on old generation. My copy was for Xbox One X, and I was blown away at the level of detail. The only negative I see on old-gen compared to new is that shadows get more crushed and the lighting is slightly less higher resolution, but other than that everything is as beautiful as it's intended.
Entrance animations all feel cinematic with the new motion-captured camera data, and the motions are performed with a level of authenticity you'd see in a CGI WETA short.
Hair receives a small upgrade in both physics and visuals and many legends including The Rock and Chyna have been retouched to be up to standard with the rest of the roster.
The audio has improved, as the crowd is much louder during matches, there are more unique chants and the ring foley work is far more apparent to the player. The wrestlers grunt and vocalize far more often as well.
The game is not without it's flaws however, as no new match types were added, some tag entrances were randomly removed, MyGM lacks any sort of depth and there are some minor bugs to be ironed out in future patches.
However, WWE 2K22 is an absolutely stunning video game, and the most broadcast-accurate game ever made. The redesigned engine brings a new dopamine rush that hasn't been felt in over a decade with the series, possibly more. Congrats to the team at 2K, Visual Concepts, and more for making the public realize the power behind your team when you actually have the right people working on it, and not an incompetent studio like say, Yukes.
Review code for Xbox One X nWo Edition provided by 2K Games
Check out my YouTube for upcoming WWE 2K22 Mods: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnUqKyv-zqOoeR1jtrXdXQw/
It's been a long fuckin' wait for WWE 2K22. So long, I barely even remember the marketing and release of the disastrous WWE 2K20 (Which I enjoyed, but I can fully admit it was...bad)
Two and a half years since the last WWE game release, Visual Concepts returns with an entry in the series that really does "Hit Different" and puts all previous iterations to shame, at least in the authenticity and addiction department.
First off, let's talk about the redesigned engine and gameplay. Everything flows so, so much smoother. Plenty of subtle transition moves and blending has been inserted in this game, as well as a new homing and targeting system to help bring superstars to where they need to
be during a certain move.
The combo system fully integrates these changes, as each combo strings together nearly without issue. No matter how you customize them in Create-A-Moveset, you combo should end up looking quite smooth in the ring.
The fighting game influence is the best injection of fresh air the game has added in years. Once a combo is started, it can only be countered by a breaker. A breaker can only be done by guessing the right string of the opponent's next combo. You may also block and dodge the first hit of a combo, making some moments give me flashbacks to Fight Night Champion.
Grapples are now done by either combo-ing into them (e.g X-X-A-B for a grab combo), or starting with a grab lockup and deciding whether to do a Light, Heavy or Whip Attack.
Everything about the game feels incredibly more smooth, precise and fast paced. The complete overhaul in the way you defend, as reversals are less common and harder to pull off, allows for constant back and forth WrestleMania-quality matches against the AI with the right wrestlers. The game feels like it actually has the seeds of what could become a great emulation of ring chemistry. Some characters work together better than others, and can pull off some amazing matches with the right moves.
Showcase features the legendary luchador Rey Mysterio. Anyone can admit the match choice is incredibly weak, but unfortunately this is on WWE and their restrictions, and not 2K. However, the Showcase boss, Dino, seemed incredibly enthusiastic about making a Rey Mysterio showcase in the Ringside Report, and it shines through in the game.
Each match has authentic arenas, belts, and character models. The attention to detail in some of these is absolutely wild. Halloween Havoc 97, vs Eddie Guerrero, has a fantastic detail that if you lose, Eddie actually unmasks Rey like he would if he won the real match.
During this match as well, after it blends into the video footage of Eddie ripping up Rey's mask, the mask will become ripped in the game as well when we return to it.
Although the objectives haven't felt that much more fun than previous entries, the presentation is far better with Rey Mysterio commentating the matches from his point of view.
Another new addition in the series is MyFaction, a WWE version of Fifa/Madden Ultimate Team. This mode allows you to collect superstar cards, build a faction, and level them up.
However in my opinion, the execution is quite weak. It's just a paid reskin of the 2K Towers mode, and now we can't even use any superstar we want.
When MyFaction was announced, I was under the assumption we would be able to face off against other players' AI teams for a leaderboard, but you can't.
You are able to customize your team logo, banner and name at any time, and have multiple factions. These items come in expensive card packs, as the credit payout is abysmal to promote transactions.
One has to wonder though, if I'm never going to see another players' faction, and they're never going to see mine, why am I even bothering? It's like an offline version of WWE SuperCard, which would get quite boring after a few hours. However, if you enjoy this kind of mode of offline towers with loot, it may be for you.
While I have not completed all of MyRise yet, half way through the Men's storyline, I feel extremely disappointed. I'm going to assume this mode's overall weakness is due to WWE releases over the last two years, but it REALLY shows here.
The positive is that skill trees and everything else over-complicated about MyRise is now removed. Your overall is simply improved by earning skill points in storylines, and using them to upgrade a list of 12 stats, pretty simple.
