The “Promo Engine” is put to work a lot here, and helps create an interesting, if limited, story that sees you potentially becoming a “Paul Heyman guy.” Again, my frustrations with cutting promos zapped some of the fun from this mode, but there is joy in improving your wrestler and seeing him develop rivalries and become part of the universe (including merchandise rights!).
It is possible, based on early performance, to jump to the main card, which I found to be more fun than laboring in the NXT events. M圜areer returns mainly intact, and features your created player working his (no women here) way up the ladder, starting with NXT. Thankfully, these are fairly deep and very customizable, so there is plenty to do. In other words, buyer beware until some of these issues have been patched.įirst off, there is no Showcase or similar mode this year, so your long-term playtime will be spent in either M圜areer or MyUniverse. During one match I was unable to tag my partner, nor switch my target to another wrestler. While I haven’t experienced many of the more serious glitches, the forums are bathed in reports of misnamed matches, missing commentary, AI problems and freezes. "I really like that 2K is trying to incorporate the 'other side' of the sport into the game."Īll of the main modes return, and the roster is deep - though you need to spend in-game credits to unlock a large number of them. There isn’t a tutorial, and the game links to a very minimal website for the “manual.” I would like more explanation and guidance, if not an interactive tutorial to refresh my skills. In fact, not much is explained fully in WWE 2K17, despite the game’s complex and situational controls. Finally, this feature is not explained particularly well, and while I tried to keep my responses thematic and coherent, I didn’t always get a good score. Also, there isn’t actual recorded dialogue, which can pull you out of the moment. While it’s fun to imagine your wrestler amping up the crowd or calling out a rival, the choices don’t always seem to make sense. I really like that 2K is trying to incorporate the “other side” of the sport into the game. Basically, it mirrors a string of dialogue choices in a RPG the goal is to pick a sequence that makes sense. One of the more ambitious additions is the inclusion of the “Promo Engine,” otherwise known as the verbal jarring that occurs between a wrestler, his/her opponents and/or the crowd. "In fact, the match rating creates a meta-game that encourages you to replay matches just to increase your score." A button-mashing mini-game for submissions returns as an option, and is generally preferable to the spinning rings from last year. From there, wrestlers will try to recover energy while in relative safety, though you can force the issue with an early recover. New additions include automatic roll outs in larger matches.
In fact, the match rating creates a meta-game that encourages you to replay matches just to increase your score. Likewise, the match rating system encourages you to use a variety of moves and charts all the big moments of a match. The limited reversals return from last year, and create a level of strategy I enjoy. This usually happens near the end of a match, when reversals and energy are low - in other words, exactly when you want control. But as I mentioned in my initial impressions, this reliance on scripted action can lead to moments where the game seems to play itself. While this may sound negative, it generally works. However, for wrestling fans, there is still a lot here to like.ĢK, on its website, claims the company has “shifted the gameplay experience focus from an arcade-centric, fighting game style to simulation-based gameplay.” Put another way, don't plan on precise responsiveness, but expect lengthy canned animations. WWE 2K17 falls a little too far on the safe side and doesn’t quite go far enough with the entertainment aspect to be a truly great game. In other words, 2K has to do a lot of things perfectly to craft a decent and captivating WWE game. The WWE franchise has another tightrope to walk, as it needs to transform scripted events into a competitive combat game, all while incorporating the entertainment elements the brand is known for.
Play it safe, and the complaints often include words like “tired” or “roster update.” Stray too far away from the core gameplay or throw in too many new features, and critics will cite gimmicks like Madden’s vision cone. Franchises that release annually have to walk a fine edge.