It seems that the WWE 2K series was desperate to experience the tragedy of WWE 2K20, one of the worst games I’ve ever played. This led to the developers putting the series, which was already very mediocre before this game, on hiatus in order to get back on track. The return then gave us WWE 2K22 and WWE 2K23, which revitalized the series, and now WWE 2K24 continues that effort as a very good game that unfortunately has some classic problems that never seem to go away.
It’s hard for me to leave the sadness of four years ago behind me, but it seems the time has come. 2K24 has pretty much everything I need and want in a wrestling game, from great gameplay to deep game modes. But how hard can it be to fix things like hair physics? How many years did hair look like plasticine and often went through the fighter? Too many years, is the answer. Otherwise the game looks fantastic, and although some faces received very little attention and were clearly hit in the face with a steel chair too many times during development, the quality in terms of look and feel is very good.
The quality of the action in the ring is also good. There haven’t been any big changes compared to what we saw last year, which is good. What has been added is a little mini-game where the fighters exchange blows, you know the classic “You hit me, I hit you, you hit me, I hit you back.” Now you have to time these hits by using the Hold down the hit button and release it on a decreasing area. Whoever fails three times loses the fight and is the one who takes the worst place.
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The guest referee system has been renewed. Now any character can be a “guest referee”, be it a woman in a game with two men, a manager or a partner of one of the participants. Previously it was possible to be a guest referee or to be a guest referee, but they had to wear their normal clothes. Now everyone has their own entrance and a classic black and white referee jersey. If you decide to play as a referee, it’s up to you to count 1, 2, maybe 3, but how fast or slow you want to count is up to you. It is also possible to cheat and call a submission on a competitor if they are wrestling in a submission position. You can switch between referee mode, where you only do the things the referee does, and fighter mode, where you can fight if you want. If the referee is computerized and has a positive relationship with a competitor, that gives him an advantage, and the opposite if it’s someone he doesn’t like.
However, some problems remain in the ring, reminiscent of the past 2K20 era. Short-range teleportation still occurs, there are clunky animations that cause hits to miss completely, and the ropes in the ring seem to be there to trap you as much as possible. Several times I was trapped or saw parts of my body bent in grotesque directions by the ropes. Things like this need to go away soon as they take the fun out of the game. Fortunately, the developers have added some new combat types to fill these gaps. The three new ones, in addition to guest judges, are Casket, Gauntlet and an Ambulance match, so the list of match types available is now very extensive. The coffin is the undertaker’s territory, where you have to put someone in a coffin and close the lid. Gauntlet is a winner-takes-all match: if someone loses, someone else competes. In this way, until everyone has been eliminated and only one remains. The Ambulance Game is exactly what it sounds like: put someone in the back of the ambulance and close the doors to win.
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Like the match types, the game modes also offer a lot of depth. The big star of this year is the 2K Showcase of the Immortals. Wrestlemania turns 40 and 2K celebrates with… 21 matches. Some “Manias” don’t even have a fight. There’s no combat in either the first or second editions, which is strange, and it’s strange to celebrate the long story without having anything of its starting point. This is probably because most of the characters from that era are not in the game. The first match is instead from Wrestlemania III with one of the best matches in history, Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat vs. “Macho Man” Randy Savage. As in previous years, we played with objectives in the showcase and after achieving them, the game seamlessly transitions into the actual gameplay. I would have liked a little more audio from the games while playing instead of general music, but the gameplay is still a nice homage.
MyRise Story Mode is back with the same approach as last year. There are two different stories, one for a custom male character and one for a female character. 2K now seems to want to create some kind of universe (WWE universe?!), as many supporting characters from last year’s edition are returning here in various forms. Last year’s playable characters are also mentioned. The story of the male character is that Roman Reigns is unbeatable, but he got tired and gave up the belt to go to Hollywood. This gives his character, who has been unsuccessful in WWE for two years, a chance in a small tournament. The Dark Horse, as they call him, then tries to start his own little dynasty. The female counterpart starts out as the owner of an independent program called TBD. Then he reluctantly gets his chance in the WWE and has to deal with the fact that he doesn’t have as much creative freedom as he does on his own show. Both stories are fun and provide a great setting that you can immerse yourself in on your own. There’s also the classic sandbox mode, Universe Mode, where you’re essentially a god and can plan shows down to the last detail and basically do whatever you want. I can imagine players spending hundreds of hours here.
You can also do this in MyGM, a game mode that returned a few years ago. Again, you have to plan shows and execute them as best you can, but here you compete against at least one other person (controlled by the computer or a friend), book the best matches and win the most fans. Some new features have been added this year. Now it is possible to swap fighters with another show, plus there are more types of matches, more titles, some additional shows, as well as GMs and talent scouts to find new talent. One of my favorite things to do every year is turn a stinking CG free agent, many of whom are on MyRise in one form or another, into superstars. The mode is of course more fun with a friend, but it also works great alone. The online part consists of creating a lobby and playing different types of games with a maximum of eight players, even the Royal Rumble with 30 participants, 22 of which are controlled by the computer.
This leaves us with probably the most controversial game mode in the game: MyFaction. This is a game mode similar to Ultimate Team where you purchase packs of cards. It’s clear that there’s a market for it and that the money will flow, but at the same time it doesn’t seem like wrestling is a genre that needs it. When it launched a few years ago it wasn’t even possible to play online, which has thankfully changed. The gameplay is good for what it is, but like I said, it’s not necessary.
WWE 2K24 continues the same good path that the train has been on for several years since WWE 2K20 went off the rails. It’s fun to play, looks great, has lots of varied game modes and match types, and is a nice tribute to Wrestlemania’s 40-year history. There are still some minor annoyances, but not enough to detract from the overall gaming experience.