Social Media page allows you to see tweets from the WWE Universe, your opponents, and DMs offering storyline opportunities. Some of these stories build quite well on the history and canon of WWE 2K characters within the previous MyCareer versions.
The negative part is that all these storylines are isolated, and there is nearly no overarching narrative to this mode, unlike 2K20's which focused on the life and career of Red and Tre. In this, your character has almost no importance to the overall lore of WWE. The Roleplay aspect feels almost non-existent, as title wins mean nothing than just another storyline before you jump to the next one and win the next title over and over again.
Universe returns with Superstar Mode, which allows you to follow the career of a single superstar in your sandbox. It's a toggle that can be changed at any time. You can also edit matches during a show in progress, as well as delete them. There are plenty of nice QoL fixes amongst Universe that we've needed
Graphic wise, WWE 2K22 is stunning, even on old generation. My copy was for Xbox One X, and I was blown away at the level of detail. The only negative I see on old-gen compared to new is that shadows get more crushed and the lighting is slightly less higher resolution, but other than that everything is as beautiful as it's intended.
Entrance animations all feel cinematic with the new motion-captured camera data, and the motions are performed with a level of authenticity you'd see in a CGI WETA short.
Hair receives a small upgrade in both physics and visuals and many legends including The Rock and Chyna have been retouched to be up to standard with the rest of the roster.
The audio has improved, as the crowd is much louder during matches, there are more unique chants and the ring foley work is far more apparent to the player. The wrestlers grunt and vocalize far more often as well.
The game is not without it's flaws however, as no new match types were added, some tag entrances were randomly removed, MyGM lacks any sort of depth and there are some minor bugs to be ironed out in future patches.
However, WWE 2K22 is an absolutely stunning video game, and the most broadcast-accurate game ever made. The redesigned engine brings a new dopamine rush that hasn't been felt in over a decade with the series, possibly more. Congrats to the team at 2K, Visual Concepts, and more for making the public realize the power behind your team when you actually have the right people working on it, and not an incompetent studio like say, Yukes.
Review code for Xbox One X nWo Edition provided by 2K Games
Check out my YouTube for upcoming WWE 2K22 Mods: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnUqKyv-zqOoeR1jtrXdXQw/
A vast improvement to the catastrophe that was 2K20
Best WWE game since Smackdown vs Raw era.
Certainly a major step up. I think the big thing is just the gameplay. It's faster, and it feels like it was made to make awesome matches with your friends. As for the new things they added, there's some major flaws. Gm mode is somewhat fun but it's not the gm mode of old, and it's not something I see myself spending a lot of time with. Universe mode is sadly untouched, which is weird considering it's the mode that many people play the most. Showcase is kinda cool, but at points you just want to get to the gameplay. The best part is all the attires and arenas you get. One mode I wasn't expecting to be great was myrise, the story mode of this game. We finally have more choices, it's not a linear path which is awesome. Story mode is usually something I only play once, but I see myself coming back to this. This game has a ton of flaws that I just don't understand, but the core of this game is good, and that's ultimately what you want. If they build on this and fix the minor flaws, 2K23 could be one of the great wrestling games.
Thank god they delayed the game! The roster is really weird but that is expected because of what happened. The DLC is also really stupid, too many legends are DLC and why is Logan Paul DLC instead of anyone in NXT 2.0?
Played at a friend's house. A really big step up from the past entries, this is a good direction for the series
I think this is an excellent game and I think it was worth the 2 years they took of to make and it is a really big step-up from wwe 2k20 I played this one my ps4 and the graphics was good but the graphics will be alot better on something like the ps5 are a really high quality pc if I got to be honest I think I am being bias because I've been with wwe my entire life and I wont go of it so you might not totally agree with me but I am just saying this for the people that is like me and has been with wwe since the smackdown vs raw time
It's a big step in the right direction but the game is only a little less vapid than 2k19
This was pretty fun and I think they have a great thing going if they continue in this direction. I primarily came for MyRise and that mode could have been a lot more fleshed out, but what is here is enjoyable.
i would have trusted a homeless guy on the street to make the soundtrack over machine gun kelly
could be fun if it actually worked
only played the 2 hour trial (from PS Plus Deluxe) and all i did was make 2 super buff sweaty men only using trunks grabbing each other in very suggestive ways
this is how you play WWE games right?
this is how you play WWE games right?
Actuslly pretty good. Best WWE game for a few years but that's not exacty saying much. Loved the Rey Mysterio Showcase mode playing some of his famous matches.
Played this with the Xbox Gold free play weekend for Summerslam so I'm maybe not as hard on It as IfI bought. Managed to get exactly half the achievements. I might actually buy It.
Played this with the Xbox Gold free play weekend for Summerslam so I'm maybe not as hard on It as IfI bought. Managed to get exactly half the achievements. I might actually buy It.
Listen I’m just here for GM Mode
Good game