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Tribune News Service

WWE 2K17
2K Sports
2/5 stars
WWE 2K17 was a risk for developers Yuke’s and Visual Concepts, as well as publisher 2K Sports.
The team went out on a limb to introduce some new features into the latest edition of pro wrestling’s flagship video game, and in the process gambled that all the new additions would outweigh the total removal of a recurring feature.
Sorry to say, it didn’t quite work out.
2K Showcase, the nostalgia mode that put players in the driving seat of actual WWE storylines from the past, is no more. Not all players will miss it, but this was my favourite way to play the game solo. Over the summer, the development team said on the game’s official website new ideas for Showcase “were not viable due to the many historic WWE Superstars needed but not available for inclusion in the game”.
Instead, the team cited a desire to focus on improving the other two core modes, WWE Universe and MyCareer. The results of that decision are mixed.
WWE Universe fares better of the two. The mode feels more polished than ever, and the level of show customisation has been ramped up. With 2K Showcase on the cutting room floor, this is the only solo mode worth sapping your precious time.
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That’s meant to be a dig against MyCareer, which continues to be the same repetitive slog. Questionable matchmaking decisions get tiresome in a hurry. Who wants to face the same superstar five times in a row and barely move closer to a title shot?
The biggest addition to both modes is a promo system. It’s a great concept with lifeless execution. Promos involve picking the best dialogue option for the particular crowd of the evening, but it’s all text based. The superstar behaves like he or she is talking to the crowd, but there’s no audio beside the hum of the crowd.
Game review: WWE 2K16
Asking all 100-plus superstars in the game to record varied audio is unrealistic, and obviously so for the deceased WWE Legends. But without audio, players just read the cheesy dialogue to themselves. It does not work. For that matter, neither does the awful commentary team.
At least the core gameplay is still excellent when it comes to action in the ring. Many of the superstars look better this year, too.
With enough refinement, there’s little doubt next year’s WWE can shine. However, this year’s game (for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PS3 and X360) is for diehard fans only.


Game review: WWE 2K17 – omission of 2K Showcase knocks it down for the count

Brock Lesnar (right) goes to work in a screen grab from WWE 2K17

Art from the game WWE2K17

Culture

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The new edition of the pro wrestling game scraps the popular classic storyline mode, instead putting gamers into a mediocre career mode with a jarring lack of real-life audio sound bites
