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Wrestling games are a funny old thing.
WWE2K22 marked a resurgence for the flailing wrestling game franchise, with 2K taking a year out to fix the abysmal 2K20 (and give everyone time to forget about what a disaster it was.)
The question is; have 2K built on this success with this year’s offering, or have they sat on their laurels, updated the roster and 'done an EA'?
The short answer? A little from column A, a little from column B.
New Ring Gear
It's hard to criticise any aspect of WWE 2K23 visually. Right from booting up it's clear to see 2K wanted things to look polished, with the menus getting a visual overhaul that they didn't really need.
Just like last year’s game, WWE 2K23 looks brilliant... for the most part. There are the usual questionable character models scattered in there, of course, but most Superstars look fantastic, and the arenas feel more spectacular than they did previously.
Entrances are on point, most of the moves chain together perfectly in-ring, and even the backstage areas have been given a bit of a touch up.
Attires are a bit of a baffling mix, with some Superstars (such as Sami Zayn) sporting clothing that made its debut on TV mere weeks before release, while others are still wearing gear that doesn't even match their current on-screen persona any more.
Overall though it's the best a WWE game has ever looked, so top marks!
Getting To Grips With Grappling
Not much has changed in terms of how WWE 2K23 controls, other than things seeming a little bit slower. That's not necessarily a bad thing though, as 2K had pretty much nailed down a perfect control system. All they have done is made a few tweaks.
Kicking out of pinfalls has changed the most, with a new timing game used instead. Players have to flick the right analogue stick up (or press a face button) when two bars line up, and the more damage taken the smaller one of these bars become.
It's surprisingly easy to lose if you have taken too much damage, but that's exactly how it should be and you still get 2-4 attempts to kick out if you're good enough.
Small but much appreciated details have been added too, for example wrestlers can now use a taunt while holding a weapon. This will see them slam the chair they are holding into the canvas, or wave a Kendo Stick around for example. It doesn't really affect gameplay but it's another nice touch of realism that had been missing up until now.
It's All About The Game...
As with last year, WWE 2K23 has 6 gameplay modes; Exhibition, Universe, Showcase, MyGM, MyFaction and MyRise modes all make a return.
Exhibition
Exhibition hasn't changed other than the introduction of one new match type; War Games.
War Games smashes two rings together and surrounds them with a huge steel cage, then pits two teams of 5 against each other. Superstars enter the ring one by one at set periods, meaning there are lots of opportunities for unbalanced situations. This is fun when you're on the right side of it, but not so much when the numbers are against you.
War Games dates back to the days of WCW, but has been used in the WWE (and more prominently on NXT) recently so it makes sense to add it to the game, and while it isn't perfect (you can only play 3v3 or 4v4 rather than the traditional 5v5) it's passable.
Universe Mode
WWE2K's sandbox mode returns once again, and this is where it looks like 2K have dropped the ball somewhat.
There HAVE been a few new updates here and there, mostly around controlling the types of cut-scenes and story development that takes place on each show. Sadly, it hasn't been implemented well, and comes across incredibly confusing at first glance.
Much like in previous years, Universe Mode is VERY buggy, and almost seems to have taken a backward step in this regard.
As a small but very obvious example, the game will often show managers on the matchup screen, but it will place them next to the wrong team. Then when the bout begins, they are nowhere to be seen.
The booking will often go rogue too, pitting tag partners against each other for no reason, sometimes even pairing them up with others to face each other. On one occasion when I booked someone to interfere in a match, it actually caused the whole game to crash completely.
Universe mode CAN be fun, but often it's just as frustrating in equal measure.
Showcase Mode
Last year's Showcase Mode was a real upgrade on previous offerings, charting Rey Mysterio's career in a documentary-style format.
This year 2K have followed exactly the same formula, but for Mr. Hustle. Loyalty. Respect. himself, John Cena. Specifically, the matches that The Doctor of Thuganomics has lost over the years.
There are 14 matches, as well as a handful of 'fantasy' bouts that unlock at the end of the Showcase, giving plenty of content for the CeNation to get stuck into.
Of course, there are certain matches missing for contractual reasons *cough* C.M Punk *cough*, but there's a good enough selection here to make it feel comprehensive.
