WWE 2K17 – Review

So another year and another WWE wrestling sim have hit the shelves, WWE 2K17 follows on from last year and promises to improve where it’s predecessor didn’t. So does it do that? Well Yes and No! And no I’m not Daniel Bryan here.

This year is the biggest roster to date, I know they said that last year but last year they missed out on quite a few top superstars that were in the spotlight at the time the game was being made. Female wrestlers like Sasha Banks and Charlotte amongst others. Now still this year there are wrestlers missing but most of them are apart of the DLC or the nXt edition which is cool however if you weren’t one of the 50,000 that brought that edition then you have to wait to get the likes of Nia Jax, Apollo Crews, Shinsuke Nakamura.

I always say this when I review these games and feel the time is right again to say it. I’ve been a fan of wrestling since 1990 and a fan of the games since 1995. The distance that the games have taken since then is phenomenal. Visually this year they have really pushed the boat out…well with most of the character models, some are questionable. Bubba Ray Dudley looks horribly accurate and it is amazing.

So apart from the character models this year sounds haven’t changed much, you still get the same drivel from Michael Cole, JBL and Jerry ‘King’ Lawlor also the crowds are hit a miss as well, at time they seem quiet and then you get a boost of cheers but it’s not consistent enough for me.

In WWE 2K17 they have taken out the showcase mode that has been ever present in the last few installments and have focused on Universe mode and Career mode (more on these later) the reason behind this was the main focus was the cover star, Brock Lesnar but due to contact issues they couldn’t fill the gaps left with missing superstars the likes of Kurt Angle, The Hardys & CM Punk either aren’t happy with the company anymore, in a contract with a rival company or just didn’t want to be involved. This was a shame but when I heard the news I was actually happy and hoped the focus on the other two game modes would mean some real improvement.

Career Mode this has been 2K’s bread and butter in many of their games before but in WWE they just can’t seem to hit the nail on the head for me, last year was a generic voice the year before was endless “Sorry I haven’t got a match for you tonight” quotes from Vickie Guerrero. So what is new in this year? With Brock Lesnar being the cover star this brought in the mad scientist Paul Heyman, the king of promos in the industry. In Career mode, you have the Paul Heyman challenge where you either become a Paul Heyman guy and use him as you a manager or you rebel against him and he sends the beast after you. Apart from that, it is pretty similar to last year with the added extra of shirt sales which generate VC (virtual Credits) which allows you to either spend on unlocking in-game content like hidden superstars or attributes for your created character. Another way to earn VC is to pull off world-class matches. With the match rating system they still only give you ratings for your performance, you get nothing for what your opponent does, surely they could divvy up the points to the most successful combatant or just give you fewer points for moves instead of 1000 for an OMG moment? Just a thought. The promo engine at first was a bloody blessing until I tried it… good god, it is awful, it is completely random and also makes your character spout complete nonsense, the type of nonsense you would read in a children’s book or something you would’ve heard in the early 90’s. Where is the famous heel phrases from the like of HHH or the badass rebels like Stone Cold and CM Punk? Instead, i’m made to look like a fool in the never ending rating up, rating down crap they have to offer. They could at least let you know what phrase will affect a certain turn like insulting the crowd will offend them leading to you turning heel or badgering to them like John Cena will make you go over a baby face, but no I insulted the crowd and turned into a face? I know the crowd has effects in the promo engine, you have hardcore fans, family friendly, old school fans but you never know what is what!!

Universe mode is another issue, it has improved to what I would like it to be but there is still problems with it. It is very repetitive, almost like Career mode but with more freedom to do what you want, create your own show, or play the ones that are active? Unfortunately, they missed the boat on the draft but hoping they can include this next year. You can kind of do that yourself but just would like the battle between the a.i. To grab you favorite superstars to build your top brand. Create rivalries, build tag teams the whole lot. Universe mode is really good but it is still not at its best. I’m hoping that this version on WWE 2K is a transitional moment and WWE 2K18 is the pinnacle of the franchise. Much like WWF No Mercy was for the company way back in 1999.

The sounds have been given to Sean ‘Puff Daddy/P Diddy’ Combs and it boasts a varied mix of hip-hop and rock. After a few playthroughs the, soundtrack gets boring if you ask me. I miss the days where you’d have the superstars entrance music in the background or you were able to have your own custom music!!

The creation suite has been given an uplift and is the best it’s been in years again not the best it could be but still good nonetheless. So more new additions to the gameplay are the ability to now go in the crowd and backstage, yes you could do this years ago but with this engine it is quality!!! The spotlight follows you in the crowd and it really brings the matches to life. The backstage element is good as you can go from the side of the stage or up the ramp and through the guerilla position (where the superstars enter the stage) you can leap of electrical boxes and even fight in The Authority’s office with one of the members watching you like a hawk. More on gameplay the, controls have pretty much stayed the same but with a new reversal option to gain more control over your opponent, you have two reversals moments one green which will give you a momentum boost and the other yellow which stops your opponent from reversals so you need to take advantage here. You can gain boosts from taunting and the new corner taunt is a special favorite of mine.

WWE 2K17 was reviewed on the Xbox One and is also available on PS4, Xbox 360 and PS3.

Special thanks to 2K for supplying us with a copy of the game.