After a well-deserved break and a delayed release, the WWE saga of 2K is back, aptly titled WWE 2K22. Officially licensed by the largest wrestling company in the world, this latest iteration is almost a reboot for 2K Games and Visual Concepts, offering a show almost on par with the latest NBA 2K.
The animal was injured. The essentials of the late 2000’s, the official WWE video games never stopped, and the latest handoff between Yuke’s and Visual Concepts in development has stalled. Full of bugs, sluggish in rendering and game modes, WWE 2K20 makes us worry about continuing the adventures of our favorite wrestlers. And then, After a longer than expected hiatus, WWE 2K22 landed with a lot of good ideas on the schedule. So is there a new champion in the ring or is he still on the ropes?
wrestling
Pinfall and submission are always the most effective ways to win
We do the best wrestling matches in the old rings and Visual Concepts understood that. So we find in the gameplay the same formula as in the previous works. A heavy, light attack with the possibility of combos, a guard, and holds by alternating ground and standing play. And that’s not really a problem, because the formula works, thanks to the many animations it’s very accessible and varied even for beginners more than 160 stars in the list. The procedure for winning is the same, if possible weaken your opponent with a finisher (final attack) to win thanks to a submission, a fall (grave on the ground) or an exit from the ring lasting 10 seconds. The main problems in WWE 2K20 were the slowdowns, application crashes and in-match bugs, the vast majority of which have disappeared in 2K22. (There are just a few visual issues upon contact with the ropes of the ring).
The complete index and the notes (alpha betical order, the edition to be had in brackets):
Without much inspiration and risk, therefore, the gameplay gets the job done, in the service of the show. Ideal for getting used to the controls, the traditional showcase is still present as a story mode. This year, the spotlight is on the immense career of the breezy Rey Mysterio, from his revelation to his role today through his broken friendship with Baptista, the 2010 Royal Rumble or the loss of Eddie Guerrero. An immersive scenario, whether for nostalgics or newbies, in which you can unlock multiple vintage wrestlers by following the list of commands and combos during these events.
Blue, red or yellow pill?
The management page of MyGM mode is well thought out and accessible
Benchmarks for regulars of the series, then, but the feeling of being on the verge of a new beginning lives in us for the time being in front of the new modes MyGM and My Ascension, which are unprecedented in content and form. The first is actually a mix of wrestling and management game specific to the spirit of WWE. A little explanation: the company has several promoters on its calendar, and each has stars under contract. Smackdown, with logo colored blue, Raw colored red as well as NXT (yellow) or NXT UK. These promoters are competitors and are fighting to have their shows crowd out their opponents’ events. You then play as the General Manager (hence the mode’s name) of your choice to manage Raw, Smackdown, or NXT against an AI competitor. It will therefore be necessary to create a draft (system for selecting wrestlers) in the preamble, choosing the most complementary ones and agreeing on the budget, then managing your calendar of events to have a better audience than your rival.
Who is fighting who, what are the rules of the game, who is going to the first part or prime time, etc. In the end, an excellent idea because we enjoyed imagining variety in opposites, to swell rivalries to offer a quality show. The only regret: the lack of staging in the mode limited to contextual menus, although in addition to being able to simulate, you can also embody your stars in battle to better control the outcome of the battle.
The other My Ascension mode is actually a career mode that’s quite different from previous titles, and that’s a good thing. After modeling your character with the endless possibilities of outfits or cosmetic customization, you have multiple paths to choose from before entering the big leagues. Amateur career, professional training, former actor… Your choice determines the scenario before going pro, just like that of your fighter profile or whether you are male or female. So there’s a lot of script branching, a very good point for career replayability.. Your wrestler will progress via skill points and have a good or bad reputation depending on the events he accepts, enough to add a bit of depth to a new successful leveling mode like its brother My GM.
You can’t VC me
Some wrestlers can be unlocked via VC
The reboot, far from perfect, finally succeeds and it comes as a surprise. Because we didn’t expect a game stamped 2K to correct certain things like the virtual currency (or VC) concern that was previously very and too invasive. Now, some historical Superstars can still only be played with a certain amount of VC spent, but are fewer in number and much more affordable. Previously between 3,000 and 5,000 for the most famous wrestlers and wrestlers you now have to pay 1,000 VC which is a lot less frustrating to play with His Majesty The Rock. It can also be used in the latest My Faction mode, a sort of WWE Ultimate Team where you unlock wrestler cards. After forming a team of 4 male and 4 female fighters, you can participate in a solo or online challenge to expand your card collection and get tokens for purchasing packs in addition to virtual currency. Easier and less pay-to-fast than it seems, My Faction extends the lifespan of a time-consuming game for WWE fans, who we can imagine rejoicing to finally have a work worthy of the name.
Points cont
- Very good endurance thanks to the main modes
- Rey Mysterio’s storefront, taking
- Lifelike shots, modeling and settings
- Customizable at will
- Very accessible in commands
- VC not very invasive
- My GM and My Ascension Modes that Bring…
weak points
- …but they lack something in terms of staging
- Wobbly technical performance
- Some collision issues
- Loading times sometimes a bit long
- Lack of variety in entries and prizes
If it hasn’t drastically changed its gameplay, WWE 2K22 is almost a reboot in its visuals and with the inclusion of the My MG mode. The latter is a good surprise, leads us to manage a star stable and a show calendar without being too complex, a winning bet. Technically, the latest generation of consoles can hold its own and avoids the pitfalls of WWE 2K20’s many bugs, even if some loading times are long. In short, if this last work could have been deeper in terms of staging, it enjoys its lifespan thanks to an XXL list, realistic in the animations without being polluted by the less important virtual currency than in NBA 2K . A spectacular and versatile title, like the star of the cover, Rey Mysterio.
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