The only real negative, and it's a small one, is the sheer amount of content that has to be blurred in the video cut scenes. One of the early bouts is RVD Vs. John Cena from ECW One Night Stand, and almost everything is blurred out, even the referee's face.
It's a small thing, and I presume it can't be helped, but it's VERY noticeable when playing.
MyRise Mode
WWE 2K23 features not one, but TWO MyRise modes this year, and rather than being a generic career mode, they have... backstories!
'The Legacy' sees the players created character make her debut in the WWE living in the shadow of her famous legendary Aunt.
'The Lock' portrays the player's male character as an indie darling, signed by the WWE and fast-tracked to the main roster as a 'Lock'; a guaranteed success story.
My main criticism of last year's MyRise mode, for all it did well, was that the players decisions ultimately didn't amount to much.
This year 2K have addressed this with 'story gates'. There are certain decisions within each career that will cause drastic changes to how things progress. For example, in 'The Legacy' the player can choose to cosplay as their Aunt or be their own person, and this causes the story to branch off one way or another.
Aside from some heavy retconning of WWE history to make the storylines fit, MyRise has definitely improved.
Well, apart from one thing... 'The Lock's career mode is currently broken. There is a game-breaking glitch about 3-4 hours into the game that stops progression completely.
Having chosen to join a faction (Evolution or The Hurt Business) players are thrown into a warm-up match and asked to perform a front running grapple. The problem is, if players have changed their move-set (which most will do as soon as they start) it doesn't recognise that the move has been done if it isn't the default one.
As of writing this 2K haven't even acknowledged the issue, much less put out a fix for it, and that's concerning.
MyFaction
MyFaction hasn't changed much at all, but much like Showcase it didn't need to. It's definitely 2K's money-spinner mode, but it can be played without spending a penny if you have the dedication to grind for currency.
Draft cards, use those cards to win matches and earn currency, buy packs that contain more (hopefully improved) cards and repeat. You know the deal.
For me it's something that I jump into when I only have a half hour to play, but I'm sure other people's milage will vary.
MyGM
I was like a kid at Christmas when MyGM mode made its glorious return in 2K22. But much like the kid who got a PS4 when the PS5 was already on the market, I was grateful but a little disappointed.
The mode seemed to have been chop-blocked at the knees, with unnecessary limitations making it a fun distraction rather than a mode that could consume your gaming life.
2K have addressed a lot of those issues this year. It's no longer restricted to just one season, there are more brands to choose from, Triple Threat/Fatal 4 Way bouts have been added and Mid-card titles are available too. They have also added some completely new mechanics, including a monthly perk card that can do things like improving your rosters microphone skills for a certain number of weeks.
But too many nonsensical limitations still remain for this to be perfect. Players still can't create/name/modify teams or factions. Title belts are locked to the brand players choose. Singles titles can't be defended in the new Triple Threat and Fatal 4 Way matches, the list goes on.
With the mode now being open-ended, at the end of each year a draft comes into play, giving the player the option to protect just a handful of names on their roster. This is similar to how it worked in the original GM mode in 2008, however what isn't the same is what happens next.
Rather than GM's drafting from each other, with the core roster remaining the same after the draft (as is traditional on TV), 2K23 dumps everyone back into a big pot.
This means rather than using your pick to take who you'd like from your rivals, while hoping they don't poach away your biggest names, you have to try your best to re-draft everyone you previously had.
It's a small thing but it makes it very difficult to keep the status quo, as even your development talent go back into the pool.
All that said, this is still a really fun mode, and probably my go-to when I boot up WWE 2K23 with more than a half hour to spare. It's also promising that they have put so much time into developing it out, and I'm hopeful that next year they may have brought it more in line with Universe mode, at least in terms of options.
The Bottom Line…
WWE 2K23 takes the excellent foundations built in 2K22 and builds upon them pretty well. Every change 2K have made has been an improvement, it's just a shame they haven't focused on improving things that really need it, such as the broken Universe mode.
Plenty of DLC has already been promised, and there are sure to be patches to improve things too, which will hopefully address the odd glitch here and there.
I'd recommend WWE2K23, as the upgraded GM mode, John Cena Showcase and new MyRise storylines are worth the price of admission alone, just don't expect things to be TOO different if you already own 2K22. Oh, and don't change 'The Lock's default moveset!