Almost the wrestling game that every WWE fan deserves. Almost. For it's in the next-gen exclusive content of MyCareer that WWE 2K15 falls flat. We were promised an extensive and exciting mode that would allow us to live our dreams of becoming a WWE Superstar, but instead we have been given some of that with a slither of storyline and a lack of pageantry and revelation. But it's not all bad.
Credit: 2K Games
Though we've still not got back to the days of Smackdown Vs. Raw 2008 in terms of an actual story being sold, there are many additions that we can say are dealt with extremely well. The create-a-superstar, for example.
Despite not having create-a-diva, create-a-finisher and create-a-storyline for the most dedicated modders in the WWE universe, the improvements made to the creation system for your male superstar are superbly improved - the game has never looked better, despite personalities and charisma being mostly wiped from the experience.
That being said, some characters look creepy rather than endearing - especially those whose facial features in real-life are highly pronounced, such as The Miz's Joker-esque mouth, but mostly we're on solid ground here, after performers such as Shawn Michaels spent hours being scanned in for the game.
Combat in-ring is also leaps and bounds ahead of any in the past, with strategic tweaks added in the form of a collar-and-elbow tie-up system that stops players from dropping 65 chokeslams on an opponent in a row. There's now also a health bar as well as stamina bar which reduce alongside one another, adding a layer of realism to the matches.
Unfortunately there are still glitches. At one point I was playing for the Intercontinental Championship in MyCareer mode and happened to find me and my opponent in a tie-up in the middle of the audience, behind the ring announcers. It took the entire count of ten just to work my way around the crowd - who all seemed unimpressed that they had to stand to get out of my way - and so the match abruptly ended just as I floated over the barricade.
There's also the huge annoyance of having King or Michael Cole announce that 'here are some highlights' before each and every clip of the match is played following its conclusion. It's a small error to be made and one that could have been fixed easily.
Bugs are rare throughout and I've come across only a handful, but at this stage in a next-gen offering should we really be seeing any at all?
The Showcase mode is without a doubt the most rewarding. As you play through either HHH and Shawn Michaels' infamous friends to enemies to friends again feud, or John Cena and CM Punk's battle of the egos, you're instantly teleported right back to the day you first saw these performers on-screen, putting on an incredible show.
This is only aided by playing through almost exact replicas of the matches they competed in, where you can do certain things to trigger cut scenes that play out exactly as they did on screen all those years ago. It was a welcome trip down memory lane, and I can't wait to see just which stories are added as DLC becomes available in the coming months.
Overall the fans deserved a little more. It's a worthwhile game to pick up once the price reduces and from these mistakes, we're hoping lessons will be learned in time for 2K16.
WWE 2K15 is out now.
Tagged in WWE