WWE 2K16 Review

WWE 2K15 was 2K Games first attempt at the wrestling franchise and unfortunately for all its attempts, it was mediocre at best. WWE 2K16 is not the case and is a vast improvement from its predecessor. At first the faith wasn’t high even with the pre-order incentive of playing as The Terminator but there was hope with the news that this game would have the largest roster ever. Along with the addition of the roster, there would also be additional creative options and the graphics are sharper than ever before in any WWE Game. There are some issues that keep this game from being spectacular but let’s get to the new stuff.

The biggest appeal for this year’s game is of course the superstar featured on the cover. Stone Cold Steve Austin who was arguably the most controversial and popular superstar of the Attitude Era. One of the newest additions of WWE 2K15 was 2K Showcase which features the famous storylines that broke the ceiling for an individual superstar. Stone Cold Steve Austin’s rise is the main showcase from his early days to his place in destiny as the figurehead of the Attitude Era this year. Joining Austin from the Attitude Era are other wrestlers such as Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, The Rock and of course Mr. McMahon who was Austin’s nemesis.

As far as The Terminator goes which was only obtainable by pre-ordering the game, it was all flash and nothing more. There are two options which is Arnold from the first and second films with different entrances and attires. The Terminator is more of a brawler instead of a grappler with a limited number of moves so if you want to play as him then I suggest changing the moves to make it more appealing. The likeness of Arnold is on point and the attires fit the character of each film to the last thread of clothing. The first downloadable character of this new game is nice and sharp but delivers very little enjoyment until you make the changes yourself in order to want to play him.

Joining the rest of the roster also are wrestlers from The Golden Age such as The Ultimate Warrior, SGT. Slaughter, Ricky Steamboat, Ric Flair and several more. Hulk Hogan was going to be in there but unfortunately because of his racist rant that went mainstream, he was taken out. The rest of the superstars featured in this game are part of the NXT and new generation era. Superstars like Finn Balor, Eva Marie, Kevin Owen, The Ascension, Tyler Breeze and others. There are also surprise managers added on like the first lady of WWE Mrs. Elizabeth along with Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, Jimmy Hart and others. Hats off to 2K Games because they put a lot of time into the detail of these characters and thank you.

Now there are some things in the gameplay that are good and some that could’ve been left out in this game. My biggest complaint is the return of the boring mini game being the chain-wrestling technique in which when both wrestlers are healthy they’ll start a sequence of moves. I really wish there was an option to have that removed because all it seems to do is slow down the action. The other complaint is the complicated new submission mode that has resemblance of UFC’s last game. When initiated, a small circle will appear with to curves of different color and you have to integrate your bar with the other in order to make the other submit.

It’s a very challenging new mode that will take time to get used to but the mini game to kick out of the pin is the same but it’s a circle instead of a bar. A highlight will go around the circle and you have to stop it in a certain area to kick out. Other things that are the same are the match types with better graphics such as the Steel Cage, Hell in the Cell, and Extreme Rules. That being said, there are improvements with use of the weapons and the reactions of the wrestlers being struck and the wear and tear on the weapons. One of the new features which is appealing is the ability to cut your opponents entrance by pressing X or A depending on what system you have.

I’m pretty sure that’s going to be a popular action when you’re playing with someone online that you don’t like. I’m going to give this game an 8.5 out 10 because this game is far better than was predicted and the roster is impressive. The reason for this game not being perfect is the boring or challenging mini-games that kill the buzz and irrelevant movements that occur for moves to happen. The problem with sports games is when you play one then you’ve played them all so it’s really hard to surpass the old one. Overall this game is worth the buy and stays true to what the Attitude Era was about from the view of Stone Cold Steve Austin so WWE should be very proud.